Arthur Camins warned last fall about the resurgence of hateful rhetoric in the presidential campaign. What I take from his article is that the civic and moral purposes of schooling are even more important than test scores. A society that has higher scores but ignores the importance of decency, civility, and ethics is not a good place to live, nor is it likely to have a good future, especially when the society is as diverse as ours.
Camins writes:
“I wish I lived in a country in which the unconstrained expression of racist and xenophobic ideas from candidates for president of the United States engendered enough public condemnation to cause immediate and unredeemable rejection. I wish politicians, whatever their personal beliefs, felt compelled to keep such poisonous thoughts to themselves. That restraint would signify a healthier more humane national culture.
“Our country has arrived at (or maybe, returned to) this deeply disturbing state of affairs for many reasons, including the unrestrained influence of money in political campaigns, political gerrymandering, sensationalist media culture, and the long tradition of stoking bigotry for political and economic gains. Addressing the complex causes will not be easy or quick.
“Schools cannot solve every societal problem and this is no exception. However, education can contribute to a long-term solution. To do so, parents, educators and education policy makers will need to embrace a broader civic and moral purpose of schools. All educated, morally- grounded Americans should find suggestions of mass deportation, double border fences, or religious qualifications for political asylum morally repugnant.
“The facile inclination to blame the “other” for our society’s difficult and complex problems is certainly not new. What is most troubling is that it continues to reemerge in response to the very behavior we deplore. Are these reactions an intractable feature of human nature or learned? Is this all-to-common tendency subject to constraint and malleable? I choose to believe that it is and that public education can play a significant positive role.”
And here we are, with xenophobia and nativism openly aired and treated as a serious issue.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
My wife is CEO and Executive Director of Rosslyn Children’s Center, an early childhood development center across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., serving children from birth to age six, and their families. As a consequence of my interest in developing holistic strategies for public education from birth through post-graduate work, we often have in-depth discussions about the foundations for life-long learning and critical social skills the children at RCC–which features an emergent curriculum–receive.
Bullying or, rather, developing a bias against it, are a common topic of our discussions. These conversations have become even more acute since Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president in June 2015. As Trump’s popularity has continued to gain momentum, I genuinely fear for the future of this country.
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A society that is based on US vs THEM always ends in a very bad way. Look at the French Revolution and even our Civil War. As a person that’s enjoyed looking at history I see so many common things with America today and those two bloody periods of history that it scares me a lot. Our politicians don’t want to work together. Instead it’s our party vs their party and we will not go along with that other party even if the public vote is against us is the prevalent attitude today. I would like to have a place on the voting ballot that can be checked for “None of the above, find some one else”.
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Trump’s presence as a presidential candidate could be a blessing in disguise. His polarizing xenophobic rants give voice to the veiled racism that is an undercurrent in the republican party. Ever since the advent of the Tea Party, republicans have denied the undercurrent of racism in their public statements. After Obama won in 2012, the republicans vowed to create a meaningful immigration policy. No compromise came from those attempts. Instead, the republicans retreated into their corner claiming their resistance was due to issues of law and order, not race. With the advent of Trump, it is hard to deny the hateful arm of the republican base. The dirty laundry is out in the open.
All this hatred may work to the advantage of progressives. I hope Trump’s likely candidacy will bring out sleeping liberals. People that believe in democratic principles, equity and democracy need to show up to vote. If fair minded people stay home, our country could further devolve into into place where hatred and violence get a legitimate voice.
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The plutocrats and charlatans have taken over teaching our people, and Thomas Friedman, today, in the NY Times, gives us a look at who these people may choose to run this nation… and civility ain’t his way:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/09/opinion/only-trump-can-trump-trump.html?src=me&_r=0
And what teacher is going to ‘teach ‘civility?
What examples in history or literature of those moments when people cooperated and acted for the benefit of all, will make its way into a curriculum that is written by Koch?
What novice teacher on probation, will dare challenge the Common Core mandates?
And, where are the veteran teachers of old, who brought to their classrooms the stories that inspire good behavior.?
Well, hmmmm. veteran teachers are gone in the largest school system of the 15,880,–NYC thrown into rubber rooms and then OUT!
