This reader says that reformers almost never protest budget cuts.
Another word for reform these days is……….neglect.
“I think the “abandonment” idea is really powerful. As the parent of a public school kid in Ohio, I really do feel abandoned by both my state government and the federal government. Ordinary local public schools need not apply!
The crazy state and federal focus on the 5% of schools that conform to the rigid “reform” recipe is something we’re going to regret.
Besides Arne Duncan’s one statement on Philadelphia schools, a statement he made only after being pushed, has one single national “reformer” advocated for a restoration of pubic school funding?
We could use less “innovation” and more simple, competent stewardship of the schools that MOST children attend, existing schools, but I suppose “stewardship” isn’t nearly as exciting and media-friendly as “cage-busting.’
It’s neglect.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Reblogged this on Transparent Christina.
Abandonment. Yes.
Because of idolatry of innovation (among other things).
A three word anagram for
Education Reform = Farce Monied Tour
Like 🙂
What’s the difference between an old-growth forest and a tree farm? Well, the old-growth forest is a complex community, strong in its diversity, in its sensitivity to local conditions, in its ability to change and develop. Local public schools with secure funding and site-based management are like that. They can respond to community needs, they can differ as their communities and student populations differ, and they are free to innovate and to differ from one another.
Despite all their rhetoric about “choice”, the “reformers” have developed plans that will make of American PreK-12 education a centrally planned monoculture, with one set of standards, one set of standardized tests, one teacher evaluation system, and one centralized database of student responses that serves up a narrow range of curricula from a few big educational materials providers (the ones who can jump through the hoops necessary to link their curricula to that database). We were already well down that path toward centralization with our state tests and state evaluation systems and state adoption criteria and state frameworks and curricula.
We have a choice: We can respect our educators and give them the autonomy consistent with their expertise and with the dignity of their work, or we can have these centralized systems and mandates. Freedom or tyranny?
And ol Ma Nature abhors. . .
vacuums (which is the ideology of standardization) and monoculture. When was the last time you saw a monoculture produced by ol Ma?
Centralized systems and mandates, or a mono-culture emanating from schools of education and bankrupt theories of education are what did drastic harm to education in the 20th century, and this continues in many respects today. Diane discusses it “Left Back.” What one is struck buy is the manner in which certain educationist’s ideas became accepted dogma even though they lacked any scientific grounding in the substantive academic disciplines, and what a sheep-like profession the field of education has been over that time. Once they gained control over schools of education, people like William Heard Kilpatrick exerted an unwarranted and nefarious influence over education in the United States and there were few to stand against the juggernaut. I speak of such ideas as differentiated education, the replacement of history and government with “social studies,”or the displacement–indeed the disparagement– of factual knowledge in favor of skills that Hirsch justifiably laments. I wouldn’t want any child of mine under the influence of teachers who parrot the ideas that are promoted in schools of education, as Rita Kramer has effectively exposed them.
Anyone who has observed public schools over the past fifty years should know that it’s not about the money. Education spending has tripled while results have flat-lined. Teachers should be paid fairly, but paying teachers more will not, by itself, produce superior outcomes. You could double the per student expenditure of the DC public schools and things would not change, any more than they changed in Kansas City when a federal judge ordered the doubling of per-pupil; expenditures.
Taxpayers have ponied up, but public schools have not delivered. They are tired of demands by teachers unions for more money and even lower class sizes, when neither one has worked thus far. Indeed, taxpayers have been hit with the double whammy: rising costs for salaries and benefits, and more staff to which to pay those salaries and benefits because we were told that lower class sizes would raise student outcomes. What they did was lower teachers’ workloads.
It should also be noted that teachers are often victims themselves, of the bad ideas they picked up in education classes. I came from a family of teachers and hold them in high regard, but, truth be told, they are generally not drawn from the highest ranks of their college cohorts, a simple fact noted by a variety of education commentators and state reform documents. I dare say many of these lack the intellectual strength and independence of thought to withstand the indoctrination they can be handed in schools of education. Indeed, it was the failure of teachers to challenge the delivered wisdom of their education professors in the 20th century that contributed to the dumbing down of education since the 1960s, when those ideas metastasized.
“Education spending has tripled while results have flat-lined.”
Ms. Ravitch has shown this is not to be true, results have been going up for decades. Also the cost of things are on the rise. My weekly gasoline billed has tripled and I dont get any further.
