"The education-reform debate as we have known it for a generation is creaking to a halt. No new way of thinking has emerged to displace those that have preoccupied reformers for a quarter- century — but the defining ideas of our current wave of reform ( standards, testing, and choice), and the conceptual framework built around them, are clearly outliving their usefulness.
The problem is not that these ideas are misguided. Rather, they are just not powerful enough to force the rusty infrastructure of American primary and secondary education to undergo meaningful change. They have failed at bringing about the reformers' most important goal: dramatically improved student achievement.
The next wave of education policy will therefore need to direct itself toward even more fundamental questions, challenging long-held assumptions about how education is managed, funded, designed, and overseen."
I have two questions (you could answer both in the same comment, answer one and ignore the other, or write two separate comments). The first is: Do you agree with Checker Finn's statement that the primary external reforms of the last quarter-century (standards, testing, and reform) have outlived their usefulness? Why or why not?
The second question is: What external reform do you think will have the largest impact on public education over the next quarter-century? Why?
44 comments:
Creating new and innovative means of educating our children is, to me, one of the most significant external reforms that public education has seen in the past quarter-century. Educational reform is finally catching up with something that educators have known for a long time: not all children learn the same way, at the same time, or in the same place. Gone are the days when our youngsters had one choice for getting an education--go to the local public school, or pay through the nose to attend a private one. Now we have charter schools, evening academies, virtual schools, early colleges, performance learning centers, and partnerships with community colleges. We tend to focus on drop out numbers and are desperately trying to force unhappy students to stay in an environment that they don't find conducive to the way they need to learn. What happens to them? They build walls, they cause discipline problems, they are truant. What is important is that they are taught the standards and given the opportunity to move on after receiving a high school diploma. Who cares if they get a great education in a non-traditional school or in a traditional one?Teachers know to individualize instruction in the classroom; it's high time that school districts, state systems, and the federal government are finally recognizing that we must individualize place, time, and method as well.
I'll do two separate posts so that people can more easily identify which element they want to read to respond to. This post is about the first question.
I do not believe the primary external reforms of the last quarter century have outlived their usefulness; I just believe that we have not yet fully utilized the reforms. Coming from a low-performing school that needed massive reforms, I witnessed a staff that did not know how to use a curriculum to teach a year-long course to prepare students. Are there limitations to standards and testing- yes! But have they outlived their usefulness when schools that most need reforms still have not even begun to implement them? The problem is not with the reforms themselves but is instead of their implementation (and the flaws here are many and diverse among different schools).
While I do not believe these reforms have outlived their usefulness I also do not believe they are the only solution or even the best solution. I just believe that establishing measurable standards and having a reasonable method for assessing progress towards those standards still remains a valuable tool towards reform.
So to address the second question: I agree with Suzanne in theory but not necessarily in the specifics. I believe that districts do need to get away from what is mainly called the "factory model" of you bring in the unfinished products, run them through the same machine (classroom), and pop out a finished product identical to every other finished product.
I do not know how the reforms in this area will change- will it be offering a more diverse range of school structures and set-ups such as start time? Will it be more magnet schools or charter schools or private schools? Will it be core standards throughout the US? Will it be the move towards 1:1 technology classrooms? Will it be a loosening of the traditional "grades" to allow for different paces of learning? Will it be a strengthening of the traditional "grades" by creating more schools within schools (ie the freshman academies so popular now at high schools)?
I do not know what the ultimate "reform" will be (if there is even one main one) but the heart of it, in my opinion, will be getting away from the factory model and slowly becoming more responsive
A brief side note- while I do not see it happening, I would be curious to see what would happen if we removed control of schools away from the public (school boards and state-elected positions). Would that allow for more commitment to reforms instead of constantly changing to avoid public disapproval? Or would it lead to greater entrenchment and bureaucracy? Just a question I have...
I agree with Checker Finn’s statement that external reforms have outlived their usefulness. External reforms such as standards and testing have caused education to backslide because we are centering education on the concept that test scores are our major emphasis. Teachers are so consumed with these concepts that they are leaving the profession because federal or state reforms have put an inordinate amount of pressure on their teaching abilities. Yes, testing produces data, which helps us see only what students can do by bubbling in a correct answer. The external reform ideas have only complicated the educational process and in my opinion don’t serve a valuable purpose, other than a few numbers on paper. New reform needs to be looked at to determine a new and creative way to reach all students diverse learning styles and individual needs. The current reform ideas are outdated and we need to refer back to successful techniques where students are able to focus on learning, along with effective teaching. Instead of what some high level executive thinks education reform ought to be in order to validate their position.
