To improve a system requires the intelligent application of relevant data – W. Edwards Deming
Congress with NCLB and the Secretary of Education have produced a US Dept of Education that rarely if ever intelligently applies relevant data to anything.
NCLB mandated that by 2014 100% of students would be competent. Now states need waivers based on Arne Duncan’s whims for failing to meet an unreachable goal. Washington State was recently denied an NCLB waiver for failing to require (statistically unreliable) Value Added Measures to teacher’s evaluations. WA’s well above average performance on NAEP testing was completely ignored. --- States with lousy NAEP performance get waivers for following Arne Duncan’s whims, while higher performing WA is denied.
In the last 15 years FLORIDA is the only state which has demonstrated statistically significant improvement on NAEP testing. The improvement started when Florida lowered class size and required students to pass a reading test at the end of grade 3 to advance to grade four. Rather than pushing such testing and its consequences, Mr. Duncan pushes the far more expensive and unproven Common Core State Stamdards and associated testing. --- “Follow the Money” as money is what drives education legislation and requirements.
Congress with NCLB and the Secretary of Education have produced a US Dept of Education that rarely if ever intelligently applies relevant data to anything.
NCLB mandated that by 2014 100% of students would be competent. Now states need waivers based on Arne Duncan’s whims for failing to meet an unreachable goal. Washington State was recently denied an NCLB waiver for failing to require (statistically unreliable) Value Added Measures to teacher’s evaluations. WA’s well above average performance on NAEP testing was completely ignored. --- States with lousy NAEP performance get waivers for following Arne Duncan’s whims, while higher performing WA is denied.
In the last 15 years FLORIDA is the only state which has demonstrated statistically significant improvement on NAEP testing. The improvement started when Florida lowered class size and required students to pass a reading test at the end of grade 3 to advance to grade four. Rather than pushing such testing and its consequences, Mr. Duncan pushes the far more expensive and unproven Common Core State Stamdards and associated testing. --- “Follow the Money” as money is what drives education legislation and requirements.
8
Scary, outright scary.
To see how scary it is, just go to my blog inside-higher-ed . Yes, the blog is about higher education, but it explains how higher education dumbs down all of education, doing the most damage to the high school part of k-12.
The Economist recently noted (and I have observed for years) that it's not that college grads do so much better than high school grads; it's that high school graduates do so much worse than they used to. That is a direct consequence of the poor education that college grads who become teachers get.
Education is a complex, connected process that is hard for outsiders to understand. If left unattended it will, like any public necessity, attract the unscrupulous. It has already done so. We need oversight of the whole system throughout the country.
But it may well be too late. As Thomas Jefferson said,
"...improve the law for educating the common people. Let our countrymen know that the people alone can protect us against…evil, and that…kings, priests and nobles…will rise up among us if we leave the people in ignorance…”
I hope it's not too late. From where I sit, I already see those "kings, priests, and nobles" rising up.
To see how scary it is, just go to my blog inside-higher-ed . Yes, the blog is about higher education, but it explains how higher education dumbs down all of education, doing the most damage to the high school part of k-12.
The Economist recently noted (and I have observed for years) that it's not that college grads do so much better than high school grads; it's that high school graduates do so much worse than they used to. That is a direct consequence of the poor education that college grads who become teachers get.
Education is a complex, connected process that is hard for outsiders to understand. If left unattended it will, like any public necessity, attract the unscrupulous. It has already done so. We need oversight of the whole system throughout the country.
But it may well be too late. As Thomas Jefferson said,
"...improve the law for educating the common people. Let our countrymen know that the people alone can protect us against…evil, and that…kings, priests and nobles…will rise up among us if we leave the people in ignorance…”
I hope it's not too late. From where I sit, I already see those "kings, priests, and nobles" rising up.
26
Here are two verses of a silly song I wrote in 2014. I am still working on an appropriate melody, but after reading some comments here this morning, I feel more motivated! Verses 3 and 4 follow of "Teacher's Lament."
"First to the school she pleaded her case
On to the government showing her face
Seminars, workshops, university profs,
Too many networks to fight for the cause.
Cause the cause's education, research and smarts
Loving to learn right from the heart.
Standards and reforms point to the start.
Reading's the key-will you sing with me?"
"First to the school she pleaded her case
On to the government showing her face
Seminars, workshops, university profs,
Too many networks to fight for the cause.
Cause the cause's education, research and smarts
Loving to learn right from the heart.
Standards and reforms point to the start.
Reading's the key-will you sing with me?"
Anyone really interested in the issues raised here should read this pithy response by an actual teacher--
http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2015/05/defending-used.html
and people like Frank Bruni and Arne Duncan should consider occasionally talking to some educators and taking their critiques seriously. It would make for better policy and connect what they claim to want with some of the realities in our schools.
http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2015/05/defending-used.html
and people like Frank Bruni and Arne Duncan should consider occasionally talking to some educators and taking their critiques seriously. It would make for better policy and connect what they claim to want with some of the realities in our schools.
32
Mr Bruni:
thank you for providing readers of the New York Times ample opportunity once again to attempt to separate the wheat from the chaff -- that is, from the GOP.
after all, Republicans, by definition, want to eliminate the entirety of government except for the Military-Industrial-Complex and their own handsome legislative offices, wages, and perks --- the better to service their hand-picked lobbyists and corporate over-lords.
naturally, then, it stands to reason that the Department of Education is near the top of their chopping block...thus creating and enforcing the ignorance of the masses, which is the foundation of their bliss.
in an informed democracy, knowledge is power.
why does the GOP hate democracy?
12
This whole idea of dumbing down on education is so sadistic. Education of children is their and our future. Do the Repubs really want to dumb down the country and create a whole lot of "takers" so that they can deny them everything, including and education...
10
I think it is foolish to assert a government controlled educational system. First, when has any government agency operated under budget? Amtrak, USPS ObamaCare is another example.
Second, individual districts know far better than a fed about what issues need to be addressed and he finds should be allocated than a suit in Washington looking at a computer printout
But to show you how liberals can go too far is this. In Junoor high we had an innovative (their words not mine) program called PLAN. You would take a test in each area and receive a printout of units you were expected to complete. But we were completely on our own. Teachers only helped when requested. Otherwise they'd read. There was no accountability and no one to monitor our work.You could spend the whole day in the cafeteria or the gym. You could come and go as you pleased. Tests were not monitored so cheating was rampant. You learned no study habits because there was no homework. It was a wasted 3 years. I learned nothing but how to be lazy and do as little as possible
Liberals need to qui experimenting. This one was a disaster
Second, individual districts know far better than a fed about what issues need to be addressed and he finds should be allocated than a suit in Washington looking at a computer printout
But to show you how liberals can go too far is this. In Junoor high we had an innovative (their words not mine) program called PLAN. You would take a test in each area and receive a printout of units you were expected to complete. But we were completely on our own. Teachers only helped when requested. Otherwise they'd read. There was no accountability and no one to monitor our work.You could spend the whole day in the cafeteria or the gym. You could come and go as you pleased. Tests were not monitored so cheating was rampant. You learned no study habits because there was no homework. It was a wasted 3 years. I learned nothing but how to be lazy and do as little as possible
Liberals need to qui experimenting. This one was a disaster
4
The moment we allowed capitalsts to carve niches into the field of education in the form of textbooks, technology and consultancies aimed at reform, we marked the beginning of the end of meaningful education aimed at developing critical thinkers.
33
Just think how dumbed down the southern states could keep their kids if the feds backed out. They could just eliminate all science classes as they generally don't believe in science anyway, its just a liberal thing. Glad my family is in the midwest where the republicans are trying hard to cut funding to education, but havent fully succeeded yet.
23
Most people stay a few years in a cabinet job. Arne Duncan goes on and on and on. He ought to leave. It says more about how less there is about him that he has not.
8
"....the extent to which American schools are funded and controlled locally puts us out of step with most developed nations".
Not only in the field of funding is the US lagging behind most other developed nations. These nations constantly outperform the US in the PISA tests, a test where American middle and high-schoolers are usually 2nd to 27th in reading comprehension, math and science.
Not only in the field of funding is the US lagging behind most other developed nations. These nations constantly outperform the US in the PISA tests, a test where American middle and high-schoolers are usually 2nd to 27th in reading comprehension, math and science.
3
You are ignoring the reality that US education has declined most dramatically since the establishment of the Department of Education. It was local and state control that led to our leadership in education during the middle of the 20th century and federal interference closely correlates to our decline.
5
The obvious compromise solution is embedded in the title of the Op-Ed... "assassins."
If you want to really make "education" a priority in America, move the Department of Education under the Department of Defense. How easy would it be to make the argument that education is a national defense issue?
And the budget for education would skyrocket. The current education budget is just a fraction of the overall defense budget.
Can you imagine the slick commercials? Can you imagine standing to applaud for teachers at NFL games?!?! How snappy does the "Admiral of Education" sound?
If you want to really make "education" a priority in America, move the Department of Education under the Department of Defense. How easy would it be to make the argument that education is a national defense issue?
And the budget for education would skyrocket. The current education budget is just a fraction of the overall defense budget.
Can you imagine the slick commercials? Can you imagine standing to applaud for teachers at NFL games?!?! How snappy does the "Admiral of Education" sound?
24
Folks, the first complaints that entering college freshmen didn't know anything date to about 1832. And I assure you all that back when I was in school, there were plenty of "studies," and alarmed editorials on how Johnny couldn't read, and we're all doomed because, well, Russians.
There's nothing fancy about this stuff, folks. You want your kid taught better, work for a better school board. Get to the PTA. Make oarent-teacher night. Demand more homework. Learn to read yourself. Stop fussbudgeting about prayer, uniforms, teaching evolution, whether page 273 of the tenth-grade history text mentions that gay people got thrown into camps in Germany and Japanese people got thrown into camps in this country. Put a chunk of the effort that goes into football, baseball and basketball into classrooms.
Oh, and quit chiseling on your property taxes and school financing. Stop being so cheap.
There's nothing fancy about this stuff, folks. You want your kid taught better, work for a better school board. Get to the PTA. Make oarent-teacher night. Demand more homework. Learn to read yourself. Stop fussbudgeting about prayer, uniforms, teaching evolution, whether page 273 of the tenth-grade history text mentions that gay people got thrown into camps in Germany and Japanese people got thrown into camps in this country. Put a chunk of the effort that goes into football, baseball and basketball into classrooms.
Oh, and quit chiseling on your property taxes and school financing. Stop being so cheap.
48
Well, math is math, altho I find the Common Core math problems incomprehensible and unrooted in practical problem-solving. But, there is no unpoliticized version of science or history that should be taught to all. Just think of the endless politicizing on all sides of climate, sexual, and psychological sciences in the news these days. (History? Religion? War?) "National standard" as objective truth is a myth.
1
The republicans party depends on persons incapable of thinking this out. Education is the danger that undermines the parties to recruit future members who loyally vote against their best interest. They cut necessary nutrition for needy children to harvest future Tea Party members.
12
It is positively frightening to think of what some children would learn in science, social science and American history if local school districts are left entirely on their own.
23
The question of Federal vs. State control of education for me should be a foregone conclusion. Hello? We compete on a global scale in a global marketplace. This would be the equivalent of arguing over whether we should have individual states sending militia over to fight a war abroad, or have a national Marine, Army, Navy etc.. One can certainly argue over policy, and what sort of programs, testing, and standardization should take place, but arguing over the control thereof at this point is really missing the proverbial forest for the trees. The Federal government is the forest, and we need to be united as a country battling for educational excellence, and, yes, exceptionalism.
12
I'll say one thing for the Department of Education under Arne Duncan and Obama: it has united right-wing and left-wing grassroots activists as nothing ever before. We are now united in hating Common Core, resenting federal interference in local control, and despising the do-gooders who are ill-informed or, worse, who have agendas that really mean to destroy (or subvert) teachers and the whole concept of public education.
The federal government has an essential role to play in funding things like Head Start, universal pre-K, and free lunch programs. There is more than enough need there for them to tackle, and it would be an undisputed boon to the nation's children. But as soon as they try to micro-manage what gets taught -- well, they have not shown responsible use of that power, and should keep their mitts off. "First, Do No Harm" - not a bad motto for education.
The federal government has an essential role to play in funding things like Head Start, universal pre-K, and free lunch programs. There is more than enough need there for them to tackle, and it would be an undisputed boon to the nation's children. But as soon as they try to micro-manage what gets taught -- well, they have not shown responsible use of that power, and should keep their mitts off. "First, Do No Harm" - not a bad motto for education.
12
It is a fact, unfortunately, that the typical American is schooled but not educated.
The result is that we have too many citizens who make up the standing of the US in math, reading, writing that is well below par in International comparisons.
I won't even mention geography and history starting with the ancient Egyptians through Greek, Roman and medieval history. History in the US high schools started in 1492 and rapidly skipped to the civil war period, in the days I attended high school in NY and California.
An attempt to set a national standard for children in the different states is a good idea for bringing the level of education up a bit and eliminated the great disparity of knowledge in different states. - Opponents are the teacher's unions and what seems as under-educated lawmakers.
Having started my education in Europe, I found myself with a much broader store of knowledge than my fellow students in the 10th grade, even at Stuyvesant HS in NY. Moving to LA, I skipped a grade and pound the Los Angeles High School quite undemanding.
I know too many people who went to Europe after finishing university, only to realize very rapidly who far behind they were in"knowledge" and understanding of the world.
The Department of education is one attempt to bring the whole country uip to a common higher level of education, since a well educated citizenry is vital to the well being and economic success of the US. - Just look at whosucceeds and where they were educated.
The result is that we have too many citizens who make up the standing of the US in math, reading, writing that is well below par in International comparisons.
I won't even mention geography and history starting with the ancient Egyptians through Greek, Roman and medieval history. History in the US high schools started in 1492 and rapidly skipped to the civil war period, in the days I attended high school in NY and California.
An attempt to set a national standard for children in the different states is a good idea for bringing the level of education up a bit and eliminated the great disparity of knowledge in different states. - Opponents are the teacher's unions and what seems as under-educated lawmakers.
Having started my education in Europe, I found myself with a much broader store of knowledge than my fellow students in the 10th grade, even at Stuyvesant HS in NY. Moving to LA, I skipped a grade and pound the Los Angeles High School quite undemanding.
I know too many people who went to Europe after finishing university, only to realize very rapidly who far behind they were in"knowledge" and understanding of the world.
The Department of education is one attempt to bring the whole country uip to a common higher level of education, since a well educated citizenry is vital to the well being and economic success of the US. - Just look at whosucceeds and where they were educated.
11
The peasants must be kept stupid and ignorant. We The People are the peasants. The new world order is run by the Plutocrats whether in Russia, China, UK, India, and most of all, the USA. Wall Street, K Street and the Kremlin are one and the same. Keep the peasants happy with ESPN, Budweiser and cheap vodka! A revolution is the only recourse!
17
I teach 7th-grade Social Studies in Los Angeles, and I absolutely support the maintenance of the Federal Department of Education.
One thing public education desperately needs right now is a clear definition of what public education is supposed to accomplish. To my knowledge, no such clear definition exists. Instead, we are subjected to massive amounts of propaganda regarding the need for the Common Core Standards along with their new battery of entirely technology-dependent testing. This is alarming to me.