” they are generally not drawn from the highest ranks of their college cohorts.” Well we can then agree since all teachers are college graduates, and college graduates skew towards the best and brightest, of society, therefore a simple fact is that American teachers are still at the “highest rank”. I guess it depends on what you are comparing.
Lastly, smaller class sizes do raise student outcomes, however as a teacher we measure outcomes in life successes and not by test scores. You have to see those post schools. Shout out to Mr. Sherrill, thanks for the lessons in chemistry but most of all thanks for putting in my heart the idea to become a teacher.
“I dare say many of these lack the intellectual strength and independence of thought to withstand the indoctrination they can be handed in schools of education.”
So, Kennyboy, using a phrase from probably one of your favorite presidents of this century: “Bring it on!” Would you care to back up any of your statements with any citations/sources etc. . . because all I read are opinions and you should know that opinions are like ____ , everyone has one.
So, Kennyboy, what subject do you teach?
Special Ed mandates have been a huge part of the increased expenditures–something Bill Gates. One student at my school costs $40,000.
I’m SO tired of being told that I come from the “lowest level of college graduates.” I was summa cum laude. Most of the staff at my school were cum laude or higher. And we’re at a high-risk school.
Also, I teach social studies. All it means that we teach some geography and economics AS WELL AS history. It’s not some Commie plot.
This not to demean you or any particular person. It’s simply to point out a well known fact that unlike such nations as Singapore, South Korea and Finland, which draw their teacher corps from the top 10-20% of their high school or college cohort, America’s teachers are drawn from the lower third of their college cohort, as documented in the McKinsey study (2007). Anecdotal evidence is fine as far as it goes, but it must be weighed against the averages.
Kenny,
Don’t believe everything you read.
Another thing you need to know about Finland. No standardized testing !!
So, Kennyboy, what’s your GRE score?
I’m just a newbie here, and my teaching experience is miniscule compared to most on board, but as a one-time student experiencing everything from a rural 1-room schoolhouse through the mega-classes of baby-boomer junior high– and as a parent whose 3 sons experienced everything from math classes so crowded they were a fire-trap to self-contained classes of 6, I can’t imagine where you get the idea that smaller class size is some sort of union-scam demand. The highly-educated parents in my wealthy community know better. Class size is always the first priority. Parents fillup BOE meetings demanding it, and try every sort of shenanigan to get their kids switched into smaller classes.
It’s interesting that you are trotting out that “public schools have not delivered” routine, Ken. If you correct for socioeconomic status, our students are at the top of the rankings on the international tests. But, of course, if you don’t do that, it appears that our schools fare less well, and it’s the uncorrected numbers that are regurgitated, again and again, to support the “public schools have not delivered” line. I would say that they have delivered very well indeed.
“Another word for reform these days is……….neglect.
“I think the “abandonment” idea is really powerful. As the parent of a public school kid in Ohio, I really do feel abandoned by both my state government and the federal government. Ordinary local public schools need not apply!”
According to the neo liberal think tanks, when someone hands you a lemon then make lemonade as in the neo-liberal love fest on July 12, 2013 in Philadelphia where the title of the meeting was “The Metropolitan Revolution: Philadelphia as a Model for the Nation” and here is a brief excerpt from the invitation:
“A revolution is stirring in America. In the face of federal gridlock, economic stagnation, and fiscal turmoil, power in the United States is shifting away from Washington and state capitols toward our major cities and metropolitan areas. Please join the Honorable Michael Nutter, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Brookings Institution, Next City, and The Reinvestment Fund to discuss how these communities, and the networks of pragmatic leaders who govern them, are taking on the big issues that Washington won’t, or can’t, solve. Bruce Katz, co-author of The Metropolitan Revolution: How Cities and Metros are Fixing our Broken Politics and Fragile Economy , will kick off the conversation by introducing trends that are reshaping our economy and fixing our broken political system.”
http://nextcity.org/events/detail/panel-discussion-the-metropolitan-revolution-philadelphia-as-a-model-for-th
Phili is leading the way in the transition from the post-industrial state to the custodial economy where children are triaged into the “school to prison pipeline”, future minimum wage Walmart workers and gun fodder for the military – industrial complex. It would be nice to hear from anyone who was present at this event.
