Education
Reform- A Tool or a Weapon?. . .
Caring for and educating
our children is one of the most important things that any society can do. When done equitably, rationally and
positively education creates opportunities and hope for the future. When done poorly or with questionable
intentions our system of education can serve to institutionalize inequities and
limit opportunities. In doing so we not
only harm our nation's "bottom line" by reducing the potential for
innovation and economic success of future generations, but we also create a
society that fails to live up to the language of its founding documents.
If America is ever
to truly live up to the lofty goals of freedom, opportunity and equality that
we claim to aspire to, we must provide every child with an opportunity to make
the most of their skills and abilities.
In short, education is the cornerstone of a true democratic
republic. As Thomas Jefferson wrote in
1786, "I think by far the most important bill in our whole code is that
for the diffusion of knowledge among the people. No other sure foundation can
be devised, for the preservation of freedom and happiness...Preach, my dear
Sir, a crusade against ignorance; establish & improve the law for educating
the common people. Let our countrymen know that the people alone can protect us
against these evils [tyranny, oppression, etc.] and that the tax which will be
paid for this purpose is not more than the thousandth part of what will be paid
to kings, priests and nobles who will rise up among us if we leave the people
in ignorance."
As a nation, our struggles
to educate our young people mirror our struggles as a society. We've seen our schools be visible reminders
of segregation. We've seen our schools
used to eradicate cultural differences in brutal and inequitable ways. We've seen our schools perpetuate deep
divisions and offer "separate and unequal" services to our students
and communities. We've also seen them
become visible symbols of hope for a better future. Our schools have been a measuring stick for
our society's efforts to provide for all of its citizens.
The efforts to educate our
students equitably has been, and will continue to be a double edged sword that
can be wielded as a tool for reforming our society, or as a weapon to
perpetuate the inequities in our political, social and economic systems. On one hand we see committed educators and
supporters of our schools working to try and do things in new and improved ways. We see efforts made to take what is working
in our schools and expand on these things.
We see new and innovative uses of technology combined with tried and
true methods of inspiring and educating students. Schools are providing needed supports and services
to students and families and are uniting communities around the hope for a
better tomorrow.
On the other hand we see a
concerted effort to continue the use of education as a "divider" not
a "uniter". Whether by
igniting a war against educators and public education through attacks on
collective bargaining, constant efforts to undermine confidence in our public
schools or efforts to privatize our schools, there is clearly a group of people
who don't see the power of education as one that should be shared among all
members of our society. For these
people, the "American Dream" isn't one of equal opportunity, but
rather one of holding on to power and wealth even at the expense of entire
segments of our population.
In any conflict it is
important to know who your allies and opponents are. In the battles around education reform these
lines are sometimes difficult to identify.
There are many people who are truly interested in improving our schools
and who have been working tirelessly to find ways to make our system of public
education better and more equitable. At
the same time, there are those who use the language of "reform", but
who are pushing education "reform" for less than pure reasons
(profit, political power or other ulterior motives). Too often, those in the latter group are well
connected, wealthy and powerful. They
are the ones whose voices are heard most often in the public debate over
education. The voices of the educators
and those who work in our schools is muted by the unequal financial capital,
limited access to decision makers and less public visibility that limits the
audience for our message.
These inequities in power
mean that the discussions and debates around our public schools is shaped by a
small group of individuals who control the direction that our educational
legislation and policy making take. The
language that we use, the tone of the discussions and the climate that we
educate our students in is shaped by these, small number, of groups and
individuals. The Common Core State
Standards are an example of what happens as "reforms" are offered and
implemented. Without debating the
standards themselves, there is a definite problem with the way that they are
being used in creating curriculum and programming in our schools.
