Arne Duncan: Same old promises for education

Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan recently gave the American education system a "B" grade in an article ($5 Billion bet on education). An article that quotes Duncan, "A $5 billion bet on Education," points out that the United States' students fail to graduate on-time about 25% of the time and that the country ranks 18th out of 36 industrialized countries in education. Secretary Duncan thinks that with the backing of Obama's stimulus money, he said "With unprecedented resources and unprecedented reform, I think we have a fundamental and historic breakthrough." One has to wonder what planet Mr. Duncan is on.

The "reform" that Duncan has proposed: improving teacher quality; higher standards; overhauling low-performing schools; and better tracking of student performance were all part of the Bush education plan. How is Mr. Duncan's plan supposed to evoke a historic breakthrough when there are no fundamental new ideas to base change.

There are about 2.5 million teachers in the United States and we've just completed summer break. How is the improvement of teacher quality supposed to occur? Is education supposed to improve because teachers are getting better? How? Are teachers being taught better; are they smarter? What is the change among teachers that will bring about a "breakthrough." Higher standards is a stupid idea. Let's set the standard as "Every child must learn Calculus" before graduating." Is that a high enough standard? The problem is that is that it will not happen. Setting hihger standards does not mean that change what happens in the classroom. It's good to overhaul poor schools, but what is the "newer and better" system that replaces the poor school? Finally, a tracking system is good, but unless there is a plan to keep parents and students appraised of their progress, this too can be a moot point. What Duncan needs is a coherent plan to improve the system.

Fundamental changes in the classroom will occur when the quality of instruction in the classroom occurs. At present, there is no comprehensive vehicle for improving instruction in classrooms. What we have is a new Secretary of Education promising to escape the pull of gravity without a vehicle to escape. Education will not improve using the same methods. "Improving the Odds: raising the class" describes the fundamental flaw of the education system to be the system itself. We do not have effective ways to transfer information in a classroom setting. Until we do, it will be the same promises for education.

Brett Favre is going purple...

There are two things that happen in the fall. One is that school starts all over the country. This makes teachers and kids grumpy, but allows parents to breath a sigh of relief. The second that happens is that football season starts. Thank god that principals in schools across the country don't have to deal with the personalities of professional athletes. For example, Brett Favre, formerly of the Green Bay Packers decided to come out of retirement for a second time to play quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. Can you imagine what it would be like to be a principal of a school where you had to massage the ego of all the "star" teachers?

The principal might have to call up his star math teacher, "Linus Calculus" to see if he's willing to commit to another year. "Linus, I understand you were thinking of hanging up the chalk. What's the deal."

"Well, you know how it is. Last year I strained my shoulder trying to draw a parabola. I really wasn't the same for the rest of the year." Sighing, Linus would say, "It would be great to lead one more group and make our way to the goal...."

"You mean better test results."

"No, I mean getting though to another summer."

"I'd like to offer you more to stay, but the front office has my hands tied," the principal says.

"What can you do for me?"

"You can use my bathroom in the Administration building."

"That's not a real offer. I could never make it to the administration building and back between passing periods."

"You're right," the principal agrees. "What do you suggest?"

"Think you could give me $12 million for next year?"

"Twelve million - Are you talking dollars?" After a pause, "That's more than we get for the entire school to teach 1500 kids. That includes all administrators, counselors, teachers, staff, maintenance workers, and the entire sports budget."

"So, what can you realistically offer?"

"Linus, I'm afraid that the only thing I can promise you this year is larger class sizes."

"Wow, that's not very promising. How come this guy who throws footballs around for a living gets $12 million, and I can't even afford to go to the games?"

"I can't say. All I can do if offer you the same deal you got last year. I'll give you your room back, but it'll still have the leak. Since we cut the budget, I'm also going to allow you to help out with the Academic Decathlon. If you take the State title, we'll pay for transportation via Greyhound."

"Who can pass that up," Linus finally says.

"Well, not a teacher. You don't make enough to save for an early retirement. You're stuck, bud."

So, there is a story of Fall with football and back to school coming to the fore. On one hand, a pro athlete is being coddled back into uniform so he can play a game for three or four months. For what that player (Brett Favre) is getting to play for one season with the Vikings, a high school could be run for an entire year. So, as you're cheering for your favorite football players this fall, remember that there are lots of unsung heroes that work in classrooms who can also use a pat on the back.

Brilliance and then ....

It is nearly the time for school to start. As a classroom teacher (well, I teach in an independent study program), the last days of summer leave me longing. Today, I'm looking at studies that discuss neurobiology. The brain is such a fascinating subject. Researchers are finally making progress toward understanding how the brain develops in the embryo. The results are exciting. The studies are being done using molecular studies of the brain and by directly viewing the brain in real-time studies. While all this is being done to help medical science, it is rather disheartening to think of the level of most education research.

What exactly should education research do? One would hope that it would help teachers and administrators improve the process of education. For those who believe the current system actually accomplishes this, I suggest you read Improving the Odds: A basis for long-term change by Rodney Larson. What the education system needs to do is to figure out the best ways to present lessons to maximize teaching. It isn't being done. So, while the academic world is being brightened by work that explores the core of humanity, education comes back into session.

How much is education actually respected. Well, I notice that Tony Danza is considering a reality show in Philadelphia. That's nice. The City of Brotherly Love will have Michael Vick helping to run the team and Tony Danza in the classroom. That's a lot of reality, but it isn't very inspirational. How about a reality show with Rafe Esquith, a fifth grade teacher in Los Angeles. If you don't know who Mr. Esquith is, that is a shame. Watch The Hobart Shakespearians if you want to see something inspirational.

No medals for teachers

As summer ends and fall peaks around the corner, the President of the United States was giving out the Presidential Medal of Freedom awards. The Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award that Americans can receive. Sixteen people earned the award. Notables who received the award included actor, Sidney Poitier, Senator Ted Kennedy, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and 13 other fortunate people. It was a little disappointing to see that President Obama couldn't find an educator in the mix. Luckily, Stephen Hawking, the physicist received an award so academia was well represented, but it would have been nice to see a rank and file teacher get the award. Bring in Jaime Escalante or Raef Esquith and pin a medal on them....

Oh well, people don't necessarily teach for either monetary awards, but it would have been a nice gesture. Ronald Reagan, Mother Teresa, and Margaret Thatcher were all recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. One may note that getting one of these medals is based on the choice of the President. What do Obama's choices say about him. He picked Chita Rivera, the Broadway actress... he likes talent. He gave a medal to Billie Jean King, the female tennis player who was a champion on the court and for women's rights. She was both talented and a great spokeswoman for equal rights. Ask Bobby Riggs. Many of the recipients were politicians. Gay activist, Harvey Milk; Ted Kennedy, and Jack Kemp all received the award. Nancy Brinker, a woman who championed the fight against breast cancer was a worthy recipient whose efforts had been inspired by a promise she'd made to her dying sister to help fight a deadly disease. Another scientist who received the award was Janet Rowley, a scientist who discovered a role of chromosome tranlocations in hjuman cancer. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Conner was given a medal. What Obama tried to do was create a good mix; science, religion, anti-poverty, women's rights, gay rights, and human rights.

It was a nice award, but it would have been nice for someone for someone who busted their tail in a classroom for years to be recognized. Yet, most teachers don't teach to be recognized, they teach so that someone else will be. Hopefully, the people who received their awards remember to thank people that helped them achieve success in life; parents; teachers; and publicity agents.

Maybe next time a teacher will get something other than an apple.