The external reform that I think will have the largest impact on public education over the next quarter-century will be the possibility of requiring all states to follow a national curriculum and test according to its standards. The reason that I believe it will have a major impact is because there is not way to maintain equality in how students are taught this new curriculum from school to school. What one state’s educational needs are may be different than another’s. Students need to be educated, not to pass a test, but to prepare for the 21st century. Also, I believe that charter school reform initiatives will have a great effect on reform in public schools. This will have an impact on all aspects of public school education from financial concerns to the educational testing process. Overall, new reform brings about change that may solve problems temporarily, but ultimately ends up being a problem.
I believe Matthew brings up a valid point about removing the public from the decision-making process. It seems that whenever a reform initiative is created that does not suit the public, even though it favors the student, tends to get dismissed through public opinion. It would be interesting to see how effective reforms would benefit schools if the public did not have a say in their implementation or lack thereof. School boards and elected officials usually do what is best for them or their pockets, while ignoring ways to increase student achievement. Would schools make greater gains if they could incorporate reform ideas that successful teachers felt worked best? Instead, it looks, as though being committed to reform efforts has more to do with politics, instead of change that promotes doing what is best for all learners. By removing the public, hidden agendas can be eliminated, so that finding the best ways to enhance learning is at the forefront. Yes, Matthew, it would be interesting to see what would happen to reform efforts if public control in these decisions were removed.
I don’t agree with Finn’s statement that standards, testing and reform have outlived their usefulness. In many things we do in life the phrase “in moderation” is considered the best practice, but some how in education we believe “in excess” is better. I, like Matthew, work in a low performing school I watch teachers try their best to cram the standards into the students. But more than that, I counted the number of days of instruction lost to testing, 32 to be exact. It is my thought; those days of lost instruction could be filled within interactive hands on activities, with field trips, speakers, engaging lessons. I believe students should be tested but not to the extent that they devalue the purpose or the importance of the data testing provides. I believe we should test students in the beginning of the year, use that data to target the areas of need as they relate to the state standards, and then retest at the end of the year to measure the growth.
I don’t agree with Finn’s statement that standards, testing and reform have outlived their usefulness. In many things we do in life the phrase “in moderation” is considered the best practice, but some how in education we believe “in excess” is better. I, like Matthew, work in a low performing school I watch teachers try their best to cram the standards into the students. But more than that, I counted the number of days of instruction lost to testing, 32 to be exact. It is my thought; those days of lost instruction could be filled within interactive hands on activities, with field trips, speakers, engaging lessons. I believe students should be tested but not to the extent that they devalue the purpose or the importance of the data testing provides. I believe we should test students in the beginning of the year, use that data to target the areas of need as they relate to the state standards, and then retest at the end of the year to measure the growth.
I would like to second the motion agreed upon by Matthew and Suzanne supporting districts adjusting the common model of “Factory Mill’s” production style. The rise of charter and magnet schools has developed as years have passed however the issues remain the same. Many believe that the reform of education is something that can be fixed with a band-aid. Changing the framework of schools will not solve the problem because student’s attitudes will remain the same. As Dr. Graham stated Wednesday night you must change the behavior and the attitude will follow. A project of this size can only be accomplished if all executive leaders agree upon common standards across the states. This procedure could also motivate districts and schools to evaluate other strategies that could support improvement within our schools. Educational reform will take various techniques working together that present progress with in its students and instructional teachers.
I posted the same blog twice, yeah, I know, I have issues.
I believe in the next 25 years how we (the nation) will pay will have the biggest impact on public education. If the initiative to provide parents with vouchers as a way to supplement tuition in private schools takes off, then it will forever limit the quality of education that will be accessible to all students. Currently, public education is the only place in our society which allows so many people with diverse backgrounds to work together. Once we allow, or dis-allow equal access to a quality public education, then the gaps in achievement will continue to become more pronounced. As it stands, we struggle to pay teachers, operate buildings, and provide gas for buses. Each year school districts, buildings and teachers are asked to do more with less, but we continue to expect our students to step to the plate and knock the test scores out of the low performing range. Do we value education? We often say YES, but we are slow to make real changes because costs associated with the changes. Money, or lack of money, will have the largest impact on public education in the next quarter of a century.
