Paul Karrer teaches fifth grade in Castroville Elementary School in Southern California, where most of the children are poor. He writes here about the irrelevance of standards to the children he teaches, other than to label them as failures.
He writes:
“The latest education mantra, chant, and canard thrust upon the herds of educators before they are joyously led to the steep walls of the cliff is … “high standards.”
“As with most populist war cries, initially it seems obvious that the maxim is without a doubt unarguable correct. Who, for example, could make any headway promoting the opposite chant? “I’m for low standards.”
“No one.
“But what happens if the mantra is unnecessary? What if the chant rings untrue? How can one fight such a hypnotic zombie tide?”
Karrer decries the idea that “high standards” will solve the problems of his students:
“It is a bamboozle. A fraud. Snake oil sold as gold in the guise of a false solution to the wrong problem.
“Why, pray tell, does the following real hard fact exist? Carmel’s education scores are high, Monterey’s are nearly as high, and North Monterey’s scores are the lowest. Is it because of standards?
“No.
“The answer is parent income and poverty. Wealthy cities have children with wealthy outcomes. Desperate communities have desperate outcomes. Nothing to do with higher standards in this place or that.
“The real issues in communities of poverty are: unemployment, underemployment, lack of entrepreneurial traditions, living hand-to-mouth, early birthing, generational established gang influence, lack of printed matter in households, parental incarceration, second-language issues, lack of medical care, drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, trauma, etc.
“Many kids in areas of high poverty are in survival mode. Before they can even focus on a computer screen, get to school on time or even entertain the idea of completing homework – they need wraparound services – doctors, nurses, psychologists, therapists. Smaller classes would help too.
“High standards are a sickening joke – a money-making bandwagon. A distraction from what is needed. Once again a top-down phony solution.”
No reformer would agree with Karrer. They would say he has low expectations. Maybe he is a “bad teacher.”
Maybe he is right.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
What we all need to realize is that “high standards” is a sliding scale. What is considered a high standard for Ricky may not be a high standard for Mike.
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This is one of those days when I get really tired of the whining and wingeing of teachers. If teachers don’t take back their profession then they don’t deserve to have one. They should all be in the streets, not writing blogs and slinking back to their classrooms with their tails between their legs.
And if the parents don’t join them, then the parents don’t deserve to have public schools.
It really comes down to that.
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(sp) whinging
Sorry, I just had to get that of my chest …
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Are you a teacher Jon?
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I have been advocating this for a few years. It’s definitely time for a nationwide call to strike instead of the incessant pontificating in which we engage. We’ve already established the intellectual underpinning necessary to support our cause, now it’s time to act!
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Jon Awbrey:
“They should all be in the streets, not writing blogs and slinking back to their classrooms with their tails between their legs.”
It’s comments like this that make me want to ask, “Who the hell are you?” And, “Do you ever bother to read the material you comment on?”
It wasn’t a blog post. It was a “guest commentary” published in the Monterey Herald. Far from “slinking back into his classroom,” this teacher has made his views public. In doing so, he’s braving the attacks of glib, dismissive, mean-spirited potshot artists who, never having taught in a K-12 classroom, presume to judge teachers and tell them what to do.
In fact, by speaking up, the writer might be jeopardizing his standing with his administrators, and his colleagues. This takes guts.
While I found his piece a little bit overwrought, it didn’t sound like whining or whingeing to me. (By the way, “whingeing” and “whinging” are both accepted spellings.) He even takes other teachers to task: “Kids won’t get what they really need and many teachers, like lemmings, will have been led over another false and steep education cliff.”
It’s very easy to wish other people would put their jobs on the line. At least give credit to the teachers willing to speak up in a local forum. They’re taking an actual risk.
http://www.montereyherald.com/opinion/20150905/paul-karrer-false-flagship-of-high-standards
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Randal, many thanks for trying to point out the reality of details – like that this was an editorial.
Also, I do spend a great deal of time trying to create awareness about the wrongness of Ed reform. But I think Mr. Awbrey’s mind has been made up already
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Comments made by Paul are too true.
