A
Vision for
Public
Education. . .
Public
schools are supposed to provide opportunity, community and hope for the
future. The concept of public education
is one that finds its roots in the ideals that America is supposed to represent. The idea that, as a society, we are
responsible for providing educational opportunities for all students, without
exception, is a powerful one. Public
education, done well, has the potential to unify our diverse society and to
provide the opportunity for all citizens to achieve their goals, hopes and dreams.
Yet,
this potential has gone unrealized in too many places. This happens, not because the concept of
public education is a poor one, not because those in the system are not working
hard, and not because those accessing the system don't want to succeed or don't
value education. Instead, it happens
because we fail to articulate just exactly what it is that we are trying to
achieve and how we can accomplish the lofty goals of our educational system. Because of this we, as a society, have never
fully supported our nation's public schools and instead have used our vast
resources and abilities in inefficient and inconsistent ways.
When
we think about our public schools and what we hope that they provide for
students and society, we too often find ourselves simply stating broad, even
unachievable goals. Think of the mission
statements and visioning statements that our schools use. In Madison
one of our previous ones was "Success for All." Now we see a movement to make sure that every
student is career, college and community ready.
These our great goals for a school district, but the important aspects
of these statements don't lie in the words, but in what those words mean.
Everyone
I've ever met wants the same things from their public school. Whether family member, educator, student,
policy maker or community member the basic goals are the same. We all want safe schools where every student
achieves their potential and leaves ready to live a happy, productive
life. While this may seem simple, and
even obvious, the issues arise when we begin to define specifically what we
mean, and work to incorporate a diverse set of viewpoints into a complex
endeavor. What is success? What does it mean to be productive? What tools do we use to educate our
students? How do we provide a safe,
positive environment?
We
live in an incredibly diverse society, and this means that the answers to
these, and any other questions we ask will be as divergent as the society that
our public schools serve. This makes
people incredibly uncomfortable. We like
to think that educating our students is as simple as the traditional teaching
of the "Three R's" and that any policies around our schools will be
able to meet the needs of every person in the system, no matter what their
background or role. Yet, we constantly
are reminded that there isn't any way to create a perfect system, and that the
efforts to provide public education to all students is every bit as difficult
as operating a democratic and socially just society. Our schools, just like the society they are
embedded in, are in a state of constant tension, change and evolution.
However,
because our public schools are as much a bureaucratic institution as they are
an engine of change and progress, we see efforts made to "reform" and
standardize our schools. There is a
strong movement that exists to create measurable, concrete objectives and to
push all of our students through a system designed to meet those goals. These efforts provide a false sense of
stability and purpose in an uncertain and confusing process. They take some of the realities and constants
of education and twist them into a package that is easily sold to the general
public. Along the way, they provide
opportunities for economic and political gain for some, and divide our society
along different, pre-existing lines.
Edutopia blogger Mark Phillips examines eight myths that
drive education policy, including the value of homework for students and merit
pay for teachers, the irrelevance of funding and class size, and the fairness
of college admissions.
edutopia.org
If we are to counter this
message of standardization and profiteering from our schools, those who support
public education must become a voice that offers a different narrative about
our schools and education in general.
This is challenging because there isn't the same, single-minded unifying
sense of purpose among the many diverse interests that seek to restore a
balance to our public education system.
Instead, we have become a collective voice of resistance and opposition,
something that hasn't been effective in combating the propaganda of those who
seek to privatize and standardize our schools.
Those who oppose education "reform" need to articulate a
vision that can be used to build a positive argument for truly reforming our
schools in a socially just and sustainable way.
This vision will be
diverse in nature because it must be broad enough to incorporate the many
different aspects and needs of all members of our society. In fact, our vision of what education can,
and should be, is not necessarily policy in and of itself, but rather a discussion
starter that will create a climate where we can truly support and nurture our
students and our public schools. By
moving the dialog away from combative and divisive arguments towards more
inclusive discussion we can create an environment where we can create policies
and systems that are community based and supported, as well as ones that are
truly in the best interests of our students.
Our visions may be diverse
in nature, but they should address some key, universal elements.
They must clearly identify and define key terms and
concepts such as education, achievement, accountability, opportunity and success. If
we fail to do this we will continue to struggle to provide the supports that
our students, staff and schools need.
Our efforts will lack focus and will move in too many directions. We need to positively define what it is that
we are doing in our schools. This will
provide us with a base from which to build policies and systems that truly
work.
Author David Price writes: "If schools are coming into
direct competition with the learning opportunities available in the informal
social space, it has to be said that this is a pressure, which barely registers
within the political discourse."
blogs.kqed.org
Public education advocates have shied
away from taking …
forwardinstitutewi.org
By
not defining what we are trying to accomplish we will continue to see our
efforts to improve and enhance our public schools derailed by misconceptions,
mis-perceptions and outright distortions and untruths. The public supports public schools, but they
also support accountability and concrete results while not always knowing what they mean by these ideals. As long as we define success by test scores we
will see the emphasis on standards and assessments retain its power.