In my 18-year career, I have seen the end of my school's dance, art, and band classes. I have seen between-class passing periods reduced to four minutes. I have seen our "nutrition" break reduced to nine minutes. Physical Education for my students is second period, so after that they are cooped up in classrooms for the entire remainder of the day. Frequently those classrooms have no windows. All so they can be better prepared for the big tests at the end of the year.
My subject, Social Studies, is deemed in Los Angeles to be the least important of the "core" academic subjects, and this further alarms me. A democratic republic is a rigorous form of government and requires the creation of informed, involved citizens in order to maintain its existence. The current system, as seen from inside by me, is not creating those citizens.
We need a Federal Department of Education to determine how to create responsible citizens and to set about doing it.
One thing public education desperately needs right now is a clear definition of what public education is supposed to accomplish. To my knowledge, no such clear definition exists. Instead, we are subjected to massive amounts of propaganda regarding the need for the Common Core Standards along with their new battery of entirely technology-dependent testing. This is alarming to me.
In my 18-year career, I have seen the end of my school's dance, art, and band classes. I have seen between-class passing periods reduced to four minutes. I have seen our "nutrition" break reduced to nine minutes. Physical Education for my students is second period, so after that they are cooped up in classrooms for the entire remainder of the day. Frequently those classrooms have no windows. All so they can be better prepared for the big tests at the end of the year.
My subject, Social Studies, is deemed in Los Angeles to be the least important of the "core" academic subjects, and this further alarms me. A democratic republic is a rigorous form of government and requires the creation of informed, involved citizens in order to maintain its existence. The current system, as seen from inside by me, is not creating those citizens.
We need a Federal Department of Education to determine how to create responsible citizens and to set about doing it.
Thanks to Mr. Bruni for examining the issues surrounding the Dept. of Ed. First, the Common Core standards, not curriculum, were established through the National Governors' Association. They had requested a benchmarking study of the US schools after an OECD study found that the US students lagged far behind industrialized countries. They used this as a basis of recommendations which included having a common set of standards for math/language and 5-6 other recommendations including better training and assessment of teachers. Certainly a logical step that any business would have taken when it found out it was behind their competitors. Mr. Duncan supported this good idea and set out to support it w/related grants to States.
The Dept. collects, analyzes, and publishes data by school districts, states, cities, that are used by citizens, cities, states, and the country to help improve schools through better policies.
What is more important for the future of the US than to have improved schooling for all?
The Dept. collects, analyzes, and publishes data by school districts, states, cities, that are used by citizens, cities, states, and the country to help improve schools through better policies.
What is more important for the future of the US than to have improved schooling for all?
A plague on both their houses. Neither Republicans nor Democrats have education policy positions that focus on improving the education of all students. The Democrats, by and large, support a continuation of the status quo...more tests, more federal bribery to coerce states to do what the US DOE wants them to do, more scapegoating of teachers, and more support for charter schools. Republicans, apart from moderates like Alexander, also want to scapegoat teachers and public schools in general. Their goal is to privatize and re-segregate American schools.
1
Sure, that's it. Republicans want to "privatize and re-segregate American schools." How about a dose of reality: Democrat-led cities have segregated public educational systems far beyond anything that would be allowed in Republican run districts. African Americans have been duped into falling for the convenient untruths perpetuated by so called "progressives."
The only thing progressive about the federalization of our education system is that centralized mandates get progressively more burdensome. Under the Federal system stated standards always rise, while actual performance moves steadily toward the lowest common denominator. Yes, please - give us much more of this!
The only thing progressive about the federalization of our education system is that centralized mandates get progressively more burdensome. Under the Federal system stated standards always rise, while actual performance moves steadily toward the lowest common denominator. Yes, please - give us much more of this!
Every politician talks about how important education is. Then one side goes about trying to dismantle it.
Public schools used to provide an excellent education for all segments of our society, rich and poor. After 50 years of privatizing education, charter schools, vouchers and "No Child Left Behind", public schools are failing. Our democracy is failing to serve all the people. Our politicians have left many children behind.
Public schools used to provide an excellent education for all segments of our society, rich and poor. After 50 years of privatizing education, charter schools, vouchers and "No Child Left Behind", public schools are failing. Our democracy is failing to serve all the people. Our politicians have left many children behind.
6
Republicans pretty much all support policy that would dismantle and destroy our education system. Democrats, on the other hand, just LARGELY support those bad ideas. The Dems are the lesser evil, but still usually evil as far as education policy goes.
Not so. Parents have done so. Makes no sense to blame teachers and funding. Nothing wrong with most teachers and amount of funding is obscene. Until children with failing parents are provided alternative "parents" through pre-K school down to age 2, the teachers do not have a chance.
An important goal of the federal government is to provide a standard curriculum for all the children in America, so those born in Mississippi have the same knowledge and the same chance as those from Connecticut. Curtailing that effort is a destructive propaganda ploy to control the curriculum with politicized and revisionist versions of history and civic education. A national standard is preferable to state or local laws that ban critical thinking, skew science or revise history to insulate young minds.
4
There are some on the right who wish to see public education ended. They see public schools as bastions of unions, failing to teach Christian morality, disparaging America's history, forcing science and social views that they might disparage, and a whole raft of other things. They would prefer to see all elementary through high school education provided by institutions like religious schools, charter schools, private schools or home schooling. Public school funding would be replaced by grants for those choices. The long-term goal seems to be to get both the Federal Government and the states out of funding public schools. Standards, of course, would be up to the parents through their selection of school or home. There would be no national or even state standards. I can see this only as further eroding the level of education and preparation for the future in America.
8
We will not have equal education until equal money is spent per child. This would mean sharing of the high property taxes spent on suburban schools either with inner city schools or having more expensive schools required to have 50% inner city kids.
7
Gee, those Catholic schools seem to be doing the best job of educating kids and they spend pretty much the least per student. How much property tax and bus service do they get?
There needs to be education regulation an the federal level, but not SO much control. sweeping mandates like the Common Core are to bulky and top down, stifling innovation. Most teachers hide behind lock-step routines spun by the experts to secure their jobs. Only the best pick up the nuisances of the curriculum. It's better to give individual districts more power. They are the ones with direct contact with the families. School districts will be able to mold curriculum best. Let the feds offer ideas, fund options, but let the districts innovate.
6
School districts are definitely NOT best able to mold curriculum. Think of all those that would eliminate evolution from biology, or any dating from geology!
Testing is a different matter. It isn't at all clear that the people pushing testing in order to rank teachers want to improve the public schools: many actually want to destroy the public schools and establish charter schools instead, in order to appropriate some share of school taxes.
Testing is a different matter. It isn't at all clear that the people pushing testing in order to rank teachers want to improve the public schools: many actually want to destroy the public schools and establish charter schools instead, in order to appropriate some share of school taxes.
14
The Common Core helps in the standardization of Education of our kids. If they fail, there could be two reasons. 1) the kids are below par. 2) the schools are failing. The Department of Education can identify ( and they do, though imperfectly )these problems and find solutions to what has become a real scourge. Eliminating the Department of Education is definitely not the answer but increased funding is. That would allow the hiring of real Education Professionals who meet stringent criteria, not those vested interests who know nothing about it. If we can spend trillions on useless wars why can't we spend more than 140 billion for our schools? That will definitely get us more for the buck. Investing in our own children would bring us great returns. If the Republicans want the Federal DOE scrapped like all the Federal Departments in their quest for a small Government ( or none at all! ) we will not be the UNITED STATES of America. It would be balkanization like Europe. Unlike rich Europe we know how that will end. The foolhardy Republicans should be very careful what they wish for.
4
2012 PISA measurements show the US ranking 36 in Math, 28 in Science, and 24 in Reading out of 65 measured. Better than most, but good enough for the supposedly most powerful nation? How much longer the most powerful?
The Federal Govt can only persuade states to improve compulsive, mass education. Mandates are out.
Some public schools' quality is very high, but they are few. So the Federal Govt's work is cut out trying to persuade American parents that their kids' schools are inferior--fighting words In the US!
Adding to confusion, too many public school educators
1. Believe standardized test means multiple choice then parents believe it.
High-scoring nations would set them straight fast.
2. Wrongly claim that a demanding curriculum means teaching to a test.
More setting straight.
3. Fear more class prep, homework checking, giving their own tests
frequently and scoring them. These are routine in better public and private
schools and normal for top PISA scorers. Frequent feedback keeps most
students moving the right way.
Educators' motives are clear, but who encourages lawmakers' vilification of Common Core rigor?
Oregon, ranking 36th of 50 sttes for public education lets students opt out of Common Core tests. In Portland's better school districts large percentages (33%) do. No surprise to learn that teachers organize this massive sabotage.
Natl Education Association runs the show
The Federal Govt can only persuade states to improve compulsive, mass education. Mandates are out.
Some public schools' quality is very high, but they are few. So the Federal Govt's work is cut out trying to persuade American parents that their kids' schools are inferior--fighting words In the US!
Adding to confusion, too many public school educators
1. Believe standardized test means multiple choice then parents believe it.
High-scoring nations would set them straight fast.
2. Wrongly claim that a demanding curriculum means teaching to a test.
More setting straight.
3. Fear more class prep, homework checking, giving their own tests
frequently and scoring them. These are routine in better public and private
schools and normal for top PISA scorers. Frequent feedback keeps most
students moving the right way.
Educators' motives are clear, but who encourages lawmakers' vilification of Common Core rigor?
Oregon, ranking 36th of 50 sttes for public education lets students opt out of Common Core tests. In Portland's better school districts large percentages (33%) do. No surprise to learn that teachers organize this massive sabotage.
Natl Education Association runs the show
1
I am ashamed to be so uninformed about this, so I make this sincere plea for help in understanding: How does the federal government spend $140 billion a year on public education? My local school district has a budget based on local property taxes, as in everyplace I know of. Where does federal money actually go?
7
Some of it goes to needy or at-risk students. That's about all that's currently well-spent. Quite a lot goes to testing companies to create tests that don't measure what we use them to try to measure, and of which we already give far too many. There's also a lot going to force states to adopt Arne Duncan's pet policies, which are supported by nobody who actually understands education (though that's probably largely due to the fact that Duncan is a political appointee wholly unqualified for the job to which he was appointed).
None of which means we shouldn't have a federal Department of Education. But under Bush's and Obama's leadership, most of what it's done has been destructive. It needs to be run better.
None of which means we shouldn't have a federal Department of Education. But under Bush's and Obama's leadership, most of what it's done has been destructive. It needs to be run better.
6
I've seen stats showing that areas with the most dollars spent per student have the worst education results. It's hugely disappointing that columns such as this fail to mention the effects of social factors on pre-college education. Broken families, disparagement of learning as something worthwhile, lack of role models - these are significant problems that no Dept. of Education can fix. Sure there are exceptions - this brilliant scientist, that politician, this great writer, actor, musician - but those examples are hardly typical. Let me suggest that growing up in a family that encourages reading, thinking, and the arts is where to look for educational success. How do you get that in a typical impoverished neighborhood? I don't know the answer. But I suspect it won't be found in a bank - or in a Department of Education.
10
Providing more opportunity to needy kids (which costs money) does precisely that: it provides opportunity. It doesn't ensure that they'll take it, and due to many of the problems that often go with poverty, too many won't.
They deserve the opportunity, though.
They deserve the opportunity, though.
8
Eric,
Shouldn't there be some relationship between federal dollars spent and results? Resources are limited. What if so few kids take advantage of the opportunity you mention that results are ridiculously minimal compared to tax dollars committed? Maybe the money would be better spent on cancer research - or in paying down the debt burden on future generations, or returned to taxpayers. Part of the problem is that national income is virtually assumed to belong first to the federal government, which through it's largesse filters down to those who earned it. (Not everyone is a thieving 1% er) This fosters an ultra--lax attitude when it comes to spending those tax dollars. Why bother to measure program results against resources committed when no one will hold you to account?
Shouldn't there be some relationship between federal dollars spent and results? Resources are limited. What if so few kids take advantage of the opportunity you mention that results are ridiculously minimal compared to tax dollars committed? Maybe the money would be better spent on cancer research - or in paying down the debt burden on future generations, or returned to taxpayers. Part of the problem is that national income is virtually assumed to belong first to the federal government, which through it's largesse filters down to those who earned it. (Not everyone is a thieving 1% er) This fosters an ultra--lax attitude when it comes to spending those tax dollars. Why bother to measure program results against resources committed when no one will hold you to account?
3
Here in Texas, where every dollar spent on public education has a racial subtext, the legislature is regressively defunding education because of the large population of Hispanic kids in schools. Hey, let's make it easy for them!
2
The current trend in education is illustrated by Republican Governors, such as Sam Brownback and Scott Walker. It is also seen in Republican dominated Texas where the Legislature is refusing to reverse massive cuts in public education following the "Bush" recession/depression, notwithstanding billions of dollars in a rainy day fund, a court ruling that the current funding violates the Texas Constitution, and Texas' familiar and comfortable ranking at the bottom of states for public education regardless of the measure. I find it hard to listen to any Republican voice when it comes to education.
9
I am a big fan of Common Core, as an educator. Nevertheless, I find this article way over the top in its partisan spin. The Feds have actually HURT Common Core by their meddling, since it was a state initiative and only the heavy hand of federal Race to the Top pressure has made it a political football at the national level. The Ed Department is in need of curtailment on many fronts in my view. Consider this as an example of over-the-top cheerleading, from the article:
“When states are left on their own, low-income kids, kids with disabilities and minority kids always come last,” said Kati Haycock, the president of the Education Trust, an advocacy group in Washington. “Always.
This is pure nonsense. What it means is MONEY from the feds is ear-marked for these kids, along with federal rules and regulations about it. I see no evidence whatsoever that low-inclimd and minority kids school experiences have improved in any measure since 1979. But apparently ACTUAL RESULTS do not much matter to those who make these outlandish claims for the Education Department. I do however agree entirely with Joel Klein and others who lament low standards and the Lake Wobegon effect on the state and local level. Setting higher standards should be priority number-one for a good Educational Department. Jeb Bush has absolutely the correct take on this, as does conservative Bill Bennett and other, like those at the Fordham Institute, Sol Stern, etc.
“When states are left on their own, low-income kids, kids with disabilities and minority kids always come last,” said Kati Haycock, the president of the Education Trust, an advocacy group in Washington. “Always.
This is pure nonsense. What it means is MONEY from the feds is ear-marked for these kids, along with federal rules and regulations about it. I see no evidence whatsoever that low-inclimd and minority kids school experiences have improved in any measure since 1979. But apparently ACTUAL RESULTS do not much matter to those who make these outlandish claims for the Education Department. I do however agree entirely with Joel Klein and others who lament low standards and the Lake Wobegon effect on the state and local level. Setting higher standards should be priority number-one for a good Educational Department. Jeb Bush has absolutely the correct take on this, as does conservative Bill Bennett and other, like those at the Fordham Institute, Sol Stern, etc.
