Schools Cannot Do It Alone

by Jamie Vollmer

Schools Cannot Do It Alone tells of Jamie Vollmer, businessman and attorney,as he travels through through the land of public education. His encounters with blueberries, bell curves, and smelly eighth graders lead him to two critical discoveries. First, we have a systems problem, not a people problem. We must change the system to get the graduates we need. Second, we cannot touch the system without touching the culture of the surrounding town; everything that goes on inside a school is tied to local attitudes, values, traditions, and beliefs. Drawing on his work in hundreds of districts, Jamie offers teachers, administrators, board members,and their allies a practical program to secure the understanding, trust, permission, and support they need to change the system and increase student success.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Teaching

231 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 14, 2010

Reviews

[Lena Riemersma · Rating 3 out of 5]

After much research and immersion, a lawyer and business leader thoughtfully dissects the American public school system's challenges and offers solutions. Many very elucidative statistics and arguments.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vollmer is an attorney and businessman-turned-expert-on-education. As leader of the Great Midwestern Ice Cream Company, he was tapped to be part of an Iowa state-wide business-education partnership in the 80s. That role took him all over the state telling educators how they should run their schools like businesses. Somewhere along the way, he started shadowing teachers and principals, and listening to them talking about their jobs. After hours in schools, he decided that schools do *not* have a people problem, as he'd originally insisted. Instead, they have a *system* problem, and he goes through the history of education to explain how schools were set up on a factory model, but now, faced with globalization and a knowledge economy, are outdated. However, there are several insitutional and cultural barriers to changing, especially what he terms the "nostesia" of community members, who romanticize the way school was when they attended, and who hate the very idea of change. The last third of the book explains how school leaders and teachers might start community-wide conversations and grassroots support for the change that is needed in each school, neighborhood by neighborhood.

Vollmer is a lively writer, with engaging stories and a quick wit. He writes much the way he speaks. He's done his research and logged hours on the road and in schools. There is some movement in Iowa towards trying his conversation/grassroots mobilization, and it will be interesting to see what happens as a result.

The book is published by a very small press, and I caught several typographical and copyediting errors, which are unfortunately distracting from his overall message, which knocks down my star rating. The message is also very similar to Sir Ken Robinson's, if you've seen his TED talks.

[Jennifer Mangler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book made me think about how entrenched school customs are. We do things this way because it's the way they've always been done. Habit. And it's so what we're all used to that we struggle to imagine anything different. The "Terrible Twenty Trends" chapter in particular really stopped me in my tracks and overwhelmed me for quite a while. Change is going to be hard.

[Ryan Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jamie Volmer was invited by my local teacher's union and my superintendent to come speak to our community. As a board member for the union I was excited to get to experience his presentation. Jamie signed a copy of his book for me.
The first half of this book was very informative to me, I felt like I could be a shaker and a do-er. I was about to write-off the second half because it was too detail oriented. I'm more of a big picture kind of guy. Then I got to chapter 24, The Informal Track, and once again I was intrigued.
I didn't read any other reviews but I have to add that there were many typos in this book that for someone with a language arts background was hard to dismiss.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I plan to offer this books as a discussion for staff and community members. Even if people disagree on any of the content in this book, it gives a great way to open discussion about our community’s values, testing scores, curriculum and other issues that I think all towns should discuss about education.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author does a nice job identifying the problem, but not so great at outlining the solution. Just the full account of the blueberry story makes it a sound investment. If you're a teacher, don't ever let anyone tell you schools should be run like businesses.

[Rachael R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book.

[Terry Morawski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not new, but the case made is still fresh for community-wide support of our schools.

[Bridget · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s debatable if I actually read this, given that I accidentally read the wrong book first and then found a 25 page summary of the book. But I got a 100% on the paper so I’m counting it.

[Julie]

School group read

[emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

as an educator, this was a very powerful book

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vollmer came to Norman and did his schtick for all of us...but it fit so well with the times and with our own need to hear good news about public education. He admitted that this book started out as a longer version of his presentation...his beginnings as a critic of public schools, wanting to run them as a business, the Blueberry Story that proved to be his epiphany, and his conversion to champion. His stories are funny and meaningful, his heart in the right place.

This book expanded on his talk and offers some concrete suggestions about how to get community buy-in for the changes that must happen at the school and district level, and at the community level, if we are really to make a difference.

The things that really struck me in his presentation and here in the book is the stifling list of mandates piled onto school since the first days of public education in this country. He has a video he showed, but in the book, the list took three pages, single spaced. Anyone seeing the list would have his breath taken away...and we manage to do all this AND educate kids!!

New information in the book is his plan for reaching out to the community in formal and informal ways to have a real conversation about schools, what they are, what they're not, and how to change them. I was put off by the scripted plan for the formal Great Conversation. I don't like scripted lessons and squirmed as I read his detailed plan...

But then, the informal Great Conversation is right up my alley. He tells the story of another discovery...the moment when he realized in many ways school personnel are their own 'worst enemies' when it comes to good news about schools. The informal track challenges each and every one of us to share good news about our schools, and to stop bad-mouthing colleagues and schools in public. That's easy! I can do that. In a way my dad trained me to do that years ago when I was still at his junior high. He was a master of presenting a positive, professional face in public.

