It feels like madness. China continues to fund our debt, launches major initiatives to improve their future—particularly in green technologies—and their education system is outsmarting us. Concurrently, with the rising drop-out rate and decreasing graduation rate of our 18 year olds, we are spending trillions of U.S. tax dollars nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 1970 the U.S. produced 30 percent of the world’s college graduates…today only 15 percent. This is madness. We need nation building here beginning with public education now.
Many major television networks since this school year has begun, including CNN and NBC, are emphasizing the importance of the role of public education in strengthening America and its troubled economy. Pres. Obama did a live half-hour interview with Matt Lauer of NBC’s Today Show from the White House on public education yesterday. The President admitted he sends Sasha and Malia to Sidwell Friends private school since the public school system in Washington D. C. is broken. What’s wrong with this picture?
The president and Lauer agreed that there is nothing more important to America than the quality of its education system. Lauer said that Bill Clinton, in relating to the concerns of public education during his administration, said, “it’s not a money thing, it’s a money thing.” Obama said: “Money without reform will not fix the problem.” I agree with both.
Oprah did a major promo for “Waiting For Superman” with guest Bill Gates on education and the hope/need for change last week. One startling statistic to me, a former local teachers’ union president: Using Illinois as an example, one in 57 doctors loses his or her medical license, one in 97 attorneys loses his or her law license, but only one teacher in 2,500 has lost his or her teaching credential. In New York state, teacher disciplinary hearings last eight times longer than the average criminal trial and cost $65 million per year.
We can learn something from a recent Time magazine poll on public education in America. According to the illuminating responses of the 1,000 adults interviewed 67 percent (29 percent replied not in crisis) of the respondents believe education is in crisis, 90 percent (9 percent said problem is impossible to solve) believe it is possible to make changes to improve student performance, 56 percent ((42 percent said not willing) said they would be willing to pay higher taxes to improve public schools, 52 percent (24 percent said more effective teachers) said more involved parents would improve student achievement, 61 percent (26 percent said paid about right) said teachers are underpaid, 64 percent (31 percent said no) said teachers evaluations should be based on standardized test scores, 66 percent oppose tenure (28 percent support tenure), 71 percent (23 percent oppose) support merit pay for teachers.
The two major teacher unions, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, are beginning to step up to the plate and act to change the status quo. However, the pace of change that the unions are willing to agree to for Race to the Top funds is slower in California than other states. That is a prescription for disaster for California and its children. Every district superintendent and school board should be looking at ways to collaborate and cooperate with teacher unions for student results. The Time magazine poll should be a source of motivation. The unions have lost the majority of adults and the trend line is bleak unless the educational results improve. Charter schools are here to stay and will grow exponentially, if unions take a nonchalant approach.
Major systemic change is needed in education beginning with tenure and pay for performance (merit pay). We must focus our energy on the development of great teachers that are supported each and every day by excellent leaders. Curriculum must be rigorous and connected to applications in the real world. Children must come first and parents must be willing to take a major role in responsibility for the child’s success.
The two major candidates for governor of the most populated state in the union are about to face off tonight in the first face-to-face debate. What would Brown or Whitman do to accelerate the rate of reform in public education? What might they do to increase the school year, raise pay for teachers, end tenure, increase graduation rates and college going rates, especially for first-generation college students?
One would think since education PreK to Grade 16 makes up 52-54 percent of the state’s budget we would get some answers tonight, but I am not holding my breath.
Go back to the old system. There were no teachers unions. Teachers received tenure after three years on the job. School District Superintendents and Principals had real authority.
Get rid of or drastically change the role of the school boards. Too many school board members know almost nothing about education. School Boards are used as a stepping stone to higher political office and as such, many of the board’s decisions are political, not aimed toward what is best for schools.
Board Members kiss the Union’s ass hoping to get union support when they run for City Council or some other political office.
Given the existing structure of the Public School System, I don’t think that there is a solution. Obama is right: Send your kids to a private school!
My grandchildren attend really top notch public schools in Santa Clara County. I will not mention the name of the school district for fear that it will be over run by applicants from the loser districts.
Joseph,
This is typical “Crabs in a Barrel” mentality on the part of those who won’t collaborate to improve things. In the end, we all have a lot to loose if we don’t start putting children’s education first above our egos and pocket books.
Kathleen,
You are so right. Our lack of sitting together to agree on the FACTS, identify the real problem based on the FACTS, then reach consensus on solution sets will leave us mired to a future none of us want. Both candidates in the debate last evening left me wanting more…not sure either gets the severity of this educational crisis.
I very much appreciate your perspective of reasoned thinking and de-emphasizing ego.
