Americans pride themselves
on living in the nation that is the biggest and best at everything. We are an
intensely competitive culture and have difficulty accepting anything less than
top level success in every endeavor we embark on. We also take great pride in
the role of being a world leader, whether in economic, political, military or
any other aspect of human activity. We have set ourselves up to be the
"center of the free world" and the proverbial "city on the
hill" that every other nation is supposed to look up to as a model for
equality, justice and freedom.
Unfortunately, this
competitive culture and this image of America as the ultimate source of
all that is good and right in the world sets us up for some unrealistic and
even harmful expectations and outcomes. America is a nation built by humans
and our past, present and future will always be shaped by the imperfect nature
of human beings. We may espouse lofty values, we may intend to achieve lofty
goals, but in the end we will struggle with the challenges that every culture
and nation in the history of the world has encountered. The real measure of our
nation's progress towards the goals of "liberty and justice for all"
is in how we respond to these challenges and what we do when we fall short of
the expectations laid out in our founding documents.
It is in overcoming the
challenges that divergent ideas, diversity in population and existing in a
world that is volatile in nature that we truly see where we stand as a society.
When we measure our progress towards equity and social justice we can see that
we have a long way to go, and that the path we must follow is not an easy or
direct one. Yet, at the same time we have the resources, the tools and the
abilities to achieve great things as a nation. In the end it becomes a matter
of really defining who we are as a people and what we truly stand for. What
does it mean to live in a nation where all citizens have equal rights to
"life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?"
There are many places
where we can observe and measure our progress towards a truly socially just
society. One of these is in the area of education. We know that education is a
vehicle that provides opportunity for social, political and economic
advancement on an individual, group and societal level. Our national rhetoric
is filled with platitudes about the value of an educated citizenry and the
potential for education to lift any individual to success. We have developed a
system of public education over the years that is unusual on a world scale and
that has the potential to provide equity in opportunity for all citizens
regardless of demographic. While faced with many struggles and experiencing
frequent setbacks, our nation's public schools have always been an integral
part of the effort towards social justice.
Control over the way that
education is delivered is one mechanism that has been used historically to
control the citizenry of a society. This is why the drive to integrate our schools,
to provide schools that are equal in resources and to insure that every student
has access to education has been at the center of Progressive movements
throughout our history. It is why Wisconsin's
state constitution explicitly makes public education a priority. It is why
public schools that are accessible to all students are so vital to the
continued progress of our society towards equality and justice.
At the same time, it is
also why we are seeing a push by conservatives to undermine and destroy public
education here in Wisconsin
and around the nation. An educated population is one that pushes back and
doesn't accept the status quo. An educated population challenges all aspects of
a society to grow and change. This means that an educated population becomes a
threat to established norms and to practices that undermine the stated values
of our national identity.
The current climate around
public education reflects this ongoing struggle. We see opportunity and hope,
but this is too often thwarted by a system that too often promotes stability
and stagnation. Conservative "reformers" are using the rhetoric of
freedom and justice to keep a stranglehold on our schools and to maintain their
status in a society that is changing significantly demographically and that
want to see our nation live up to its lofty goals.
These reformers tap into
existing preconceptions and thinking in many ways in order to exert their
influence. The use the competitive nature of American society to undermine
confidence in our schools. By comparing the test scores of our students to
those of schools from other countries they create a sense that America is
falling behind. Yet, they don't share the information that when you compare
scores from similar backgrounds and circumstances American students do very
well internationally. They confuse the
public and use economic language to make it appear that our public schools are
not "good investments" when in reality they are one of our most
important national resources. They use the language of freedom, opportunity and
equity when their policies end up having the opposite effect on those that are
impacted.
A few key ways that
educational "reforms" harm our entire society.
Standardization doesn't equal equality. Few educators will argue that we shouldn't have
standards and that there are important concepts and ideas that every student in
America
should be exposed to. At the same time, the dialog around the Common Core has
become increasingly constraining for educators. As a teacher I've been exposed
to countless hours of professional development designed to help me understand
things that I already knew. I've been told that the new ideas are more
"rigorous" and "challenging" for my students, but have yet
to see how this is actually true.
