Dwight W. Allen - Initiatives and Achievements in Education Reform

Initiatives and Achievements in Education Reform

Since his Stanford days as a graduate student and later as a faculty member, Allen was committed to integrating technology into teaching and learning and to extensive education reform. In Stanford, he developed the first computer based school scheduling system and microteaching, which is a teacher training practicum that has been used worldwide ever since then.

When he became the Dean of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in 1968, Allen contended with the status quo and worked to combat institutional racism. He allowed students to create their own programs and abolished the traditional grading system. The college of education recruited non-traditional students and students of color, such as the then nationally famous comedian Bill Cosby, for their doctoral programs, Doctoral students were made voting members of the faculty and participated fully in the governance of the college of education. Allen argues that the career achievements of the doctoral programs' graduates have vindicated his radical reforms.

Allen has worked toward educational reform worldwide. In Lesotho he served as Founding Chief Technical Advisor for the National Teacher Training College (1974–76). In Botswana he served as Technical Advisor to the Molepolole College of Education (1986–89). In Greece, he served as Professor at the Kollegion Athenon (1953–54). In China, he served as Consultant to the United Nations Development Programme Project and focused on educational reform and teacher training (1991–2009). He has consulted on educational reform in more than 50 countries.

As a lifelong educational technology advocate, Allen himself served as an exemplar for the integration of technology in teaching and learning in his own instructional work. He believes "Education needs dot-com leaders desperately".

Allen proposed many new education reform initiatives in his co-authored book with Bill Cosby: American School: The 100 Billion Dollar Challenge. These initiatives range from establishing a national school reform experimentation system (NESA: the National Experimental Schools Administration) to merit pay for teachers. Allen and Cosby also proposed year-round school, 15 hour school days, strong community involvement in schools, professional discretion, professional incentives, and integration of technology.

Both Allen and Cosby view education as a fundamental aspect of national defence. They argue that we need to invest in education at similar levels to our military.