Monday, July 1, 2013

Great educational ideas from a newspaper columnist

Over the weekend, I read an article in the Chattanooga Times Free Press by David Cook. Cook has been on a roll recently, writing about education in Tennessee.  This particular article is great (and you can read the whole thing here). I'd like to take a minute to write about why I think Cook is so on point in this particular article.

Cook writes " You really want to get Tennessee out of the 6-feet-under grave it has buried itself in?
(Hint: Common Core ain't gonna do it.)
• Reduce classroom sizes. Make some single sex.
• Pay teachers a $60,000 base salary.
• Refuse to allow any for-profit company to be involved in setting educational policy in Tennessee.
• Turn the State Board of Education into an elected body, not one appointed by the governor.
• Put the classroom back in the hands of autonomous teachers who know what they're doing.
• Liberate students from the educational prison that is over-testing.
• Do not ever believe the fiction that students learn best through testing or teachers should be paid based on the grades of their students."

Allow me to expand...

First: Common Core ain't gonna do it. Duh. Just because we suddenly implement the same standards as 44 other states doesn't mean we're helping our kids out at all. Remember that idea about differentiated instruction? It says that you can't do the same thing for all your kids because they all have different needs... ring any bells? My students in a rural, Title I school in Tennessee are not going to need the same things as kids in an urban school in the middle of Boston, or in an affluent, suburban school in Colorado, or even another rural, Title I school in Tennessee. So lets all stop pretending that by adopting a "common" set of standards that we'll suddenly all be on the same playing feild.

Next: Reduce Classroom Sizes. Make some Single Sex. As my mom says, it's all about relationships. I count myself as lucky- last year I had 18 students in my room. I was able to have a personal relationship with each and every one. I knew who was having a hard time at home, and who was playing baseball last night and how that would affect our day. I knew the families, I knew the kids. And the kids knew me. First graders want a relationship with their teacher, unlike some older kids. This is a HUGE benefit in the classroom, one that many teachers-- especially those that are departmentalized-- don't have as easily as me. But it's hugely important so that you can be effective as a teacher. If I had a classroom of 25  six and seven year olds (the maximum allowed in Tennessee), not only would it be a bigger management issue, but the relationships are going to suffer.
                       Relationships is at the heart of the single sex issue too. While boys and girls being together in first grade is not nearly the distraction it becomes by 5th grade, it does make an impact. Having the option for some kids to go to a single sex classroom, where koodies and kisses and boyfriends and girlfriends are not an issue would no doubt help some kids. Not that every student needs to be isolated from the other gender for their entire school career, but it's not even an option in public schools. It's certainly an idea to consider.

Next:  Pay teachers a $60,000 base salary. This is not about me wanting more money. Sure, I'd like more (who wouldn't?), but it's about saying you value what we do. In 2012, the median pay for US teachers was $53,400, and the median pay for teachers in Tennessee was $45,500 (Check out careeronestop.org for more specifics from the Department of Labor). So this crazy idea that we'd get payed more than the national average would do a few things. First, it would tell those of us who are working our rear ends off to help local kids that the State and it's constituents value the work that we do. Second, it would encourage people to come into education and stay here. Nearly half of all teachers leave the field after 5 years, and high-need schools (which are usually those who have low test scores) suffer the most. You can read a great report by the National Commission on Teaching & America's future here, but by increasing pay you could keep teachers with experience which in turn helps students. And thirdly, by increasing the base salary to more than the national median you could attract some stellar educators to Tennessee. Tennessee has consistently been ranked as one of the last states on education. We have a bad rap. And no one is going to come teach in a state with a bad rap without a little incentive. 