How about this one? A Utah State Senator is floating the idea to do away with compulsory education. When it was discussed on the radio this morning, a woman said, “yes, some children will fall through the cracks, but that’s the price of ‘true freedom.”
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56606798-78/parents-state-education-students.html.csp?page=2
Yep, them thar would be the “true price of freedom”. Kinda like two illegal wars of aggression perpetrated on the world for America’s (sic) freedom and security. Beautifully insane!!
Most Utahns are not nuts like this, I promise!
I hope you aren’t teaching history, Duane. Bush went to Congress for authorization for the Iraq War. H.J.Res. 114 passed the House on October 10 by a vote of 296-133, and the Senate on October 11 by a vote of 77-23. It was signed into law by President Bush on October 16, 2002. You may not agree with it, and wanted Saddam Hussein to continue to feed his opponents into industrial shredders, but it was LEGAL. The Afghanistan War was authorized by Congress on 14 September 2001 in the form of legislation titled “Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists,” which was signed on 18 September 2001, by both President Bush and Congress. As of 2010, the Democrat controlled Congress had spent more on the Irag and Afga wars than the Bush administration. Furthermore, the wars were directed at regimes in the two countries, not “perpetrated on the world.” Hyperbole won’t win arguments.
The legality that I am talking about is that of international law. Iraq definitely does not fall under that category and one can make that case that Afghanistan doesn’t either. Hitler (Yeh, I’m using Hitler because he is the best comparison) was democratically elected and his invasions were legal at the time in Germany but are considered crimes against humanity as the Iraq/Afghan episodes are considered to be by the majority of folks in the world.
The position of the U.S. and U.K. is that the invasion was authorized by a series of U.N. resolutions dating back to 1990 and that since the U.N. security council has made no Article 39 [49] finding of illegality that no illegality exists. What is striking is the amount of forbearance successive administrations exercised in the face of Saddam’s repeated violations of U.N. sanctions. But this is not about the wars, but about a cudgel to use against Bush so that Democrats could regain power to pursue their domestic agenda. Incidentally, Obama never sought Congressional approval for his actions in Libya, so he’s on even shakier ground.
Four to six trillion dollars. That’s the estimated currently committed cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-most-expensive-war-in-world-history-costs-of-iraq-afghanistan-wars-could-rise-to-6-trillion/5329432
Six trillion dollars. To put that number into perspective, a million seconds is about 11.6 days. A trillion seconds is 31,688.8 years. Six trillion is equal to the number of seconds in 190,133 years!
The average teacher salary in in 2011-12 was $55,418. To put another perspective on that war cost number, these wars cost the equivalent of 108,268,071 teacher salaries. (There are only 3.3 million K-12 teachers in the US, BTW.)
And interestingly, the Army’s own publication, the Army Times, recently ran a cover story asking, basically, ten years on, what the hell is our mission over here, and what has it ever been?” The story is indicative of a deep frustration within our military itself over our politicians’ insanity.
Oh, my! Read Frank Rich’s “The Greatest Story Ever Sold” if you think that W didn’t sell Congress and the nation a bill of goods. It’s like watching a slow-moving train wreck and you want to shout out STOP — and then you realize it’s too late.
The banksters and 1%ers don’t require public services including education so are very content to shrink government at all levels while raiding the public treasury for their own benefit. I think as long as Citizens United is in place, we will continue to observe in education what we also see in other areas of public policy. With the help of media, the propaganda machine will continue to foster the messages that distract many Americans from their own reality.
Citizens United? Are you kidding? The animus against Citizens United is simply a transparent attempt to cut off sources of funding for Republican candidates, while ignoring sources going to Democrats. It’s become a tired refrain of the left, and a decision that even Obama does not understand. The chief dynamic of modern elections is the top-heavy influence of forced union dues on electons. From 1989-2013, of the top fifty political donors, 22 gave overwhelmingly to Democrats (almost all organized labor using forced dues, but also Goldman Sachs), 10 to Republicans, and 19 split their donations. In each of the last three or four election cycles, donations from organized labor to Democrats has exceeded $1 billion. Republicans do better among the second fifty, but the amounts are substantially less. But the other big story is the $787 billion “stimulus” that Obama threw to his friends in organized labor, or campaign dors like Solyndra. Essentially, the federal treasuury is just a political slush fund for the Democrats, making a mockery of campaign finance reform. It went to Democrat contributors, organizations like ACORN and unions, including billions of dollars to save or create jobs of government employees across the country. It went to save GM and Chrysler so that their employees could keep paying union dues. It went to AIG so that Goldman Sachs could be bailed out (after giving Obama almost $1 million in contributions). A staggering $125 billion went to teachers (thereby protecting their union dues). The country goes broke, future generations face a bleak future, but Obama, the Democrat Party, government, and the unions grow more powerful. The ends justify the means.
