April
2nd Election Analysis…
We've come to the end of
another election cycle and (most of) the results are in.
http://host.madison.com/news/local/education/local_schools/dean-loumos-keeps-school-board-race-lead-
Of course, with the election
completed there is always the need to reflect on the results and to try and get
a sense of what the impact of the voting will be. We find ourselves looking for trends and
analyzing results in an effort to determine who "won" and
"lost". As I've become more
involved politically I've begun to realize just how unreliable election results
can be in many ways. On one hand,
elections (are supposed to) give us clear winners and losers in terms of total
votes. However, trying to predict what
will happen next isn't always as clear. Determining the mindset of the
electorate is very challenging, especially in a state that has elected both
Tammy Baldwin and Scott Walker within the past year. How do we make sense of the direction that Wisconsin is headed
in?
That being said, I do have
a few observations and conclusions about the results of the April 2nd voting.
Not enough people are participating in
elections. This is the biggest concern that I have regarding
elections in Wisconsin. It isn't a problem that is exclusive to the Badger State,
but with the contentious climate and major conflicts about important issues we
need to increase voter turnout. The
turnout in the April 2011 spring elections was not trend setting. That election saw 34% of voters head to the
polls, but the 2013 elections saw about half that number cast a ballot. This reflects a return to the politically
disinterested and unengaged electorate that has been the norm during recent
history. Without the accountability of
having to answer to voters, how can we expect our elected officials to
represent the people? The majority of
citizens in Wisconsin
are failing to uphold their responsibilities to their communities and to
themselves.
Campaign spending is a significant problem. It
is scary to think that spending in this Supreme Court election was on the lower
end, when compared to recent years. Once
again we saw spending by outside groups exceed that spent by the candidates
themselves and are left questioning the integrity of the process.
TV Spending in Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Tops $1.1 Million,
Outside Groups Dominate | Brennan Cen
We see each other by demographics and organizations
instead of individuals. When it comes to casting a ballot, or to
determining the mindset of our community we give too much credence to a small
number of people. This confuses and frustrates
the general population and causes division and animosity where unity and
community should exist. All of the
attention on a small number of individuals and organizations distracts from the
real work that needs to be done. As a
member of MTI as well as a parent and taxpayer I can say that I am able, and
encouraged, to make my own decisions and to participate in the process
independently.
Educators in Madison should have a
voice, just like any other group. To
imply that educators either control the debate, or shouldn't use their strength
and influence to try and shape the future of education in our community is not
realistic or responsible. MTI is one
player in the debate over education, but by no means is my union the sole power
broker in the Madison
political scene. MTI represents
educators and the educators that make up MTI are extremely dedicated to trying
to improve opportunities for all students in Madison Public Schools.
Many people seem to forget
that a union is a democratic institution and that a union is its
membership. It is an insult to devoted
educators to portray us as a monolithic group that is opposed to any change in
our schools. We recognize the system
isn't perfect, but also see the need to work together with everyone in the community
to make positive change happen for all of our students.
Finding common ground on challenging and sensitive
issues is difficult. This is especially true once we go beyond the
personal level and move into the media, or public realm. Issues like race and poverty are complicated
and bring with them a history that bring out strong emotions. Madison
is grappling with these challenges and we need to find a way to bring the
community together in order to achieve lasting success in reducing the gaps in
opportunities that exist across the board for many members of the community.
The races for school board
featured some excellent candidates and also some heated accusations about race
and existing divisions in our city. The
fact that we focused as much on the race of the candidates as we did on their
message at times is problematic. It is
true that we need to increase the diversity of our elected bodies, but at the
same time we also need to make sure that we are supporting a candidate because
of their stances on the issues.
I spoke to many people of
different races, genders, economic status and political beliefs and there
wasn't a clear consensus regarding the race between Strong and Loumos. In most cases it boiled down to a concern
over the issues of privatization and vouchers.
We are struggling to differentiate between protecting public education
and the reality that "minority" students in our schools are
experiencing significant gaps in achievement.
The Achievement Gaps in our schools are real, but to believe that expanding
vouchers and privatizing education will solve them doesn't hold up under
scrutiny. What is clear is that the Gaps
are being used by conservative "reformers" to divide and conquer the
educational world so that they can profit financially and politically.
Race is used by these
"reformers" as a weapon to undermine public education and to drive a
wedge between different parts of the community that should be united in their
efforts to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for all students. I try and listen to, or read conservative
media sources and find that they only talk about educational issues when there
is an opportunity for them to benefit in some way.
This isn't to deny that we
have a real problem here in Madison
and that we have not been a community that has lived up to its progressive,
liberal reputation. There is an
unpleasant reality here that is difficult for many of us to accept. However, name calling or confrontation won't,
in my estimation, resolve the problem.
Calling voters racist, either overtly or covertly, only widens the
divide and reduces communication between different groups in the city. I equate it to working with one of my
students who is struggling and not completing their work. I can confront them and tell them that they
are "stupid" or "lazy" thus eliminating their desire to
improve, or I can encourage and motivate them, hopefully giving them the
incentive to change for the better.
We know that racism is
present in our society and that it is a deeply rooted problem requiring
intense, long term effort to eradicate.
