On the Need for Caution in Educational Innovation

1971 NCTE Annual Business Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada

Background Innovative programs are desirable in any educational institution which is dedicated to providing the most rewarding language experience possible. However, innovative programs often fall short of what was considered most desirable by their creators. The failure of many programs to accomplish what was originally conceived as their goals is often the result of inadequate preplanning. Too often the framers of these programs do not give enough consideration to the effect the new program will have on the total program of the school: the source of its funding, its effect on staff composition after members of the regular staff are assigned new tasks in the program, its effect on pupil load of teachers not in the program, its effect on the mix in those classes that must now be conducted without those students who are now participants in the new program. Be it therefore Resolution Resolved, that innovative programs in English be not only maintained and encouraged but undertaken with careful consideration of the target population as well as of current and future funding, staff needs, and the effect of innovation on the total school program. Innovative programs should be consistent with pertinent research and suited to the needs of students in the school.