Introduction
Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you gain at one end you lose at the other. It’s like feeding a dog on his own tail. It won’t fatten the dog.
Mark Twain
Provocative Practice™ is focused on supporting schools and districts in creating systems of high quality education for California’s students, and in particular, for its students of color and English Learners. This includes a substantial investment in the development and application of research-informed high-leverage approaches, practices, models, and programs designed to achieve sustainable and dramatically improved 21st century student results. This is not possible, however, without a solid foundation that can withstand the tumultuous winds and waves of changing politics, resources, and 21st century complexities. The Provocative Practice Fundamentals represent this foundation: our values, vision, theory of action, principles, strategic goals and objectives, and instructional priorities. These Fundamentals provide the stability required for leadership to fully enact the Provocative Practice Success Map and create the course to 21st century student success across California’s increasingly global landscape.
With the adoption of the Provocative Practice Fundamentals, we have made a bold commitment to values-driven, principles-based action on behalf of California’s students in order to take significant steps along the journey to success.
Our goals are fitting for the most prosperous state in the wealthiest nation in the world. We seek the day when all children in California – regardless of where they live, the color of their skin, or their economic circumstances – receive the start in life that comes with a world-class education. We seek the day when all students are prepared to pursue their dreams, participate in the rich cultural life of our state, and compete in the global economy. We seek the day when every enterprise in California – public and private – has access to a pool of talent that both attracts the world’s leading businesses and hastens the development and success of new ones, creating opportunities for all.
A Blueprint for Great Schools
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson