The Future of American Education is Failure Part ITuesday, May 16, 2006This is not a politically correct statement. It is not intended to be. My hope is that parents will become more educated about how their kids are being educated. I have never been impressed with George Bush?s education law. I don't like what he did with education in Texas and his national efforts have been abysmal. How does this relate to your career? I will get there, but first I need to update you on the latest report coming from the Department of Education. This week, the department charged with setting the course for the future of American education reported that not one of the states will have a "highly qualified" (their term) teacher in every core class this year. This is something President Bush has been promising for four years now. I am not writing a political rant on the Bush administration, so let's get that settled up front. I stay away from the political scene on The Blogging Boss and for good reason. I am writing for all people who are employed in this country (Republican, Democratic or any other political persuasion). This is Bush?s legislation. I really wouldn?t care if it was John Kerry?s legislation. What bothers me is what I am learning about the state of our educational system. It is not a political problem. I believe neither party can adequately address the grave concerns many of us have about our educational system. I am not a fan of the public school system, so I am jaded. Even if I loved public education as we know it today, the facts speak for themselves. Nine states, plus the District of Columbia are going to face penalties because they did not do what was minimally required to comply with the law. On Friday the Department of Education ordered each state to explain how they will get to 100% of core classes taught by someone qualified. This is reality and it is frightening. Shouldn't I assume that my hard earned tax dollars are paying the salaries of qualified (on paper) teachers? I have a Bachelors degree in education and I taught in the public school system for a very short period of time. To be a substitute teacher I had to have a college degree in Education. I guess that was a requirement in the state where I lived at the time. These states are going to pay for their lack of compliance - more on that tomorrow. posted at 5/16/2006 09:19:00 AM |
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5 Comments:
I won't even get started. :)
Guess how many people will read this report and assume that throwing more money at the schools is the answer. Time and again, "throwing money" has had no effect at all.
Our country continues to try to "fix" a broken system...like putting a Band-Aid on a tumor.
And you know, even in the classroom of a really good ("qualified") teacher, only about 20 percent of the children are really going to succeed, because only about 20 percent of children have the learning style that is primarily catered to in a traditional school setting.
Eric,
I live in the suburbs of NYC and the school system in my town is always one of the highest rated in the state. That being said, sometimes it just seems like the number one concern is for the schools to be daycare.
You can't lay all the blame on the system when you hear some parents say things like "I can't wait till he's 5 and can start kindergarten so I can get a break!" It's very sad.
I'm waiting patiently for the second half of this story.
Oh Ken...that breaks my heart, too. I can't tell you how much I hate hearing those words!
You know, that whole attitude is PART of this broken system. It's so engrained in many parents' heads that, at the ripe ol' age of 5, one's children is to be HANDED OVER, so to speak. Parental hands washed clean. That is a huge part of why the system is so broken, in my opinion.
Not all parents have that "I can't wait" attitude. But way too many do. And for the child, it's just downhill from there.
Hey Ken, I am from New York orininally, so I know that your state has yearly tests that create accountability for the students.
"Sometimes it just seems like the number one concern is for the schools to be daycare."
You are right and this is part of the wrong mental model some parents have. I know you love being a Dad, so it is a foreign concept to you and me.
"You can't lay all the blame on the system when you hear some parents say things like 'I can't wait till he's 5 and can start kindergarten so I can get a break!' It's very sad."
I agree in part; however, I believe that even if parents were not looking for a daycare, the system would still be broken.
The saying is if it ain't broke don't fix it. Well it is broke and you can't fix it.
I have the final part of the story coming out tomorrow morning. I am out of town this week, so I have broken this issue up into three installments so that I can cover it at the level that I think is necessary.
Thanks for stopping by!
Throwing money at the schools is not the only thing being done. After discussing this topic in length with three administrators in three different states, I am amazed at what individual teachers and schools must do these days. I, personally, could not do it...and I taught for 11 years, with some success, I hope! You are correct...NCLB is not the solution and it is a bandaid. But help needs to start somewhere. There are many improvements made because of NCLB.
Schools are often "expected" to fix problems that are family issues. Or deal with the results of families in crisis. It is not the school's responsibility to do so. Society as a whole has let down our schools, not just teachers, administrators, or the government.
It is a daunting challenge to help the schools that are in crisis...but there are amazing educators and administrators out there doing more than you can imagine, despite the handicaps they face.
We can not give up on our schools. We can't label them as broken and stand back while they fail. I give credit to each good educator who is doing MUCH MORE than we realize.
I would not send my child to a public school and yet I will work in any way possible, as a taxpayer, as a parent, as an educator to help find a solution. We all need to work together.
Idealistic? YES! But that is what it may take.
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