Have standards, testing and reforms (and much of what accompanied NCLB) outlived their usefulness? I might even ask, were they ever useful? In the past ten years I have seen how teachers have felt more and more pressured to focus almost exclusively on math and reading in the classroom. Other topics, interests, SCOS goals, and students’ needs are virtually ignored or least on the back burner. I have watched elementary leaders, in their quest to “fix it now” and see immediate results in their data, adopt many initiatives and funnel allocations to the 3-5 grades (the tested years). Often these principals want to put their “best” teachers in these same grades. These decisions appear to imply that the K-2 grades are less significant.
This focus (results now) parallels some of our politicians and general public perspectives. Immediate gratification, however, is not an effective approach to large societal issues. i.e., social injustice that breeds generational poverty.
Reforms? I know many disagree but I feel strongly it needs to change at the federal level (not just National Standards). Education is not a constitutional right but it is a fundamental right and the inequities in our schools are alarming. In addition, our teacher education programs need to be revamped. Pre-service teachers need rigorous high quality programs with high expectations and increased time in the classroom (a year long internship). Teacher prep programs should possibly be either a five-year program or a master’s degree to meet a minimum standard for certification. Along with recruiting high-quality passionate students into these new programs, a competitive salary will be necessary.
With this behavioral change--paying teachers more---ideally, there will be a positive attitude shift that brings respect to this profession. Then maybe the necessary support from various sources of funds and allocations will follow.
Matthew, I agree. I don't believe the primary external reforms of the last quarter have outlived their usefulness. I also share the opinion that the last quarter reforms have not been adequately utilized. Unfortunately, many educators continue struggling to identify the skill deficits and/or academic needs of students.
As schools move towards responding to instruction in ways that identify baselines for students, hopefully, educators will develop the capacity to adequately use this information to monitor student progress and make needed adjustments.
Matthew, I think it would be interesting to see what the outcome would be if decision-making was removed from the public. However, I'm concerned that there has not been a push from educators to lead the change rather than wait for the change.
I believe it will be helpful to take the information that has been learned through the implementation of the last reforms and build on the strengths of those reforms. I believe that such reforms as testing should incorporate multiple means of assessments to support student learning rather than serve as a final marking system.
It has been my experience that building on the experiences of students as well as providing experiences has encouraged student engagement. Too often educators have made assumptions concerning student readiness without building needed background knowledge. In many instances, this has contributed to low student engagement.
Jennifer, I agree with your concerns regarding vouchers and private schools. And Senate Bill 8, lifting the cap on charter schools in NC , is also truly concerning to me. Schools that are 'public' but do not provide lunch or transportation? Hmm, how is that equal access? How will this help the public schools? Can these schools really be "models" to replicate if they operate under an entirely different set of regulations and policies?
How are we serving ALL students with these proposals?
Tierre, I am interested to know what "student attitudes" you are referencing. In addition, do you believe that agreeing upon common standards will influence the delivery of instruction?
Although I think the rationale behind the external reforms has been both logical and plausible, the way we have approached/implemented the reforms has served as obstructions instead of aids. I don't agree with Checker Finn's statement that the primary external reforms of the last quarter-century have outlived their usefulness. As Matthew stated, establishing measurable standards and having a reasonable method for assessing progress towards those standards is definitely a valuable tool towards reform; however, they can't be the end-all, be all. We, as educators, constantly speak of the importance of preparing students for the 21st century and differentiating instruction to maximize student learning; but our implementation of the standards that guide our instruction and the form of assessment we use tends to be in direct contrast to what we say we are trying to achieve. Instead of using these tools to give us insight into ways we can improve students achievement, we forget the student and allow the tools to become all encompassing.
I feel that offering more educational choices will give students more opportunities to fit their individual needs and will provide healthy competition to schools. With legislation considering to lift the cap on the current number of charter schools, we are forcing all existing charter schools to raise the bar even higher. As charters are written, different students’ needs are being met. As many of you have mentioned in your post, every child does not need the exact same thing, therefore, schools specializing in different areas help attract these students. As educators we must work to engage students and keep them interested in learning. Focusing on data and continuing to operate the school “factories,” does nothing but tell the students that their uniqueness does not matter.