2
There are so many things wrong here, but I'm particularly struck by how Bruni didn't talk to anybody who supports or works in public education, and how he created a completely new narrative of the Senate Ed Committees work.
http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2015/05/defending-used.html
http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2015/05/defending-used.html
5
As a life-long educator and far-left voter, I am ashamed of President Obama on this one. His support for "teaching to the test," a bankrupt policy no smarter than blaming welfare for poverty ("Welfare Queens") has furthered the complete destruction of a generation of American children. I know. I'm a teacher in a High School. I'm supposed to be getting the "best of the best," and it takes me and my colleagues at least a year to unlock whatever potential these kids might have had to think--it's been suppressed so thoroughly by the "bubbling" culture that they are afraid to let their own heads work. Obama has been just lazy on this, lazy and cowardly. He's a bright guy and doesn't care how he got to where he is--he completely empathy, and that's a form of emotional stupidity on his part. There IS such a thing as an EQ. Shame on everyone--Diane Ravitch has been the only voice worth listening to on education for more than a decade.
70
During the lifetime of the Department of Education, the schooling of our children has dropped from reasonably educated to appallingly semi-literate.
Isn't it appropriate that some sort of scrutiny be applied to this bloated bureaucracy of state for its role in the results of the liberal experiment in education?
Oh...sorry...everyone is blameless in this sorry state of affairs...
Indeed...all of our students are fully qualified to move on to the more important stages of their lives....
...Or so says the liberal...er...progressive...er...whatever they are calling themselves these days to avoid having to accept the responsibilities for the incompetency, malfeasance, and malpractice that have been the hallmarks of our failure properly to educate our youth.
Isn't it appropriate that some sort of scrutiny be applied to this bloated bureaucracy of state for its role in the results of the liberal experiment in education?
Oh...sorry...everyone is blameless in this sorry state of affairs...
Indeed...all of our students are fully qualified to move on to the more important stages of their lives....
...Or so says the liberal...er...progressive...er...whatever they are calling themselves these days to avoid having to accept the responsibilities for the incompetency, malfeasance, and malpractice that have been the hallmarks of our failure properly to educate our youth.
3
The Repuglicans have their long game on. They see no broad, societal need or benefit to education. Indeed, it is in their interest to have a population which is undereducated, gullible, ill-informed and incapable of critical thought. No one else would vote for them.
7
Republicans don't believe in science, facts, truth or reality. Why would anyone trust them to educate anyone? Face reality, we have enough ignorance in America without the right wing agenda shoved down our throats.
4
I agree that getting rid of the Education Department would be part of a prelude to allowing more privatization. The other concern is that this would also give more control of the curriculum to large corporations. Can you imagine being a child who is taught that a) corporations are now the great benefactors of America, b) that such things as Social Security are Socialism and should be privatized on moral grounds, c) Ayn Rand is a great philosopher and d) George W. Bush was a great President? Sounds implausible? It would be like teaching children that the earth is approximately 6,000 years old, that climate change is a hoax perpetrated by thousands of scientists, and that corporations are persons with free speech rights and religious views that need to be protected.
School curricula are already censored in certain ways, and have been for years. It was only after high school that I learned about the real history of labor in this country, and about such great and kind people such as Eugene V. Debs and John Peter Altgeld.
As an attorney I would also be concerned for the job security of any teacher with progressive views, whether he or she ever mentioned them in a class. And as a college teacher I am already concerned by the attempts to stifle what is left of academic freedom in universities.
All of this is why I say with all of my heart: GO BERNIE GO!!
School curricula are already censored in certain ways, and have been for years. It was only after high school that I learned about the real history of labor in this country, and about such great and kind people such as Eugene V. Debs and John Peter Altgeld.
As an attorney I would also be concerned for the job security of any teacher with progressive views, whether he or she ever mentioned them in a class. And as a college teacher I am already concerned by the attempts to stifle what is left of academic freedom in universities.
All of this is why I say with all of my heart: GO BERNIE GO!!
13
The more education is pushed down to the state and even local level, the better it will be.
Centralization corrupts.
Centralization corrupts.
1
And devolution to the states and localitieswill corrupt education absolutely.
It is amazing how a perfectly rational idea- basic national educational standards- has become a touchstone for vitriol and political bashing. A consensus of what all American students should know, reached by a large group of American educators, has become such a political football because politicians would rather reap corporate donors and score points against the opposition than to actually attempt to serve the country. In Common
Core the intent was to agree to national standards and allow each state to plan out its own way to make sure its kids attained that general knowledge. Oligarchs, for profit companies and politicians have ruined what was maybe America's last best chance to remain a top tier country.
Core the intent was to agree to national standards and allow each state to plan out its own way to make sure its kids attained that general knowledge. Oligarchs, for profit companies and politicians have ruined what was maybe America's last best chance to remain a top tier country.
6
CCSS weren't formulated by educators. Educators were excluded. They were written and enacted largely to provide political cover for yet another expansion of useless testing.
A set of standards written by knowledgeable educators is actually a good idea. But that's not what the Common Core is.
A set of standards written by knowledgeable educators is actually a good idea. But that's not what the Common Core is.
NPR had as news story about Zimbabwe on this morning. It talked about the tuition for government schools and how many families cannot afford to send all their children to school. The Libertarians and reactionaries who are taking over our government are attacking education at the federal level on the basis that it should be left to the states. However, it is a false argument as these same Libertarians and reactionaries are attacking education on the state level, evidence Brownback in Kansas and Walker in Wisconsin. Brownback has all but destroyed the excellent educational system of Kansas with his Trickle Down disaster and Walker is doing the same but not only at the grammar and high school levels but he is also attacking Wisconsin's excellent university system.
If things continue as they are our children will be in the same boat as the Zimbabweans and perhaps worse as there may not be any government schools and the tuition for private school may be out of almost everyone's reach.
If things continue as they are our children will be in the same boat as the Zimbabweans and perhaps worse as there may not be any government schools and the tuition for private school may be out of almost everyone's reach.
15
Phase out the federal Department of Education. The states are capable of educating their children without "help" from the federal government.
3
Suggested correction: capable of mis-educating. Check Creationism, Science is from the pit of Hell etc.
And I guess you can all hardly wait to get back to "separate but equal." And that disgrace of teaching science, math and the actual cause of the Civil War being slavery. The best part of this Republican drive, in their minds, is that we can finally leave education to very rich and very religious with the rest of us being happy farm and factory hands at below minimum wage. Back to when the Virginia slave owning elites were the "Silicon Valley" of their times.
It's true that the DOEd was established in 1979 by Jimmy Carter and was up and running in 1980 but it's also true that it was Ronald Reagan's administration that controlled it from 1981-1988, when the Reagan/Friedman commitment to voucherize public education was introduced through the idea of charter schools. The first charter school, funded w/ tax revenue from a public school district, was founded in 1991. The decline in public education outcomes also tracks quite well with the rise of the charter school movement.
6
The hedge fund charter school push toward privatization, draining money and space, at the expense of public schools, is a huge part of this problem. Factor in the privatized testmakers, also positioned to make vast sums, leaving students and teachers perpetually locked in a cycle of 'teaching for the test' and test-taking, which ironically (and sadly) limits education entirely. If the feds want to recognize the larger privatization problem undermining the entire public system, please get your house in order, open your eyes and do so.
14
As a product of a very fine public education through high school, I have always believed that universal public education is a cornerstone of American Democracy. Pretty much explains why the Republicans so vigorously oppose it.
44
Richard Green wrote: "As a product of a very fine public education through high school, I have always believed that universal public education is a cornerstone of American Democracy."
Unfortunately far too many were not presented with the opportunity to obtain a very fine public education.
Personal anecdotes are not a substitute for relevant data.
Unfortunately far too many were not presented with the opportunity to obtain a very fine public education.
Personal anecdotes are not a substitute for relevant data.
Re RICHARD, I wonder how fine a public education he received, based on the silly, snarky and ignorant judgement that Republicans oppose making universal education available to all. When is the last time that a Republican said he or she was opposed to "a fine public education?" What r his sources? it is a time-- worn cliché, but , nonetheless true, that education starts at home, and if the famiy, for one reason or another, is not supportive, or unable to be, then nothing will go well. As the retired"decano de hierro(iron dean) of Brandeis High School on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, I can assure you that the issue of partisan politics never entered into our thinking. Those who r advocating replacing the public system with charter schools come from both parties, and are motivated by financial gain. A little known aspect of charter schools is that they can cherry pick their students, unlike public institutions that must accept all students who apply, regardless of his or her previous school record. And it is a zero sum game: The more money allocated to charter schools, the less money is available for the public system, which will necessarily become weaker. This is one reason that I support Mayor de BLASIO who is an unconditional supporter of the public school system.He is truly,the "vox populi,"the voice of the people. We need more public servants like him.
Before 1960, schools were judged by an accrediting system like the North Central Association. The accreditation meant you could get into college without taking an entrance examination. People moved into those school districts to provide their children with good educations, house prices went up and cities/districts became desirable places to live. Unfortunately, not every school was accredited. The Department of Education tried to make uniform standards, but has been highly unsuccessful due to the resistance of teachers and party politics. Taking children out of public schools and putting them into private sector schools (Academy's) with taxpayers money has not produced children with better education. Like many things, competition to reach higher standards might be one of the answers.
5
Like it or not, K-12 education in this country is an intensely local phenomenon. It is something that the editorial boards of national publications and the pundits who write for them seem to forget. Parents identify strongly with their neighborhood schools and they want to have a say in the decisions that affect their children. The problem with the Department of Education, especially under the Obama and Bush administrations, is its presumption that it should impose one-size-fits-all policies on this very diverse system whether these policies make sense at the local level or not.
4
Bruni is fishing in unknown waters when he comments on public education in the United States. To understand what the problems of education are , one would have to walk in the shoes of a teacher assigned to say, an inner city school serving students from low income neighborhoods, for whom the school may be the one and only factor of stability in their lives, otherwise characterized by a disruptive home life, parents who, if they are present, do not possess the necessary skills to help them with homework, and whose very walk to school and back is fraught with danger due to the presence of gangs. I was a dean at the inner city H.S., L.D. Brandeis for the final five years of my service. and was known there as the "decano de hierro,(iron dean)":firm but altruistic. I believe that my colleagues and I did an excellent job of reaching out to our students, a good number of whom had spent time in "stony lonesome," and inculcating into them the importance of proper diction(word usage) of knowing about, say, Voltaire, and the importance of Munich(1938) as a turning point in the interwar period leading to WWII--just 2 examples .I even had them memorize Strunk and White's "Elements of Style," because I believed that speaking the king's English led to good behavior in general. Before writing again about the state of US education, Bruni should acquire some hands on experience as an educator,and cast a skeptical eye at advice offered by pencil pushing experts quoted in his piece.
5
i agree with teaching Strunk and White, but a lot of things have been written since 1938. Not to mention that, say, Toni Morrison is as important as Voltaire.
If parents in the USA were as invested and involved in their children's education as they are in their participation in sports, children in the USA would be better educated.
26
Without a department of education , the government would not be able to continue its political agenda of "progressive" indoctrination. All education is local. An exchange of thoughts and ideas happens at different rates between students and their mentors. The boundaries should not be determined by the government. We all know what math and reading proficiency look like without a standardized test. Whenever the states set minimal standards, the same districts keep coming up as dismal failures, regardless of the amount of money invested in the problem. Parental involvement can insure teachers are doing their jobs. Excellent school districts do fine without a government watchdog. A Department of Education is not a substitute for a parent helping his child with homework
4
All very well and good if you have parents with the knowledge and skills to help their children with homework but in my office of highly educated professionals, in the the last week two of them have commented that they don't remember enough about algebra and higher math to assist their children with math homework. A very common complaint I also hear from them regarding homework in general, especially science and math, is that public school students don't even have textbook to bring home with them to support the homework. A neighbor tells me that her children don't even have textbooks at all anymore because of funding cuts. And these are the highly educated and motivated parents. What of the immigrant mother who cleans our office? Her English is passible but I doubt very seriously she can read English (and probably not Spanish either). Working parents in general are working long hours, including in two parent homes. The time my mother had to assist me (as best she could) with homework is no longer available to help with homework. Here in Arizona, we do need a federal government watchdog. The current state legislature and governor seem determined to defund public education all together and make it a privilege only for the elites. Sadly, I have not lived in a single state that places public education as a priority; lip service is paid, but in the end what is truly valued is bragging rights to having the lowest taxes.
2
See this here? i promise you that behind this here, there's a guy who wants students forced to pray every day to his one and only proper God, a guy who wants creationism taught, a guy who wants history edited back to the "White Men Only Need Apply," version.
Oh, and a little thing called "global warming?" Nah.
Much of the oppo to the Deptartment of Ed starts and ends with that list, really.
Oh, and a little thing called "global warming?" Nah.
Much of the oppo to the Deptartment of Ed starts and ends with that list, really.
And Texas and the other southern states could ban the teaching of evolution. Just dandy!
Sure, the less people know, the less they understand, the narrower their thinking, the more likely they will be to succumb to irrational fear and vote Republican. Of course they want to "downsize" the Dept. of Education, as well as the quality and integrity of education.
8
So the role of governrnent is to be certain everyone is educated, prevent fear or independent thinking, to vote Democrat. The Dept of Ed has already done an outstanding job of degrading the quality of education. We lag far above the industrialized world on standardized tests after exponential rises on education spending. I know a 19 year old woman who is a graduate of a local high school that receives far above the average per capita expenditure per student and is illiterate. More low information voters from the assembly line who will fall into place for the democrats
Thank you, Frank. Two words I like to see in the same sentence: Republicans and decapitation.
4
These same Republicans as governors are cutting state education funding. They blindly cut funding and wait to see what happens. They don't cut because they know where there is a need to cut and the certainly don't invest in our students. Or in the theoretical scientific research that benefits our nation and economy, in fact, every Republican member of Congress deny that research in favor of perpetuating ignorance to profit campaign donors. These guys have the wrong incentives to learn much less lead and you wonder why education in America is struggling so hard to make progress. You have to believe in education to fight for it. And education for all is unpopular as equality.
3
It's no secret that the very idea of public education is under attack in this country. The radical conservatives of the GOP are opposed to any role for government that isn't involved in protecting their wealth and power - and they reject the very idea of such a thing as the public good. They also hate the fact that most teachers are also union members.
But the idea of feeding billions of taxpayer dollars through for-profit corporations at a nice markup with little accountability really turns them on - especially if unions are shut out of the picture. That's why they're investing in politicians from both parties, and why a so-called Democrat like Andrew Cuomo is at war with teachers in New York State and pushing vouchers.
But the idea of feeding billions of taxpayer dollars through for-profit corporations at a nice markup with little accountability really turns them on - especially if unions are shut out of the picture. That's why they're investing in politicians from both parties, and why a so-called Democrat like Andrew Cuomo is at war with teachers in New York State and pushing vouchers.
6
I am surprised at the renewed efforts by the conservative establishment to attack the Department of Education. Our Department of Education, under the leadership of that well-known educator, Arnie Duncan, and his friend on the basketball court, the President, has become a corporate shill for big testing companies, private charter companies, and student loan corporations. It also has become the leader in developing all manner of strategies to eliminate tenure, eliminate unions, and eliminate public schooling --- what more could an incoming Republican president call for. As to the common core, well, that is an educational/instructional strategy that Mr. Duncan would have no clue how to implement.
