Iowa’s schools may be among the best in the nation, but they can be better, according to the leader of a global education group who will speak in central Iowa this week. Willard Daggett is president of the New York-based International Center for Leadership in Education. Daggett will meet with Webster City educators and residents during a program called "Preparing Students for the Future — Not Our Past".
Daggett says, "We’re really a group that attempts to help school districts throughout the United States raise their student performance, especially in the areas of math, science and language arts." He says he travels around the country presenting programs on education and school improvement.
Daggett says: "Schools really need outside help in terms of what we call technical assistance rather than simply monitoring them. What we attempt to do is find the best instructional practices that improve student performance, not only in the U.S. but worldwide, and try to share them with American schools and say ‘If they fit, if they make sense to you, use them.’"
Daggett praised Iowa as being one of the top performing education states in the nation, but he thinks Iowa can continue to improve on its already-stellar record. He says: "In some ways, you might say, ‘Well, gee, if we were that good, why would anybody want to talk about us doing even better?’ When you’re really pretty good, it’s hard to become great because you become comfortable with your performance."
Daggett, a former school teacher and administrator, says being very good isn’t good enough today. He is to appear at Webster City’s Prem Sahai Auditorium on Wednesday. On Thursday, he’ll meet with local educators and teachers from all over the region. For more information go to www.leadered.com .