Ok…interesting article about Education Reform
I think one of these is bullshit…can you guess which myth???
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/17/AR2009021703571.html
1. We know how to fix public schools; we just lack the political will to finish the job.
2. Teachers know best how to teach kids; policymakers should leave them alone.
3. The federal government meddles too much in the affairs of local schools.
4. Teacher unions are the enemy.
5. There’s no place in education for politics.
March 8, 2009 at 5:51 pm
I’m guessing you think #5 is BS? I agree with his take on unions, though the myth title is misleading. They are the enemy in some ways, just not the only enemy. Also, I take issue with the statement that teachers take a peculiar view of professionalism. I have been a teacher for going on 8 years now and have rarely found a district sponsored “professional training” worth my time. That doesn’t mean I don’t think I need to constantly learn and hone my skills. It’s just that the offerings aren’t that great. I loved, and still do love, learning from those who are successful, not as bureaucrats, but as teachers. Of course I’m more of a fan of dramatic change in education, rather than an incremental approach.
March 9, 2009 at 9:58 am
I think #1 myth is generally true. There are many things wrong with education today…but it’s the macro-environment that is creating the biggest challenges. In the macro-environment there are two major issues (both economic) that if fixed would alleviate most of the gap between the US and other industrialized nations.
1. Social systems to support children and parents are lacking in the US. No amount of good teaching can fix a child that is in an unstable home. In much of the “social” democracies in Europe there is a much more substantial support (tax cuts, programs, medical, etc) system than in the US. If you can change the dynamic for children at home…you pull the biggest lever to change the outcome of their ability to learn. Supporting the kids and communities that are at-risk (which requires federal funding) removes the biggest challenge that teachers have: not teaching but in trying to be parents as well.
2. Supporting schools from property taxes…..let’s federalize the funding for schools. We have gross inequities in the education system in a single city let alone across the nation. Re-distribute money in a more systematic way so that schools in low socio-economic areas are not disadvantged on multiple fronts.
Thoughts?
March 10, 2009 at 10:46 am
Also from the Froomkin report this morning…Obama on education:
“The most important decisions about schools are largely made at the local and state level, which is where the majority of money comes from, as well. That’s one reason among many that real reform is so difficult. Other reasons include: so much depends on the quality of the teachers; educational inequities are considerable and intractable; and attempts at reform often have unintended consequences.
President Obama gave a rousing speech this morning outlining a broad educational agenda that includes a potentially controversial call for merit pay for teachers, as well as increased federal funding and higher standards.”
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/white-house-watch/