2
Yes, the DoE under Obama has, as it did under Bush, pushed Republican policies. But let's be honest--a Republican President, if the American people were so ignorant as to elect one, probably wouldn't disband the department. It's doing too much harm to education, which is generally what Republican politicians (and too many Democrats) want, to disband it. This is just a soundbite that plays well to people ignorant enough to vote Republican.
Nobody is willing to say what happens after we tear down the Department of Education. The same thing happens with standardized testing -- easy to find faults, but if we scrap it all, what are people planning to do to hold schools and school systems accountable when they fail to educate too many students? We need answers to that before we start swinging the wrecking ball.
2
Well, let's see, we have 50 departments of education, most of which do a hell of a lot more than the feds. The feds do nothing useful for teachers, or students.
Lamar Alexander's life has been one of living off the government teat, in Tennessee and in D.C. I guess because someone had to do it, right? But it's no surprise that as a GOP hack (who appears to be moderate) he now distances himself from federal oversight of our once great public school system. He failed as DOE leader, yet is still being paid by taxpayers to hem and haw about what works and what doesn't. That's what's wrong with our country. Fire him!
6
I'll look past Mr Bruni's snarky comments against the republican party which serves zero and point out that the Dept of Education has completely failed the future of the USA.
No matter how much money is spent each and every year records another decline in student ability to compete.
Its time to allow bad schools to fail and good schools to succeed. School vouchers NOW and may the best and the brightest lead our nation into the future!
No matter how much money is spent each and every year records another decline in student ability to compete.
Its time to allow bad schools to fail and good schools to succeed. School vouchers NOW and may the best and the brightest lead our nation into the future!
2
Ah yes, vouchers: because nothing helps a poor or working class family more than $8000 to go buy their own kind's private education.
Oh, wait: private education costs at least twice that, and charter schools don't work any better than regular old public schools.
Dear me. I wonder who'll benefit from vouchers, then?
Oh, wait: private education costs at least twice that, and charter schools don't work any better than regular old public schools.
Dear me. I wonder who'll benefit from vouchers, then?
The Competition for Graduate Is Global
The argument by Bruni that the mobility of graduates require national policies and national standards, rather than State standards, is very persuasive. Actually, we need to extend this argument by pointing out that the market for graduates is increasingly international. We need to be competitive globally. Otherwise, graduates educated in a number of States that do not place a high priority on education, will become increasingly less competitive nationally and globally.
Ahmed Abdelal
Provost, UMass Lowell
The argument by Bruni that the mobility of graduates require national policies and national standards, rather than State standards, is very persuasive. Actually, we need to extend this argument by pointing out that the market for graduates is increasingly international. We need to be competitive globally. Otherwise, graduates educated in a number of States that do not place a high priority on education, will become increasingly less competitive nationally and globally.
Ahmed Abdelal
Provost, UMass Lowell
7
I've taught, continue to teach, post-secondary mathematics for over thirty years. Although I lament the continuing disintegration in meaningful learning which occurs in secondary schools in the US, most notable perhaps when high school graduates attempt to advance to colleges and universities, it's reasonably clear that the existence of the DOE has done anything to stem this trend. In fact, to the contrary, by liberally fertilizing every hair-brained educational fad, it has directly contributed to it.
We need meaningful, nationwide standards in English and mathematics. The DOE, alas, does nothing to make the implementation of such standards more likely.
We need meaningful, nationwide standards in English and mathematics. The DOE, alas, does nothing to make the implementation of such standards more likely.
5
The Dept. of Education, formerly the U.S. Office of Education since the 1880s, does nothing more or less than other federal agencies––carry out the wishes of Congress. Getting rid of the Dept. is meaningless because no one, and certainly not presidents (but sometimes the Supreme Court), can simply dismiss congressional legislation. The whole of the national government is the administration of the laws of Congress. Educating the public, and for sure presidential candidates and politicians, about our democracy is a higher priority than talking about eliminating this or that agency to pander to an uninformed citizenry.
5
This President has made a habit out of dismissing legislation, or re-writing it on the fly. And an uninformed citizenry is precisely why he is in office in the first place.
In an ideal world I would like to see the balance of educational control tipped more toward local school districts. However, I'm afraid we desperately need the U.S. DOE in some form as a counterpoint to some local conservatives who (a) are at best apathetic toward providing adequate resoures to properly educate minority and low income students; and (b) want to use the public schools to promote their religion on others; and (c) in some cases want to divert resources to charter schools and even "Christian medrasas." Unfortunately we can't trust some ideologically-driven state and local boards.
12
This may be the only area in which I tend to agree with Republicans. As a former teacher myself, I'm simply not convinced that the elimination of the Department of Education would make any real difference in the daily teacher-student relationship which is the heart of education. There are far too many people with their fingers in the education pie already. Removing a couple of them isn't going to prevent students from learning to read and write. My students learned because I taught them, not because an agency of government held my hand along the way.
2
There is a need to measure how well (or badly) our children are educated. We know a very high percentage graduate from high school without having acquired some very basic knowledge and skills. There is not one reason for this, so there cannot be a simple solution that applies to all cases. A standardized test makes no sense without teachers properly trained to impart the necessary knowledge without teaching to the test, rather than capable to motivate students to learn. The first few years of school are critical. Young children are curious and want to learn. Teachers need be trained on how to empower young children and make them feel a sense of real accomplishment, praised when they manage to do something they were unable to do before, not for some routine rehash. The Federal government should concentrate on the education of teachers and making sure the profession attracts competent and enthusiastic people, much more than on what should be taught. Good teachers are the key to a good education.
3
I am constantly amazed by the comments which infer States and local education boards are willing participants with the Department of Education in the education of this nation's children. Neither the President nor Arne Duncan possess a magic wand to rid the education community of the insanity which holds sway on the state and local level. If the Department of Education has failed it is because citizens, parents and responsible businesses have allowed irrational actors to take over the conversation and our school systems. The Department of Education has not failed, we failed to put the education of our children first over idiotology.
22
Good point, but those comments "imply" rather than "infer."
I'm not necessarily proposing getting rid of the Department - but it must be pointed out that educational results have steadily declined since its inception. If it is not improving education, and it is not funding it (a fact to which my ever-rising school tax bill attests), then what does it do?
4
Educational results, by most measures and for most groups, have improved since the inception of the DoE, though more slowly over the last fifteen years or so, under the bad policy of the Bush and Obama administrations. The idea that we've seen a widespread decline is often-repeated by people who don't know what they're talking about, and by people who want to prevent others from knowing what they're talking about.
Have just two tests for students-one taken when they exit grade 8 to determine placement in high school and the other taken when they exit high school to determine entrance and placement in college. That's it. Whatever way states want to get their students to pass the tests is fine. Have teachers ( and no one else) decide how their students will meet the challenges of the tests. Stop universities from participating in the sham of accepting all students just to make money and see them drop out after their first year.
Students make a school a success or not depending on local culture, family, and socioeconomic background. Stop comparing the results of student achievement when student backgrounds are so dissimilar because it doesn't make sense and will never work. Most of all, give incentives to teachers working with the most difficult student populations (usually urban areas) - lower their class size- offer in class support ( co-teachers) and don't punish them with the pressure of value added assessments! And yes, do away with the Department of Education. Give that money to teachers in urban districts who are heroes and saints for the work they do.
Students make a school a success or not depending on local culture, family, and socioeconomic background. Stop comparing the results of student achievement when student backgrounds are so dissimilar because it doesn't make sense and will never work. Most of all, give incentives to teachers working with the most difficult student populations (usually urban areas) - lower their class size- offer in class support ( co-teachers) and don't punish them with the pressure of value added assessments! And yes, do away with the Department of Education. Give that money to teachers in urban districts who are heroes and saints for the work they do.
6
I think that the measure of whether or not the education of the child is successful is whether or not he has learned what he needs to know to function in life.
If one tests in the 8th grade and before graduation, isn't it too late to do anything if the student doesn't show a modicum of proficiency?
What are you going to do? Fail to graduate the deficient student? Send him back to 8th grade and force him to start over?
Do you own stock in student tutorial companies?
If one tests in the 8th grade and before graduation, isn't it too late to do anything if the student doesn't show a modicum of proficiency?
What are you going to do? Fail to graduate the deficient student? Send him back to 8th grade and force him to start over?
Do you own stock in student tutorial companies?
1
I am not a fan of Arne Duncan, nor of the testing pressures throughout the school year that Common Core has wrought. As the parent of a Special Needs kid, I can say that federal involvement in our local district is too low. They get around their obligation to locate and support children with special needs by bullying teachers and turning parents away or lying to them about their right. It's even worse for children of color, as the district lowers their Special Ed and Suspension rates by refusing to identify those who need help and giving violent teenagers five minute time outs instead of healthy limits and mental health support for trauma survivors.
Charter schools are not the answer. "Well, you can enroll him here," said one charter school head of Special Ed, "but we really aren't good at dealing with kids on either end of the range, either very bright or kids with special needs. I wouldn't recommend it."
Our city's hopeful solution is to field passionate candidates for School Board, candidates who are educated by the community, and who are committed to addressing these issues and creating effective pipelines for the board to connect with both parents and teachers long term. We are blessed in this regard by having the most forward-looking and effective Teacher's Union in the country creating strong connections between teachers and parents.
But it's hard work. No way could it be created nationwide, district by district. yet Duncan's pressures without oversight don't work.
Charter schools are not the answer. "Well, you can enroll him here," said one charter school head of Special Ed, "but we really aren't good at dealing with kids on either end of the range, either very bright or kids with special needs. I wouldn't recommend it."
Our city's hopeful solution is to field passionate candidates for School Board, candidates who are educated by the community, and who are committed to addressing these issues and creating effective pipelines for the board to connect with both parents and teachers long term. We are blessed in this regard by having the most forward-looking and effective Teacher's Union in the country creating strong connections between teachers and parents.
But it's hard work. No way could it be created nationwide, district by district. yet Duncan's pressures without oversight don't work.
1
And what are the "passionate" candidates for the school board going to do?
Go do the work that we are paying the teachers and administrators to do already?
Ah...increase the supervision of those that are in the schools...Brilliant idea.
And what are they going to do if they find failure and disinterest?
After all, with the union contracts as they are, a failing teacher or administrator can't be fired...And the best that can be done is to shuffle the failing off to another school where they can bring their failing practices to bear on a new set of students.
This is a problem of a much more complex nature than to be solved by the mere election of "passionate" school board members. It is going to take a fundamental reworking of our educational system from the top to the bottom, a solution that would take far more political will than extant, and a great deal more patience then the peripatetic public has ever had.
It will take more than half-a-century to undue the liberal experiment in our educational system...
...And it will take teaching the subjects that comprise life skills instead to teaching the students the line-item elements that then need to pass the specific "tests" of their proficiency.
Interesting for me, is that the most useful course that I had in school was Latin. It has allowed me to far more command of language...be it English or the languages of our European fore-bearers...and the ability to function reasonably in areas outside of my native land.
Go do the work that we are paying the teachers and administrators to do already?
Ah...increase the supervision of those that are in the schools...Brilliant idea.
And what are they going to do if they find failure and disinterest?
After all, with the union contracts as they are, a failing teacher or administrator can't be fired...And the best that can be done is to shuffle the failing off to another school where they can bring their failing practices to bear on a new set of students.
This is a problem of a much more complex nature than to be solved by the mere election of "passionate" school board members. It is going to take a fundamental reworking of our educational system from the top to the bottom, a solution that would take far more political will than extant, and a great deal more patience then the peripatetic public has ever had.
It will take more than half-a-century to undue the liberal experiment in our educational system...
...And it will take teaching the subjects that comprise life skills instead to teaching the students the line-item elements that then need to pass the specific "tests" of their proficiency.
Interesting for me, is that the most useful course that I had in school was Latin. It has allowed me to far more command of language...be it English or the languages of our European fore-bearers...and the ability to function reasonably in areas outside of my native land.
2
...except that we CAN fire bad teachers and bad administrators. The union contracts specifically allow it. They just protect the good ones from being fired.
The states with stronger unions have better schools for precisely this reason, and anybody who argues that unions are a problem in education, rather than a positive factor, simply shows they don't know enough to discuss education intelligently.
The states with stronger unions have better schools for precisely this reason, and anybody who argues that unions are a problem in education, rather than a positive factor, simply shows they don't know enough to discuss education intelligently.
1
We should start by having the federal oversight having more control over the archaic traditions that are the bane of local control, such as school boards comprised of random citizens who have their own personal agenda, and are not education specialists (in many cases, the majority of them know nothing whatsoever about education). The fact that towns vote whether or not to approve the school budget is another ridiculous local tradition. The federal government trying to institute a common core that binds the nation's schools together in one unified educational front is a ludicrous notion when each school is run by an arbitrarily chosen group of self-interested citizens who are interested only in lowering their own taxes.
16
What on earth makes people have such faith in the federal government and lack of faith in themselves and their neighbors? The bureaucrats in the D0E don't have agendas? Really? Education specialists? How about math, history, English and science specialists?
Bind the nation's schools together? Very totalitarian of you. How about competition in an education market?
Bind the nation's schools together? Very totalitarian of you. How about competition in an education market?
ignoring your corporate state leanings, may i ask if you ever heard of the separation of powers between the states and the federal government?
School boards comprised of random untrained citizens who's overriding motivation is to lower taxes is absolutely correct. And then add to that--school boards who have been handpicked and/or appointed and you have a recipe for a big local mess.
The basic argument of the article is that the unwashed masses in the states are unable to take good decision by themselves without the benign control of the people in Washington DC. I believe this is wrong and that people locally are better equipped to curtail the education system to their needs. But even if you agree with the author assumption that only the geniuses in Washington knows what is better for our Education the question is why do we need two bureaucratic systems? (one in DC and one in the States). If the author really believes that Washington knows better he should be asking for the complete federalization of Education and eliminate the expenses of the middle man. With the present system we have red tape and bureaucracy both at the State and Federal level. Eliminate one and keep Education only in the States or in the Federal Government.
1
There may be room for lots of improvement at the federal level, and I am no fan of year-long testing, but I shudder at the thought of leaving all curriculum, all learning standards, all benchmarks for improvement, all guidelines for teacher evaluations in the hands of local elected officials.
These are individuals who often deliberately set out to eliminate subjects such as evolution in the biology classroom, eliminate honest discussions of the nation's founding out of the history classroom, eliminate sex education out of the curriculum, eliminate books from libraries, etc., etc., etc.
Many of these state and local school boards (I"m looking at you Kansas, but there are many others around the country) do not value critical thinking in their students, the one trait we all need as voters and contributing members of society.
I much prefer to have a baseline of federal standards to which all schools and all students aspire. Yes, the President can set national goals of excellence and the Treasury can cut the checks, but I would like to think that the nation's educational leaders would have at least some say at the federal level about what we want all students to learn.
These are individuals who often deliberately set out to eliminate subjects such as evolution in the biology classroom, eliminate honest discussions of the nation's founding out of the history classroom, eliminate sex education out of the curriculum, eliminate books from libraries, etc., etc., etc.
Many of these state and local school boards (I"m looking at you Kansas, but there are many others around the country) do not value critical thinking in their students, the one trait we all need as voters and contributing members of society.
