Missing the Mark

There is no doubt that the public education system in the U.S. has had its ups and downs, and at present, it seems that it's more down than up.  However, with the enactment of No Child Left Behind in 2002, the  seriousness of our failing education system became painfully clear.  The fact that our schools are failing is a matter on which most all educators can agree.  In a Time Magazine article, Alex Tehrani agrees, stating that "NCLB proponents and critics alike agree that the law's greatest accomplishment has been shining an unforgiving spotlight on...schools and demanding that  they do better" (Tehrani).  The problem with this unified stance in terms of what NCLB has done for public education is that the "agreeing" stops exactly where it started: there is a problem.

Rooted in the "reward/punishment" philosophy of human behavior, NCLB strives for tangible results through a set of rewards and punishments for teachers and schools.  These "results" are a function of annual standardized testing that focus primarily on math and reading, and it's this testing that has been the catalyst for the arguments of many teachers, parents, and administrators.  The crux of the argument doesn't rest upon whether or not schools should make changes or whether or not they can produce results.  In fact, results are the one thing that teachers, parents, and administrations can agree upon.  The question at  the moment that poses that greatest challenge is "how" to attain and measure these desired results.   

What About the ROOTS?

Any educated landscaper that's worth his salt will tell you that the quickest way to green up your grass is to add some nitrogen, Ammonium Nitrate to be exact.  That same "educated landscaper", if he is worth his salt, will also tell you that adding Ammonium Nitrate to your lawn is also the worst thing that you can do for your grass.  Yes, it is true that adding Ammonium Nitrate to your lawn does a quick job of greening up your grass, with the blade of the grass receiving the most benefits (primarily aesthetic); however, just like most quick fixes, Ammonium Nitrate is fast acting, short lived, and doesn't support the growth of the root system.  This unbalanced approach to fertilization ultimately leaves the grass susceptible to disease and weakens its ability to endure hash weather conditions.

Similar to the effects that Ammonium Nitrate has on grass, the present education policy in the U.S. has narrowed its focus and stressed quick and visible results instead of dealing with the root of the problem.  David Bornstein, in his New York Times blog, agrees stating that "in response to the No Child Left Behind act, nearly half of all school districts in the country have shifted large chunks of time to math and reading instruction in order to improve student test scores."

PLEASE!...I Promise This is Important

One of the greatest challenges in any classroom is answering the question as to how to motivate students to learn.  There is of course, the age-old approach of the grand monologue, in which the distinguished teacher proclaims the importance of education and the power of knowledge before his or her students; however, as many teachers will attest to, no matter how honed a teacher’s persuasive powers are, this attempt to persuade students is like applying a surface anesthetic, very seldom does it penetrate to the depths needed.  At best this approach gives an understanding of the importance of learning, but it falls well short of actually motivating students to actually put into practice what they know is important.  

Hey Dummy, the Target is Over Here!

One of the greatest problems with both former President Bush’s No Child Left Behind and President Obama’s Race to the Top is the manner in which they both attempt to determine and measure the success of schools, teachers, and students.  In an attempt to gain a clear understanding of what is taking place in our nation’s public schools and to quantify the productivity of the overall system, these policies focus solely on one factor alone as opposed to the multifaceted and dynamic system that is public education.  Granted, test scores are important, and teachers should be held accountable for their performance in the classroom, and it is vital to have a device in place by which to measure these factors; however, test scores are not the only indicator of success in terms of schools, teachers, and students and therefore should not be the only measure used in determining teacher productivity in the classroom, student success in terms of learning, and ultimately individual school success.

For many years educators assumed that all students learn the same, but new research by Harvard’s Howard Gardner suggest that not only do students learn differently, but they demonstrate their learning in different ways as well.  Gardner’s research challenges many long held beliefs by educators, on the one hand, the use of one dimensional classroom testing being the best means by which to measure student learning, and on the other, the one size fits all teaching method.  When we match what Gardner’s research has found in terms of individual learning and the demonstration of that learning by students to the current means of both teaching and testing, there is an obvious contrast.  Ultimately what we see is that the current system of both teaching and testing is at best aiming at the wrong target, and if that is the case, both President Bush’s No Child Left Behind and President Obama’s Race to the Top are missing the mark in their attempt to right the education ship.  Not only does this off target attempt put our teachers, schools, and students at a disadvantage as it relates to funding for school districts, more importantly, it doesn’t address the greater problem: there is a good chance that we have overlooked some of the brightest students.    