Although geographically, Castroville is on the Central Coast of CA, on the Monterey Bay- not in Southern Cali.
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Ari, thanks
paul Karrer
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Hi Jon,
I take it you are suggesting teachers strike? Are there any other actions you think they should take? My questions are serious because I’ve thought about this often. Thanks.
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It was a mere moment of frustration.
I have a dream that all the teachers walk out at once.
That might actually get the attention of the sleazy politicians and the sleepy public.
I don’t see much future for U.F.P.E. the way things are going, and that depresses me.
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Ok. What a coincidence! I have that same dream, too!
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Mamie, it would seem that our efforts to be heard by politicians/lawmakers and the courts are not really working and “Rome is burning” while we try to figure out a solution. THere isnt a critical mass that has come together ( yet) to confront this horror. Perhaps the “peasants” doneed to “storm the castle” to be noticed????
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“High Standards TM”
I support “High Standards” TM
That’s why I’ll vote for Jeb
The WMD of plain words
The Widow spider’s web
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Hello Alison,
Yes, I agree. I think that with the Regents vote coming up tomorrow, we really have to think about how to respond in the face of such an abusive evaluation system, should it pass. I feel like it’s a case of abusive evaluation without representation! But I agree that perhaps things aren’t bad enough yet for teachers to really take stronger action. I’ve always thought that about other aspects of our society as well. Things seem to have to get really bad and people have to have nothing to lose before they really start to fight.
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“Double Trouble”
Double down on Opt out
That’s the only way
Any less is cop out
Execution stay
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“Things seem to have to get really bad and people have to have nothing to lose before they really start to fight.”
I think in hi-cost hi-qual suburban schools I would correct this to, “people have to have something to lose before they really start to fight”.
In my pricey area I’ve noticed:
(a)no pushback on Common Core probably because our highly-pd, veteran teachers [& well-mentored newbies] figured out innovative ways to work them seamlessly into already-good pedagogy…
(b)no pushback on nutty Marzano VAM probably because it’s not tied to hi stakes yet (& because they don’t know about the hrs & hrs teachers have to spend on the forms– & teachers must have found non-onerous & creative ways to work in the short biannual assessments)…
(c)pushback talk has started after just one round of PARCC. Everyone noticed the huge curriculum-time-suck of adding March & May ‘accountability’ testing to already thoroughly-tested students. Parents in this group don’t seem particularly concerned about PARCC scores; they already have plenty of measures showing their schools to be top-notch– & they resent curriculum-time lost to additional measurement.
To summarize: parents paying top RE taxes & getting exceptional schools for it aren’t going to notice changes that burden teachers (who do flip-flops & work even longer hours to maintain their excellent product). Eventually this will cause a teacher shortage but right now they’ve lost nothing. But PARCC was a flagrant departure that made them realize immediately they’re losing value for their money. Hoping to see lots more NJ opt-outs this year.
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To Jon—You have a good point, and I’ve been wondering for years why teachers don’t take the initiative and do something to take back their profession. If every public school teacher stood their ground, walked out of the classroom, made this nation sit up and notice what is really going on in education, maybe the profession could get back on track….maybe the educational system could get back on track. But, isn’t that unrealistic to think that all teachers throughout the nation would band together? There are many teachers whose jobs are great, working in districts that have very few issues, and I know they would not need to be supportive of an action such as this. Not every state has a union that will back teachers if they decide to strike. I’ve taught in three different states in the nation and only one had a teacher’s union. So, I’m curious. What’s your solution to taking back the profession?
To Paul—-bravo! If high standards were the answer, we would have seen the issues that plague our public school system disappear long ago. I started teaching high school in 1989. My first professional development was Robert Marzano’s Critical Thinking training, and he talked about setting the bar high enough to challenge students to excel. That was 26 years ago, and we are still struggling with student achievement. The public school system in this country is the definition of insanity. Doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.
To Diane—I was so pleasantly surprised yesterday when I saw that you will be coming to Baylor University. I will be in the audience and looking forward to hearing you speak!!