I much prefer to have a baseline of federal standards to which all schools and all students aspire. Yes, the President can set national goals of excellence and the Treasury can cut the checks, but I would like to think that the nation's educational leaders would have at least some say at the federal level about what we want all students to learn.
14
The real American Snipers are the bureaucrats who supported the charter school & voucher movement which has decimated school districts. Arne Duncan, was appointed by a banking crony, John Rogers, to direct a charter school in Chicago. Mr. Rogers also contributed to President Obama's presidential campaign. During Mr. Duncan's stint as CEO of Chicago public schools, he closed many neighborhood schools & endorsed militized charter school replacements with an emphasis on standardized tests.
Obama backs the charter school movement & thus appointed Mr. Duncan as the Secretary of Education. In essence, Obama sold out the teachers in support of Bush's "No Child Left Behind legacy." In 2011, 82% of the nation's public schools were in danger of failing, meaning the government could shut them down, fire all of the staff & replace them with business backed charter schools staffed w/ low paid 1st yr teachers. To further snuff out the teaching profession, Duncan initiated the $4 billion "Race to the Top" competition. This required districts to initiate reforms such as expanding charter schools & judging teachers based on standardized test performance. Is it any wonder that schools have cut the arts & PE programs to focus on drill & test?
In 2014, the Federation of Teachers voted "no confidence" in Duncan & demanded his resignation. The Obama administration is dismantling public education using standardized testing as their weapon of choice. So much for the Great Society many lament.
Obama backs the charter school movement & thus appointed Mr. Duncan as the Secretary of Education. In essence, Obama sold out the teachers in support of Bush's "No Child Left Behind legacy." In 2011, 82% of the nation's public schools were in danger of failing, meaning the government could shut them down, fire all of the staff & replace them with business backed charter schools staffed w/ low paid 1st yr teachers. To further snuff out the teaching profession, Duncan initiated the $4 billion "Race to the Top" competition. This required districts to initiate reforms such as expanding charter schools & judging teachers based on standardized test performance. Is it any wonder that schools have cut the arts & PE programs to focus on drill & test?
In 2014, the Federation of Teachers voted "no confidence" in Duncan & demanded his resignation. The Obama administration is dismantling public education using standardized testing as their weapon of choice. So much for the Great Society many lament.
10
Many confusions here.
Charter schools are obviously absurd; all schools should be brought up to decent standards. But as soon as you make that statement, you need standardized tests. You cannot judge student progress without testing. Yes, it is scary to students and teachers because it demands work, concentration, discipline and critical thinking, concepts lacking in America. We are a consumer based society and a huge part of our education problem is that we are essentially anti-intellectual and our economic system reflects this.
Now the words "standardized tests" for some reason is the urban legend and urban myth of today. Very few who seem hysterical about it, really know what they are talking about in that regard. It simply means "standard" in that it can be used to measure progress across basic mental processes and across a broad geographical area (e.g. the United States or the world). Good tests can be devised. I think the fear is the hard work involved and the teacher's fear of it showing up poorly on them. Relative to the later, we need to straighten that concept out and there are ways of doing it.
Lastly, we all know the children come in with different genes, different cultures, different levels of poverty and home environment -- and some who have had a breakfast and others who could not afford one or had no adult making sure they had one. So the ideas in this paragraph are the real problem.
Let's have the politicians work on the important projects above.
Charter schools are obviously absurd; all schools should be brought up to decent standards. But as soon as you make that statement, you need standardized tests. You cannot judge student progress without testing. Yes, it is scary to students and teachers because it demands work, concentration, discipline and critical thinking, concepts lacking in America. We are a consumer based society and a huge part of our education problem is that we are essentially anti-intellectual and our economic system reflects this.
Now the words "standardized tests" for some reason is the urban legend and urban myth of today. Very few who seem hysterical about it, really know what they are talking about in that regard. It simply means "standard" in that it can be used to measure progress across basic mental processes and across a broad geographical area (e.g. the United States or the world). Good tests can be devised. I think the fear is the hard work involved and the teacher's fear of it showing up poorly on them. Relative to the later, we need to straighten that concept out and there are ways of doing it.
Lastly, we all know the children come in with different genes, different cultures, different levels of poverty and home environment -- and some who have had a breakfast and others who could not afford one or had no adult making sure they had one. So the ideas in this paragraph are the real problem.
Let's have the politicians work on the important projects above.
As a part of Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" legislation, Johnson focused on expanding the federal government's roles in education & health care as poverty reduction strategies The Elementary & Secondary Education Act in 1965 was a part of the Great Society legislation which provided direct funding to public school systems. The act forbade the creation of a national curriculum although addressed the root causes of school failure including poverty, hunger, lack of jobs & opportunities especially in inner cities. The Head Start, Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), TRIO, and Job Corps were developed. There was no standardized testing at this point. Reagan pushed for standardized testing as a part of his Great Nation program which pushed for higher personal accountability & a greater sense of national unity through education. This momentum culminated in Bill Clinton's "Personal Responsibility & Work Opportunity Act of 1996, which, claimed President Bill Clinton, "ended welfare as we know it." Now, in 2015 we are left with poverty, loss of job opportunities an emphasis on standardized tests & blaming teachers for the conditions in which poor children are expected to learn & be accountable for nationwide "standards" imposed from a bureaucratic "top down" structure with little input from the local communities nor funding to assist in pulling up families who are mired in hopeless social situations. The DOE sets up teachers as scapegoats for societal neglect using test scores.
2
All organizations tend to grow and build in inefficiencies over time. A 10 percent cut wouldn't hurt. It helps to concentrate the efforts of the employees that "supposedly" work for us.
2
Norm, if our population keeps increasing, and more and more students need to be educated, a 10% cut would definitely hurt. Your argument makes no logical sense. Please ask a teacher before condemning them all, or better yet, volunteer in your local school.
I can't help seeing the immense overlap between two groups, politicians who want to abolish the Dept of Education and politicians of states that:
- are constantly trying to introduce the teaching of creationism into science class;
- don't believe in global warming and otherwise disparage science;
- show little respect in their policies for the poor, minorities, and women;
- show little respect in their policies for working people (such as so-called "right-to-work");
- are high levels of fundamentalism and homophobia, believe that homosexuality is a choice and a sin, and object to complete sex education;
- have little respect for critical thinking, and tend to denigrate educated people for being educated (for example, saying the words "Harvard-educated" with a contemptuous sneer);
- don't see any problem with extreme inequality; and
- generally already rank lower in educational statistics.
This is not a coincidence, folks.
- are constantly trying to introduce the teaching of creationism into science class;
- don't believe in global warming and otherwise disparage science;
- show little respect in their policies for the poor, minorities, and women;
- show little respect in their policies for working people (such as so-called "right-to-work");
- are high levels of fundamentalism and homophobia, believe that homosexuality is a choice and a sin, and object to complete sex education;
- have little respect for critical thinking, and tend to denigrate educated people for being educated (for example, saying the words "Harvard-educated" with a contemptuous sneer);
- don't see any problem with extreme inequality; and
- generally already rank lower in educational statistics.
This is not a coincidence, folks.
28
Like generalities much?
The DoE, in addition to being a money pit and unconstitutional, is an utter failure at educating our kids. It is also a political weapon, much like our tax code. There is no need to have a legion of federal bureaucrat involved in decisions that - again, constitutionally - are state and local.
2
Six family members are teachers. Can anyone cite any measure by which initiatives instituted over the last 15 years achieved any success? No child left behind, common core, student growth objectives, over a hundred hours of standardized testing and teacher evaluations, just to name the ones I know. No child left behind resulted in half of my daughter’s 8th grade math class performing at a 2nd grade math level! These initiatives require so much administrative paperwork that the teachers don’t have enough time to prepare creative lesson plans. All six of the teachers I know work 60-80 hours per week. A substantial portion of the year is devoted to standard tests instead of teaching. Our children are at the greatest disadvantage in the history of this country and falling further behind. To what end? Do any of these decision-making bureaucrats/administrators ever speak with the teachers to learn what they would do to improve classroom effectiveness? Teachers are given unrealistic goals by which their performance is measured. For example, 2-3 grade level improvement in the students. I attended school in the sixties and believe the quality of my education is light years ahead of what our children get today. At that time, the teachers had a loose-leaf book with guidelines for each day’s lesson plan. There was at most, one standard test during the school year. Get rid of all the layers of six figure administrators and restore responsibility for the classroom to our teachers.
30
Stop shooting the messenger.
The fact that the 8th-grade math class is functioning at a 2nd grade level has more to do with the abilities of the class than it does for the various initiatives that have been put in place to measure the class' abilities.
100-Hours of testing taken from the instruction has NOT resulted in a 6-grade decline in performance. To make such an allegation is absurd. And it is nothing more than a straw man to avoid looking at the real problem...The kids are NOT being taught what they need to know.
Turn your personal telescope around. Don't look at things from the big end to the small. That's not the way that it is designed to be used. Look through the small end and observe carefully ALL of the details that come into view, and then understand the relationships of the details to the whole picture.
You might come up with a more appropriate assessment of that which is really wrong with the system.
The fact that the 8th-grade math class is functioning at a 2nd grade level has more to do with the abilities of the class than it does for the various initiatives that have been put in place to measure the class' abilities.
100-Hours of testing taken from the instruction has NOT resulted in a 6-grade decline in performance. To make such an allegation is absurd. And it is nothing more than a straw man to avoid looking at the real problem...The kids are NOT being taught what they need to know.
Turn your personal telescope around. Don't look at things from the big end to the small. That's not the way that it is designed to be used. Look through the small end and observe carefully ALL of the details that come into view, and then understand the relationships of the details to the whole picture.
You might come up with a more appropriate assessment of that which is really wrong with the system.
as the late Admiral Rickover said repeatedly, America'a public education is
ruined by the fact that a teacher of math cannot have a degree in math.
She must have a (useless) degree in education. The teachers' unions protect
incompetence and mediocrity. Rickover went so far as to say the only way
to fix the problem was to remove the people who demanded the BEd
rather than the subject major BA. Until that happens our educational
system will continue to be one of the worst in the First World and a major
impediment to the competitiveness of America;a work force.
ruined by the fact that a teacher of math cannot have a degree in math.
She must have a (useless) degree in education. The teachers' unions protect
incompetence and mediocrity. Rickover went so far as to say the only way
to fix the problem was to remove the people who demanded the BEd
rather than the subject major BA. Until that happens our educational
system will continue to be one of the worst in the First World and a major
impediment to the competitiveness of America;a work force.
7
In many states teachers have degrees in their subjects, not in education. In the system in MA, where I taught for 35 years all middle and high school teachers had degrees in their subject areas. Only elementary teachers, who teach all subjects, had degrees in education.
2
Yes, I agree that we would have better teachers if they had a degree in the subject matter they teach. I think this may be required at the high school level but not the elementary school level. I don't understand why this is not required at the elementary school level. (We have too many elementary school teachers who hate and are scared of math, for example, and are not prepared to teach this subject.) But I don't agree that Schools of Education are useless. One of the series of courses they teach is in "classroom management"; this is absolutely necessary for kids to learn. If you can't control a classroom, kids don't learn. Another sequence of courses is in pedagogy and cognitive psychology, again absolutely essential.
Schools of Education have lost substantial enrollment in the last decade; this is the result of constant attacks by legislators/politicians, leading young people interested in teaching to choose other fields of study. (In my own state of Indiana, I have seen nothing but contempt by politicians for the teaching profession.) Yes, Schools of Education need to revise their curriculum and increase standards for admission. But they are much needed. Attacks on the teaching profession are destructive to us as a nation. We need the best and the brightest going into this profession.
Schools of Education have lost substantial enrollment in the last decade; this is the result of constant attacks by legislators/politicians, leading young people interested in teaching to choose other fields of study. (In my own state of Indiana, I have seen nothing but contempt by politicians for the teaching profession.) Yes, Schools of Education need to revise their curriculum and increase standards for admission. But they are much needed. Attacks on the teaching profession are destructive to us as a nation. We need the best and the brightest going into this profession.
In Massachusetts, a public school teacher must have a degree in the subject in which s/he seeks certification, NOT "a (useless) degree in education." If that is not the case in Texas, maybe you should your legislature and/or governor and ask them to change the requirement.
The late Phil Hartman played a Frankenstein character that was intellectually challenged but knew what was "good" and what was "bad" (usually fire). His knee-jerk responses to stimuli were hilarious, much more so than similarly limbic responses by our confederate brethren, who along with Grover Norquist love to hum that old GOP spiritual, "Government Bad!," a hymn that includes lyrics about drowning and bathtubs.
So, you will permit me to be less than shocked at any GOP attempt to downsize the Federal government (excepting the military, of course, prompting the idea that any Federal department that wants to thrive should shelter itself beneath the wing of one of the three armed services). Bad!
Yes, education is pretty terrible these days, but focusing ire at those in Washington who are making good-faith efforts to improve its delivery is falling for the old misdirection play. As a society we reward doctors and lawyers (who must go through between several and many years of additional training after college in order to ply their trades) along with investment bankers (who somehow "earn" tens of millions of dollars a year) amply and squeeze the life out of teachers' unions and thus treat teachers more like pack animals than those trusted to tend our children's intellectual flames.
I've always maintained that if I can teach a student vocabulary, arithmetic, and a love of reading, she'll educate herself. A simple goal, but apparently hard to attain. Giving up won't help.
So, you will permit me to be less than shocked at any GOP attempt to downsize the Federal government (excepting the military, of course, prompting the idea that any Federal department that wants to thrive should shelter itself beneath the wing of one of the three armed services). Bad!
Yes, education is pretty terrible these days, but focusing ire at those in Washington who are making good-faith efforts to improve its delivery is falling for the old misdirection play. As a society we reward doctors and lawyers (who must go through between several and many years of additional training after college in order to ply their trades) along with investment bankers (who somehow "earn" tens of millions of dollars a year) amply and squeeze the life out of teachers' unions and thus treat teachers more like pack animals than those trusted to tend our children's intellectual flames.
I've always maintained that if I can teach a student vocabulary, arithmetic, and a love of reading, she'll educate herself. A simple goal, but apparently hard to attain. Giving up won't help.
11
Put control closer to home. Education, after all, is supposed to be a state and local (and family) responsibility. So why are there so many folks out there who would rather see money go through federal bureaucracy (so efficient!) and be directed at unions that send dues money straight back to the Democratic Party (rhetorical)? Why do they recoil at horror at the prospect of things like local control, vouchers and school choice? Control of the purse and political power, anyone?
This isn't about the kids at all. You don't need a legion of centralized federal bureaucrats to ensure that kids all over our great land can learn to read, write and perform fundamental math skills. The very idea is absurd.
This isn't about the kids at all. You don't need a legion of centralized federal bureaucrats to ensure that kids all over our great land can learn to read, write and perform fundamental math skills. The very idea is absurd.
1
You might want to review the historical revisions made by a bunch of amateurs on the Texas State Board of Education, a decision that affects other states because Texas is such a major purchaser of textbooks. I guess it's a question of who you want dictating what your kids learn, Texas or Washington.
As for local control, great for localities that have the resources and talent. Not so good for others who are then out of sight, out of mind.
As for local control, great for localities that have the resources and talent. Not so good for others who are then out of sight, out of mind.