Joseph
My kids have went through a very good to mostly excellent tenure in the local schools. None of them need fixing; these schools are working fine. I won’t mention the district either. The public schools work fine. The overseer district boards filled with overpaid politicians are what needs fixing. Or eliminating. The boards are who are destroying our public educational system and who are busy bankrupting it with their overblown salaries they receive for their efforts to destroy it. Paid for by you and me.
You can believe what you want about the merits of elected school boards, but it is wrong to say that they are overpaid. School board members receive token stipends to put in the hours they do understanding the issues and setting direction for the district. State law limits what school board members can make and the range is from $200-$500/month. For a 5 member board at the high end of the scale, the stipends total $30,000. In districts with budgets of over $100 million, that is not bankrupting anybody.
> Major systemic change is needed in education beginning with tenure and pay for performance (merit pay).
> Children must come first and parents must be willing to take a major role in responsibility for the child’s success.
Good news, Joe!
The beatings are beginning to have an effect. You’re exhibiting occasional periods of lucidity.
> The two major candidates for governor of the most populated state in the union are about to face off tonight in the first face-to-face debate. What would Brown or Whitman do to accelerate the rate of reform in public education?
One thing is TOTALLY, ABSOLUTELY clear: Jerry Brown is owned body and soul, lock, stock, and barrel, topknot to toenails by the teachers unions.
We already know what Jerry Brown will do to “accelerate the rate of reform in public education”: a big fat NOTHING!
> The two major candidates for governor of the most populated state in the union are about to face off tonight in the first face-to-face debate. What would Brown or Whitman do to accelerate the rate of reform in public education?
During his first spell as governor, Jerry Brown began the practice of state government collective bargaining with state employee unions.
The extra money that California spent on union pay and benefits and fat retirements is money that California DIDN’T spend on children, who, according to leading education authorities “must come first”.
Charter Schools seem to work well precisely because they are the alternative to mainstream public education but still accessible to all sectors of the public (rich and poor alike.)
There will always be failing schools. The socially responsible action is to triage the damage and offer enough choices so that those who are hurt the most (poorest communities) do have a “way out” such as charter schools.
And teachers, like city workers, are not really undercompensated like the propoganda machine tells us. The starting wage for a job that requires a Bachelor’s degree + 1 year of credential training is 40k+ and only requires 9 months of work per year, allowing. That’s actually a pretty good gig for younger workers who want to travel and do other things during summer months. Wages grow steadily and pensions hugely reward those who give 20-30 years to the profession. The real problem is that the best and worst teachers make the same money and enjoy the same protections (and seniority means problem teachers become untouchable after a few short years.)
The labor market is changing, baby boomers with defined benefit pensions are retiring earlier and living longer. How about making a condition of those fat pensions some kind of part time work such as teaching. A retired firefighter, police officer, city manager, city planner, principal or other public sector professional could actually enhance the curriculum by bringing “gravitas” and life experience. Could we get some extra teachers “volunteering” to bring back sports and arts programs from at risk school districts?
I get that the teaching credential is important to instill some basic skills and ethics, but couldn’t we run special academies for these folks to get them into the classroom and schools where they are needed and encourage positive community building behavior?
Ah, the cogent commentary just keeps on coming. First, Whitman was in deep trouble before her housekeeper problems. She has spent the most personal money in history on her campaign and she is barely even with Brown who just started his campaign. Meg’s in trouble. Then she handles the housekeeper issue in the worst possible manner showing her inexperience, arrogance, and disregard for the truth.
You can use your cute playground language with the other kids, as for us adults we’ll look to wisdom, experience, and knowledge of how government actually works and hope your “potty mouth” philosophy does not prevail.
> Then she handles the housekeeper issue in the worst possible manner showing her inexperience, arrogance, and disregard for the truth.
The liberal mind: a brilliant columnist recently observed that “liberals never examine anything, they merely report their conclusions.”
Of course, this issue has nothing to do with liberal or conservative—only with right and wrong and lying and truth.
Are we still talking about Meg Whitman vs. Jerry Brown? Do you really think Jerry stands a chance? Hell no. Meg’s already ahead and she’s got 10’s of millions more to dump into her campaign if needed.
And thank God for that. Jerry is owned by the teachers unions so having him as governor would ensure the continuance of the typical California approach to education… doing nothing, blaming everyone else and taxing property owners for our liberal failures.
No thanks. I’ll take my chances with Whitman any day over Brown. If it’s brown, flush it down.
> If it’s brown, flush it down.
Thanks. This will make it easier in the voting booth.
But why do these things always seem to take at least two flushes?