For a while, I have been thinking about what are the root causes of our underachieving public schools and can they be fixed? With all the reforms that have taken place in public education over the decades, why do these reforms produce results that cannot be sustained overtime or results that produce a modicum of success?
It must be stated that the root causes are systemic, which will make them harder to fix. The first root cause is our country’s undervalue of education. It is well known and documented that countries in Europe and Asia consider their public educational system a national priority. In Europe and Asia, teachers are valued and respected for the role they play in preparing the next generation to become productive members of society. Students are provided with clear pathways to employment via apprenticeships or higher education via college preparatory track. In the US, public education is not a national priority. Teachers are not valued or respected, the US does not have a national apprenticeship program and the pathway to higher education is through graduation, not a national college prep curriculum. In Europe and Asia, public education adapts to the changes and needs of the economy,while public education in the US is slow to adapt and at times, resistant to change.
The second root cause is the role of the teachers union. Throughout the history of public education in the US, the teachers union has been perceived as either a positive agent of change, or a hindrance to change. However, with the problems in the economy and the mediocrity of the public education system, unions have come under scrutiny. While concessions were being made by the federal and state government and other unions, the refusal of teachers unions to accept changes to collective bargaining and accept a payroll freeze, many have begun to question the viability or need for a teachers union.
Current perceptions of teachers unions are they protect and reward teachers who produce mediocre students that are jeopardizing the America’s position as leader of the global economy. Teachers unions have also been perceived as being out of touch with the changes and demands of the workforce. They have been criticized for fighting against changes to the work day, tenure and teacher evaluations. The scrutiny teachers unions are under is similar to what the auto workers union went through several years ago when the auto industry was on the brink of collapse.
The final root cause is the affects of poverty. Poverty continues to be a destabilizing entity in our society. The affects of poverty are well documented, but for education, the affects are devastating. Schools whose mission is to educate, have become social service centers to children who come from unstable environments. Schools have to educate children who are hungry, homeless, abused (victim or witness), frustrated and angry. In some instances before a school can educate, a school will have to rebuild a child’s self-esteem and confidence so the child can begin to learn.
Until we seriously address the root causes of our underachieving public school system, our country will continue to underachieve. We can no longer continue to implement reforms that cannot be sustained and produce mediocre results. It is time for our country to make education a national priority and to genuinely consider a national educational model that develops clear pathways for employment and higher education. It is time for our country to consider how to better prepare and evaluate teachers and how to make teaching a respected and sought after profession. Lastly, it is time to renew the war on poverty with the singular intensity and funding that occurred with the war on terror.
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