2
Your mocking of "federal bureaucracy" is so predictable. How about mocking ANY bureaucracy as inefficient? Have you ever dealt with the human resources department at any major corporation? Have you ever dealt with the DMV of your state? Have you ever tried to get a response back from your elected officials that is anything other than a form letter? Please - don't even try to pretend that one type of bureaucracy is more efficient than another. But then again, maybe like how so many Americans feel about their elected representatives you believe that every other education bureaucracy is the problem, but not YOUR education bureaucracy.
1
In Canada, Education is a jurisdiction of the Provinces, as is Health. But transfer payments from the federal government are allocated to ensure equal quality of educational opportunities across the country. It is far from perfect, but allows more responsibility and control closer to home.
2
But Canada is a more rational nation and doesn't insist, like the Old South, on teaching that science is from the pit of hell and the earth is less than 10K years old. If we leave all to the States here, we'll have 19th C conditions for women and minorities.
I am constantly amazed at why we are supposed to need DIFFERENT educational standards across the country. I have not seen a compelling argument as to why kids in Alabama benefit from a different educational standard than kids, say in New York. Indeed, it isn't even Alabama vs New York, but rather vs Singapore, or Korea. Local standards seem more often than not an excuse to cement a status quo, - low achievement, religious convictions in influencing the teaching of science -, than an attempt to convey an education on par with the best globally. Rather than discussing abolishing the Department of Education, the fight should be over expanding the federal role and a single core curriculum for the country.
14
Setting national standards is one thing; telling states how to meet those standards is another. Even so, the standards must be standards, not performance specifications; and they must ensure that curriculums are comprehensive and structured. (Common Core does not meet these "standards.")
Requirements for evaluating teachers and schools are one thing; recommendations are another. But there is every need for federal assessment of student academic performance in all states, with the national results a spur to all states, especially those lagging.
Common Core has exposed the failure of "educrats" to develop suitable standards for education. The media features conservative and unionized teacher objections to Common Core but scants liberal educators' objections --an imbalance whichneedlessly politicizes the issue by distracting everyone from the latters' serious educational criticisms of NCLB and CCSS.
Requirements for evaluating teachers and schools are one thing; recommendations are another. But there is every need for federal assessment of student academic performance in all states, with the national results a spur to all states, especially those lagging.
Common Core has exposed the failure of "educrats" to develop suitable standards for education. The media features conservative and unionized teacher objections to Common Core but scants liberal educators' objections --an imbalance whichneedlessly politicizes the issue by distracting everyone from the latters' serious educational criticisms of NCLB and CCSS.
7
Our education problem is a cultural one. It cannot be solved alone by some leftist interventionist or right wing isolationist solution. When we have a culture that values education more we will have better results. And by value I mean families getting more involved with their children's education. The importance of education cannot be measured by some simple metric such as $/pupil. But keep up the good fight folks, I'm sure the two parties really enjoy your support for an ideological solution to this issue.
3
"When we have a culture that values education more we will have better results."
Yes.
Yes.
5
Yea, sure...
But then you would have to curtail the importance of getting rich quick and pop culture.
And you know we can't do that. All be boys bands and slutty starlets wouldn't have any opportunity.
But then you would have to curtail the importance of getting rich quick and pop culture.
And you know we can't do that. All be boys bands and slutty starlets wouldn't have any opportunity.
1
I don't think it's a good idea to throw the baby out with the bathwater. The extreme nature of the "throw it out" argument is a red flag against such behavior because it ignores the fact that Common Core was designed with Opt-Out provisions and was NEVER designed as a one-size-fits-all (Zero Tolerance) solution to the problem of creating a nationwide minimum standard, i.e., a common core, of information and skills that all capable children should be taught and have (hence, testing) at their disposal by the time they are needed to function as cogs in the economic clockwork that will define the rest of their lives. And most of us would, without more, resist that argument on the grounds it asks us to engage in the very intolerance, i.e., Zero Tolerance towards NOT opting out, with 'opting out' being used as a reason to throw the whole thing out if it doesn't work perfectly....That behavior would contradict Common Core's policy of understanding that not one size fits all by embracing and making easy to implement, the Opt-Out provisions of Common Core....
3
One of the reasons I left Houston was that I had a daughter in public school and was alarmed at the constant push to teach creationism as science, interfere with the presentation of history, etc.
I am also shocked at how poorly educated many young people seem to be, with low scores on international tests, bad grammar and writing skills, no knowledge of history, and no idea why these things matter.
It's also a national disgrace that the quality of education your child receives is a function of how much you can afford to pay for your housing. This is both a moral issue and critical one for our national future—i.e., whether we're globally competitive, whether we truly nurture our best (and average, and least) minds, whether the vast majority are employable rather than on welfare, and whether we instill our citizens of the future with curiosity, creativity, high aspirations, high performance, deferred gratification, love of learning, drive, capability, and so on.
So yes, we need a Department of Education, although what it pays attention to and how those things are handled may need revision.
I am also shocked at how poorly educated many young people seem to be, with low scores on international tests, bad grammar and writing skills, no knowledge of history, and no idea why these things matter.
It's also a national disgrace that the quality of education your child receives is a function of how much you can afford to pay for your housing. This is both a moral issue and critical one for our national future—i.e., whether we're globally competitive, whether we truly nurture our best (and average, and least) minds, whether the vast majority are employable rather than on welfare, and whether we instill our citizens of the future with curiosity, creativity, high aspirations, high performance, deferred gratification, love of learning, drive, capability, and so on.
So yes, we need a Department of Education, although what it pays attention to and how those things are handled may need revision.
36
Education in this country continues to be set by the uneducated politician! Under the current system we continue to decimate public education and leave our most marginalized children further behind. Gates, Joel Klein, et al don't care at all about students or educators. The privatization of American schools is a travesty. We do need an national education curriculum. In and of itself common core is not a bad thing, but as usual we want to throw the baby out with the bath water. The goals of common core are sound; it's the delivery that needs to be improved. We still need to take children from where they are and scaffold learning so that all children have an opportunity to realize their fullest potential. This is is the best interest of this country and it's taxpayers too. Cutting out a Federal role will surely cut back on the monies that our spent on SPEd (most of which comes from Washington); it will reduce gender equality programs as well.
It's sad that our Republican candidates represent why we need a Federal role in education. They are the most uneducated group of leaders this country has ever witnessed!
It's sad that our Republican candidates represent why we need a Federal role in education. They are the most uneducated group of leaders this country has ever witnessed!
21
Not uneducated, more like anti- education. Ivy leaguers like Ted Cruz railing against education are not ignorant they are craven, pandering to the ignorance and prejudice of others.
As a life long Democrat, I have to say that President Obama and Arne Duncan have not done education any favors either. And I say that with a sad heart.
1
As long as the riche think that they can do without it, which is partly true, the middle class, which hopes to get rich, agree.
1
Scrap the Department of Education.
The Federal government should not be involved in primary education. That i a local responsibility.
The Federal government should not be involved in primary education. That i a local responsibility.
2
Rather than abolish the Dept of Education, let's abolish the states instead.
7
I was moderately supportive of Common Core... until I heard last week that it is pushing "Global Warming" as a matter of "education" on grade school children. This is Political Indoctrination... plain & simple.
Time to get rid of "Common Core"... and time to look at the Dept. of Education and replace it with something better.
Time to get rid of "Common Core"... and time to look at the Dept. of Education and replace it with something better.
3
I would gladly support any program that educates its students on global warming, which is pretty hard to ignore. We need to arm our students with real facts of the damage we continue to impose on our world. Global warming is not going to go away and they are the ones who will suffer the most if we don't teach them to do better.
2
Evidence of why the Common Core is needed. Global warming is a scientific fact as is climate change.
2
Another science denier? Creationism is OK though, right?
3
I am from a family of teachers who have taught in various generations everywhere from one-room schoolhouses in Kentucky to Chicago to various university campuses. Public education and the G.I. Bill made some of the most profound changes in this country that permitted the rise of the middle class and the repositioning of the United States as a super power and an innovator in technology, science, medicine, and industry.
This is what Republicans especially are now endangering. In red state after red state, they attack basic knowledge and education. They tamper with schoolbooks substituting ideology for knowledge. They deny science and medicine and try to return to the pre-Enlightenment era of superstition.
The Department of Education serves the same purpose as federal laws. It means that national standards can maintain a certain level of basic knowledge expected of every student in the country, even if they have the misfortune to be a victim of a red state deterioration of educational values. Students should not have to move to other states to get a good education, nor should they enter college or the work force unprepared for the 21st century and lacking in the basic knowledge others get.
These politicians who are so concerned with attacking the Department of Education should instead attack the ignorance and failing educational support and resources in their own states, where their residents often reveal an appalling ignorance and bigotry.
This is what Republicans especially are now endangering. In red state after red state, they attack basic knowledge and education. They tamper with schoolbooks substituting ideology for knowledge. They deny science and medicine and try to return to the pre-Enlightenment era of superstition.
The Department of Education serves the same purpose as federal laws. It means that national standards can maintain a certain level of basic knowledge expected of every student in the country, even if they have the misfortune to be a victim of a red state deterioration of educational values. Students should not have to move to other states to get a good education, nor should they enter college or the work force unprepared for the 21st century and lacking in the basic knowledge others get.
These politicians who are so concerned with attacking the Department of Education should instead attack the ignorance and failing educational support and resources in their own states, where their residents often reveal an appalling ignorance and bigotry.
28
I started teaching college chemistry 30 years ago. Back then, about a third of the freshman class would be failed for not being up to snuff. Students knew what logarithms were and how to use them, how to write complete sentences, could solve a simple quadratic equation by hand, studied hours every night and many even had jobs. Today, many students cannot write a sentence with a verb and subject. Take away their calculators and they are helpless with logarithms or quadratic equations and if you ask them to study for only 15-30 minutes in the evening, then they act as though you are crazy. The only thing more crazy that wanting them to study is suggesting to them they they get a part time job while in school. The result is that 30 years ago, I would start with 100 students and have 75 at the end of the semester with 5 or 10 of those remaining students failing while, today, I start the semester with a hundred students and at the end of the semester I have 110 (from late adds) and I am not allowed to fail any lest mom and dad get angry. We have turned many colleges into daycare centers that only serve to delay puberty by 4 years and the product, the college graduate, has no skills wanted by industry.
>
How does the Dept. ED. fix or help this? They don't fr they are are co-conspirators who think that being nice is the same as being educated and smart, where students need to be protected from ideas not discussing them... The DOE gets a failing grade.
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How does the Dept. ED. fix or help this? They don't fr they are are co-conspirators who think that being nice is the same as being educated and smart, where students need to be protected from ideas not discussing them... The DOE gets a failing grade.
16
I often hear or read laments along the lines of "these students today". I'm a teacher at a public high school so let me tell you about my students. I teach at an IB school and our diploma candidates have to write - pretty much independently - a 4000 word research paper. They also have to go through 2 20 minute oral interviews in English and a 10 minute interview in another non-native language. They sit for a battery of tests in 6 subjects - English, a second language, History, Chemistry, Math and Fine Arts - that can take over 20 hours. And there are also other internal assessments and requirements I'm not even including. No, these students aren't required to do what I was required to do 40 years ago in high school, they choose to require even more of themselves. For those who worry about the state of public school students today, come and talk to mine.
1
In my school, we also have IB, because it "looks good". I would hardly consider these students accelerated, but merely average. Many cannot write well, but have been selected simply to promote the program. Next year, we are dropping it and going for AP classes instead. Rinse, repeat.
Having concluded my formal education before 1979, I can hardly imagine the heights to which I might have risen if I had the help of that department.
Unfortunately, I find that my younger, Department of Eduction enhanced fellow citizens, tend to be dumber than dirt. In casual conversation, they lack the fundamental knowledge which was once considered necessary to receive a grade school diploma.
Hey there, whippersnappers, what is the general solution to a quadratic equation?
What does Avogadro's Number define, and for extra points, recite it.
Whom did we fight in the war of 1812?
What collection of sides and angles makes triangles congruent? Similar?
Who wrote Common Sense? The Origin of the Species? Lord Jim? Paradise Lost?
Name six planets of the solar system. Name forty eight of the fifty states. Name the first 5 presidents of your nation. Name ten chemical elements. Name two of Newton's laws of motion. Name ten European nations. Name ten Asian nations. Name six cabinet offices. Name ten instruments included in a classical orchestra. Name five impressionist artists.
What causes eclipses? earthquakes? tornados?
What has the Department of Education done for you lately?
Unfortunately, I find that my younger, Department of Eduction enhanced fellow citizens, tend to be dumber than dirt. In casual conversation, they lack the fundamental knowledge which was once considered necessary to receive a grade school diploma.
Hey there, whippersnappers, what is the general solution to a quadratic equation?
What does Avogadro's Number define, and for extra points, recite it.
Whom did we fight in the war of 1812?
What collection of sides and angles makes triangles congruent? Similar?
Who wrote Common Sense? The Origin of the Species? Lord Jim? Paradise Lost?
Name six planets of the solar system. Name forty eight of the fifty states. Name the first 5 presidents of your nation. Name ten chemical elements. Name two of Newton's laws of motion. Name ten European nations. Name ten Asian nations. Name six cabinet offices. Name ten instruments included in a classical orchestra. Name five impressionist artists.
What causes eclipses? earthquakes? tornados?
What has the Department of Education done for you lately?
9
While I admire your knowledge that I am guessing is all from memorization, that is not the only indicator of a good education. One of the best things I ever got from education was the ability to go find the answers to the questions, not needed to have them memorized. I worked as a construction inspector many years and had to work with contractors as to meeting code during construction. Because memory is questionable if all parties are not in agreement with the code enforcers info you always look it up and show it to all involved. Too often memory alone is slightly skewed.
Now days especially there is so much knowledge to be accesed learning to look for and find valid (note the word valid, facebook is not a reference source) information is far more important than knowing how many instruments are in a classical orchestra (unless maybe you are a musician)
Now days especially there is so much knowledge to be accesed learning to look for and find valid (note the word valid, facebook is not a reference source) information is far more important than knowing how many instruments are in a classical orchestra (unless maybe you are a musician)
No, don't ask them simply to name nations. Ask them to find them on a globe—within five to ten seconds.
To borrow a line from Kong Qiu, whom we round-eyes, for some inscrutable occidental reason call Confucius, "Thought without knowledge is dangerous."
But then, again, that is another something which you failed to memorize. In addition to memorization, I have made significant contributions to a half dozen fields of human knowledge, instituted and developed several systems for the integration and access of knowledge and been published in a least 5 major journals or bulletins. "Now days" as you so sedulously put it, access to information is useless if you do not possess an internal data base from which to begin that access. Living in a library is irrelevant to an illiterate.
But then, again, that is another something which you failed to memorize. In addition to memorization, I have made significant contributions to a half dozen fields of human knowledge, instituted and developed several systems for the integration and access of knowledge and been published in a least 5 major journals or bulletins. "Now days" as you so sedulously put it, access to information is useless if you do not possess an internal data base from which to begin that access. Living in a library is irrelevant to an illiterate.