Jennifer, I totally agree. There is so much wasted time on testing each year. It angers me to see the days I loose teaching my students. Almost a month of school is lost trying to test, retest, and provide second opportunity testing. In order to reach these goals we establish, we need time to teach. I agree that testing data is important, but educators must recognize the opportunity cost of each testing time.
There are some charter schools that do provide transportation and lunch. My school is one example. Although we do not have the traditional orange busses, we offer carpool opportunities for children who need transportation to school. And although we do not provide a traditional cafeteria lunch we do offer free and reduced lunch. These lunches are made by one of our employees and provided to these students each day. Having the "traditional" approach is not always the only solution. If the cap is lifted, we will see more expectations of Charter Schools. The problem then lies with funding. Lack of funding is one of the main reasons many Charter Schools do not offer traditional transportation and lunches. On the flip side, Charter Schools help with the budget crises. Can you imagine North Carolina keeping up if we placed all charter school students back into the regular public school? We would witness a large shortage of space, requiring more buildings to be built. Charter Schools may have their downside, but there are some positives as well.
I agree with Coretta that reforms as testing should incorporate multiple means of assessments to support student learning rather than serve as a final method of evaluation. I think it's ironic that we promote and are strongly "encouraged" to individualize instruction and testing in the classroom, but rely on the results of a common assessment to determine both how much material individual students have mastered and how well teachers provides instruction.
Suzanne stated that it's time local, state, and federal educational agencies address students' needs for individualizing place, method, and time--and I agree;however, I wonder when those same agencies will also acknowledge and address the need for individualized assessments.
Many of us did not have testing and we turned out fine. It was understood that society would take care of those that were not motivated and did not care. Education now seems to be more concerned with motivating than educating. Those that are not motivated and do not care are given far more attention than those that do. There has not been one civilization in the history of the world that has educated 100% of its population. I agree with Checker Finn, the wave of reform has outlived its usefulness. The system we have in place cost millions of dollars and it does not accurately assess progress. Current reforms use the one size fits all model and that simply does not work. There is time for new reform to deal with student achievement and teacher accountability.
The new reforms the state of N.C. has taken such as lifting the cap on the number of charter schools and the ending of testing in certain disciplines has advantages and disadvantages. There will need to be major reform measures for us to be globally competitive like President Obama would like. I have always believed that we need a national curriculum. When different states test disciplines differently it is impossible to say where a state ranks nationally. Other countries are taking extreme measures (in our opinion) to promote education. There is more of a collective ownership involved. In the U.S., the blame game is destroying education. There are too many people pointing the finger instead of accepting responsibility for the education of our youth. Parents blaming teachers, teachers blaming parents, it never ends. There will have to be radical reform and our society frowns upon any idea that is considered radical.
I know there are some great Charter schools. Some of these schools successfully serve a high percentage of students that come from poverty. I worked on the initial proposal for one years ago in Durham. My concern is how effectively can we serve all of NC children with numerous schools that open their doors only for children who have the means to provide their own transportation and lunches daily. Durham has 7 of the 99 in the state. Carolyn Olivarez, DPS's accountant, gave an excellent summary at a board meeting of the financial constraints these new schools could potentially place on an already struggling system. I definitely do not profess to be an expert but she shared some grim statistics.
I also agree with Matthew and Coretta in saying that I too do not believe that the primary external reforms of the last quarter have outlived their usefulness. And I will go on to also be of the same opinion that the last quarter reforms have not been effectively used.
I find that a lot of my students feel that they are being test too much during the school year and that tend to not take it seriously.
Jennifer I agree with you that testing should not be done at the end of the academic school year and that instead at the start of each school year so that there is sufficient data that you can use to target those areas of study that need attention. Teachers should then develop strategies to target these areas and in that way students time in class will be used more efficiently.
I am not sure which external reform will have the largest impact on public education over the next quarter-century; however I do feel that over the next quarter-century more states will move toward Common Core standards where all states will be teaching the same curriculum. By doing this students will have a level playing field, not just in terms of how they are compared to students in other states. This will also allow them to compete globally. It already seems that most school districts are trying to implement those changes as that reveal their strategic plans for their school districts.
