From the title you can probably feel my frustration about all of the negative teacher bashing that has recently been going. On the national level, the focus is on inner-city schools and there is no focus on the rest of the schools around the country that are functioning properly. All of the schools in America are not failing! In the article, "The Evolution of the Schools Suck Bloc," Gerald Bracey points out that schools have been the scapegoat for our societal woes for decades (way back to Sputnik in 1957). He also points out some amazing statistics, such as, "Even kids in schools with up to 50% of students in poverty attained an average score that, had they constituted a nation, would have ranked 4th." Really? This isn't the picture that is being painted acrossed the nation. There are many myths floating around about the educational system in America that most people just believe because we have heard them repeated over and over. How do we combat this?
I've read quite a bit about the film Waiting for Superman. I think Rick Ayers summed it up quite well. He points out that when schools focus on standardized testing they
* reduce teachers to test-prep clerks
* ignore important subject areas and critical thinking skills
* dumb down the curriculum
* leave children less prepared for the future
How true! The United States is a leader because of our creativity and ingenuity.
Clearly, there is always room for improvement in our educational system. As a nation, we want what is best for our children, the future leaders of our country, but breaking what is working to make all schools conform to one cookie-cutter mold is not the answer.
As educators we have the answers. We know what is good practice and what our students need. Until we can figure out how to share this with the nation at large, we need to continue to be the Wonder Women and Mr. Incredibles of the classroom. (After all, capes are SO out of vogue!)
The "Schools Are Failing" myth is pervasive. How can we combat it? What can teachers, teams, entire schools do to show the general public otherwise?
ReplyDeleteI think that we need to work on redefining the public's image of schools. Yes, they have changed a lot since of them went through school. The curriculum, pedagogy, and structure of schools have changed, but the ultimate goal of giving kids the best education hasn't. Yesterday, I read a newsletter about our Alternative Education program and the success that they have had. The JMG program is another fine example of educational successes for so many of our students. The teachers and students of these programs and the regular ed. classroom infrequently get praised and recognized for their hard work but are quick to be judged and blamed for any failures.
ReplyDeleteI guess I feel the need to play the devil's advocate here. What about the fact that a lot of schools do seem to be failing our students? My blood definitely runs hot when I think about the perception that the public has about schools. I work hard as an educator, want to see students succeed, and do my best to help them succeed, but I also know that there are teachers out there who don't work as hard as some would hope. There are teachers out there who are not doing their job. I don't think this is the only reason that the US is trailing behind so many other countries when it comes to academics, but I think it is an important one to consider. I for one think that the public schools in the US definitely need some help. Maybe there is something to be learned from schools that are working???
ReplyDeleteOk, good points. How do we separate the wheat from the chaff...the good from the bad in schools? Part of the problem is that there are so many varied expectations about what schools should...and should not be doing. How do you judge millions of kids and thousands of schools using one set of criteria?
ReplyDeleteThere are some horrific schools out there...and there are also some excellent schools. And all of them need to continue to get better.