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Please read a Cure for the Common Core. It is an article written by Stephen Schroeder-Davis from the Elk River Public schools.http://www.giftededpress.com/GEPQFALL2014.pdf
He addresses the common core as it relates to gifted education, but most of what he says is applicable to all children! It is an EXCELLENT article that makes many fine points one of which I have copied and pasted below.
“in light of the goals of the CCSS, ironically, as Gerald Bracey (2003) so brilliantly demonstrated via a simple
mathematical formulation in his critique of A Nation at Risk on the 20th anniversary of its publication, there is no relationship
between our K–12 education system’s “outputs” and American “global competitiveness.”
“My admiration for Dr. Bracey knowing no bounds, I repeated his procedure, albeit more modestly and using slightly different
measures. Specifically, I used findings from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) test, and conclusions reached
using the most recent World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index. According to the Organization for Economic
Co‐operation and Development (n.d.), recent PISA results indicate the United States is currently at or below average in science, math,
and reading. Yet according to the WEF’s (2013) Global Competitiveness Index, 2013‐14 (a more recent iteration of the measure
Bracey used), the United States is fifth worldwide, having moved up two positions from 2012‐13. As a delicious aside, the Global
Competitiveness Index also measures and lists “The Most Problematic Factors for Doing Business.” In the United States, the top
three factors are “tax regulations, tax rates, and an inefficient government bureaucracy” (WEF, 2013, p. 382), all of which are far
beyond the reach of teachers and students, or for that matter, the CCSS.
To be perfectly clear: Schools are not businesses, students are not “outputs,” and linking standardized test results to global
economic status is conceptually flawed. The euphemism “college and career readiness” at the center of the nation’s educational
agenda reduces education to employability, which is at best ill‐advised and counterproductive, if not unethical.”
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This is an excellent argument. Make sure Diane reads this and posts for the rest of her readers. Excellent arguments and well written. In short , awesome evidence to pass along.
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Thank you for this important article! A mythology of falseness has been built up around us. Indeed, the problem is poverty. Here is a history of ed-reform… featuring Washington State.http://weaponsofmassdeception.org/1-drill-and-kill-fake-tests/1-2-rise-of-the-toxic-test-scammers
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This is a short but profound article. Love it.
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Many times things which appear to be good are sinister underneath. Disguise in nature exists. We need to teach out children this.
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This is why, no matter how much the politicians and billionaires repackage the same old same old, the grass roots movement will only continue to grow. Parents, teachers and students “know what they know.” The fear and reality, however, is that so much is lost irrecoverably in the long run. As to your comment, Jon, I both agree and disagree– disagree only because the job itself is so exhausting and time consuming to do well. (I have 170 students!!!) Nevertheless, we do need to advocate for ourselves much more vociferously and effectively.
I have a dream…that in the next election, politicians will reach great acclaim and success by declaring themselves PRO PUBLIC SCHOOLS!!! (A girl can dream, can’t she?)
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This is why, no matter how much the politicians and billionaires repackage the same old same old, the grass roots movement will only continue to grow. Parents, teachers and students “know what they know.” The fear and reality, however, is that so much is lost irrecoverably in the long run. As to your comment, Jon, I both agree and disagree– disagree only because the job itself is so exhausting and time consuming to do well. (I have 170 students!!!) Nevertheless, we do need to advocate for ourselves much more vociferously and effectively.
I have a dream…that in the next election, politicians will reach great acclaim and success by declaring themselves PRO PUBLIC SCHOOLS!!! (A girl can dream, can’t she?)
PS: Striking, illegal in New York, would probably cost me my home…
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My opinion, based on observations and lots of thought about the issues, particularly the intersection of poverty and education. I expect LOTS of flack in response to my statements, so here goes nothing.
First, though, a military historical view of war. The US is quite successful at fighting wars of great magnitude; put a uniformed enemy in front of our forces and we will crush them. The world wars required us to fight for about 1 year and 4 years, respectively and the loss of American life was high and toward the end of each war the public began tiring of the losses. This mindset continues today such that 10 years of war against irregular armies in Afghanistan and Iraq costing a few thousand American military lives is decried as horrific. To be certain, hearing about a youngster of ours being killed or maimed saddens me, just as you.
