If you start reading this blog by going back to the title, you have to ask yourself, "Don't we already do that?" I mean, competition within schools happens all of the time. Football, basketball and other athletic contests occur throughout the year. Fine arts has competition, spelling bees exists throughout the country; competition within schools happens everywhere.

But when the discussion moves from the basketball court to the administration office, people seem to get a little squirrely. They don't want to talk about the idea of marketing or advertising a school to compete for enrollment.

This blog really isn't about school choice or anything like that. Each state faces unique issues, and we all have different demographics we have to deal with. What this blog is really about is how we as educators and school leaders view the future within our schools. Do we view the future as an extension of the present? Do we adopt the "good ole days" mentality versus trying to stretch the boundaries and barriers that may exist?

I have recently started reading two fantastic books: "Blue Ocean Strategy" by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne and "How the Mighty Fail" by Jim Collins. One has to do with looking forward in a new way, and the other has to do with trying to identify trends that cause even the most successful organizations to stumble and fall. If I take both of these books and apply their concepts to my school leadership (which is the point of me reading these books), I come away with some key points that may have some relevance.

1. There is no such thing as the "good ole days." I'm sure there were things that were good, but I see a lot of good right now. Things may have changed with a slower pace at one point in history, but these "days" are good and we have to, for the sake of our children, move with them.
    
2. Schools are about students and community, not contractual obligations. Doesn't it break your heart when you hear about teacher unions that don't allow teachers to work past a certain time? I thought we taught for students –– isn't that the point? Schools will grow and flourish when the school treats it stakeholders as an engaged community.
    
3. Money is not and never has been the key. I realize that is an emphatic statement, but government is proof that money doesn't solve all of the problems, and it never will.
    
4. Innovation that provides value to students will be everlasting. The Education Department can release as much money as it wants and can have as many contests that it can fit into a schedule, but until innovation is allowed, and obligations are shunned, real growth and improvement will be stifled.

So going back to the competition thing. Maybe we should compete more. Let's compete for new ideas. Let's compete for new methods. Let's compete for openness and authenticity with students and parents, and then let them choose the winner.