The Real Decline in Education
Of late we have had tunnel vision in assessing our broken-down Education System. We are determining our value based on test scores only. The argument to defend this approach is usually the question "well, how else can we do it?"Let's take the results apart.
First we must admit that our results run directly along economic lines. Our wealthiest youngsters are more than competitive, while our poorest children score below world averages. Second we must understand that we haven't been focused on test preparation until the last decade, and now that we have, scores have been steadily improving across the country(slowly but surely). Wether this is a productive educational approach has yet to be proven to produce the Gates',Jobs' or Einsteins that arrived without such a background. If we want to, we can quickly increase overall standardized test scores from our students and move into the top 10 internationally and across the board. But our nation's test scores haven't declined relatively when compared to the previous five decades. We shifted our educational focus in the 1960's and since have been pretty consistent.
The real decline in Education is that of talented, creative, and inspiring Teachers. Since 2007, enrollment in teacher training and education has declined steadily. In many of our States some percentages of decline are alarmingly as high as almost 35% and some as challenging as 11%, in any given year. Overall this decrease simply means less teachers for our schools to chose from. And since, as a country, we currently have no intention of competitively rewarding educators, the idea of supply and demand driving the improved quality of our educators is mute. Nor is it a good idea to capitalize education, as the wealthiest will continue to be educated and more and more poor will not. So who will be teaching our kids in ten or twenty years? Remember, we must teach them all so "our kids" means EVERY child.
Arguably here are some factors that have lead to this real decline: poor economy, lay offs and less teaching positions; attacks on pensions,salaries, and unions; consistent political and social pressure on the profession; relatively low pay for the amount of higher education; decline in working conditions and support. But the reality is simply that we have and will, for a time, continue to have less trained professionals.
Case in point is a law suit that has a purpose of being able to fire veteran teachers in California (this State has had from 13.5% to a whopping 34% decline of enrollment in teacher preparation programs). I doubt that anybody would want truly bad teachers protected from termination, and there in lies the problem. We have no true evaluation system to help us discover, reward, retain, or recruit top educators. The law suit mentioned poses that younger,new teachers are good and veteran,older teachers are bad. This is obviously a poor way to evaluate any industry other than those requiring physical requirements of beauty, strength, speed,etc. Parents with 5 yrs or less experience must be better than the rest of us with ten,twenty,thirty or more years(oops,by then we're grandparents). Surgeons with twenty surgeries must be better than those with hundreds to thousands. Nurses who have helped dozens of people must be better than those who have helped thousands. You get the idea. Let our loved ones be taught, treated, cared for by somebody with more years of positive results instead of less.
So what makes a teacher "good" or "bad"? Our teacher evaluation system needs some tweaking for sure. Instead of standardized test scores, let's go with student growth. Instead of an observation or two by an administrator, let's go with peer, personal and professional observation and brainstorming. And we must absolutely have student input. Nobody knows a teacher's grade better than the student who has spent eight hours or so per week with them from August through June. But please don't forget what you already know and believe. Teachers who motivate, engage and encourage are good. Teachers who are demanding and fair and push our children to be better are good. Teachers who know their subject matter and are able to passionately share it are good. Teachers who care about their charges and have love driving their creative lessons are good.
Additionally we are experiencing tough economic times and this has lead to some slashing. We are very tempted to dump the higher salaried teachers for the fresh,new, younger, cheaper models. Yes, less experienced professionals make less than their more experienced colleagues. Shall we change this model and shall we do it across all professions? Your profession included? And when we need advice and mentoring, shall we ask the rookies? Also, who or what will protect the good, proven veteran(likely more expensive) from the economic fall out? For our kids' sake, I hope that someone or something will.
Let's establish a truer evaluation. This must incorporate at least the three components mentioned above. Let's retain and recruit better teachers. This will require a political and economic shift. Let's stop the real decline in education. This will produce better learners, in and out of class.
Of late we have had tunnel vision in assessing our broken-down Education System. We are determining our value based on test scores only. The argument to defend this approach is usually the question "well, how else can we do it?"Let's take the results apart.
First we must admit that our results run directly along economic lines. Our wealthiest youngsters are more than competitive, while our poorest children score below world averages. Second we must understand that we haven't been focused on test preparation until the last decade, and now that we have, scores have been steadily improving across the country(slowly but surely). Wether this is a productive educational approach has yet to be proven to produce the Gates',Jobs' or Einsteins that arrived without such a background. If we want to, we can quickly increase overall standardized test scores from our students and move into the top 10 internationally and across the board. But our nation's test scores haven't declined relatively when compared to the previous five decades. We shifted our educational focus in the 1960's and since have been pretty consistent.
The real decline in Education is that of talented, creative, and inspiring Teachers. Since 2007, enrollment in teacher training and education has declined steadily. In many of our States some percentages of decline are alarmingly as high as almost 35% and some as challenging as 11%, in any given year. Overall this decrease simply means less teachers for our schools to chose from. And since, as a country, we currently have no intention of competitively rewarding educators, the idea of supply and demand driving the improved quality of our educators is mute. Nor is it a good idea to capitalize education, as the wealthiest will continue to be educated and more and more poor will not. So who will be teaching our kids in ten or twenty years? Remember, we must teach them all so "our kids" means EVERY child.
Arguably here are some factors that have lead to this real decline: poor economy, lay offs and less teaching positions; attacks on pensions,salaries, and unions; consistent political and social pressure on the profession; relatively low pay for the amount of higher education; decline in working conditions and support. But the reality is simply that we have and will, for a time, continue to have less trained professionals.
Case in point is a law suit that has a purpose of being able to fire veteran teachers in California (this State has had from 13.5% to a whopping 34% decline of enrollment in teacher preparation programs). I doubt that anybody would want truly bad teachers protected from termination, and there in lies the problem. We have no true evaluation system to help us discover, reward, retain, or recruit top educators. The law suit mentioned poses that younger,new teachers are good and veteran,older teachers are bad. This is obviously a poor way to evaluate any industry other than those requiring physical requirements of beauty, strength, speed,etc. Parents with 5 yrs or less experience must be better than the rest of us with ten,twenty,thirty or more years(oops,by then we're grandparents). Surgeons with twenty surgeries must be better than those with hundreds to thousands. Nurses who have helped dozens of people must be better than those who have helped thousands. You get the idea. Let our loved ones be taught, treated, cared for by somebody with more years of positive results instead of less.
So what makes a teacher "good" or "bad"? Our teacher evaluation system needs some tweaking for sure. Instead of standardized test scores, let's go with student growth. Instead of an observation or two by an administrator, let's go with peer, personal and professional observation and brainstorming. And we must absolutely have student input. Nobody knows a teacher's grade better than the student who has spent eight hours or so per week with them from August through June. But please don't forget what you already know and believe. Teachers who motivate, engage and encourage are good. Teachers who are demanding and fair and push our children to be better are good. Teachers who know their subject matter and are able to passionately share it are good. Teachers who care about their charges and have love driving their creative lessons are good.
Additionally we are experiencing tough economic times and this has lead to some slashing. We are very tempted to dump the higher salaried teachers for the fresh,new, younger, cheaper models. Yes, less experienced professionals make less than their more experienced colleagues. Shall we change this model and shall we do it across all professions? Your profession included? And when we need advice and mentoring, shall we ask the rookies? Also, who or what will protect the good, proven veteran(likely more expensive) from the economic fall out? For our kids' sake, I hope that someone or something will.
Let's establish a truer evaluation. This must incorporate at least the three components mentioned above. Let's retain and recruit better teachers. This will require a political and economic shift. Let's stop the real decline in education. This will produce better learners, in and out of class.
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