Secretary's Column
By Dr. Rick Melmer
Department of Education

Hello Millennials, goodbye status quo!

Things are changing. Have you noticed? If you are a “veteran” educator (I’ll let you define the meaning of veteran), you have probably seen some changes in how our schools operate. I’m not talking about the bell system, report cards or technology. I am talking about how our customers – our students and parents – are reacting to educational policies and procedures.

The millennial generation is sending its children to our schools. That means that the parents of our current school students grew up in a different generation than many of today’s educators. On the surface, that should not seem problematic – especially since we are reminded that education hasn’t changed in the last 100 years. (I happen to disagree.)

However, there is something different about our new customers. They expect things, and they are determined to get their questions answered to their satisfaction. Educators can no longer quote board policies or master contracts and expect the answer to satisfy many of our customers. You see: This generation is used to getting results, and the people that were raised in this generation (born in the late 70s/early 80s) have lived in a world where the customer rules. Companies are eager enough for business and have taken the “customer satisfaction” mission to an entirely new level. That translates to our schools as well.

The millennial generation is starting to dominate our parent group. They are running for public office, including school boards, and they are also represented in our new batch of teachers. What is the impact? Documents like board policy books that outline how we traditionally handled various situations will be questioned. Questions about discipline policies that have been in place for years will be raised – in the name of fairness to all students. Master contracts that pay people for growing a year older will be highlighted and negotiated. 

The best educators know how to adapt to changing customers. They recognize bright and capable people and see that policies/practices may need to be modified to adapt to a changing customer base. My hope is that you are prepared for this exciting time in education, when we reconsider past practices in favor of new and improved methods of delivering our educational programs.