That’s a pretty interesting comedy routine you have there, Ken.
In the United States today, “the unions [are] grow[ing] more powerful.” Really? Do you actually think this is the case, Ken? In 37 states in the U.S. now, teacher strikes are illegal. That’s a dog with no teeth.
Though I must say that it is definitely the case that both the Dimocratic and the Repugnican parties are very accomplished criminal extortion rackets.
kenny9876, Look at the big picture here. Think Marketing 101.
Who is more likely to make a purchase?
A) Objective (Educated)
B) Subjective (Schooled)
Government rest on opinion (Consent)
We are governed by OUR consent.
Consent is essential for government to function, as
well as the market place.
Look at what captures (entertains) the masses.
How many applied for loans with NO means of repayment?
How many think voting either Left or Right, will give them a seat at the table?
How many think the labeling of various governments
(Demo, Commy, Dictator, Monarc,…) trumps the power of Capital?
Schooling is key to preserving the economic order and Government.
A reminder.
In the comments section of the July 14, 2013 posting entitled “The Zimmerman Verdict,” at one point schoolgal and Linda remarked on the lack of substance in the discussion, while mathcs added
“I agree Linda and schoolgal about the ‘new’ names on here. They are definitely trolls. They get off on saying preposterous things on blogs and social media, and delight in seeing people react to what they say. It makes them feel like they have some power and control in their life.”
When someone brings up the all-powerful unions, out-of-control education spending, lazy teachers, or the like, you are likely dealing with a troll.
For example, take this classic of the “low quality caliber of teacher” argument: “The average SAT score for all students was 1014 in one year and it was 964 for those saying they were going to major in education. So the average student is 50 SAT points smarter than his teacher.” [Martin Gross, from a speech in 1999, in Gerald Bracey, READING EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH: HOW TO AVOID GETTING STATISTICALLY SNOOKERED (2006), p. 4]
Read Bracey 2006 [see above], pp. 4-5, for a shattering retort.
I only speak for myself: I feel absolutely no obligation to reply to the kinds of commenters described by mathcs.
Although I must say, with the union movement significantly weaker now than at any time during my life, it is sidesplittingly [if painfully] hilarious for someone to think it is such a dominating presence in the USA…
Perhaps Susan Sontag expressed a bit of how I feel towards trolls: “I envy paranoids; they actually feel people are paying attention to them.”
🙂
“Laughter is poison to the pompous.”
So, there are other countries in the world that have national standards and national high-stakes tests–the PRC, for example. How is it that the right-wing in the U.S. should be taking systems like that of Communist China a model for us to follow?
If you have any doubt that such systems create a culture of cheating, I refer you to this story from the current edition of Chuck Shepherd’s “News of the Weird”:
“As many as 50 exam monitors were forced to take cover at a high school in Zhongxiang, China, in June, fending off outraged students (and some parents) who hurled insults and stones at them after the monitors blocked cheating schemes on the all-important national “gaokao” exams. (It was “siege warfare,” and eventually “hundreds” of police responded, according to a dispatch in the Daily Telegraph of London.) Metal detectors had found secret transmitters and contraband cellphones used by groups beaming in exam answers from outside. Independent proctors had been assigned because of longstanding suspicions that the schools’ own proctors routinely enabled cheating (with results such as the 99 identical papers submitted in one subject on the previous year’s exam). Said one student (in the mob of about 2,000), noting how widespread cheating is nationally, “There is no fairness if you do not let us cheat.”
cxs to the last post: no hyphen in right-wing; insert “as” after “China”
Neglect?
I’d like nothing more than to go back to the Good Old Days, when the public schools were neglected, rather than what we have now, which is their aggressive takeover and destruction.
What we are seeing is neither neglect nor abandonment, but a carefully crafted, systematic attempt to smash and grab the entire system.