Vollmer believes the enemy of schools is the concept of keeping time constant...we all attend school the same number of days even tho some of us learn content faster and others need more time...his idea of the three-dimensional bell curve went over my head, but since this is a book I'll return to, I know I'll get it.

This is an important book and I'm eager to see what I can do with it to bring about some of the changes he suggests.

After his speech in Norman I introduced myself and said I'd be contacting him. I really see ways to morph some of his ideas into a project for after I retire...Parents and the community are highly supportive of Norman Schools, but even then, they know little about why we're so good, and the ways state and national policy could hinder our progress...I would love to help organize conversations (or Conversations) with the community...

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good conversation about education with its good and bad aspects. Some great insight on ways to change the system for the better.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

While Vollmer offers no specific suggestions for institutional change, his witty writing made this how-to approach change methodically focusing on community buy-in and culture change.

[Du · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea that the education system needs to be reviewed and improved is nothing new, and the idea that the way to improve schools is to bring the community into the school, is not new either. What is great about this book is the way the ideas are tied together in a thoughtful and useful manner.

The book isn't a diatribe, nor is it a diction. Instead it is a conversational tale about recognizing that the society schools educate to and for are different, and have been evolving, while schools have been evolving. The problem comes from the different ways the two have evolved.

I like the conversation and found it presented in a manner that is not aggressive, but is assertive, and punctual.

[Mleugene · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I left the states a decade ago to teach abroad, I thought, "lots of things are about to change in schools in the US." Sitting in summer clases this summer with other teachers I've learned that things just haven't changed. I could walk into a classroom tomorrow and pick right up where I left off. Jamie Vollmer explains not only why this is the case, but what the impediments are to initiating that change. He also goes on to talk about what needs to be done and how leaders might go about doing it.

[Debbie Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last school year we had Jamie Vollmer visit our school district and speak with many community and school groups. At the time I believe that many people were inspired by his ideas. The story of the blueberries is one that has been retold by many people and does ring true. If you haven't heard it, Mr. Vollmer was in the ice cream business and at a talk years ago he was saying that schools need to be run more like a business. A teacher asked what his company would do if a shipment of blueberries arrived and they weren't up to their quality standards...

[Armela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book I had to read for a course on the current issues surrounding education, and I liked it a lot. Many books on the issues on education are not as interesting, but in this book Vollmer has developed a plan for school reform and that is called The Great Conversation which is made up of a Formal and an Informal Track. I wish all teachers and educational leaders would read this book so we can plan and work into changing our school through the contribution of staff members, district and state and most importantly, the community.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this. Serving as the spokesperson for a contentious school levy campaign last summer truly opened my eyes to the relationship between school and community. If all teachers and community leaders read this (and I know teachers have tremendous responsibility; I feel terrible suggesting one more task), it would make a fabulous difference in public education today. This book is about why curriculum needs to change, and how to convince the entire community of the need.

[Ariane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in preparation for the author coming to speak to the whole school district at the beginning of this school year. I enjoyed the motivation in this book - not necessarily solutions to school problems, but just the necessity and the steps to get everyone involved.

Kind of disappointing that his public appearance was WAY TOO repetitive to everything in book. Maybe this is typical for writers/public speakers?

[Annie Oosterwyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was eminently readable and full of important ideas for the future of education and how to accomplish the same. Not at all prescriptive, but collaborative the whole way. Offered suggestions for how individuals can work for change at the level where they feel comfortable. The community involvement piece struck me as very jasmine spring.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read and honest about the challenges of educators but his idea that this solution and movement he speaks of will take no more time or money or resources is crazy and disconnected. I would also line to see year round schools and more resources for schools and I appreciate his ideas on how to get there.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting evolution of one person's suggested method for making change within a district. Plus his case of how our current system isn't meeting the needs of all our students within the historical context of how schools were initially designed to sort the 'thinkers" from the "doers". How a shift in our economy has required a change in methodology of teaching to all & no longer sorting.

[Pete Lares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Vollmer spoke during our administrative inservice and his presentation was literally "by the book." That's not a bad thing, either. His call to action is simple and straightforward. We are beginning "the great conversation" and I am hopeful we can make meaningful progress both inside and outside the organization.

[TJ Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very compelling book. I nodded my head, not in tiredness, but in agreement the whole way through. More geared toward school administrators and the public, but it's nice to see such thought and care go into it for all parties involved. Regardless, the first half, with its philosophies, are a good read for any teacher.

[Ann-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am seriously considering buying multiple copies of this book and offering people money to read it. There was so much in there I want to discuss and I can see now why my car pool partner has been harassing me to read it for a year! He was absolutely right.

[Shannon Vanderhyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jamie has some powerful things to say that many people need to hear. It got a little dull at times, but he kept much of it interesting with personal anicdotes related to the purpose.

[Carey Newsome · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every American should take the time to read this book.

[Teresa]

Read this as a book study with our School Board. Would encourage anyone to read this.

[Julie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

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