We also know that prejudice and discrimination can't be legislated or
mandated out of existence. It must be
removed through communication, cooperation and education. People must grapple with the reality that we
live with the legacy passed down through the years. This will not change overnight, but with
positive effort and increased awareness we can make positive change
happen.
Elections matter, but aren't conclusive. We
are painfully aware of the reality that elections have an impact on our lives,
but also realize that every election is followed (often immediately) by another
political campaign. We are engaged in a
long term struggle and should celebrate our victories, while gearing up for the
next challenge.
A citizen's work is never done. In
the end, this may be the most important lesson to learn from this, or any,
election. It isn't enough to cast a
ballot, citizens must stay engaged and make sure that those who are elected
know that we are interested, involved and vigilant. If we don't hold our elected officials
accountable, who will.
In education this means
that we must be aware of the small details.
Politicians, by necessity, aim to make large, sweeping statements or
policies. However, the "devil is in
the details" when it comes to educational policy. Small changes can make big results even if
they don't make headlines. When it comes
to educating our children what do we want, a political circus or positive
results. Too often we have been getting
the show and not the substance and this must change. Change will only occur with active citizens
who are engaged in the process. Attend a
school board meeting, visit a school, go to a PTA/O meeting, get involved.
De-Walkerize
Wisconsin…
Scott Walker has been
called many things, positive and negative, but one truth about him is that he
is a politician at heart. This means
that he is constantly working to create an image of himself and his policies
with an eye towards expanding his personal power and influence. It is a lesson that many of us involved in
opposing his agenda should learn from.
In the end, the conflict in Wisconsin
isn't about Walker,
but it is about the quality of life and the social, political and economic
climate in our state.
If we are to limit the
influence that Walker has we need to begin to learn to let go of the negative
feelings that we have towards him and recognize that he is just another in a
long line of political figures looking to benefit from their skills in the
political world. Politics can't be
personal if they are to succeed in building united opposition to legislation and
policies that are not beneficial to a majority of citizens. By making politics personal we mask the
issues and instead focus on the "celebrity status" of those
involved.
m.jsonline.com
Wisconsin's
Future…
Wisconsin is struggling.
The legacy of the past two years is one of negative progress and
division. State Republicans have a vision for Wisconsin, but it hasn't been successful
here, or in other places around the nation.
It is time for the citizens of this state to get informed and speak out
about the direction we want our state to move in. Blame won't improve our status, it's time to
move beyond the past two years and into the future.
One of the other
challenges that our state faces is the fact that by attacking labor directly,
Republicans have made economic recovery more difficult. In order to grow an economy there should be
labor stability and consumer confidence.
Both are lacking due to GOP policies and legislation enacted in the past
two years.
Vouchers
and Accountability, and Money- OH MY!!…
These three words make up
the real VAM (Value Added Model) in education in 2013. In eduspeak Value Added Model refers to the
use of data to compare individual student achievement on standardized tests
over time in order to measure the effectiveness of a district, a school, or
individual educators. While the merits
of this use of data can be debated…
the real problem is that
it is even a debate at all. This focus
on test scores and accountability for educators has changed the debate from
education to data collection. It is a
symptom of why the fight for education is so disheartening for people who
really value education and the future of our students.
By focusing on
standardized tests and tying the results to the public's perception of the
quality of our public schools, education "reformers" have created a
new reality that educators and schools must operate in. This change in focus has allowed them to
promote "reforms" that are geared towards dismantling our public
school system, breaking educator unions and generating profits for a small
number of people.
Under the VAM the goals of
privatization efforts are realized and schools are turned into a for-profit
system. Here's how it works…
V- Vouchers "Reformers" hail vouchers and other alternative schools as
the epitome of the American ideal of "choice". The real benefit to those who seek to destroy
public schools is the use of public education funding to support private
schools. This harms public schools who
need significant amounts of funding to meet the wide range of needs that their
students bring with them. Expansion of
the voucher system in Wisconsin
has been proposed and touted as an improvement in our ability to educate
students. This despite the fact that
data doesn't support these claims.
A- Accountability
This is actually the first
step in the process and is based on the "common sense" notion that we
need to hold educators responsible for student progress. Because education is so complex and involves
so many students and variables, "reformers" "simplify"
things by measuring student progress through standardized tests. These tests are highly profitable for those
who make them and the results are used to show just how troubled our public
school systems are.
As the emphasis on testing
has increased, the pressure for students to "achieve" has risen and
schools are forced to change their curriculum to meet the supposedly higher
standards. This has the result of
driving some families out of the schools to seek more student friendly schools,
and at the same time makes the public less supportive of the public schools.
M-Money It is clear that the leadership in Wisconsin is looking to
dismantle public education. All one has
to do is look at the last two budgets proposed by GOP controlled state
government. The impact of the previous
budget was felt in districts across the state and the current budget will
continue the all out assault on public education.
In the end we are left
with the reality that we must make our voices heard if we truly value public
education. At times it may seem
hopeless, and the challenges appear overwhelming. Yet, we are seeing a change in the public's
perception of issues around public education.
By continuing to speak out and inform others of what is happening we can,
and will, see the pendulum swing back towards more reasonable educational
policies.