The Common Core State
Standards are not inherently bad for education, but their implementation has
been horrendous for students, educators and schools. Instead of being a
unifying force that provides guidance for educators and students, the CCSS have
become a vehicle for profit and control. Companies are making millions off of
new curriculum, books and other resources while educators are left with reduced
budgets and less freedom to truly meet the needs of the students in our
classrooms.
California
flipped education-reform script, knowing sanctions/test-driven accountability
helps no one. Here's how
salon.com|By Jeff Bryant
Assessment isn't true accountability. In our drive to compete on all levels, we have to
find a way to "keep score." Testing provides numbers and data that
can be used to compare our students and to make our schools
"accountable." This has resulted in a barrage of standardized tests
that have negatively impacted our schools in multiple ways.
-Schools are spending
money on tests, not on things that really impact achievement like staff,
materials and supports for students.
The more I look at the Common Core approach to reading, the
more it seems to be a shill for publishers like Pearson to sell new
"Common Core" aligned textbooks, workbooks, and online packaged
learning programs....
huffingtonpost.com
-Tests are biased and
result in invalid or inaccurate results. Then these results are used to drive
budgets, evaluate educators and create policy. Our achievement gaps are real,
but closing them through increasing test scores is not a way to improve equity
of opportunity. Being told that improving test scores is closing gaps is
disingenuous at best and outright deception at worst. We could be working in so
many other ways to improve educational outcomes for our students.
“…the Opt Out movement is a vital component of the Black
Lives Matter movement and other struggles for social justice in our region.
Using standardized tests to...
iamaneducator.com
-Testing takes time away
from instruction, don't provide meaningful information to educators and are
damaging to students. I could provide countless examples of the struggles that
I've observed with my own students, and I'm only one educator among many. This
year has been especially problematic with inaccurate or misleading questions,
failures in the technology, and confusion about the future of the current
tests.
A parent reported in an email to me that questions from the
ELA tests are plastered on Facebook and other social media, despite Pearson's
efforts to monitor students' comments on FB or Twitter. Whi...
dianeravitch.net
True accountability exists
when educators, families and students are in regular, open and meaningful communication
about a student's progress. Test results can be an important part of this
process, but shouldn't be the only one. We need to trust those who work most
closely with a student and not impose unnecessary and harmful assessments in
order to achieve false accountability.
Choice shouldn't mean segregation. "Reformers" love to use words like choice
and freedom to justify their policies, but the reality is that the choices and
freedoms that are created are not universal. Those who already have choice and
freedom are seeing their rights and privileges increase, while those who don't
are often seeing their options limited by "reforms" like vouchers and
school choice.
Professors at Duke have traced a troubling trend of
resegregation in North Carolina's
school system since the first charter schools opened in 1997.
washingtonpost.com
Education policy should be democratically
developed. Too often we are seeing
the "data" and other information used to drive policies that are
either ineffective, unnecessary, or counterproductive. Real education reform
happens at a very personal level and is centered on the student. Implementing
large scale programs and changes often misses the mark, even if the ideas sound
good in public dialog, or the committee room. Expanded technology in schools is
one example where large scale programs have fallen short of expected outcomes.
Here in Madison
we have heard from many citizens and educators that we need to approach
technological expansion carefully, but this advice isn't always heeded.
The Los
Angeles Unified School District has canceled further
plans to use expensive curriculum that was part of a $1.3-billion effort to
provide iPads to...
latimes.com|By Los Angeles Times
Just like accountability
in educational outcomes should be driven by the needs of our students and
specific to them, so too our educational policies should be based out of
classrooms and schools. This means that the ideas and input from all
stakeholders needs to be solicited and actively sought. Once information is
gathered, there must be process that allows for constant communication and that
honors the input in meaningful ways.
We also must recognize
that our families, educators and students have a voice on existing policies.
When they speak they should be listened to. It may be challenging and
uncomfortable for those in decision making positions, but at the same time
these voices provide an impetus for change and accountability for the system.
