Domenech: Expect Some Failings When Expectations Rise

	AASA Executive Director Dan Domenech speaks at the 2nd General Session on Friday morning.

AASA Executive Director Daniel Domenech built on Malcolm Gladwell’s concept of capitalization in his remarks to the 2^nd General Session at AASA’s national conference Friday morning.

Domenech focused his comments on promoting the potential of youngsters, even if the push for higher expectations might lead to some academic failures.

He described his own experiences as superintendent of the Fairfax County, Va., Public Schools to push more students into the highest-level courses, typically Advanced Placement, to maximize their potential. Though many of these students might not score a passing grade of 3 on the 5-point AP grading scale, he said the opportunity still mattered a lot to the participants.

“In our culture, failure can’t be tolerated and failure is not an option, yet we know the process of learning is all about trial and error,” he said.

Domenech said failure with a capital F ought to be differentiated from lower-case failure. The former, he said, would aptly be applied to those who drop out of school, while the latter might apply to immigrant students who do not yet know English when they fail a state literacy exam.

“I propose we move to a culture that promotes opportunity not just for rich, middle-class students or the elite and few but for kids in special education, (those with) limited English proficiency or children of poverty,” Domenech said.