Some interesting contrasts in the responses. Some people are arguing for more options/taking schools out of the control of publicly elected officials hands (i.e., school boards). This is essentially an argument for charter schools and/or vouchers: let parents decide where to send their kids, and let educational entrepreneurs create schools to fit parents' needs.
Other people are arguing against charters and vouchers, suggesting that increased charter schools and voucher programs could result in greater disparities in the quality of education offered to different student groups.
We will have a debate in class on school choice, but let me throw out these two questions:
How can you worry about increasing disparities in the quality of education offered to different student groups, when those disparities already clearly exist to an alarming degree? Couldn't increased school choice at least give parents more control over their children's education, and allow schools the flexibility to grow to meet various needs? (That's for the "no increased charters or vouchers" crowd)
How can you argue for increased parental choice, and potentially extending charter and voucher options to middle- or high-income families, when we already have such disparities in educational outcomes? If middle-income families can start moving their kids out of public schools and into charter or voucher-supported private schools, won't we create a system of haves and have nots and perpetuate cycles of poverty and lack of opportunity? (That's for the "take schooling away from the public" crowd)
Dr. G
David...What do you mean by it was understood society would care for those less motivated? How?
Do I think the reforms of the last 25 years have outlived their usefulness? That is a difficult question to answer. I think standards and accountability are important and can and have lead to improvement. However, they can also be restrictive and do not tell the whole story. I like the quote “yesterday’s solutions are today’s problems”. I would say that the reform of the last 25 years has fixed some problems, but also created more in the process. For example, having taught EOC courses, I know the pressure that is on EOC teachers and the rigid schedule they must stay on to cover all the standards. There is often not time for projects and other enrichment opportunities. Are we better without these tests? This year North Carolina eliminated the EOC Test in Geometry. Since the test has been removed, I have seen a subtle shift of the mindset that Geometry is now less important. There is no longer the pressure to cover all the standards or push your students to master the concepts. Did removing the test improve the quality of instruction? Are teachers using the increased flexibility to really lead their students to excel? Without the test there is really no way to tell. Maybe we will see increased SAT scores? I do not think that measuring accountability has outlived its usefulness. Our current system of standardized testing does have its problems, but I would argue that accountability is still important.
I would not say that I am opposed to charter schools and vouchers, but I am very hesitant to support them. I do think that charter schools and vouchers carry the risk of increasing disparities in education. Why do parents want to send their children to charter schools? Do they truly believe they will have better teachers and better instruction or is it because they do not want their children to go to school with “those kids”?
Matthew, I completely agree with you. The reforms of the last century have not outlived their usefulness. I did a research paper for an educational Psych professor that I worked for as an undergrad. After traveling to several low performing high schools in Indiana, I found that most of the students, staff, administration, and parents did not agree with testing, but had a tough time linking their "curiculum" to what they were being tested. There was incredible variety amongst teachers within the building teaching the same subject. No student could have been transferred to any of these schools and seen any connection to their previous school's curriculum. When asked if they were worried about the test, the statements always indicated that the test doesn't matter and it doesn't measure what kids really "know".
Testing may not be the answer, but at least it is a step in the right direction. Are were to assume that every teacher "knows" what is "best" for students or can we realize that there are some poor teachers, or at least ill informed teachers, in schools out there. Just because your students like your class, parents like you, administration likes you, and other teachers like you, does not mean that you are a good teacher.
So the question remains, where do we go with reform? I agree with Russ that the first step is a universal curriculum. To support the universal curriculum teachers should have access to proven lessons. Even within Wake County, there are teachers who teach in low SES schools who are able to produce 100% profeciency scores, yet there is very little done to connect that teacher with others in the county to try and mimic the results. I recognize that every school and everybody is different. Not all lessons turn out the same, but at least there should be a communication tool that gives teachers the option of working with proven resources. This is especially the case for new teachers. New teachers tend to use whatever they can get their hands on in a short period of time. The scary thing is that these resources become the foundation of there curriculum guide for years to come. Yes, new resources are added as they find better ones, but a precident has been set. Along the same lines, education students at the various universities are learning how to be "good" teachers from professors that spent very little time in the classroom, let alone know how to turn a 50% profecient class into a 92% profeceint class.
I can't say that I know what direction that US education should move in, but I good start would be curriculum reform and grading reform. Students should be assessed on the same material, using a variaty of measurable assessment tools, producing a variaty of educational data on a student other than one letter grade that is supposed to tell the entire educational story of the student.