Obama's War on Schools

In his article "Obama's War on Schools," Chip Somodevilla argues that as a whole "those who know schools best are frightened for the future of public education...[and] they see no one in a position of leadership who understands the damage being done to their schools by federal policies.  Somodevilla believes that those "who know schools best" feel betrayed by President Obama's unwillingness to separate himself from former President Bush's No Child Left Behind, a policy that Somodevilla argues is the primary reason for our present education woes.  He argues in fact that President Obama's Race to the Top education initiative is merely cosmetic in it's approach to dealing with the present education crisis in America. Furthermore, Somodevilla goes as far as stating that in all actuality, President Obama's Race to the Top education initiative has actually added to the problem by increasing the blockades created by No Child Left Behind.  These blockades, Somodevilla argues, are exactly the reason that the United States has fallen as a global leader in terms of education.

Somodevilla believes that the punitive nature of No Child Left Behind as well as its primary focus on testing as a means of measurement of teacher effectiveness is responsible for this, and that it has placed teachers in a corner, limiting their ability to be creative in the classroom.  Not only has this test based system of quantification limited the teachers ability to teach, Somodevilla also argues that the most harm is done to the students as teachers focus only on the test as opposed to working to expand students' overall understanding of the world around them.  Somodevilla believes that this approach lays the entire blame for student achievement solely on the teacher, leaving the student and the parent out of the equation.  This, Somodevilla argues, is grossly unfair and not to mention it places the teachers and the schools in a place where failure in inevitable.

I agree with Somodevilla's argument, there is more at play with what's wrong with education than simply increasing test scores, or at least attempting to do so.  Using test scores alone to determine the effectiveness of a teacher or school seems to be narrow sighted at best.  The dynamics at play in the life of the student are at the very least as important when deciding who passes and who fails in the world of public education.  

How Dumb Are We?

Phil Toledano, in his article "How Dumb Are We?" argues that civic ignorance, as it pertains to the average American, is out of control.  Citing statistics from several polls, Toledano argues that there is a great chasm between American citizens and our European counterparts when it comes to our understanding our government and how it works.  Toledano is quick to point out that not having an understanding of the civic sphere here in the U.S. is nothing new, and he cites a yearly shift between those who "know" and those who "don't" as evidence.  Toledano states that this culture of ignorance has remained roughly the same since WWII and has only changed slightly (1% since WWII).  

After his opening remarks, Toledano takes a turn as he begins to lay out his opinion as to the why this ignorance is so rampant.  He follows this up by giving us his solution to the problem.  He begins with the complexities of the U.S. government first, and then he strolls through income inequality, he takes a jab at the public market and education, and finally he ends up on the budget.  Through out the article, Toledano makes several legitimate points, and in fact, I was drinking the Kool-Aid for the first few paragraphs.  However, by the end of the article, I felt the Toledano's argument had fallen apart.  

In one section he gives the complex U.S. government as one of the reasons for the average citizen's ignorance, but by the end he as also complained about those who call for a simplified government.  At another point, Toledano agrees with those calling for government run schools (inferred of course), this is ironic considering that at this point, if the federal government were a business, it would rest atop the heap when it comes to management. 

I find myself on the fence on some of these issues for sure, but that's only because of the complexity that Toledano speaks of.  This coupled with a limited amount of information of what is truly going on behind closed doors makes coming up with absolutes nearly impossible.  I think what I have the most trouble with in terms of Toledano's article is the fact that the very same ignorance that he is charging the American public with, he is basing his conclusion on.  Granted, knowing how the country we live in works is beneficial, but the reality is that it is virtually impossible to understand something that is not absolute absolutely. 

Humanoid to the Rescue (Paragraph 5)

Yesterday I saw a commercial for diet dog food.  I’m so glad.  The obesity rate for dogs is going through the roof.  Those poor animals aren’t sure how to eat right.  There’s just not enough healthy choices out there for a K9 these days.  I’m trying to understand how any animal made it without the care and concern of the human.