This spring, 237 students in the Madison Metropolitan
School District have been
excused from a new standardized test.
host.madison.com|By Pat Schneider
Educators should be respected and trusted, not
vilified. Our current system
ignores the professional expertise that our educators have, and often puts the
blame for unequal outcomes exclusively on their shoulders. The most disturbing
trend that I've witnessed is that this has become more prevalent, not just in
public dialog (where conservative politicians have made a habit of bashing
educators) but in professional development sessions and other professional
settings. We are being told (by individuals who don't work in classrooms) that
we are doing the wrong things, in the wrong way and that our efforts are not
satisfactory. Instead of attacking educators, professional conversations should
focus on improving our practices and supporting our efforts. It's no wonder so
many experienced educators are leaving the field.
Interference from above and commercialization are driving
teachers out of the profession.
newsweek.com|By Steven C. Ward
The constant churn affects schools' ability to provide all
students with skilled teachers. But professor Richard Ingersoll says schools
can fix this without...
npr.org
The attacks on unions
hasn’t helped the morale of educators, or positively impacted the efforts to
improve education. Instead of being a true, good-faith, effort to actually
improve education, destroying the power of educator unions was simply a
political move. Educator unions have the potential to give another voice to the
discussion about improving schools for all, but without them educators will be
reluctant to dissent, even when policies are clearly not in the best interests
of students. Educators have been actively speaking out against excessive
testing, standards that aren't developmentally appropriate and other important
issues. To lose that voice is damaging for students, families and schools.
The company that manages one of three Detroit charter schools that may form a union
has told teachers at the school they're walking away from the school they...
mlive.com
Systems should work for all. We know that our public schools haven't been places
of equality for all students. We know that we need to make changes to improve
our schools. Educators want to be part of a system that provides equitable
access for all and creates an environment where the opportunity for student
success is optimized. Families want to feel confident that the system will work
for their child(ren). The current state of unrest has caused confusion for all
who work and learn in our schools.
In the end we have an
obligation to make our public schools work, and work exceptionally well, for
all citizens. We have the all the pieces to make this happen, we just need to
have the will and desire to achieve the desired outcomes of equity and social
justice.
The
Good, The Bad and
The
Ugly. . .
The Good . . . The second MTI Bowl-athon was a success. Thanks to all who organized
and participated. Another great example of educators working to help their
community and going above and beyond the "call of duty."
Teachers bowled for a good cause Sunday afternoon.
wkow.com|By Jennifer Kliese
This
is good news, but should be taken with a grain of salt. They will continue to
try and find ways to undermine and attack public education. We should celebrate
the fact that their willingness to do so does have some limits.
MADISON (AP) -- The chairman of the Assembly Education
Committee says it appears unlikely that...
wkow.com
Despite Walker's
claims that every governor sees their approval ratings drop during a
"tough" budget cycle, I'd like to think that the citizens of Wisconsin are finally
beginning to realize just who and what our governor is.
Gov. Scott Walker has enjoyed decent job performance ratings
since the Marquette
Law School
poll began in 2012. But, it was all bad news for him in the
wuwm.com|By Marti Mikkelson
The Bad . . . We pay for what we value and the current political leadership in Wisconsin clearly
doesn't value public education. The full impact of their decisions have yet to
be felt across the state, but we are closing in on some incredibly challenging
times for public schools here. While it is bad now, it will get worse unless
changes are made.
Spending per pupil in Wisconsin
is down $1,038, compared to $1,242 in Alabama,
the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports.
host.madison.com|By Pat Schneider
As the Joint Finance Committee hearings on the proposed
state budget wrap up later this week, funding changes for Wisconsin's K-12 public education system...
wpr.org
The cuts include about 110 positions, about 72 percent of
which come from staffing based at schools.
host.madison.com|By Molly Beck |
Wisconsin State Journal
The Ugly . . . Student loan debt is just one more indicator of how distorted,
unsustainable and unethical our current economic system is. How can our economy
grow, our middle class survive, and our economically disadvantaged citizens
gain the advantages of a college education when so many are saddled with huge
debts after graduation?
Is there relief in sight?
college.usatoday.com|By Nicholas
Rayfield
Governor Touts Tax Breaks for Wealthy and Corporations While
Remaining Mum on Common Sense Relief for Hardworking Borrowers Seeking
Education and...
onewisconsinnow.org
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