Kati Haycock asserts that "Kids with disabilities and minority kids always come last" when states are left on their own. So with all the Federal intervention over the last two presidencies, who is now last: Kids with disabilities and minority kids! In fact some research shows that the achievement gap has has widened. it is ridiculous that Joel Klein is cited, as under his NYC Chancellorship, racial segregation of schools increased and minority admission to gifted programs and specialized high schools plummeted! And this is in a state that supports all the US DOE policies. The problem with Frank Bruni's column and all of his columns on education is that the refuse to consider research that challenges and refutes his claims. While many politicians opposing the current US DOE reforms have nefarious motives, a huge parent movement opposes the US DOE policies for educational harm that they experience first hand. In a democracy, the government is supposed to be responsive to the people. The elites supporting the US DOE policies do NOT know better--and they exempt their own children from US DOE policies by sending them to private school. The Common Core standards are not the problem--the Double Standard is the problem!
54
Charter schools siphon off the best performing students with engaged parents from the public school system. Parents of disabled students claim that charter schools either deny or push out their children as cost cutting measures. Given that they are run by companies or nonprofit groups using taxpayer funds, these charters are free from the bureaucratic constraints of traditional schools including unions & pay scales that retain highly talented special education teachers. There is also research that the "special services" label that is attached to students who qualified in public schools is dropped when they choose to enroll in charter or "voucher" schools thus losing their 504 status. The voucher system is also being manipulated to allow parents to choose private schools thus endorsing & providing federal funding for private schools. These same private schools can terminate a teacher w/o the right to due process. This means that teachers have no voice in how the school is run nor do they have any job protection, similar to low paid Wal Mart, McDonalds or Pizza Hut employees. Is it any wonder that the best & brightest no longer want to enter the low paying teaching profession that gives them no respect? The top down approach from the DOE is creating this shift from public to private & laying the groundwork for public schools to be the dumping grounds for children w/ the most pressing needs including uninvolved parents, learning difficulties, & behavioral & emotional demands.
1
In America, the problem is Americans.
The states rights theme is often used as a cover to enact laws of prejudice, oppression and backwardness. I'm talking about segregation, poll taxes, creationism, classism and other means to "keep people in their place."
Education is the number one universal means to break that state imposed imprisonment. Removing federal involvement in education is an attempt to break that universality.
Recently a politician in the Kansas State House made a public statement that the State is only obligated to to provide an "adequate" education, not the best education. Only a poorly educated and ignorant person would make such a statement. He made it to justify the severe defunding of education ongoing in Kansas schools.
This is exactly why our nation needs federal involvement in education. Not to level the playing field, but to boost it. If left to local control, short sightedness and ignorance will dismantle it.
Every child deserves the opportunity to advance. No child should be held back. The problem isn't that federal government influence has failed, the problem is that local control failed.
Education is the number one universal means to break that state imposed imprisonment. Removing federal involvement in education is an attempt to break that universality.
Recently a politician in the Kansas State House made a public statement that the State is only obligated to to provide an "adequate" education, not the best education. Only a poorly educated and ignorant person would make such a statement. He made it to justify the severe defunding of education ongoing in Kansas schools.
This is exactly why our nation needs federal involvement in education. Not to level the playing field, but to boost it. If left to local control, short sightedness and ignorance will dismantle it.
Every child deserves the opportunity to advance. No child should be held back. The problem isn't that federal government influence has failed, the problem is that local control failed.
32
Bruce wrote: "our nation needs federal involvement in education. Not to level the playing field, but to boost it."
I see no reason to believe that Federal involvement in education will improve it. Past Federal involvement in Education indicates no reason to believe in such improvement.
I see no reason to believe that Federal involvement in education will improve it. Past Federal involvement in Education indicates no reason to believe in such improvement.
Stick to powerful pieces about sexual identity (or food), Mr. Bruni. Education is not your metier.
1. You quote The Education Trust. This is one of many astroturf organizations supporting school choice and funded by Gates, Walton, Broad and the usual suspects.
2. You support your argument by alluding to the data shenanigans engaged in by many school districts or states. Fair enough, but they only did this in response to the testing and accountability foisted on them by really bad legislation.
3. You cite Joel Klein? Under his watch, there was constant shifting of test data in order to create the illusion of progress.
4. At least identify the Fordham Institute for what it is: A conservative shill organization, also funded by Gates, Walton, Broad and the usual suspects.
The primary problem with this column is that it lends credence to the arguments of a bunch of politicians. Duncan is not an educator. Klein is not an educator. Alexander is not an educator. Haycock is not an educator. Petrilli is not an educator. To my knowledge not a one of these folks has taught or knows much about child development or brain development.
I respect Mr. Bruni immensely, but I don't think he would be taken in by propaganda in any other realm. This is like getting sexual identity information from Focus on the Family.
1. You quote The Education Trust. This is one of many astroturf organizations supporting school choice and funded by Gates, Walton, Broad and the usual suspects.
2. You support your argument by alluding to the data shenanigans engaged in by many school districts or states. Fair enough, but they only did this in response to the testing and accountability foisted on them by really bad legislation.
3. You cite Joel Klein? Under his watch, there was constant shifting of test data in order to create the illusion of progress.
4. At least identify the Fordham Institute for what it is: A conservative shill organization, also funded by Gates, Walton, Broad and the usual suspects.
The primary problem with this column is that it lends credence to the arguments of a bunch of politicians. Duncan is not an educator. Klein is not an educator. Alexander is not an educator. Haycock is not an educator. Petrilli is not an educator. To my knowledge not a one of these folks has taught or knows much about child development or brain development.
I respect Mr. Bruni immensely, but I don't think he would be taken in by propaganda in any other realm. This is like getting sexual identity information from Focus on the Family.
15
The bottom line is that the developed countries that are kicking our butts in education all have more, not less, central government involvement in education, from funding to curriculum. Our system now suffers from excess local control, not lack of local control. That is especially true considering that the dumbest group of Americans on the whole, local school board members, are all too often elected on the basis of promises to oppose taxes at all costs or because of a personal, all too often religious, agenda that is in conflict with the provision of a liberal (inclusive and well-rounded) education.
43
Joe wrote: "Our system now suffers from excess local control, not lack of local control."
Not really... control is in the hands of textbook companies and other providers of education services .... Our system suffers from a complete failure to intelligently apply relevant data whether at the local level or national. Follow the Money.
Not really... control is in the hands of textbook companies and other providers of education services .... Our system suffers from a complete failure to intelligently apply relevant data whether at the local level or national. Follow the Money.
I have always supported a governmental role in education and apposed vouchers , until now! I have granddaughter with special needs that her state and community funded school have not addressed. Sadly, for her, our family does not have the funds, about 80k per year, to send her to a private school designed to meet her needs and prepare her to be a productive adult . She enters high school this year. To add to our distress is the fact that the community in which she lives,without a high school, refuse to pay for the educational component of this private school but will pay tuition for her to attend high school in a nearby community that is not prepared or capable to educate her. I have come to, reluctantly, support the school vouchers. Our family, with the support of a voucher ,could with sacrifice provide an appropriate education for my granddaughter .
3
Odd. Here in Maine, the Damariscotta school district, a small one, recently faced a hike in its school budget of $400,000, mostly because of one child who needed special ed in another school district. Our governor, a Republican, wants to get the state out of the education business, and leave it to the towns. Some (mostly affluent) towns do a good job; some do a terrible job. This country has apparently never figured out how to teach kids. Endless experimentation--remember base 10, which gave way to base 8 (or vice versa)--has resulted in endless failure for some kids--mostly poor. Leaving education to the towns is a terrible idea--leaving it to the states isn't much better. The Federal government needs a hand in it, I guess. But who's more educationally challenged than the members of Congress?
1
I guess it's clear then- we must abandon governments role in education because of your personal experience!
I am all for an effective Department of Education. But, Arne Duncan is Pres. Obama's worst appointment. He is unqualified for the position and is wasting enormous human capital and financial resources on his business approach to schools. He hasn't a clue how children learn or what they need to thrive. Yet, it is not a mystery. Professional researchers and educators know. Other countries know. It is not high-stakes testing, privatized/charter schools, endless competition, packaged curricula. Our kids, parents, communities, nation deserve better.
19
"...states...may produce... results at odds with any nationwide measurement." Remember the Texas Miracle?
It was touted by GWB during his election campaign. The miracle was said to be a major improvement in graduation and other outcomes, overseen in part by Ron Paige, who had become superintendent of schools in the Houston Independent School District. On the basis of that miracle, Bush picked Paige as his secretary of Education. The "miracle" was shown to be a compound of payola and creative record keeping, some of it constituting fraud.
It was touted by GWB during his election campaign. The miracle was said to be a major improvement in graduation and other outcomes, overseen in part by Ron Paige, who had become superintendent of schools in the Houston Independent School District. On the basis of that miracle, Bush picked Paige as his secretary of Education. The "miracle" was shown to be a compound of payola and creative record keeping, some of it constituting fraud.
15
"But what some of the Republican presidential candidates are doing is the equivalent of looking at a person who’s having a really bad hair day and recommending decapitation."
So how many decades of incompetence should be allowed?
And how well have the Feds done in dealing with the deplorable condition of urban schools? Could the states do any worse?
The Left has never met a government program that they believed should be cut, unless we're talking about national defense.
So how many decades of incompetence should be allowed?
And how well have the Feds done in dealing with the deplorable condition of urban schools? Could the states do any worse?
The Left has never met a government program that they believed should be cut, unless we're talking about national defense.
4
You ask if the States could do worse. Poor urban schools are not a result of Federal inaction, they are a product of both the State and localities ignoring basic infrastructure needs.
Schools are not overcrowded because of Federal neglect. They are overcrowded because there are simply more students than seats. Nevertheless, neither the State, nor the City are building new schools or expanding old ones quickly enough to match the changes in population. The problem is particularly acute in urban areas where high population density precludes easy access to land for additional schools or expansion of existing ones.
We need more classrooms and smaller class sizes if we want to produce better educated citizens.
Schools are not overcrowded because of Federal neglect. They are overcrowded because there are simply more students than seats. Nevertheless, neither the State, nor the City are building new schools or expanding old ones quickly enough to match the changes in population. The problem is particularly acute in urban areas where high population density precludes easy access to land for additional schools or expansion of existing ones.
We need more classrooms and smaller class sizes if we want to produce better educated citizens.
2
The right has never met a government program it couldn't sell out to a crony for personal profit.
When the quality of the education that you will receive in the United States can be accurately predicted by your zip code then you know that access to education in America is determined by race, color, geography ethnicity and socioeconomics. The time honored exceptional American hypocrisy that has metastasized to every rotten nook of civil secular life.
Neither Arne Duncan nor POTUS Obama nor Rahm Emanuel nor David Axelrod nor Valerie Jarrett nor Bill Daley believed in nor believe in providing a quality public or private or chartered school education for all Americans. They and their ilk are too good and wise to send their kids to school with most American kids.
There is a politically bipartisan charade. Both sides claim to be for education. Regularly referring rhetorically to kids as our future. What kind of education is the victim of debased inhuman inhumane political preening and posturing. Shameful and embarrassing are inadequate to expose the exaltation of privilege, ignorance and stupidity that is the anti-thesis of education. A caricature of governing reasonably and responsibly.
Meanwhile China and India are focused on educating their kids and rising. They wait until college or university to send their kids to America for a quality education. Germany, United Kingdom and Japan are also very serious about education.
Neither Arne Duncan nor POTUS Obama nor Rahm Emanuel nor David Axelrod nor Valerie Jarrett nor Bill Daley believed in nor believe in providing a quality public or private or chartered school education for all Americans. They and their ilk are too good and wise to send their kids to school with most American kids.
There is a politically bipartisan charade. Both sides claim to be for education. Regularly referring rhetorically to kids as our future. What kind of education is the victim of debased inhuman inhumane political preening and posturing. Shameful and embarrassing are inadequate to expose the exaltation of privilege, ignorance and stupidity that is the anti-thesis of education. A caricature of governing reasonably and responsibly.
Meanwhile China and India are focused on educating their kids and rising. They wait until college or university to send their kids to America for a quality education. Germany, United Kingdom and Japan are also very serious about education.
8
Sure- you're right, they're wrong, huge conspiracy! Tin hat time!
1
As an educator the irony of so many Republicans now calling for abolishing DOE does not escape me! I taught in Texas for nine years under mostly Republican leadership and watched the advent of state tests used as a punitive means to an end of growing the now behemoth testing industry!
I have now taught in Florida for sixteen years-eight of those years under Jeb "all about improving education" Bush. Make no mistake, the only reason these Republicans want to do away with any Federal oversight of public education is so they can eventually dismantle public education as we know it-giving away state monies to unproven charter schools, and private school vouchers-all the while continuing to put top down policies in place that completely take away any local control.
Make no mistake-NCLB needs reworking. What started out as an admirable means to level the playing field has not accomplished its goal. But these Republicans calling for the demise of DOE are not interested in reworking-they are only interested in finishing off public education-thus leaving many children behind!
I have now taught in Florida for sixteen years-eight of those years under Jeb "all about improving education" Bush. Make no mistake, the only reason these Republicans want to do away with any Federal oversight of public education is so they can eventually dismantle public education as we know it-giving away state monies to unproven charter schools, and private school vouchers-all the while continuing to put top down policies in place that completely take away any local control.
Make no mistake-NCLB needs reworking. What started out as an admirable means to level the playing field has not accomplished its goal. But these Republicans calling for the demise of DOE are not interested in reworking-they are only interested in finishing off public education-thus leaving many children behind!
18
By all means let's do away with the common core standardized tests. We wouldn't want the citizens of states like Mississippi (that dis-invest and privatize primary and secondary education) to feel bad about the fact that their kids uniformly under-perform the kids in states (like Maryland) that invest in public education.
15
Personally, I see Duncan as a counterproductive. He should be replaced, and that is the gist of my complaint. Moreover, I have been a Democrat who does see the Department of Education as a barrier to good education that stems from the teacher, not the administration.
State control of education is a little risky in states with a history of discrimination against minorities.
I can see the Federal Government as an advisor to states (acting as a persuasive force, rather than dictum). But for downright discrimination against Blacks in particular.
We can't erase Brown vs The Board of Education: it's necessary for equal opportunity and growth in a "free society." That would be going to far.
A lot of people don't realize that charter schools is not a free lunch or a discount. State money goes to pay for Charter schools too.
There's an old saying that all politics is local as though it is true. The same can be said about education. Good education is not necessarily local; many cities fall short of offering quality education. But what is local is the classroom teacher.
The teacher is the one who affects your child's growth, and he/she shoul be given the freedom to make professional decisions -- the rest of the accountability network should be the supporting cast.
State control of education is a little risky in states with a history of discrimination against minorities.
I can see the Federal Government as an advisor to states (acting as a persuasive force, rather than dictum). But for downright discrimination against Blacks in particular.
We can't erase Brown vs The Board of Education: it's necessary for equal opportunity and growth in a "free society." That would be going to far.
A lot of people don't realize that charter schools is not a free lunch or a discount. State money goes to pay for Charter schools too.
There's an old saying that all politics is local as though it is true. The same can be said about education. Good education is not necessarily local; many cities fall short of offering quality education. But what is local is the classroom teacher.
The teacher is the one who affects your child's growth, and he/she shoul be given the freedom to make professional decisions -- the rest of the accountability network should be the supporting cast.
