Abstract
In 1976 Dr. Dustin Heuston founded Waterford.org to pursue a dream of equity and excellence in education. This chapter details four key principles that are necessary to achieving that dream: (1) the education system needs to be rearchitected around the individual learner, which will require significant amounts of additional work to accomplish; (2) digital technology has unique properties that qualify it for providing that work; (3) early literacy is necessary for equity as it is a foundational skill for success in school and life; and (4) true equity requires starting in the home and partnering with parents to ensure that all children arrive at school ready to learn. Waterford Upstart is an innovative solution that was developed around these principles and helps achieve these school readiness goals, as evidenced by rigorous research. This has important policy implications for states looking to improve equity and excellence in education.
TopBackground: The Genesis Of Waterford.Org
[Note: Much of what is included in this Background and in Part I about Dr. Dustin Heuston’s experiences and thinking is handled more fully in his autobiographical book, The Third Source (Heuston, 2011). For brevity’s sake, extensive citations to this book have been omitted, although direct quotations are cited.]
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Dr. Dustin Heuston was headmaster at the Spence School in New York City, a noted finishing school for girls. During his tenure he led a complete overhaul of the curriculum, making it more rigorous and incorporating the latest improvements in science, engineering, and technology. To support his enhanced curriculum, expert faculty were recruited, and the school’s facilities were modernized and expanded. The latest tools, including the digital computer, were made available. In short, he catalyzed Spence’s shift from a finishing to a preparatory school of the first order (Kuller, 1976).
Despite these notable successes, Dr. Heuston, a devout Latter-Day Saint, was bothered by a passage of scripture in The Book of Mormon (2013/1830) that reads: “And the people began to be distinguished by ranks, according to their riches and their chances for learning; yea, some were ignorant because of their poverty, and others did receive great learning because of their riches” (3 Nephi 6:12). From his office window in the tony Upper East Side of Manhattan he could see Harlem, and he worried that his efforts to improve the education of these already privileged young girls were only serving to deepen society’s inequalities. This was not a new problem in education: educational excellence—whether at elite prep schools like Spence or even at outstanding public schools—has historically been localized and limited, which inevitably leads to it being exclusive and expensive (DeRoche, 2020). The notion of providing the finest education was laudable; the question now was how to provide such an opportunity to all.
Determined to solve this conundrum, Dr. Heuston ultimately left Spence and founded the national nonprofit Waterford.org to pursue his dream of making access to an excellent education a birthright for all children.
The remainder of this chapter is divided into two parts. The first part highlights four key principles culled from the ensuing decades of pioneering efforts by Dr. Dustin Heuston and others at Waterford.org. These insights are especially relevant today and, taken together, provide a powerful and actionable roadmap for improving equity and excellence in education in America. The second part details Waterford Upstart, a home-based school readiness program which leverages those principles, and its growing impact on the national school readiness landscape.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Moore’s Law: The theory (which holds true) that computing power would double roughly every two years for the foreseeable future while costs would continue to come down.
Digital Technology: Technology based on the use of computer chips, including computers, software programs, and other technology, that, when properly designed, harnessed, and leveraged, can help alleviate the work shortfall in education.
Work Shortfall: A condition where there is not enough work to accomplish a desired goal.
Early Literacy: Foundational skills a child needs to learn in order to eventually become a fluent reader and writer and a literate adult.
Educational Equality: A condition where every child has access to the same learning opportunities.
Educational Equity: A condition where each child has what is needed to be successful.
Work: The amount of energy needed to move an object; in education , anything and everything that goes into educating a student.
Academic Learning Time (ALT): Instructional time in which an individual student is actively engaged in learning that is child-appropriate and is directly tied to the outcomes that will be measured.
Learner-Centric: Relating to an educational philosophy or system where success is individually measured at the level of the student instead of at the level of the teacher.
Waterford Upstart: A free home-based school readiness program created by Waterford.org that focuses on literacy and social-emotional skills and on empowering parents.