Well said Meg, I totally agree. I would concur with you that standards, testing and reforms have actually ended up being counterproductive. I can remember early in my teaching career an old masonry teacher named Mr. Fish that was in my department. He prided himself on teaching his students how to make a level a stable wall or design. He delighted in the fact that his classes were responsible for several beautiful designs around campus. He often boasted about how his students would go on after school to obtain well paying jobs. With all this success he was often criticized and had to attend special meetings because test scores were low. He could not understand why his student’s actual success was not more meaningful than their virtual success. Eventually the new, young, dynamic administrators pushed Mr. Fish out of education. Years later as I reflect upon that situation I truly understand his frustration. Due to these reforms I believe that my class has disintegrated to a point that I could teach “Computer Applications” class without computers. I all really need to do to be “successful” is teach to the test and keep high scores. This trend has to reverse, if not I may end up being Mr. Fish.
Coretta- I liked your comment that too often educators have seemed content to wait for change instead of pushing for change. I think that is something that is beyond just reforming education in general but even goes towards our day-to-day experiences in our schools. My principal today was talking to me about how teachers rarely realize how powerful their voice is and instead feel like they are never heard. We complain and suggest things to each other but all too rarely approach those who are in positions to effect change (principals, school board, etc). If we sit back and wait for change to happen at our schools, is it any wonder that we sit back when it comes to larger reform pictures? I will be honest- I am guilty of this thinking as well. For example, as a social studies teacher of NC history I do not even know who my current representative is for the NC General Assembly. That is something that I need to work on changing, especially as my ability to effect change will continue to increase with my changing role in education (teacher to administration).
Dr. Graham,
I've always had mixed feelings about charter schools and voucher programs. The truth is, there is an argument that can be made for those areas in which a "good ol' boys'" network is running the show and student achievement is incredibly low. If that is the case, I can't see how turning a parent down from choosing a charter or a voucher to attend a private school is bad. Let's face it, we have those very school systems right here in the heart of North Carolina. However, I am (at the very heart of my existence) opposed to vouchers as an answer to all of our problems. Data can be skewed, of course, but I can't find any definitive stats to prove to me that moving a student to a private school (or, in some cases, a charter) increases that student's chance at achievement. Even the NAEP stats that you provided for us in our reading don't prove that there is any significant change (if any) in student scores between public schools and private schools. I am more in favor of allowing the public school system to find innovative ways to educate our kids. Night school, weekend school, online school, etc. It's not always the public school SYSTEM that's failing our kids. Sometimes it's something as simple as time and place.
Do you agree with Checker Finn's statement that the primary external reforms of the last quarter-century (standards, testing, and reform) have outlived their usefulness? Why or why not?
There is nothing wrong with teaching the standards and then assessing to see if the students have learned the information. The method for which this is done is excessive and damaging to students. Most third grade students in my building feel they are either taking reading benchmark tests or practicing for them. What must it be like to read a book for fun? With as much information as we have learned about assessing students through a variety of testing methods, I feel that testing all students one way has outlived its usefulness. As a teacher in a low performing school, I have been unable to teach much science and social studies which has really taken the creativity out of the art of teaching. If the teachers are burnt out and unmoved by the curriculum, what’s to inspire the students? So to concluded my venting, I feel that evaluating students is an essential component of instruction but shouldn’t be the instruction.
The second question is: What external reform do you think will have the largest impact on public education over the next quarter-century? Why?
I honestly can’t predict what will be the initiative of choice but I can only hope that is it related to the research that has been done about brain-based learning and doing what is best for students rather then what looks best on paper.
I believe recruiting dedicated teachers is the largest reform initiative that will have an impact on public education. Recruiting and training dedicated, intelligent, and motivated teachers is being overshadowed by testing, choice schools, and mandated curriculums. States and school systems are putting too much money and resources into reform ideas that are not working for every school. Employing effective teachers is a strategy that will work for all schools.
I believe recruiting highly effective, dedicated teachers will have the most impact on public education. State governments and school systems are overly funding reformation programs that are not working. They are not fairly distributing funds towards practices that creatively design change. While testing, choice schools, and pedagogical practices are valid ways to help improve student achievement, they are obsolete without skillful teachers.
