Divided
We Fail. . .
On the surface it seems
like the education of our young people could, and should, be a topic that we
could unite as a society around. After
all, there is no more precious resource and nothing more universally treasured
than the children of any society.
Children provide a society with hope for the future. We know that we need to provide our young
people with opportunities to learn and grow as individuals, as well as members
of a larger community. The support and
education that we provide our youth are clear indicators of what we as a
society value.
This makes the current
climate around public education that is shaped by discourse and policy all the
more disturbing. The bitterness and
anger that we see reflected in our debates about education show just how
divided our state and nation are when it comes to a significant number of
issues. While the debates are supposedly
focused on educational policy, the conflicts around educating our children really
mirror the issues that are in play outside of our schools. We see the same groups struggling in schools
that struggle in "the real world."
We see the same issues of inequity and injustice reflected both in
schools and in society. We see the same
efforts being made to control access to social, political and economic
opportunity and power.
The same values and
instincts that make supporting children so important to people are the very
things that make the debates about education more bitter and divisive. Everyone values their children, and the
children in their immediate personal circle, and this means that they are
willing to put their own interests ahead of others, no matter what the societal
cost may be. It is difficult to ask families
to sacrifice any opportunity for their own children, and the fact that
education is a costly endeavor and resources are limited means that conflicts
are inevitable.
At the same time there are
those who would use the devotion we have for our children against us. Our children become political pawns and our
hopes for them are exploited by unscrupulous political, social and economic
leaders. They use fear and frustration
to divide and conquer those who oppose them and the policies that emerge from
our legislatures too often reflect this lack of concern about children and
education. We are told that our public
schools are not safe, that they are not providing quality educational
opportunities and that they are undermining our society's values. The fear that is created drives an industry
of power that seeks to perpetuate a system that benefits a small number of
citizens.
These educational myths
become the reality that too many people accept and live in. The party of the candidate doesn't seem to
matter, it is a culture of power that needs to create either a villain (in this
case teachers and public schools) to distract the public from the reality that
would create a climate of real change around our schools, and our economic and
political systems in general.
Public educators are left
to function in a system that is driven by tests, standards and curriculums that
are dictated to us by people outside of the schools and classrooms that we work
with our students in. No Child Left
Behind, Race to the Top, Common Core, and countless other "reforms"
are vehicles often manufactured by
corporate interests and driven by politicians who care more about $$ and power
than children. Whatever your personal
beliefs are about any of the "reforms", the reality is that classroom
educators, families and students are never given a viable voice in the decision
making process.
Instead of focusing on
students, education becomes a partisan issue.
We lose the ability to discuss and debate educational policy on the
merits of student learning and truly best teaching practices. Opportunities to collaborate and cooperate on
issues in education are lost due to political divisions.
The rhetoric that flows
undermines educators and adds to the fear that drives us down paths leading to
segregation and inequity.
The battle that we are
engaged in is vital to our society on many levels. It is important to individuals who care for
their own, or other people's children.
It is important to our nation because democracy needs a well educated
population to support it. It is
important to our economic success for obvious reasons. How we educate our children is a clear
demonstration of just what our society values.
Putting all of these things together, it is clear that we need to
continue to fight to truly put every student's needs ahead of politics.
The
Good, The Bad, and
The
Ugly. . .
The Good . . . The data is here, now we just need some strong leadership to take on
those who cry wolf and say that more equitable pay for employees will destroy
our economy.
The Bad . . . We know that something's not right, but will anything come of the
investigation?
The Ugly . . . Money in our political system.
