"The Road Not Taken"

[M. L. Johnson]

All,

"The Road Not Taken" begins with a dilemma, as many metaphors do. Out walking, the speaker comes to a fork in the road and has to decide which path to follow.  In observing, "Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back," Frost posits decision irreversibility.

Similarly, as enrollment struggled to recover from a year of COVID's remote learning, on October 10, 2023, the Poudre School District's directors chose the road to closure and consolidation. Yet, even under that Specter of Death's inevitability, teachers and staff raised academic achievement to the highest level among  Colorado's large school districts - in 2024-25.

But, what was the road not taken? At that fateful hour, the directors could have chosen program improvement, one that attracted students who had opted for online, home school, or  charter schools. Improvements could have started with asking all employees to be involved as problem solvers, to find opportunities to improve and, perhaps, save money. But, ground floor employees were never asked to help, although ground floor management - one in which employee potential is optimized - is standard practice in many industries. 

Frost was correct about decision irreversibility. However, even in this late hour, the Poudre School District directors still have the option to engage its 5,000 employees in enhancing the student experiences that created the "Best in State," the option thst is totally supported by research and best practices.  

Sincerely,

M. L. Johnson, Ed.D. , Ph.D. Emeritus Professor

Colorado State University