"Selling"
Public Education. . .
Education is a field that
is filled with words that are used in many different ways. Terms that seem to be clear and
straightforward have become tools in political struggles and have taken on
meanings far beyond what they had previously enjoyed. Accountability, achievement, assessment,
rigor, standards and many other words are now catch phrases that
"reformers" use to undermine confidence in our schools and to advance
an agenda that has shifted our society's focus away from education as a concept
and towards a bottom line, fiscal, analysis of educational efforts.
This shift in thinking is
part of an effort to privatize our schools and to profit from our efforts to
educate our children. In this school of
thought, public education becomes a player in an "educational
marketplace" where educational institutions compete for
"consumers" and provide a "service" that can be quantified
and measured. Instead of valuing
education as a concept and a tool that can be used in many ways, the
"educational marketplace" reduced learning to its most base function,
economic gain. Learning becomes valued
only as a means to achieve wealth and status and loses its inherent positive
qualities and motivations along the way.
Education as a means to
achieving economic and social success isn't new. In fact, supporters of public education tout
the economic benefits of high school diplomas and college degrees on a regular
basis. Yet, as we continue to see costs
of education rising, increases in student loan debt, and a slow economic recovery
that has strained public sector budgets, the economic conversations about
education have taken center stage. Far
too often we see our students and their public schools become pawns in the
political, social and economic struggle that has divided our nation into
separate (and unequal) camps.
As these conflicts have
escalated, the stakes for public education have increased exponentially as
well. Issues that were once pedagogical
or philosophical debates have become central to the ability of our schools to
meet students' needs and even to survive as viable educational entities. Cuts to funding, enforced changes in
curriculum, accountability standards with few, if any educational merits, and
other "reforms" have been devastating to public schools across Wisconsin, and the
entire nation. Our public schools have
become a target for political and economic figures who exploit fears and
mislead a public that is given only partial truths and distorted perceptions of
our public schools and educators.
Like it or not, our public
schools are now engaged in a competition that will determine the future of
education for a majority of citizens. It
is important to remember that change and improvement are vital to the success
of any endeavor. We can't keep doing the
same things, in the same ways and expect to continue to achieve positive
results. In the same vein, we need to
learn from the mistakes and inequities of the past and adapt to the changes that
are occurring in technology, information about how we learn, and the shift in
demographics that are happening rapidly.
However, to think that
market economics is the best way to make positive change happen is based on
flawed rationales and is an incorrect application of economic theories that
don't belong in the public sector.
Simply put, there are some goods and services that should not be left in
the mythical hands of the marketplace.
These include all things that are necessities for survival in a modern
society. The reason for their exclusion
is the reality that a market economy inevitably becomes stratified and the best
is reserved for a select few. This is
fine for things like televisions, cars and restaurants. It isn't acceptable that things like
education and healthcare are subject to the whims of the market.
When we look at education
as a product and treat our students and families as consumers we inject some
flawed reasoning into our educational systems.
We see supporters of the market theory of education pick and choose the
way that they apply their theories to the real practices of education. One of the major flaws in the ideas of the
"educational marketplace" is the idea that competition will improve
outcomes for all students. This idea
incorporates the idea that families and students are consumers who will shop
around for the best "product" available.
There are many flaws with
this reasoning, but among the most prominent is the simple fact that the market
place doesn't necessarily promote excellence.
Instead, a competitive market often rewards the best packaged product
and not the highest quality one. As we
follow this thinking, we can see how private and voucher schools have promoted
their "product" through advertising and promotional material, but not
delivered the "goods" to the students they have taken in. If we continue down this path we face the
prospect of a "Walmarting" of America's schools with the winners
being a small number of investors and the opportunities for the majority
dwindling.
This month in Boston,
thousands of teachers will gather for the annual National Council for the
Social Studies (NCSS) conference.
zcomm.org
Suddenly
"selling" education becomes as important as providing educational
opportunities. There are many different
ways to use the word selling, but many of them have negative connotations. Using a few of these we can see how economics
and education can be a dangerous mixture.
One meaning of the word sell is to simply "give or hand over something in exchange for money." This is something that is very apparent when
we look at the current educational situation.
We are buying and selling our students' opportunities to get a quality
education. At the same time we are
forcing our public schools to "beg" for funding.
Where’s the big money in privatization? Take it from the
teachers.
yesmagazine.org
By Keri Solis With a unanimous vote, the Montello School
board voted to put a recurring referendum on the Spring 2015 ballot. The school
is expected to ask taxpayers for at least an additional $1.1 million every year
to keep the doors of Montello Schools open. The other options to close the gap
are…
marquettecountytribune.com
School privatization is on the march in Wisconsin, thanks to a push by right-wing
ideologues ignoring no improvement in results.
www.nakedcapitalism.com
To sell can also mean to "offer something
dishonorably for money or other reward; make a matter of corrupt
bargaining." Here is where the idea of vouchers comes
in. Supporters of vouchers will argue
that they provide opportunity for previously disenfranchised students, but the
reality is quite different. The reward
for these "reformers" is money and political power.
