The state of education in N.M. is particularly poor, in my opinion. Statistically, we may believe this is the case, but the question is why? I think there are several reasons that have hampered education reform both in-State and nationally.
I would like to see all students in the U.S. given opportunities to be challenged and to excel in setting and reaching goals utilizing their potential. This is a very exciting time in educational reform, so I see light at the end of the tunnel. Educators and reformers like Geoffrey Canada, Steven Perry, Jaime Escalante, Michele Rhee, Joel Klein and others have shown, and are showing, the way that underperforming schools and underserved communities can provide opportunities for children who might otherwise "fall through the cracks." All the above-named have "butted heads" with the unions.
Problems facing schools are fairly complex, but unless new approaches are tried, the usual excuses of poverty, lack of parental and/or community involvement, hidebound resistance to change on the part of the unions, bureaucracy of school districts and so forth, are merely guarantees of more generations of young peoples' futures lost.
Some commonalties also bind the above-named individuals. All have high expectations of professionalism for teachers, belief in engaging parents and the larger community in the school system, longer days and school years as a means to help children falling behind to catch up, genuine concern and caring for the students in their charge, and last but not least, high expectations of success for these children regardless of external circumstances.
These characteristics and attitudes do matter. When Mr. Escalante and his associates left Garfield High School, students' math scores plummeted. Steven Perry is showing excellent results for the students at his charter school in Connecticut. Geoffrey Canada has expanded the concept of "community school" exponentially to address some of the concerns "beyond schooling" into the greater community, so the caring for students extends beyond the school yard.
Albert Shanker famously said, "When schoolchildren start paying union dues, that's when I'll start representing the interests of schoolchildren." I think we as educators, can be better than that going forward. If we have such small regard for the children in our charge eight or more hours a day, I don't think we deserve to be called teachers.
I agree with 2 issues that Ginny mentions in her blog. First the notion that "the state of education in N.M. is particularly poor...." But I agree up to a certain degree. Taking the statistics provided to the state regarding scores on standardized tests by each school -- then yes! Education looks grim. However if we were to take an individual look at each school I believe that the outcome would not be as bad as it seems.
ReplyDeleteThe combination of negative media coverage and comparison against successful schools who face less obstacles be them financial, or due to any other myriad factors paints a darker picture than what it might truly be.
The second issue that Ginny mentions and that I agree with is that we need to try new solutions and stay away from what she labels "the usual excuses of poverty, lack of parental and/or community involvement..." etc...etc., because these are becoming just that: excuses. The fact that we as educators, or as concerned citizens are willing to take part in the discourse of better education and come up with new approaches to deal with the current state of education says a lot about where we place our priorities and what kind of future we want for the younger generations of students.
Looking at the "state of education" in the entire state is overwhelming and disheartening. I agree that the expectations for students and schools need to be higher. The public is expecting sweeping reform but it must be done one small step at a time. The individuals mentioned did not just require the students to produce they showed students the value of that product to their own lives. Our educational bureaucracy needs to relearn what the individual schools are dealing with on a daily basis. The reality of the problems might help them better formulate the possible solutions and support the teachers working toward that end.
ReplyDeleteI agree that high expectations make a difference--they must be coupled with instruction and inspiration to allow the studetns to meet the expectations. I think caring beyond the schoolyard, involving parents, and involving the community is important too, but can also have dangers/drawbacks. Maybe it depends on the school and on the student. APS has many successes as well as many failures, maybe we should look at them too as we chart new courses.
ReplyDeleteI agree that our educational system needs work and without trying new approaches our children will continue to fall behind. I also agree that if teachers have high expectations students will try to reach them, given the opportunity. I disagree with the statement that poverty is just an excuse for failings. If students are not having their basic needs, food, shelter, etc., met then they are not going to be able to focus and be productive in school. In areas where poverty is a problem, solutions to reform education need to include finding solutions to meet these student's basic needs as well as their educational needs.
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