Two new surveys try to quantify the number of standardized
tests students take in school — an estimated 113 by graduation.
npr.org
The visioning must include all students and
families and recognize positive intentions not negative assumptions. Currently our dialog is driven by a small number of
people who have specific interests. We
must make sure that all voices are heard in the process and seek out those who
have not typically taken part in the dialog around our schools. This would build widespread support for real
reform efforts and change the dialog around our schools. Our current climate is one where it is too
easy to divide and conquer those who need our public schools the most. We can't afford to let efforts to really
reform schools become one where only a small number of voices, and ones that
are already loud enough, are heard.
In the latest dispute over
standardized testing, hundreds of high-school seniors in high-performing,
wealthy districts are skipping science and social stu
denverpost.com
MADISON (WKOW) -- The Wisconsin Department of Public
Instruction released results from the final...
wrex.com|By Greg Neumann
We also know that our
schools are part of a larger society where inequality is the norm that must be
changed. Policies like the MMSD Behavior
Education Plan are steps in the right direction. However, without the proper supports we will
continue to see inequities exist. Each
suspension has a context that must be considered as we work to change our
systems. By discussing and defining key
aspects of our schools with all stakeholders we can begin to move beyond the
data and rhetoric and truly support the needs of all who learn and work in our
public schools.
The number of out-of-school suspensions was 773 in the first
quarter of the school year, compared to 373 a year ago.
host.madison.com|By Pat Schneider
We have to make sure that educators who work
directly with students are at the center of the discussions. Currently we see a disturbing reality where the
people making decisions about our schools don't work in the classrooms that
their policies impact. This has
frustrated educators and created dissension and division where cooperation and
unity is needed.
A recent Gallup poll indicates that students'
emotional engagement and well-being at school is powerfully tied to academic
achievement.
blogs.kqed.org
An open letter to parents: 'If keeping
our jobs means harming children and squelching them during a prime
developmental span, then we want no part. '
washingtonpost.com
Educators need to seize
the moment and expand the efforts of their unions and professional
organizations to include issues of social justice as well as more traditional
contractual ones.
The value of public education must be made clear. By allowing
education to be defined in financial terms we have allowed it to become a
commodity that can be measured.
Education becomes valuable only for economic reasons and loses its power
to transform and enlighten.
The
One Question Every Parent Should Quit Asking
In an effort to prepare our kids for the dog-eat-dog,
competitive world before them, we fill their days with activity. Schedule them
from dawn to dusk to maximize their potential. So they can learn. And grow. But
I fear that in our quest to help them,...
www.huffingtonpost.com
The public accountability and the
fact that public schools are responsible for all students, not just those who
are admitted based on school defined standards, is an important part of the
discussion. Public schools are inclusive
in ways that privatized schools never will be.
We can't forget that we have the power to make change happen, and we must
use this power. Families, students and educators working together have the ability to
articulate, create and implement a vision that works for the benefit of
all. We can't accept the status quo as
the only, or best way of doing things when we know that excessive assessment,
inadequate funding and overly standardized curriculum are not in the best
interest of anyone. It is up to us to
utilize our power. To not do so is
irresponsible and damaging to our society as a whole.
I've said it many times before, our
public schools are a mirror of our society.
They provide an insight into who and what we value. They don't exist in a vacuum and can't
unilaterally impact their students. Reforming
or transforming our public schools involves making positive change happen on a
societal scale. The time to make this
happen is now.
Why haven't education reform efforts amounted to much?
Because they start with the wrong problem, says John Abbott, director of the
21st Century Learning...
blogs.kqed.org
The Good, The Bad and
The Ugly. . .
The Good . . . High turnout, huge victory for Madison educators, and educators around Wisconsin.
The struggle continues, but keeping our unions gives us more power in
the fight.
Educational assistants, substitute teachers, support staff
and security staff all also strongly backed recertification of their bargaining
units.
Educators remain committed to the role of the union
The results of the November 2014 recertification elections
are in and underscore the fact that educators remain committed to the role of
the union. 97% of the teacher units seeking recertification...
weac.org
The Bad . . . For someone who ran on the premise
that he'd fixed our budget issues this seems a "tad" troubling. Running and winning on issues of integrity and fiscal
responsibility, and then following up with a "whoops we aren't as well off
as we thought" press release shows just where this administration
stands. Those who were duped by the ads
and the rhetoric (or who simply didn't vote) have given Wisconsin another 4 years of this.
Gov. Scott Walker's administration says Wisconsin faces a $2.2 billion budget
shortfall by mid-2017, a problem that will have to be tackled by the
Republican-controlled Legislature next year as...
wbay.com
The Ugly . . . Satire or not, this type of comment is easily found on real message boards, in comments online and in political commentary around the nation.
“Are we seriously going to allow our children and
grandchildren to be in a position where they’re expected to vote for a Hispanic
president?!”
newslo.com
