Why "Doing School" Still Isn't Enough.

Hey, friend! So good to be back with you again this week. 👋🏼

Every once in a while during professional learning, you get hit with a reminder you didn’t even know you needed.

That happened to me recently when The Opportunity Myth came back across my desk.

It’s not a new report. It’s been around a while.
But rereading it now — after the last few years we’ve all lived through — it hit differently. Harder.

Becasue the myth it calls out hasn’t changed:

✅ Show up.
✅ Work hard.
✅ Get good grades.
✅ And you’ll be ready.

That’s the promise we make to kids.
But too often, the work we hand them doesn't deliver on that promise.

Students are doing what we ask.
They’re passing assignments.
They’re meeting the standards we set.

However, the bar was never high enough to begin with.

And when students find out — when the real-world expectations finally hit — it’s too late.

If we’re serious about all kids, high-impact teaching and learning, and real opportunity, we have to do more than work hard.
We have to make sure the work is worthy of our kids.

The Reality: Hard Work ≠ High Expectations

In nearly 1,000 classroom observations, TNTP found:

• Students were on-task 88% of the time.

• They succeeded on their assignments 71% of the time.

• But they met grade-level mastery only 17% of the time.

It wasn’t because kids couldn’t do the work.
It was because the work never gave them the chance to show what they could do.

👉🏼 The system doesn’t fail students because they’re not working hard enough. The system fails because it asks them to aim too low.

Especially if they’re students of color, multilingual learners, or come from low-income backgrounds.

What It Looks Like in Action

If you’re a leader who believes students deserve more — and I know you do — then this is your call to check under the hood:

🌟 Are assignments actually grade-level?
(Or are they just busywork disguised as rigor?)

🌟 Are we letting students do the thinking?
(Or are we spoon-feeding answers and calling it success?)

🌟 Are we demanding real engagement?
(Or are we mistaking compliance for investment?)

🌟 Are expectations consistent for every student?
(Or do they shift based on zip code, race, language status, or label?)

Leadership Moves You Can Make This Week

🔥 Audit One Assignment
Pick one assignment at random: Is it aligned to grade-level standards? Does it require critical thinking? Would you want your own child to spend time on it?

🔥 Set a “No Fake Rigor” Standard
Challenge your teams: If the task isn’t challenging students to think, reason, argue, or create — it’s not rigorous. Period.

🔥 Talk to Students About Their Work
Ask students how often they feel challenged — and how often they feel like they’re “just getting through it.” Their answers will tell you everything.

🔥 Name the Myth Out Loud
Talk about it in leadership meetings, PLCs, parent rights. Make it clear: good intentions aren’t enough. High expectations are a must.

Final Thought: They Deserve the Real Thing

Students are doing what we ask.
They’re trusting us to prepare them for what’s next.

We can’t hand then a gold star for surviving a broken system.
We owe them real preparation for a real future.

Because when the day comes — and it always does —
they deserve to be ready. Not surprised.

📩 How are you making sure your students aren’t just doing school - but truly learning at high levels? Hit reply - I’d love to hear your moves.

On A Recent Episode of The Principal School Podcast…

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