Our country, state, and local school districts must put into place vigorous policies to recruit, retain, and support successful teachers. Attracting high-quality teachers that remain in the classroom for many years is the largest reform initiative that we should implement. The solution to the education problem is the recruitment and training of high-quality teachers.
There are disparities in our current educational system, but does it have more to do with the world around us changing and adapting while educating our children has remained relatively the same. Yes, we differentiate instruction, but the primary method of teaching is the same lecture style that has existed since Little House on the Prairie. Over the past 25 years the world has changed. Even my 13 year old daughter has been able to use our home computer with a level of proficiency since she was in pre-school. In fact, she and my son taught my parents basic computer skills. She and her friends have grown up using computers, cell phones, video games and reading books on electronic devices. They have methods of acquiring knowledge that were not invented when I was in school, yet we test her and her peers using the same methods, as Latisa pointed out. Are we missing the point? If the methods of acquiring knowledge have changed, should not the testing methods have changed, as well? So, my question then becomes are there true disparities or are the tests we are giving not measuring the things the students are learning. Or can we use the devices they students are comfortable with to address the standards that we test?
“To flourish in a dynamic, global economy, every student deserves an education that culminates in 21st century readiness for college, careers and civic participation. Many students need additional preparation to handle the increasingly higher expectations of postsecondary education, employment or civic responsibility.”
“College and career readiness is the new direction for K–12 education. Preparing students to transition without remediation to postsecondary education or to careers that pay a living wage, or both, is the ultimate aim of federal and state education policies, initiatives and funding.”
These quotes were found in an article entitled “Up to the Challenge” (© 2010 Association for Career and Technical Education, National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium and Partnership for 21st Century Skills) I believe that the educational reform that needs to occur could be obtained within these quotes. A massive reform process should be implemented that was based upon leadership by the National Association of State Directors of CTE and the Association for CTE. Under this reform students would be mandated to either be prepared to participate in postsecondary education, possess the specified skills in order to pursue a career, or perform specified civic duties. The controversy of this reform would be a loss of liberty. Many individuals would oppose any reform that mandated such standards.
I think education is a lot more than numerous pockets of exclusive groups of people who get to create the standards, and who get to decide on how to test whether those standards have been taught and what the criteria for achievement are going to be. This local level of exclusivity that we currently have runs more on the model of a business than an education. This then translates to focusing on the numerous jobs afforded to people who focus on standards and testing in local counties and states. Unfortunately under the current system, there is more emphasis on maintaining the status quo of those positions and less on the need for those positions or tests in the first place.
In our class discussion on how each school leader must have their own vision to guide their school by, we were discussing the standards of that leader. We all agreed that standards were required to lead a school. We can also agree that the quality of those standards determines the level of success that can be reached by students and staff in that school.
I think in a similar way, the school district, state, and country all need standards of some sort.
I think standards should focus on what really needs to be taught in a school, maybe even what needs to be taught at each grade level. The focus should be on what kind of standards would bring about a quality education for our children.
I think it would not be a bad idea to have this decided at the federal level. At the federal level, representatives can, in conjunction with international alliances, decide what the standards need to be to make our students competitive. This is then followed by every school in every state of the US, private and public.
Schools get to individually decide how they will teach to achieve student success, and on the length of time for which each course must be taught to achieve that proficiency. Often in our current system, subjects are being offered as mere sampler courses, and yet are tested rigorously. I think courses with high academic content should be taught year long.
This is a model of having national standards that define what must be taught at each level based on what would make our 12th grade graduates globally competitive, then letting everyone in the country decide how best to bring this quality to the children. The federal standards would be followed by each classroom teacher. Each teacher would assess his/her students according to what they taught all year, running their own assessments 4 times a year (giving opportunities for any remediation), with a final year end cumulative assessment to decide on whether to promote the child (to the next grade in the case of elementary age/middle school children and to a new subject in the case of high schoolers). All children would be answerable to a State/National exam they would need to take at the end of their schooling (grade 12), which would define their position in their State as well and in the country.
I think this emphasis of allowing teachers in the classroom to teach their content in the way they think would provide quality education and to assess their students themselves, would bring quality back to education by removing external testing pressures at early grade levels, where the emphasis should be on quality and not on testing. At the same time, administrators, teachers, and students would not be able to slide by with a lower quality education, as students would need to perform well on each Cumulative Assessment at the end of their grade and also would need to do well in the exam in their 12th grade year, as this would be a factor that would determine their higher education choice. It would also bring quality administrators and teachers back to education.
