Happy
Memorial Day!!!
As
we enjoy the long weekend, remember to honor those who have served our
nation. Remember the sacrifices they've
made, but also remember that they served to protect our rights and our
existence as a UNITED States
of America.
Their service has allowed us to continue our journey to try and live up
to the principles that our nation was founded on. In order to truly honor their legacy we need
to be ready to work together to overcome the current challenges that face our
nation.
Why Education "Reforms" Fail…
Last week I wrote about
some of the reasons that "reforms"
of our educational system "fail".
I should add an additional reason that we are not successful in our
efforts to close Achievement Gaps and fall short in many of the measurable
goals set by "reformers".
Many of the so called "reforms" are
divisive in nature and target only specific segments of the student population
at any given time. Instead of building on the successes of any
given school or district, the "reforms" attempt to build outrage
regarding some aspect of the system. It
may be directed at the administration, the educators, the curriculum, real or
perceived injustices, or some combination of these, but the motivation for
change is usually the same. Thus we see
"Parent Trigger Laws", lobbying for vouchers and other
"reforms" that rely on anger and frustration to motivate
participation in the process.
We also see reforms that
are geared specifically for a single group.
Educators and schools are told that they need to change their way of
teaching to accommodate the needs of a particular group. Supporters of the group meet and lobby
administrators and school board members in an effort to make sure that the
students from their demographic are being treated fairly and educated
well. Unfortunately, this means that families
and community members from other groups feel excluded and turn to similar
tactics to advance their interests. The
result is a piecemeal series of reforms that often contradict each other and
that are often only partially implemented before they are discarded to meet a
new group's objectives. It also means
that we see special interest groups operating where the real goal of public
education is to provide educational opportunities for all of our students.
What both of these
approaches do is widen the divisions that already exist between groups. They fail to build sustainable successes and
instead create animosity and frustration for everyone involved in the
educational process. The political
conflicts that are raging in our state and nation provide further opportunities
for those who would advance these "reform" policies. They are also a fertile environment for
groups who want to advance a political agenda using education as a vehicle.
We end up creating enemies
and rivalries where we should have cooperation and unity. A society that vilifies its public educators
and that can't find consensus about educating its young people faces serious
questions about its future.
In order to counter this
divisive and destructive process we need to break down the barriers between
groups. Instead of meeting as separate
groups and looking at the problems we face from a single perspective we should
be forming coalitions between groups committed to public education. Educators, families, students, administrators
and school board members may have some differences of opinion, but in the end
they all should have the same goals. If
we are able to keep the focus on providing safe (physically, culturally and
emotionally) schools that offer equal educational opportunities for all then we
should find enough common ground to implement real educational reform. We also will build stronger communities and
create sustainable success for our students, our schools and our future as a
society.
The
Blame Game…
Education
is only one aspect of our society where we see these divisions occurring. At the heart of the problem lies the fact
that most of our public figures and political leaders appear to be less
interested in finding solutions to problems than they are in finding someone
else to blame. Blaming someone else
allows them to deflect criticism, build power and promote a specific
agenda. These arguments rely on talking
points, rhetoric and manipulated data for support. They also may ignore facts that are
inconveniently in conflict with their entrenched positions. Anything can be "spun" to make the
other side look bad. Sometimes
"facts" are even manufactured to support a specific viewpoint.
There
are several serious "side-effects" to the "Blame Game" that
is played out in the media and other public venues.
The
public becomes more informed and yet has less information to base opinions
on. We are flooded with information, but
too many of us receive it through sources that are significantly biased. We only hear one side of an issue and assume
that it must be "true". The
world of education provides a many pertinent examples of this. Stories about education typically focus on a
few major points; School budgets, educator unions and how educators are asking
for something, concerned families who are victims of the system, and courageous
"reformers" who are taking on a bloated and biased system "for
the kids".
Take
the school closings in Chicago
for example. The APPOINTED school board
in Chicago
voted this past week to close around 50 schools. The media coverage doesn't provide the whole
story. They provide examples of why
schools need to be closed for budgetary reasons. They talk about the failure of the public
schools in Chicago
to educate students. They pay
lip-service to educator efforts, but give credence to the idea that educators
and their unions are self-serving. They
give leaders credit for making tough decisions to promote the interests of
students. In the end the public
perception of the reality becomes biased in favor of a specific interest, and
the public doesn't necessarily realize what has happened.
Here in Wisconsin, the proposed expansion of voucher
programs into new communities follows the same pattern. Voucher schools can supposedly do a better
job, for less money, for more students.
Yet, the rhetoric doesn't match up with the reality.
Playing the "Blame
Game" also focuses attention on individuals and not on programs, policies
or the good of the majority. President
Obama is a lightning rod for conservative attacks. No matter what he does, it should be
opposed. Here in Wisconsin Scott Walker
and "The Bad Teacher" play the same role. Our news becomes more of a soap opera and
less a provider of information. We need
to move beyond vilifying or glorifying the individual and deal with the
underlying issues.
We set ourselves up for an
endless cycle of retaliatory policies and legislation. One side blames the other and when they
achieve positions of power use their authority to promote actions that are
harmful to their opposition. This leads
to resentment and a perpetuation of the conflict. We are involved in a political "Gang
War" over turf that is slowly being destroyed by the conflicts.
Too
often we ignore the attempts to compromise or unify around a potential
solution. This doesn't make for good
news, and doesn't provide public figures with an opportunity to
"prove" their "commitment and strength" to their
followers. This message from the Chicago
Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff runs counter to the expected message and
received virtually no notice in the media.
It becomes a matter of
civic responsibility. Conservatives and
Progressives agree that we can't rely solely on our government and bureaucracy
to unify and protect us. We need to take
responsibility to hold them accountable and to work to counter the divisive
message being spread through public venues.
Find ways to build consensus and strength through unity, not by
attacking those who disagree with us.
Look for common goals and common values.
Too often, the bitterest opponents share many common objectives and
their conflicts allow unscrupulous individuals to manipulate people's opinions
and to seize power for the minority. We
must organize, educate and act to protect and preserve the things we
value.
Food
as a Battleground…
Human beings must meet
several basic needs in order to survive.
Consuming healthy food and water is one of the most essential of
these. Yet, here in America we don't pay enough
attention to how our food is produced, what goes into our food, and the people
who work in the food supply chain. The
farmer was, at one time in our history, considered the backbone of American culture. Yet, as we moved from a rural to an urban
society we lost our connection to our sources of food. We commercialized our food production and
marginalized the workers who produce and serve our food. The results have not been positive, and we
need to act to make changes to protect our own health and the health of
others.
Dear American Consumers: Please don’t start eating
healthfully. Sincerely, the Food Industry | Guest
A
large part of the problem is that much of the labor in the food supply chain is
provided by workers who are marginalized.
They often work for minimum wage and are often from a
"minority" demographic. They
lack power in the struggle to promote their interests, which coincide with the
needs of everyone in our society. Until
we truly honor all labor we will continue to see our most basic needs
jeopardized by moneyed, corporate interests.