So, Let’s look at LAUSD (the 2nd largest school system, as Professor Bill Koski at Stanford did:
“For every teacher at the top of the salary scale LAUSD gets rid of it has a combined $60,000 savings in salary and benefits, when it hires a young and no experience “teacher” straight out of college on an emergency credential, who doesn’t even rank in on the salary scale until they clear their credential. And that’s in just the first yea”r.
“So why is this motive for attacking more expensive high seniority teachers never mentioned in the tenure discussions of Vergara and elsewhere as a possible motive for removing high seniority teachers, while disingenuous and patently false arguments in favor of miraculously “qualified” novice teachers losing their jobs because of tenure preference for supposedly incompetent tenured teachers is the only voice heard?”
“Ninety-three percent of the thousands of tenured high seniority teachers targeted on false charges often alleging morals code violations of Ed. Code Section 44939- which leapfrogs over their collective bargaining rights to grievance and independent arbitration- just happen to be at the top of the salary scale.”
“In what other profession are those with the most experience 93% of those targeted for removal from their jobs based on alleged incompetence, while what remains an undisclosed staggering savings to the school district involved is the real motive for these teachers removal.”
“As charter schools that are for the most part non-union more and more replace traditional public school districts, it is estimated that corporations that own these charters will take 40% of the total over $2 trillion plus budget for public education.
And yet the leading study of charters done by Stanford shows that only 7% of charters do better, 36% do the same, and 47% do worse than traditional public schools.
Do you think this country can remain a putative democracy without a highly educated electorate?” Professor Koski asks.
THAT, sir, is a great question, but to put it in the context of Camin’s observation in Diane’s post today:
If the autonomy of the teacher is absent front the classroom, and the new cadre of novices fear for their jobs and use the curriculum handed to them b the principal, , who is going to teach civility, or the tenants of democracy or the TRUTH ABOUT anything from climate change to what our Constitution actually means?
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“only 7% of charters do better, 36% do the same, and 47% do worse than traditional public schools.”
And the remaining 10% ?????????????
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When teachers and the schools they work in are viciously scapegoated and attacked for problems not of their making, as the so-called reformers continue to do, perhaps it’s not surprising that the tone of political discourse is so debased. This country has been sinking under the weight of its rulers’ lies and misdirections for decades now.
A ruling class that seeks to further enrich and empower itself, beyond the already grotesque wealth and power it controls, by extracting resources from schools and children on its own behalf, is literally degenerate, and it’s no wonder we see such hatred and virulence across the land, since entire regions have been hollowed out and had their wealth exported, either overseas or to Wall Street and Silicon Valley.
The neoliberal economic system that has dominated the country for the past forty years is predicated on monetizing and extracting wealth from everything, every bit of suffering and affliction, to everyone’s last breath, and channeling that wealth upwards.
Is it any wonder that people respond so angrily and irrationally?
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The American public is not reaping any benefits from our misguided love affair with privatization. We pay more in order to get less. The government is, in fact, aiding the destruction of the middle class. One key element of privatization is to replace middle class jobs with low paying ones. Benefits and, of course, pensions are reduced or non-existent. It is the only way to extract profit from their less efficient and often less effective operation. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/study-privatizing-government-doesnt-actually-save-money/2011/09/15/gIQA2rpZUK_blog.html
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Civility? Here are the concerns of parents at a Manhattan school board meeting.
http://www.kbzk.com/story/31424208/parents-voice-concern-over-bullying-at-manhattan-school-board-meeting#.VuDTdjO_cDs.facebook
“Concerned parents packed into the Manhattan school board meeting Tuesday night to try to find a solution to what they claim is the reports of bullying going on at the school.
“A letter written by concerned parents was read aloud to the Manhattan school board, detailing instances of children being victims to bullies on a regular basis.
“More than one family has had their child strangled by another student during school. One of these children has also been held by two boys and humped by another,” said a man, who wished to remain anonymous, read to the board members.
“The examples listed children receiving concussions, having bricks thrown at them and even attacked by several assailants. Parents have been told that the school can not take action without having witnessed the bullying incident.”
Can you imagine this kid of behavior being tolerated in our schools when YOU went to school, and the veteran teachers set the tone, not some school board.
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Trump may very well be our answer to Robespierre, and we have a diverse and divided people. I have long held our civility to be a mere thin veneer. Trump is ascendant because there really is a selfish greedy element of our society that believes in the myth that they too can become millionaires if government would quit holding them back. They can not see who truly holds the reins of power and how they are being deceived. Trump himself has even noted that the under educated and the intolerant are his constituency. Our choices are limited at this time. Fight locally and build change locally, eventually we can win, but it will be a long fight.