MADISON,
Wis. (AP) — A Republican lawmaker
whose daughter has Down syndrome promised Thursday that a divisive proposal to
create a voucher to help students with disabilities attend private...
journaltimes.com|By By SCOTT BAUER
Other definitions of sell
include to "abandon one's
principles for reasons of expedience" and to "trick or deceive." These aspects of selling can be seen in
many ways in our current educational climate.
Conservatives are abandoning their long stated belief in the concept of
local control in order to cement their hold on public education funding. Instead of allowing school districts the
power to monitor the quality of education and use their discretion in virtually
all aspects of educational policy making, the power of decision making, funding
and evaluation is being centralized under Conservative leadership.
Republicans are moving quickly to pass a school
accountability early next year, which would give Gov. Scott Walker an early
example of how e…
fox11online.com
Court rules Michigan has no
responsibility to provide quality public education Posted by: The Michigan...
michigancitizen.com
One of the best ways to
generate sentiment for changes in policy direction is to identify an opponent
to hate and fear. Public educator unions
are filling this need for Conservatives.
In order to create this sense of fear and crisis, "reformers"
are willing to use any means necessary to attack their opponents.
The 2014 election was a major defeat for labor, but the
question of who will represent the interests of economically struggling voters
is still open.
nytimes.com|By Thomas B. Edsall
The stats leave no doubt: there is huge dissatisfaction
among teachers. The turnover rate is very high. We need to answer the obvious
question: why don’t principals and administrators take better care of their
teachers?
americanthinker.com
All of these efforts serve
to create an atmosphere of crisis and make public schools seem less attractive
to parents as they try to wade their way through the rhetoric and find the best
opportunities for their children.
Wisconsin is one of 21 states that allow students to open
enroll into other school districts. The process is helpful to some districts
but hurts others.
gazettextra.com
We see a concerted effort
to both ignore the challenges that public schools face (and the successes they
achieve as they work with all students in a community), and to portray student
achievement in a negative light.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The number of homeless children in the U.S.
has surged in recent years to an all-time high, amounting to one child in every
30,...
www.huffingtonpost.com
One of my little pet peeves—occasionally given expression on
this blog—is the notion that kids today are dumber than they used to be. I'd
say that both the anecdotal and statistical evidence suggests just the
opposite, but it's hard to get...
motherjones.com
Yet, there is another way
to define the concept of selling. To sell can also mean to "persuade
someone of the merits of." We
know that marketing matters, and we also are painfully aware that in the
marketing war the private schools and voucher programs have a built in
advantage. At the same time we also know
that allowing the "reformers" to continue to wage their marketing
campaigns without countering their message will ultimately mean the destruction
of our public education system. The most
disturbing aspect of that reality is the damage that will be done to our
students and families who rely on public schools as a cornerstone of their
communities and as a place of hope for their collective and individual
futures. It is because of this that we
must begin to change the dialog about our public schools and refuse to shy away
from confronting the "reformers" on their own turf. Our message is powerful, we just need to make
sure it is heard loudly and clearly.
When I returned from speaking at the annual...
andreagabor.com
What is a public district school to do about all of this
increased competition? It's easy. Aggressively market their own schools and
take the competition seriously....
www.huffingtonpost.com
The
Good, The Bad and
The
Ugly. . .
The Good . . . News from the MTI
recertification campaign sounds promising.
The final tallies won't be in until after November 25th, but all
indications are that we will see MTI recertified in a landslide.
Don't forget to make your purchases
wisely as the holiday season opens.
Here’s Your Union-Made in America Thanksgiving Shopping List
Before you put together your Thanksgiving dinner shopping
list, check our list of union-made in America food and other items that are
essential to a traditional...
fw.to
The Bad . . . Our schools can't function without
strong staffs. Our support staff,
assistants, clerical, custodial and every other school employee are vital to
the success of our students. It's time
that all employees are respected and recognized in a meaningful way. While this happened in Milwaukee,
Madison's
educational assistants and other employees are voicing similar concerns.
Last week, several MPS School Board directors spent a day
at work with MTEA paraprofessionals and safety assistants. Board members saw
how our work...
mteaunion.tumblr.com
The Ugly . . . And so it begins. Although these really aren't the first pay
cuts. Take home pay of educators in Wisconsin has already
been reduced. My family sees around $700
a month less in net pay thanks to the "reforms" of Act 10. To reduce pay further, and to tie it to
"performance" makes education a less desirable profession for
talented young people to consider as a career.
The district reduced salaries for three teachers based on
performance.
postcrescent.com
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