Now let’s look at another war: the war on poverty, that has been raging for 40 years as Pres. Johnson dubbed it in 1965, with untold lives lost to prison, murder, drugs, alcohol, teenage pregnancy, lack of prenatal care by expectant mothers, broken families and a disproportionate number of people caught up in this cycle over several generations such that government benefits trumps the need for parental oversight of children, education and self-improvement. The real poverty is not economic. I and millions of others are here because our ancestors endured oppression in foreign lands, came here and taught their children to do better. The real culprit society faces is impoverishment of the mind and spirit of many of those living in the inner city. Until people take responsibility for themselves, instead of waiting for a check, the war on poverty as an antidote to education in inner cities will continue to be another costly, endless and insane fight that we will always lose.
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Kevin while I agree with you that society faces an impoverishment of the mind and spirit in many inner city (rural, too!) communities, your assessment of society’s response leaves me less than convinced that you have the answer. For one thing, the war on poverty ended long ago. We were actually making headway until we essentially dismantled Johnson’s war. While there are many fine people caught in the web of poverty, “taking responsibility for themselves,” usually without an adequate safety net, sounds like the solution we have applied for several decades now. The call for the bootstrap individualism is not coming from a cadre of people who have pulled themselves out of generations of abject poverty. Those few who serve as models of “grit” have had some sort of communal support in breaking the cycle that allowed them to believe in a future beyond the hell they were born to. That doesn’t mean just handing out cash. There are and have been many fine agencies, programs, and community organizations that have made or are making an impact. We have a tradition of self reliance that has morphed into the myth of rugged individualism. Somehow I can’t get away from the belief that a democracy requires some sort of communal response.
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The system of governmental support doesn’t work. If it did, we would see it. We wouldn’t be having this discussion. Instead we are seeing 3rd and 4th generations on welfare. That means it’s not working. It was meant to be temporary while someone got back on their feet, but people are using government handouts as regular income for the duration of their lives. So, I agree with Kevin. We need to get back to individual responsibility.
2old2teach–You’re right we need to get back to a community response. The federal government needs to stop taking so much from us in taxes and let the communities respond to those in need within the communities themselves.
I know lots will disagree with my opinion, which is fine, but I really believe that some people want to live in poverty. I read a research study where the researcher followed five women, high school drop outs, living in poverty in a large city, unmarried with children. He followed them for three years, observing and recording. All the women worked jobs, sometimes three at a time, then would quit working during the time when they reapplied for welfare so they could say they were unemployed. The thing is…these women had plenty of money, it just went unreported so they could also get government aide.
There is abuse to this system of governmental support, and I think it is more frequent and widespread than we think. When I taught in a high school that had a majority population that was considered economically disadvantaged, I was amazed at how many students that qualified for free/reduced lunches could somehow afford Lexus and Range Rover automobiles, designer clothing, handbags, shoes, expensive hair cuts, hair styles, nails, false eyelashes, and tattoos. They would openly bragged about taking advantage of the system, laughing as they talked about getting their free lunch at the school then heading to Sonic, McDonalds or Taco Bell for their second lunch.
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When you throw out the term “welfare” what do you mean?
Food stamps are welfare and most of the people on food stamps are children or old and more than 40% of those on food stamps, who are still of working age, have jobs that pay poverty wages.
http://billmoyers.com/2013/10/08/six-myths-about-food-stamps/
From Forbes: “Walmart Workers Cost Taxpayers $6.2 Billion In Public Assistance”
In reality this is welfare for corporations who then pay their workers the lowest possible wages with few if any benefits.
“It found that a single Walmart Supercenter cost taxpayers between $904,542 and $1.75 million per year, or between $3,015 and $5,815 on average for each of 300 workers.”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2014/04/15/report-walmart-workers-cost-taxpayers-6-2-billion-in-public-assistance/
Then there is section 8 housing that offers a subsidy to renters. Are those renters all sitting around doing nothing and letting the feds pay for everything? Maybe you don’t want to know the answer.