Next: Refuse to allow any for-profit company to be involved in setting educational policy in Tennessee.  Praise the Lord, yes. Let me paint a picture for you. There's a company who makes or has a large hand in the making of the standardized tests taken in Tennessee, including End-of-Course exams (EOCs), the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam, and Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-10). This is basically every big test students take between Kindergarten and 12th grade, and it not only determines student's grades but teacher's evaluation scores too. So now that you know that one company makes all these tests, let me also tell you that the same company also makes a math and reading series, as well as test prep materials. Good test taking strategies tell you that you should use the materials that support the test. So naturally most of the school districts in Tennessee have adopted math and reading series by this same company. This gives them a basic monopoly on the educational textbook realm, and pads their pretty little pockets nicely. Now, I'd also just like to say that this same company works closely with our Governor as a part of the PARCC committee, which our Governor is on the board for, and so it just all ties together so nicely, now doesn't it? Can we say conflict of interest, kids?  

Next: Turn the State Board of Education into an elected body, not one appointed by the governor. I want to assume that Governor Haslam has his heart in the right place. But this idea just makes sense. Now, if I'm Governor I'm going to try to help our state out, but I'm also going to try and help my friends out at the same time. And I'm also going to try to put people into leadership roles that will also back me up and support the same ideas as me. So I can't blame any Governor who gets to appoint a whole board for doing any of those things. However, when that happens then there is no accountability. Who cares if the initiatives we make are unpopular? We were appointed and can't lose our job until the Governor loses his! Elected bodies have more at stake and can better reflect the constituents desires... will it be a perfect Board of Education if it's elected? No, of course not, but it would do a much better job representing the people.

Next: Put the classroom back in the hands of autonomous teachers who know what they're doing. Let me assure you that I went to school to do this job, and I have the training I need for it. I go to tons of workshops, read books (by choice!) about becoming a better teacher and refining my work. I work really hard at getting better at this. So when you shove a curriculum that is bought through a textbook company (see 2 paragraphs above) it hurts a little bit. I don't tell you how to run your beauty shop, accounting business, or doctor's office. I trust that you have the combination of schooling and on the job training you need to be successful. And I trust that you will know when you need help in something. Please have to good faith that I'll do the same! Educators say it all the time-- just because you went through school yourself as a student doesn't mean you know about teaching. We get everything mandated to us- curriculum, pacing, blocks of time to be spent on this and that... trust us. Trust that we have the tools and resources we need and that we can do this.

Next: Liberate students from the educational prison that is over-testing. I am ashamed at how much time I spent testing 6 and 7 year olds last year. Yes, we had weekly spelling tests and reading tests that took 10 minutes each by the end of the year. But we also had 4 days in the spring and 4 days in the fall of standardized tests, where students filled in bubbles, sat at separated desks spread out all over the room and with blockers up. They, my six and seven year-old friends, tested all morning for 4 days straight. On top of this, we took Discovery Education tests three times in the year, and math tests, and a slew of other tests and in the name of data. While data can be a good piece to the educational puzzle, it doesn't teach kids anything but to hate tests and school. We waste so much valuable time testing our kids when we could be teaching them to love learning. All this testing is not helping anyone.

 Finally: Do not ever believe the fiction that students learn best through testing or teachers should be paid based on the grades of their students. Please. Think about that statement-- students learn best through testing. How can you learn through a test?! If I placed a Chinese culture and history test in front of you, would you learn much of anything about Chinese culture and history just by taking the test? Of course not! Furthermore, If we start paying teachers based on test scores and grades, teachers will move to the schools with higher scores. Those schools are going to be few and far between, and its going to move good teachers to affluent schools (because like it or not, those are the schools with the good test scores)-- leaving poor students with fewer excellent teachers. It's going to punish the teachers that stay in under performing schools. If we paid mechanics based off of how long the cars they worked on kept running, no one would fix a 1987 Chevy Monte Carlo. We have to understand that the teachers cannot single handedly fix all the detriments students walk into the classroom with. I wish I could-- I would be able to fix broken homes, poverty, malnourishment, language barriers, learning disabilities, teasing and taunting, peer pressure, and just plain 'ol bad days.

... all of that is a lot of ranting to say this: There are some seriously misguided initiatives happening in schools today. Please have faith in your teachers. We work hard at what we do and are capable of doing a lot, but we can't be expected to fix everything in one academic year.

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