I think the external reform needs to be limited. I think one of the problems in education is that there is too much of external reform and not enough growth room given to individual schools.
I think if schools knew what they needed to achieve, but were allowed to decide on the time and manner in which they would train their students, then they would be better able to focus on providing more quality. Such a system would attract better educators to the field, the achievement levels of the students would be higher and this would probably translate into more resources being available to support a successful enterprise. However, most importantly, I think our students would be happier and more productive, as they would see their achievements translate into personal growth and not merely scores.
Janice, you’re statement regarding standardized tests made me think more about the subject of assessments and their place in school reform. You mentioned that perhaps mastery of concepts becomes less important when the course that covers such concepts no longer mandates a summative assessment.
I believe we should adjust our view of classroom assessments. We are not utilizing the purposes of testing the correct way. Our focus should be on formative assessments. We should give formative assessments to gather information about what students know and what they need to learn. As teachers we have the obligation to move students forward in their learning. Formative assessments, rather than end-of–grade or end-of-course test, do just that.
As a first grade teacher, I do not give summative assessments in reading or writing. Yet, first grade teachers devote most of their instructional day to teaching these subjects. Instead of summative assessments, we use formative assessments to inform teachers and students about their understanding of concepts.
Education should and must measure achievement, but are standardized tests the best approach? I think educators need to be more creative with ensuring that teachers teach the necessary standards. Certainly there are better methods to motivate teaching and learning than standardized tests.
I agree with Janice in regard to being hesitant to support vouchers and charters. While I recognize the disparities in public schools, I think vouchers and charters have the potential to encourage greater disparities.
I would argue for reforming the public system so that we celebrate and nurture individuality.
From Tristen:
I have mixed feelings when it comes to how I feel regarding if standards,
testing, and reforms have outlived their usefulness. On one side, I feel
as if the people who are creating these standards are out of touch with
what is best for students. Students are expected to take an overwhelming
amount of standardized test throughout their educational career, and these
test do use up a lot of days that could be used for education. The state
requires for all students to take “core” classes, for example Algebra II or
its equivalent, and other college prep classes when some students have no
interest in attending a university.
On the other hand, schools need to be held accountable for preparing their
students once they leave high school. There should be standards for which
schools and students are held too. The standards should be tough, but the
same standard should not be held to every student in the school. It should
depend on the career pathway of each student.
Also from Tristen:
I can understand why educators would not want outsiders to express their
opinions on how a school should be run. After all, the people inside the
school are thoughs that graduated with a degree in education, while those
expressing their opinions probably did not. It is undeniable, for the most
part, that every stakeholder wants what is best for the school. It has
been my experience that both the school and the people outside the school
do a poor job of reaching across the table.
From Cyndi:
What external reform will have the largest impact on public education? Nationalized Curriculum? Charter Schools? Vouchers? Parental Choice? I think the one external educational reform with the longest and largest impact on public education would be, in basic terms, a developed, unified (Democrats, Republicans, Educators, Parents, Researchers, Scientists, etc), cohesive, organized and measurable vision based not on the past agricultural and industrialized eras, but rather our current and future expectations of the eras to come with regards to technology, science, globalization, and its impact on our country and future generations. A united, forward-viewing, integrated vision, although extremely difficult to attain, would be the most fundamental external reform impacting our public education systems ever with the exclusion of its initial development. Could this happen? Yes. History bares this out. For example, let’s examine the American Revolution. Many upon many people, all the world over, believed our forefathers would fail in their endeavor to break from Britain and create their own nation. The British military was one of the most advanced in their world and had just defeated France, among other nations, in the French and Indian War which resulted in what is referred to as the Seven Years War, the first global conflict. “Britain won North America and India and became the undisputed leader in overseas colonization” (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/536559/Seven-Years-War). Our soldiers did not even have uniforms, let alone the basic militaristic necessities needed to fight a major war. But our framers did have a common, shared vision and the capacity to compromise and ask for help when they needed it (asked France to help our fledgling soon to be country). As history proves, we (although I’m not that old) were successful. Just look out the window. So, for any naysayers reading this blog, anything can be achieved; when public schools become deplorable and appalling enough to necessitate change, change will occur.
Post a Comment