“To qualify for a public housing unit, generally, your income needs to be at or below 80 percent of your area’s median. For the HCV program, typically, your income cannot exceed 50 percent of your chosen area’s median.”
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/low-income-housing-1899.html
The fact is that the liars in the GOP don’t want the fools they are fooling to discover that most people on welfare are children under the age of 18, over the age of 65 who worked most of their lives and are now retired on Social Security that isn’t enough, or they are age 18 to 64 working part time jobs or full time jobs that pay poverty wages.
The facts are all there for anyone willing to actually look. I have.
The truth is that almost every welfare program subsides private sector corporation so they can get away with paying poverty wages and little or no benefits.
For instance, over half of all fast food workers are on government assistance—-and this helps McDonalds and the other huge fast food chains to keep the price of their crappy food low.
“The study, which comes from the UC-Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education, doesn’t find fast food workers the only victims of low wages. In addition to the 52% of fast food workers on public assistance programs like Medicaid, child care subsidies, and food stamps (IRONY!) in the form of acronyms we’re all familiar with by now like TANF, CHIP, and SNAP, 48% of home care workers, 46% of child care workers, and 25% of part-time college faculty are all on one government program or another.”
http://kitchenette.jezebel.com/over-half-of-all-fast-food-workers-are-on-government-as-1697814324
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Do you seriously believe that someone who voluntarily works three minimum wage jobs is rolling in money? I know there are schemes for getting as much welfare money as possible. I know there are people who have built a life around relying on welfare. There always will be. But I also know that the percentage of families who have been on welfare for multiple generations is small. To contend they are living well on welfare is a stretch. The welfare queen is a myth. The Chicago Tribune (!) ran a story not long ago about poor families fleeing the violence in Chicago for the safety of smaller mid-western cities. I do remember one former Chicago resident talking about how she had to learn how to hold a job and the sense of pride she gained. The host city invested in helping her become a contributing member of the community. She was not equipped to do it on her own.
I know what you are talking about with the boasting. Teenage boys in particular can be pretty vociferous. I only had one student who announced, in a loud, macho voice, how he was going to lay on a couch and collect disability when he graduated. He did have a debilitating medical problem, but he didn’t disagree when I told him he would be bored in no time. I can’t say I saw any luxury cars; expensive shoes were a matter of pride and they took care of them as if they were luxury cars. The vast majority of my students came from poor, hard working families. Not infrequently they held down time consuming jobs and/or were responsible for caring for siblings, so their parents could work more hours. Gangs and drugs were an issue, but the school was becoming more effective at controlling their influence on campus.
There is no magic bullet, but we do as a society have to decide if we want to support a large prison population (pushed by the private operators), which is extremely expensive, or do we want to work with families and support them with wrap around services that will help them get on their feet and become productive members of society. Either we work to support those living in poverty or we live with the consequences of ignoring the problem. How we can claim to be a just society and an example to the world of the greatness of democracy when so many of our citizens are struggling is beyond me.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/01/american-poverty-rate_n_1304269.html
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Kevin,
I looked at your site. Although I now write and live in Monterey Ca I grew up in Bolton and Glastonbury Ct (coooool or what) I see you are a Coventry resident.
Anyhoooo….the American perspective on war is interesting and wrongheaded. To be honest with all the resources we throw at the many wars we’ve been in – we’ve only been on the winning side rarely. (The Germans killed 9 of 10 Russians in WWII and would have finished off Germany without us…although it would have taken longer.) The only other “war” we’ve won was in Grenada. All others have been lost. ALL. Korean, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan…all. Lebanon bombing (we fled right after) etc. What a waste of resources. The noise that “when faced with a uniformed enemy we crush them” is only a reflection of our thinking like the Poles did in WWII. They had cavalry Germans had tanks (The world ain’t that way no mo’ It is now comprised of conflicts of asymmetric warfare) Guerrilla war rules. Contemporary insurgents are the behind-the-tree-Colonials of our Revolutionary War. And we won that war only because the Brits tired of the taxes on them, the loss of their soldiers and became weary of the many other wars they fought against France all over the world
I mention all this to cast aspersions on your “military historical perspective” which although very very populist is 100% wrong.
