As a full-time teacher and parent of little ones, you might guess things get pretty busy at times. With these two roles dominating my life, I don't see how I could turn a blind eye to what is happening in education today. I see it in my classroom. I hear it from my children's teachers and I feel it all around me.
I found the time late Thursday night to catch up on NYS Commissioner John King's remarks in honor of the 60th celebration of Brown v. Board of Education.
King points to ever-present gap in performance between minorities and White students. He asks the listener, "Why are we silent when just 58 percent of African-American and Latino students graduate from high school compared to 86 percent of White students?" He points out that NY has "the most segregated schools in the country." He says schools need to be the "great equalizer." I would agree...so far.
Now, here is where I disagree. John King helped found a charter school, Roxbury Prep which claimed fantastic success at the at the expense of high student attrition rates. So, I guess it is no doubt that he identifies charter schools as a potential solution. According to King, "We created charter schools--some of which are defying the odds and outperforming some our wealthiest schools in the state." Some charters achieve phenomenal test scores and sometimes perfect graduation rates by refusing to take on some of the highest needs students and through the expulsion of those who fail to meet the grade. In the case of Geoffrey Canada's Harlem Children's Zone, a whole cohort was evicted and overall student attrition rates are high. Studies show that charter schools make the segregation which King so rightly criticizes so strongly far worse.
King speaks about equalizing and holding all children accountable to the same high standards. From what I can tell from his high-stakes tests that determine the fates of teachers, administrators and schools as well as students, he desires to equalize all children in equally mundane prep for tests. At times, I have thought we might just as well abolish schooling and send all students to Stanley Kaplan. All this prep leaves little room for the plays and NYT articles found in the classroom of Mr. Osterweil, King's favorite teacher.
King says we need to "teach to high standards and hold ourselves accountable." King set the cut scores on the 2013 Common-Core aligned tests so high as to further equalize children by failure: 70% of the state's students shared in failure. Now, "white, suburban Moms" (Arne Duncan) could see how it feels, too. Unfortunately, differences in economic class and social race were not eradicated. There was still a large gap with minorities, special-ed. students and English-language learners falling far behind (see here).
King bemoans the fact that many students may fall through the cracks. They may pass ten to twelve years in school without learning how to read or how to solve mathematical problems. He says some students will "cover up their low self-image by acting out, by bullying, by abusing substances, or just withdrawing completely." I hate to say it, but if we act in accordance with King's Common-Core game plans, I believe we will see many more social ills. Children will revolt against the relentless test prep and the fact that the state keeps failing them.
King says this isn't about "privatization or federal curriculum or enriching testing companies." Unfortunately, for the many vultures who are rushing into education with dollar signs in their eyes, this is exactly the bottom line. King can try to pretend it is not, but, if so, then he is either lying to himself or to us.
King points to teachers who have embraced his core with open arms. He says, "Thirty-year veteran teachers tell me how their work on the Common Core has helped children achieve at levels they never thought possible." I wonder if he is deaf to the overwhelming majority of teachers who would tell him he is killing the love of learning in their classrooms. Given his October 2012 speaking tour, I am guessing he is also deaf to parents. Sometimes, I think he would only listen if Mr. Osterweil told him to turn back now.
I wonder how long it will take for King to learn that all his well-intentioned policies will not solve the issues that trouble our educational system. He says a new NY state law has invested "more than $500 million in professional development to help everyone improve." If I could attempt to speak for Mr. Osterweil for a moment, I would tell him I was very proud of what he is attempting to do and the level of success which he has achieved in life. I might ask him to remember that I was his teacher for three consecutive grades, fourth, fifth and sixth. I might tell him we never prepped for tests.
I might ask him, "where are the wonderful plays we staged?" Budgets are being directed away from the arts and into testing-related services. I might point out that students no longer have time to read The Times (what an irony!) because most current events will never make it to the test. Teachers are turning more and more to Pearson review texts to get the upper edge on test scores.
I might tell him I share his vision that all students can succeed in life, but that it will not be through a test-based world of accountability. I might tell him if teaching had been such in my day, I would have been sorely tempted to leave the profession. I might have told him that students can benefit the most from a loving, stable environment, not one of stress and frayed nerves.
I might tell him to make smaller class sizes. I might tell him to mold a profession that does not demean teachers, one that allows students to build lasting bonds with teachers who go above and beyond the vision of a Stanley Kaplan. I might tell him, "What you have so far are some great intentions and a misguided rough draft that fails to realize your dream. It needs great revision. Let's scrap it and start again. Better sooner, than later, John."
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