"Sacred cows"-policies, practices and procedures which have, by tradition, become regarded as sacrosanct in education-will be among the topics covered in this year's annual social and business meeting of the Syracuse University Superintendents Alumni Association (SUSAA). The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center, Nov. 12, before the Homecoming Weekend football game. A discussion of educational sacred cows will be led by Rick Timbs, a School of Eduation (SOE) alumus and former district superintendent, in anticipation of a presentation on Nov. 18 by Kenneth Strike, Cornell University professor emeritus of philosophy and education, before the Executive Council of the Study Council at SU on the subject of high school reform. Other participating superintendents are SOE alumna Linda Gush (St. Lawrence BOCES) and Jack Boak (Jefferson-Lewis BOCES).
A survey of SUSAA members and University faculty members has identified a number sacred-cow issues in the field of education, including standardized testing, gifted and talented programs, inclusion, commercialization of education, raising minority academic achievement, SATs, marginal teaching and data collection accountability. By engaging in a frank and open discussion of perceived sacred cows in secondary education, SUSAA members will be preparing the ground for a compelling and productive dialogue with Strike by helping define realistic parameters for a discussion of high school reform.
Strike taught at Cornell from 1971-2000. He is former chair of the Department of Education Policy Studies at the University of Maryland and has been teaching in SU's SOE this semester. His principal interests are professional ethics and political philosophy as they apply to matters of educational practice and policy.
He is the author of a number of books and well over a hundred articles. Recent books include "The Ethics of Teaching" (Teachers College Press, 1998), "The Ethics of School Administration" (Teachers College Press, 1998), "Liberal Justice and the Marxist Critique of Schooling"(Routledge, Kenan & Paul, 1989), and "Ethics and College Student Life" (Prentice Hall, 1996). He has written on a variety of other topics, including school reform, desegregation, affirmative action and religious liberty in education. His current work concerns the exploration of the normative aspects of school reform, emphasizing the notion of schools as communities.
The Study Council at SU is a membership organization of more than 130 Central New York school districts. More than 2000 school district personnel participate annually in council services, which include topical conferences for educators, issues-related seminars, collaborative research and development and grant writing assistance. The council, founded more than 50 years ago, has a distinguished history of promoting and supporting excellence in education for Central New York schools.
The SUSAA is an alumni membership association of active and retired school district superintendents dedicated to promoting and enriching the profession of education administration through professional development and research. Associate and honorary memberships are open to all superintendents, who are invited to become members. For further information about SUSAA contact (315) 443-4696 or e-mail
scsu@sued.syr.edu.