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Yes, well, Trump should ponder the fact that Robespierre himself wound up being guillotined.
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From the linked opinion piece: “1) Promote and incentivize inclusive schools in which students regularly experience positive interaction across racial, religious, socioeconomic differences. Hate thrives in conditions of isolation. We need integrated schools.”
Camins has clearly read Chapter 31 of “Reign!” But where are his meaningful, actionable solutions?
Should highly diverse New Jersey, for example, do away with its hundreds of small, wasteful, duplicative school districts and consolidate them at the county level, a proven and effective method of integration? If so, how does Camins propose to deal with the inevitable and powerful backlash, which will see liberal white NJ parents instantly morphing into modern-day Bull Connors and Louise Day Hickses when their “neighborhood schools!” are threatened?
If painstakingly cultivated liberals in metropolitan areas are quite comfortable with having poor minority populations warehoused in concentrated and isolated hypersegregation, away from them and their kids, then why in the world should anyone be surprised that Trump’s positions are met with enthusiasm? Camins should swing by a poor neighborhood in Irvington or East Orange and ask the people living there if they are surprised that huge numbers of whites are supportive of the concepts of mass deportation and building a wall between the US and Mexico.
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Lawrence O’Donnell of MSNBC news is among the flabbergasted, not just at the vulgarity of Trump, but the cheers and applause from the crowds. A couple of days ago he had the answer to his puzzlement–it is whatever on earth our schools been teaching. In second place as an answer was “the culture.” Peggy Noonan wondered what happened to the Republican party she knew, cherished, defended.
I am beyond the point of listening to these non-debate spectacles. This morning radio has a couple accounts of parent, student, and teacher reactions. Some parents are limiting or prohibiting exposure to the Trumpster. Most of the students interviewed had the good sense to realize that presidential candidates should not belittle people and talk “that way.” A middle school teacher of “debate” had selected portions of the non-debates as case material for her students.
Given the tsunami of surveys, I sometimes wonder how support braks out by occupational roles–including teachers, child care and social workers, police officers, persons in the military and so on.
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Yeah, but Laura…what if….
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/09/opinion/only-trump-can-trump-trump.html?src=me&_r=0
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LHC,
If “Most of the students interviewed had the good sense to realize that presidential candidates should not belittle people and talk ‘that way’,” how come Adults in multiple states have voted for Trump?!
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The “hateful speech” of ed reformers is documented at the Philanthropy Roundtable, which posted an article by an employee of a Gates-funded organization and, the American Enterprise Institute’s FrederickHess. “…reformers…declare ‘We’ve got to blow up the ed schools.’ ”
Reformers should be called out, as the thieves, that they are. And, we should execute a citizens’ arrest.
The theft of a common good, public schools, is unconscionable and intolerable.
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NJ Governor Christie recently said he’d “run over” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka if RB continued to oppose expansion of charter schools in Newark. Christie also said in 2015 he’d like to punch teacher unions in the face.
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Where is, in the testing madness there a test for morality. integrity et al, for ALL the things which the great thinkers of all time have said are the important aspects of the “educated” person? Non existent. Children are to be cogs in the machinery of the corporate CEOs.
BUT
they have great people to emulate like the Republican front runner now
so
don’t worry. This kind of “exemplary” conduct may well be emulated by our children and society will emerge for the best.
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Historically, the cycle of “the mighty” in any society from savage to civilized has been continuously repeated. There are all about the strongest (body), then the richest (economy), the smartest (mind), and the kindest (spirit).
The lowest level is the strongest in tribal model, Lord ruling in Japanese, Chinese old society, and today’s third world like in most of African countries, and communist/fascist societies
The next lower level is the richest in “1990” Indian, Chinese nations, or soon-to-be all corrupted government countries like Philippines, Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong…
The medium level is the smartest level in all high tech and modernized countries, like USA, today Japan, today India, today China…
The top level is the spirit level in maybe Switzerland? Denmark? These countries are where its social policy is geared to the welfare of women, children and old age people.
America should ascend to the top spirit level. However, all corrupted corporate and government official will soon bring America DOWN TO the lowest social policy = divisive,
merciless, hateful, poisonous and barbarous society. Back2basic
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