John Kuhn is the superintendent of the small Perrin-Whitt Independent School District in rural Texas. He is an eloquent speaker and supporter of public education. He has spoken at national events and recently published two new books. He knows that the schoolssuffernot only fro budget cuts but from Washington’s wildly unrealistic expectations. He knows it would be nice if every student were bound for college but he knows it is unrealistic and turns success into failure.
This is a wonderful interview with the Texas Tribune. You will enjoy reading it.
This is the last Q&A:
“Trib+Edu: How has your life been different since 2011?
Kuhn: Not a whole lot different in terms of my day-to-day life. I still basically do what I’ve always done for a living and that is work in a rural public school and try to serve my community to the very best of my ability. I’ve been invited to give some speeches here and there and I’ve written a couple of books … I think speaking out like I did put me in a situation to where I’ve been educated in the political reality that affects local schools.
Previously, I just kind of accepted whatever rolled down from Washington, D.C., and whatever rolled down from Austin. I kind of thought the role of a teacher and educator was just to live with dumb policies. And I don’t think that anymore. I think now that I have a moral obligation to speak up and say, “Hey, this policy is dumb. It doesn’t work and this is what we’re seeing on the frontlines.”
I’m a fan of public education. I grew up in a little, rural Texas town where the public school was the center of what we did in town. There was no mayor’s office. It’s an unincorporated town and the school was the heart of the community. And I think, politically, we’ve kind of forgotten how important public schooling is in Texas.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Texas admins and sups are finally saying something. Check out this letter to parents on the Paris TX website about STAAR.
http://educationblog.dallasnews.com/2014/05/heres-what-the-superintendent-of-paris-isd-is-telling-parents-about-this-years-staar-results.html/
“it would be nice if every student were bound for college”
There is a massive over-supply of college graduates compared to the number of jobs which actually require a college degree. We need more college graduates like we need a hole in the head.
It has become obvious to parents and educators in Texas that STAAR has created an environment of fear and intimidation that is abusive to children and teachers. Elementary age children in Texas are suffering soaring increases in anxiety and depression, as well as ADHD and other disorders. Good teachers are leaving the profession in droves. It should be obvious to readers of this article that there is a difference between “speaking up” and “taking action”.
Jon Kuhn says: ” I think now that I have a moral obligation to speak up and say, “Hey, this policy is dumb. It doesn’t work, and this is what we’re seeing on the front lines.”
But the question that I, as a parent in Perrin-Whitt ISD wants answered is: “Why is John Kuhn still perpetuating those dumb policies?” Some of us think he is more interested in the celebrity he has gained from speaking up and writing books rather than stopping the abuse to our children.
It seems that his moral obligation should be to “stop it”, not just talk about it. How many parents at Perrin-Whitt Elementary has he supported in helping their children Opt Out of STAAR this year? How many teachers did he support in refusing to administer the tests, like those brave teachers of Garfield High in Seattle, or some of the principals in NY state?
It is one thing to perpetuate abuse through ignorance, but it is another thing to be aware of abuse caused by dumb policies but take no actions to stop it. Speaking up and pointing out harm to children is not to be admired if you have the power to stop it but are still allowing it to continue. As superintendent of a school district, John Kuhn has the power to refuse to administer STAAR in his district; however, he has only spoken up and written books about the harm it is causing. It would take real moral courage to stand up to the bad guys at TEA and DOE and refuse to allow STAAR to be administered in his district.
The real heroes of Texas are those parents, teachers, and administrators who are not allowing children to be bullied and abused by STAAR. Those who are taking action have real courage, since they face retaliation and consequences.
John Kuhn may speak eloquently about the abuses of STAAR in Texas, but until he actually takes a stand and refuses to allow the abuse from these “dumb policies” to continue, then we in Texas will continue to say, ” John Kuhn is all hat and no cattle”.
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.
It was a good interview. I heard his speech at your edu-conference in Austin and for me the difference is he values existing public schools. It’s really that simple. It doesn’t mean he’s a cheerleader, it means he’s not likely to pitch the whole system in the trash because it thinks it has substantial, existing value.
I don’t know why we’d hire someone to “improve” public schools unless that person sees the value in public schools, even if it’s partly potential or unrealized value or worth. I would think that would be a job requirement. It doesn’t seem to be, but it should be.
“Kuhn” and “common sense” are synonymous. He is not saying anything that ordinary people don’t understand, but he says it publicly. Sometimes that all we need to know: that something makes sense.
John Kuhn is the author of the excellent 2014 book, “Fear and Learning in America: Bad Data, Good Teachers, and the Attack on Public Education (Teachers College Press, $24.95). Foreword by Diane Ravitch! — Edd Doerr (arlinc.org)