It is in the materials,
curriculum and resources that are available to educators that we see the true
harm of the "reforms" offered by these supposed allies of public
education. A small number of
individuals, companies and organizations are behind most of the products and
services that are being sold to school districts. This has been made very clear to me over the
past few years as I have researched the companies and foundations that provide
materials that MMSD educators are given during professional development
sessions. The materials we use are
frequently sold to us by groups that support the privatization of our
schools.
www.edweek.org
The end result of this
connection between "reformers" and "educational profiteers"
is that educators are now fighting against the forces that seek to destroy our
profession even in our own staff meetings and professional development. MMSD staff was given an article about the
CCSS in our most recent professional development that gave thanks to the Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation, a group that has done so much to undermine our
public school systems across America. The article seemed to be about ways to
implement changes in reading instruction, but didn't miss an opportunity to
criticize our past efforts and further the opinion that the new ways of
educating students will magically fix our problems. New ways that have products and programs
available for purchase.
The reality that many of
the so called "reformers" don't want people to know is that most of
their products are repackaged ideas that educators have been using for a long
time. While there is no doubt that we
can continue to improve our methods of teaching, the fact that we already have
qualified professionals with a wealth of knowledge and skill in our schools
shouldn't be ignored. The efforts of
professionals in our schools are being limited by the increased amount of time
taken to administer assessments and learn supposedly new ways of teaching. We are told that we need to improve our
practices by doing things that we are already doing.
www.huffingtonpost.com
Whether placebo (CCSS) or
poison pill (privatization and testing), the prescription leads to the same
result unless public educators and their supporters are able to change the
current educational trends. As many top
authors expressed in a letter to President Obama recently, "We are alarmed
at the negative impact of excessive school testing mandates, including your
administration’s own initiatives, on children’s love of reading and literature.
Recent policy changes by your Administration have not lowered the stakes. On
the contrary, requirements to evaluate teachers on student test scores impose
more standardized exams and crowd out exploration."
Labor
News. . .
Recent
news from the ongoing struggles around worker's rights. . .
While the effect may be short lived, public sector unions in Wisconsin won a victory
in the courts as WERC was found to be in contempt for ignoring Judge Colas'
ruling. host.madison.com
Madison educators were able to negotiate a contract for the 2014-15 school year, but the confusing legal situation continues to cause uncertainty and anxiety for us.
pubinfoweb.madison.k12.wi.us
Of course the assault on the rights of employees in the workplace shows no signs of slowing down either locally, or nationally.
Political
News. . .
The struggle over the government shutdown
has ended with the Democrats emerging on top, Republicans are concerned about
the upcoming 2014 elections and the economy is continuing to show signs of
recovery, yet the mood among Progressives is still apprehensive and
cautious. One of the major reasons for
this is the fact that with all of the positive news, the debates on issues of
importance are still being framed by Conservatives. Whether it is education reform, economic
policy or issues like electoral reform, the discussions still begin with
austerity, anti-government rhetoric and other Conservative talking points. 
Despite their recent
defeats and questionable track record Republicans are gathering strength to
fight another day. Here in Wisconsin they control
all branches of government and are working to set the tone for the 2014 races
that will be vitally important on both state and national levels. This means that there will be a concerted
effort to portray Governor Walker's policies in a positive light. A couple of examples. . .
Despite record cuts in
state aid for schools, the headlines give the impression that schools are
receiving more aid from the state. The
increase in aid in the current budget doesn't offset the cuts in the previous
budget.
Walker and the GOP will
attempt to portray any problems with the ACA and healthcare issues as the fault
of Democrats. They will try to ignore
and cover up their own efforts to make the system fail.
Report: Scott Walker decisions drove insurance rates much
higher in Wisconsin than in Minnesota : Ct
host.madison.com
Property tax relief will
become a political tool to bolster Walker's
claim that he is looking out for the taxpayer.
Yet, the small gains for individual taxpayers are part of a plan that
gives landlords and large property owners more relief. The claim that property taxes have gone down
because of Walker's
policies also ignore the reality that in many cases, the reason for lower taxes
is lower property values.
Progressives in Wisconsin are hoping
that the Democrats will be able to put a candidate against Walker who can not
only win the race, but represent our values once elected. Values that include public schools, equitable
policies and a restoration of collective bargaining rights for all
workers.
My family and I have been
enjoying the TV show The Walking Dead, and I have been reading some of
the books that are set in the world of the show. This quote from The Walking Dead: The Road
to Woodbury caught my attention.
While the Walker
in the quote refers to flesh eating zombies, not our governor, the message
still resonated with me.