So with your war perspective wrong that same wrong application to poverty is partially wrong. There are two aspects to poverty – institutional and personal. I think you are right about the personal part…however…Connecticut is a very very very protected and isolated part of the country. You have not seen (there) the unbelievable poverty which thrives in California, Texas and the south western corridor. The jobs to fight poverty do NOT exist. Inflation eats our dollars. High standards are far from where the real battle is.
Thanks,
Paul Karrer
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Reblogged this on Politicians Are Poody Heads and commented:
Until we fix the huge problems of poverty, and unequal funding for public schools, we will continue to fail our most vulnerable students.
“Teaching to the test,” with its concomitant constant drilling, blaming teachers for any and all failures, privatizing public education- these are not the ways to “fix” education. The failures are fundamentally failures of our society and our economic system.
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I have nothing against high standards for teachers, but how do you implement high standards for 100% of the children?
Teachers teach
Children do the learning
Teachers can’t force every child to love reading.
Teachers can’t force every child to be an avid reader.
Teachers can’t force every child to pay attention in class.
Teachers can’t force very child to ask questions when they are confused.
Teachers can’t force every child to study and do the homework.
Teachers can’t erase a child’s hunger.
Teacher’s are not responsible for feeding a child a nutritious diet.
Teachers do not control the TV in the child’s home.
Teachers cannot control the use of video games in the child’s home.
Teachers cannot control abuse by parents and/or guardians in the child’s home.
And Eva Moskowitz with her (FAILING) Success Academies and the so-called (FAILING) miracle in New Orleans proves me right, because to look like they are succeeding the corporate reformers must get rid of the most challenging and difficult to teach, at-risk children who don’t automatically fall into line and do what is demanded of them immediately. And we are starting to see the price this is costing us—to force as many of these children to obey and perform perfectly or else we’ll shame you and we will torture you physically and mentally.
Teachers can’t be held responsible for what a child learns if the child is not cooperating and/or is an at risk child who needs a lot more support sometimes as early as age two.
I do have a problem how these standards are being implemented through the results of flawed and fraudulent tests designed to fail as many teachers, schools and children as possible—-and this is where my ANGER boils.
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We know that troubled children have difficulty learning Unless we address some of these fundamental issues with wraparound services, our poorest students will continue to have problems that interfere with learning. Higher standards are irrelevant to students whose basic needs are not being met. If we can address those problems as a priority, if we can truly integrate our schools, public education stands a chance of giving those students the best chance at success. I have seen poor students battle the odds in a diverse public school, and I have seen them go to college, trade school and move into the middle class. Most of the students I personally know are former ELLS, but I have seen our African American students beat the odds too. We cannot raise the bar as though we have a magic wand, and bully or belittle students out of poverty or keep badgering and firing their teachers. This approach is short-sighted and ineffective as we have seen.
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I agree! High standards have their place, but they are not the answer. However, I believe the list of needs associated with high poverty schools does not necessarily endorse secular school systems either. Many of these needs are associated with identity, values, world view – issues secular government schools cannot address deeply. If religious schools could get off of their high horse of being “college prep” and give greater focus to helping the human needs of high risk children, we might see some real change!
Craig S. Engelhardt, Ph.D.
>
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public schools can address values and identity. Of course, that takes away from the need to teach reading in K and 1st grade to make sure students are ready for trig by age 14, as the common core standards demands.
If religious schools had a “special sauce” to teach kids to be better students or better people, you would not see ISIS so popular. Or Christian right wing schools in the US that teach hatred people who are different. And so on for every religion you can name, including Catholic and Jewish schools.
Teaching religion should be done apart from public education. It’s fine if that’s what a parent wants, but what happens when the majority of parents who live in a town are one religion and leave the school system for those religious schools. The ones who don’t want that are left with an underfunded public school.
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This one’s simple: Who are the people crying incessantly to “raise” the standards? Answer: People who know nothing about teaching and learning.
Once again, we are bringing logic and reason into the land where there was none in the first place. Don’t wear yourselves out fighting boogeymen.
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