Developing a Bold Education Plan

                Last month in the Atlantic, there was an article by Marc Tucker that discussed how current educational strategies in the US are not going to put us back on track with countries who are outperforming our students.  According to Tucker:

                                “You would think that being far behind our competitors,

                                we would be looking hard at how they are managing to

                                out perform us.  But many policymakers, business leaders,

                                educators and advocates are not interested…Insisting that

                                America is so different from these other nations that we

                                are better off embracing unique, unproven solutions that

                                our foreign competitors find bizarre[i]”

                The strategies Tucker is talking about are charter schools, school vouchers, merit pay, and reduction of collective bargaining; strategies that are not being considered in other countries. While we claim we want to compete with other countries, other countries are investing in a world-class curriculum, academic standards and teaching.  Instead of focusing on solutions that will make meaningful change, the current solutions being considered are not going to make us catch up and overtake our competitors.

                The failure to take bold action and match or exceed what our competitors are doing educationally demonstrates a lack of leadership at the federal and state level.  It is also a refusal to acknowledge a significant overhaul of our educational philosophy is needed in order to develop a competitive educational system. It is time for our country to step up and make a bold move!

                One bold move would be to finally concede the belief that the US does not need a national curriculum and teaching standards.  Having a national curriculum would allow for colleges and universities gain a clear perspective on the academic accomplishments of applicants.  Employers would also be able to better evaluate and match the skills of potential employees because a diploma would have nationally recognized standards.

                Another bold move would be to develop a quality teacher education program that boosts the quality of the teaching force.  The development of a national curriculum will need a teacher education program that meets the new demands of a national curriculum.  According to Tucker, top performing nations have raised entry standards for teacher education programs.  Teachers in other countries now must have in-depth knowledge of the subjects they will teach.  These raised standards have led to increased teacher salaries and higher student performance, the US is nowhere near this[ii].

                Our lack of competition with other countries has exposed the deficits of our educational system.  This has been a recurring theme over the past two years however nothing tangible has been done to address this problem.  How much longer can our country continue to remain inactive and allow other countries to extend their educational advantage over the US.

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[i] www.theatlantic.com/national/print/2011/12/why-innovation-cant-fix-americas-classrooms/249524

[ii] ibid

The Assault on Ethnic Studies

                A recent, court ruling in Arizona, found that a Mexican-American studies program sponsored by the Tucson Unified School District was in violation of a 2010 Arizona law that bans classes that “promote racial resentment or ethnic solidarity”.  The court found that the curriculum for a Latino History course taught by the Tucson School District taught Latino history and culture in a “biased, political, and emotionally charged manner.”  Disagreeing with the decision, the Tucson Unified School District argued that teaching historical facts of oppression and racism was less likely to promote racial resentment.”[i]  In losing the their case, the State of Arizona is withholding 10% of their allocation to the Tucson Unified School District (approximately $15 million per year) until the district makes changes to become compliant with the law.  

                There has been much attention given to the extreme anti-immigration legislation that has come out of the state of Arizona over the past couple of years.  In a state where the majority of the population has become Mexican-American, the state legislature has been fashioning laws that are abusive to civil rights and freedom of speech.  However, the precedent that was set by the court has opened the door for other states to develop laws that restrict freedom of speech and content in school districts that receive state funds. 

                As the US majority has reversed and become the minority, school districts across the country are attempting to provide a curriculum that is more reflective of the diversity of its student population.  However, as witnessed in Arizona, fear and bias have taken control in an effort to maintain an eroding status quo.

                The problems for school districts across the country is that in responding to the changing demographics of its student population, they may find themselves at odds with state laws that impede their ability to provide objective discourse on sensitive topics.  Topics that deal with racism, sexism and oppression must be discussed honestly and openly.  Understanding there may be some emotionally charged dialogue, a good teacher and curriculum should be able to dissipate any lingering anger by keeping students focused on the purpose of the discussion and reminding students they have the opportunity to change the dynamic and right the wrongs of the previous generation.

                The ruling against the Tucson Unified School District places school districts across the country in a precarious situation.  The fear of state funding being withheld for reasons that do not have to do with teaching and learning, but are based on political and personal bias over content is tantamount to hegemony.  Teaching Ethnic Studies provides students with the opportunity to challenge the prescribed Eurocentric cannon and develop critical thinking skills.  Ethnic Studies also allows students to view themselves through the achievements and contribution to the US and the world.  Lastly, Ethnic Studies debunks stereotypes and instills a sense of pride among youth that could change the course of their lives.

                With the changing demographics of our country, school districts will have to develop Ethnic Studies programs to meet the needs its students.  States will have to embrace Ethnic Studies programs and understand them as a way to make students feel proud of their ethnic and American roots.

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[i] www.cnn.com/2011/12/28/us/arizona-ethnic-studies

The Tension Between Pedagogy and Relevancy

                Since the creation of formalized public education in the US during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, there has been an unresolved tension between pedagogical philosophy and relevancy to the real world.  The architects (university presidents, business and political leaders) of our public education system designed an educational system that was based on the control of content, assimilation to American ethos, and maintenance of the status quo in a stratified society (see Tyack, 1974: The One Best System).  While there have been a number of reforms over the years, a majority of these reforms have not been sustained long enough to address the core beliefs and foundation of public education. Until the core beliefs and foundation of public education are modernized, the tension between pedagogical philosophy and relevancy to the real world will continue be an albatross to public education.

The pedagogical philosophy of public education was established on the Socratic Method where teachers provide instruction; students are supposed to sit and listen attentively to content and recall the information for evaluation (i.e. test) and promotion.  Ironically, the argument to make public education relevant to the real world has been the same.  Beginning with, Dewey in the early twentieth century (see Dewey, 1938: Experience and Education) who argued that learning should be built on a continuum of knowledge that can be utilized in the adult world, to the Washington and Dubois debates on how the education of African-Americans should be utilized to uplift the race (learn a trade or enrollment into higher education) (see Harris, 1993:  Analysis of the Clash over the issue between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois).  In the 1960s just about every Civil Rights and Black Power movement leader called for education to be more relevant and diverse to the real world, and in the 1980s during the shift from an industrial to a global economy, calls from the state and federal level to make education more in line with the needs of the global workforce. 

Now in the midst of the worst global economic meltdown since the Great Depression, appeals from the business community and at the federal level are calling for relevancy in public education.  However, unlike the efforts of the past, the case for relevancy should gain momentum as youth unemployment is at World War II levels, American youth are behind youth in Europe and Asia in math and science, there is a decline in the number of college graduates, and jobs are being sent overseas because corporations complain our educational system aren’t producing workers for a global economy.

                Finally, with federal initiatives like Race to the Top, the dismantling of No Child Left Behind, state initiatives that have challenged the way school districts operate, and grassroots organizations such as Students First, the time for major changes to pedagogical philosophy is now.  In order for the US to reclaim its role as the leader of the global economy, our public education system must make the content relevant to the real world.  This is the only way students will be engaged in learning and be able to apply what they have learned to the global workforce.