"It's the Economy Stupid."

James Carville first said it 15 years ago when he was a campaign manager for then Governor Bill Clinton.  His point was simple.  George Bush was beatable, despite the perception that he was unbeatable having just ended the cold war and been successful in pushing Iraq out of Kuwait in the Persian Gulf War.  Carville's point?  Bill Clinton was a better choice because while President Bush was gaining success overseas, he wasn't taking care of the U.S. economy. President Bush's presidency will always be notable.  It was when the Berlin Wall was torn down and America's presence in the Persian Gulf was intensified, but to folks in America at the time, jobs and a healthy economy were more important.

I bring this up because as CMS begins the process of moving from "Good to Great" it is important to always remember the singular power of an effective teacher practicing effective instructional practices.  It is the single most important determinant of children's success in school.  A single, caring teacher can have a greater positive impact on a student's life than any program, curriculum alignment, policy and/or federal mandate will ever have.  

The 2007 McKinsey Report (Which I first read about at Ewan McIntosh's edu.blogs.com) studied successful schools from around the world.  Their research identified three "things" that mattered most in those top schools that were identified as such.  They were:

1.  Getting the right people to become teachers

2.  Developing them into effective instructors

and

3.  Ensuring that the system is able to deliver the best possible instruction for every child.

In other words.   Education is a people business.  Successful schools hire high quality people and then provide the support needed for them to continue to develop their craft.  As CMS moves from "Good to Great" these three "things" that all successful schools have in common should be kept in the forefront of our minds.