2
The U. S. Department of Education is going nowhere. All the passengers on the GOP clown bus for president are simply attempting to outdo each others version of extreme stupid, with no winners in sight. Neither Jeb Bush nor Hillary Clinton are not about to eliminate the only safeguard against fraudulent state efforts regarding the operation of our public schools. The policeman in the room is the federal DOE and it's as necessary as any other federal cabinet position in existence.
14
Edited: Neither Jeb Bush nor Hillary Clinton are about to eliminate the only safeguard against fraudulent state efforts regarding the operation of our public schools.
Sure, get rid of the Department of Education in a nation of nearly 320 million people that considers itself highly exceptional and the most powerful nation in the world. Never mind U.S. students do relatively poorly on international academic achievement comparisons (see: http://www.oecd.org/unitedstates/PISA-2012-results-US.pdf)
And who better to tell us to get rid of the Dept. of Education than former Texas Governor Rick Perry, who, like Sarah Palin, wears glasses to at least give the appearance of intelligence--until they start babbling, of course, and give it away. Lots of Republicans are against government in general (except the military) and especially the Dept of Education, EPA, FDA, Consumer Protection, etc. Now some Democrats are going in--wonder why?
Oh what a surprise, especially with hedge fund managers investing in charter schools, the power of those for-profit online university investors and campaign contributors questing after poor students with federal dollars to spend on education (GI Bill, etc.) but a very poor rate of return for their dollar, and the digital education industry salivating to get rid of live teachers and just tether those little children to computers and digital devices.
Here is what former Gov. of FL Jeb Bush did to advance charter schools for his cronies (http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/01/26/testing-time).
It's not about children & learning; it's about the money to be had by privatizing education, deregulation, & lo-info voters
And who better to tell us to get rid of the Dept. of Education than former Texas Governor Rick Perry, who, like Sarah Palin, wears glasses to at least give the appearance of intelligence--until they start babbling, of course, and give it away. Lots of Republicans are against government in general (except the military) and especially the Dept of Education, EPA, FDA, Consumer Protection, etc. Now some Democrats are going in--wonder why?
Oh what a surprise, especially with hedge fund managers investing in charter schools, the power of those for-profit online university investors and campaign contributors questing after poor students with federal dollars to spend on education (GI Bill, etc.) but a very poor rate of return for their dollar, and the digital education industry salivating to get rid of live teachers and just tether those little children to computers and digital devices.
Here is what former Gov. of FL Jeb Bush did to advance charter schools for his cronies (http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/01/26/testing-time).
It's not about children & learning; it's about the money to be had by privatizing education, deregulation, & lo-info voters
20
The current views of the Republican and Democratic parties are in an odd alignment. As defenders of the 10th Amendment, Republicans want to rid us of the Education Department and any organizing principle such as the Common Core in favor of individual States rights. As defenders of the teachers unions, Democrats dislike the annual testing and teacher accountability in Obama's Education Department (e.g. Race to the Top).
This is a curious time to weaken Federal involvement in Education. To me, Education is inextricably linked to the more topical issue of Inequality. If you simply graduate high school and wait to have kids until you are pregnant, you have an 86% chance of reaching the middle class. While the graduation rate has improved, our schools still fail over 20% of students leaving them with poor prospects. Even for those that graduate, fewer than 40% are proficient in either Math or English. In the Information Age, should we really focus less on Education ?
I somewhat agree with Ms. Haycock, " “When states are left on their own, low-income kids, kids with disabilities and minority kids always come last,”. I fear that the gains that we have seen in poor children as a result of the growth of charters and the competition they produce will be counteracted by the reduction in national testing and the ardently liberal instincts of liberal mayors like de Blasio.
This is a curious time to weaken Federal involvement in Education. To me, Education is inextricably linked to the more topical issue of Inequality. If you simply graduate high school and wait to have kids until you are pregnant, you have an 86% chance of reaching the middle class. While the graduation rate has improved, our schools still fail over 20% of students leaving them with poor prospects. Even for those that graduate, fewer than 40% are proficient in either Math or English. In the Information Age, should we really focus less on Education ?
I somewhat agree with Ms. Haycock, " “When states are left on their own, low-income kids, kids with disabilities and minority kids always come last,”. I fear that the gains that we have seen in poor children as a result of the growth of charters and the competition they produce will be counteracted by the reduction in national testing and the ardently liberal instincts of liberal mayors like de Blasio.
2
Charter = $$$
I agree with the author that disbanding Federal Authority in education isn't the solution. Parents play a very important role in education. It's the parents, who should know the significance of education. If they can't value it then none can help the children and the society.
Primarily, high school education is all about good teachers, books, black boards, dusters, chalk pieces, good library, laboratory, clean toilets and certainly not technology. Investing hugely in technology is sheer wastage.
Basically parents should teach children to concentrate on what is taught in class and then practice the same at home till they learn it thoroughly. They should keep the children away from electronic gadgets, which are more of a distraction rather than assets.
Any kind of school needs some kind of homework and testing in order to assess the students. So there's no use keep on grumbling and protesting about the type of tests. I feel common core is a step in the right direction if taught properly. No electronic gadgets should be permitted in school except calculators that too for higher classes if and only if required.
Primarily, high school education is all about good teachers, books, black boards, dusters, chalk pieces, good library, laboratory, clean toilets and certainly not technology. Investing hugely in technology is sheer wastage.
Basically parents should teach children to concentrate on what is taught in class and then practice the same at home till they learn it thoroughly. They should keep the children away from electronic gadgets, which are more of a distraction rather than assets.
Any kind of school needs some kind of homework and testing in order to assess the students. So there's no use keep on grumbling and protesting about the type of tests. I feel common core is a step in the right direction if taught properly. No electronic gadgets should be permitted in school except calculators that too for higher classes if and only if required.
1
Educating our children is a national issue which has implications for business, government, and especially national security. States that do a poor job of educating children are hurting our ability to compete in the world economy and develop the skills needed to operate an increasingly technological defense structure.
6
1. Fund schools federally rather than based on property taxes.
2. Contrary to popar belief teachers have been accountable for years well before APPR.
3. Most teachers have no problem with Common Core as a whole or concept. They object to parts of it that are developmentally inappropriate, to the knee jerk reaction to meeting unrealistic expectations of CC (ex. unrealistic lexile levels in kindergarten) and to poorly designed tests.
4. Adults need to do their part and exert some common sense (stop having kids you cannot raise, value education, support learning- simply talking to kids and taking them to the library is free).
5. Teachers are dedicated professionals. They're tired of being bashed, tired of administrators and boards who grant tenure to undeserved (unions don't grant tenure!). They are tired of test makers and curriculum developers who know nothing about how people learn. And tired of being held responsible for the ramifications of every kids' home life. It takes a village... starting with parents.
2. Contrary to popar belief teachers have been accountable for years well before APPR.
3. Most teachers have no problem with Common Core as a whole or concept. They object to parts of it that are developmentally inappropriate, to the knee jerk reaction to meeting unrealistic expectations of CC (ex. unrealistic lexile levels in kindergarten) and to poorly designed tests.
4. Adults need to do their part and exert some common sense (stop having kids you cannot raise, value education, support learning- simply talking to kids and taking them to the library is free).
5. Teachers are dedicated professionals. They're tired of being bashed, tired of administrators and boards who grant tenure to undeserved (unions don't grant tenure!). They are tired of test makers and curriculum developers who know nothing about how people learn. And tired of being held responsible for the ramifications of every kids' home life. It takes a village... starting with parents.
22
In a world populated with six billion plus humans the likelihood that the next generation of world class geniuses will be found in private schools for the privileged few is very small. The world needs world class minds. World class public education will be the only way to find and engage the minds of really smart humans. The United States due to the deliberate ignorance of many political leaders with minds so small that they really believe their own kids should have opportunities, particularly in education, that they will not and see no reason to provide to the masses. This mindset, which is carried by many of our current political and private leaders, sets the United States on a path that will see the country become increasingly mediocre in all aspects of human endeavor over the next decades. Instead of spiraling upward in national achievements we spiraling downward at and accelerating rate. We can claim the most frightening military in the world and an economic system that generates money for the privileged at rates never imagined but we cannot save our country and the majority of its citizens from debilitating mediocrity.
8
1
Stick to soccer.
The Republicans have been out to get whatever federal agency is involved in education since at least the 1980s: witness the abolishment of the US Office of Education and creation of the now defunct "National Institute of Education." The reason for this is simple: a dumb voter is a Republican voter; so keep 'em dumb!
6
And make as much money as possible doing it!
A superficial culture, one that is in freefall economically and in many other key ways, is a culture that gives rise to uneducable children. If parents permit their children to have electronic toys from an early age, well, then, they will play with texting and apps and completely neglect any and all aspects of intellectual curiosity in preference to communicating with Suzy about her latest American Girl outfit or Tommy about his latest hockey gear. And then up comes age 17 or 18 with "graduation" from high school, a total farce for many of these doltish children who are devoid of higher reasoning or analytical thinking skills. While so many people bray on endlessly about their offsprings' academic ability, about the charter school they go to and how, it turns out, no testing method has been devised or deployed yet that can sufficiently measure their kid's astounding mind, we see that these same children are going to be completely sidelined when they eventually go out to compete against new arrivals from China, India, Europe or elsewhere, who have been tasked to get an education.
7
Get rid of the Department of Education? Great idea. Let's go one step further. Get rid of public education altogether and let the states have the option to give vouchers. Let that brew for a generation or so and then we won't have to export all our cheap labor requirements overseas. We'll have our own Bangladesh equivalent in states like Mississippi or Alabama. Meanwhile let's also get rid of the EPA and pass laws that prevent the public from suing manufacturers who are caught ruining our air, water and soil. And don't forget that pesky National Forest Service. What useless expense those people are. Sell that Grand Canyon to the Chinese so they can turn it into a theme park. Give all our federal lands to timber and oil companies. Oh, and don't forget to deregulate the banks, pharmaceuticals, agra-businesses.
Heck, all that's too much trouble. Just sell State and Federal Governments to the highest bidder and distribute the proceeds to the 1 percenters. No...wait, haven't we already done that?
Heck, all that's too much trouble. Just sell State and Federal Governments to the highest bidder and distribute the proceeds to the 1 percenters. No...wait, haven't we already done that?
114
Isn't it amazing that a seeming majority of Republicans, and a huge number of every day working Americans, seem to agree with all of that?
6
A start would be to screen "The Flintstones" in all classrooms so students will know the truth about the Stone Age.
Kids do badly in school for the same reason adults don't save enough money. It's hard to see the importance of the future in the present. Show students the relevance of what they're learning today to their future.
7
There are many similarities between the actions taken by the DOE and Operation Iraqi Freedom. This is Obama's Iraq. He has heeded the advice of those with stakes and agendas and seems to have ignored those with personal stakes and clear-cut goals: the teachers. And so has Bruni. He looks to politicians, advocacy groups, think tanks, and Joel Klein (of all people) for pertinent information and opinion upon which to base discussion. Ask teachers.
8
A core competence curriculum is a top heavy,one fit all,soviet style of educational system ill suited to a diverse,innovative,entrepreneurial nation like United States.
Every state,every school should have a curriculum that straddles the basic syllabus but free from rigid modality of one size fit all strategy.
Higher education in U S are its Crown Jewels & needs to be emulated while formulating a policy for Schools.
Schools should emulate the Colleges.A top down approach to education.
Every state,every school should have a curriculum that straddles the basic syllabus but free from rigid modality of one size fit all strategy.
Higher education in U S are its Crown Jewels & needs to be emulated while formulating a policy for Schools.
Schools should emulate the Colleges.A top down approach to education.
1
Restore the prestige and professionalism of the teaching profession. Get the ablest young people into teaching by paying teachers well and making education schools highly selective. Establish high standards (Common Core is a good start), and then trust teachers to do their job.
Currently teachers are "evaluated" within an inch of their lives, using a system that requires hours and hours of paperwork and meetings, time which is taken away from preparing lessons. The message we get is: "You are not trusted, and unless you are policed you will not do your job." Teachers are infantilized and insulted. Is there any wonder good people are leaving the profession, and the ablest college graduates steer clear of teaching?
Currently teachers are "evaluated" within an inch of their lives, using a system that requires hours and hours of paperwork and meetings, time which is taken away from preparing lessons. The message we get is: "You are not trusted, and unless you are policed you will not do your job." Teachers are infantilized and insulted. Is there any wonder good people are leaving the profession, and the ablest college graduates steer clear of teaching?
14
For me the bottom line is name a Secretary of Education who did anything memorable that you agree with. So let's see, Arnie Duncan RT3, race to the top, a sell out to the privatization crew. Lamar Alexander, one of the 1000 points of life crew. Don't even know the name(I think he was from Houston where they cooked the books of his district on testing) of GW Bush's Secretary who gave us NCLB. NCLB is the time wasting, bonus cheating scandal, blood sucking vampire idea of the vacuous Bush II. That's it. Don't remember Clintons, don't remember Reagan's. The only problem I see with getting rid of the DOE is that the Red States will undoubtably begin to defund special ed programs that fall under PL 94-142. With no federal over sight how does one guarantee compliance? Keep it, it is a warm fuzzy Department that doesn't make war on other countries and doesn't enable banks to destroy the financial system.
2
I must point out that educated people are a threat to the GOP. It's much easier to frighten and control the masses if they are uneducated and ill-informed. It makes perfect sense that the GOP wants to do away with education.
14
Public education fails utterly if it graduates students who still believe in magic.
1
Sorry, Steve, public education cannot be expected to be a cure-all for the ills of society--unless it is education in a foreign country.
Arne Duncan (with Mr. Obama's full support) has undercut the credibility of USDOE. The stimulus was a golden opportunity to address the root cause of our "failing schools" which is the poor performance by children raised in poverty on the standardized tests that serve as "proof" that our schools are in distress. Instead of using stimulus funds to help school districts address this reality by expanding social services in schools, expanding preschool and after school programs for children raised in poverty, or fully funding special education, USDOE instituted a test-driven agenda that has demonized teachers, narrowed the curriculum to test-prep, and thrown open the door to privatization of public schools. At the same time Mr. Duncan has remained silent about the scandalous student loan situation because his department is a beneficiary of the usurious interest students are required to pay.
The debates over the common core are a distraction. The data gathered by USDOE reinforce what educators have known for years: students raised in affluence outperform children raised in poverty on standardized tests… and students in affluent school districts have superior opportunities compared to their peers in poverty stroked urban and rural districts. "Bad teachers" aren't the problem: bad federal policy is!
The debates over the common core are a distraction. The data gathered by USDOE reinforce what educators have known for years: students raised in affluence outperform children raised in poverty on standardized tests… and students in affluent school districts have superior opportunities compared to their peers in poverty stroked urban and rural districts. "Bad teachers" aren't the problem: bad federal policy is!
3
Bad parenting doesn't help either. That goes for poor, middle and affluent kids.
When Wendy Williams had her call in show on WBLS she advised young women callers bemoaning about their boyfriends to get their business in order, get educated before becoming a "baby momma".
When Wendy Williams had her call in show on WBLS she advised young women callers bemoaning about their boyfriends to get their business in order, get educated before becoming a "baby momma".
1
Suburban teacher,
Great. Thanks for illustrating the downward spiral of the American education system. Now Wendy Williams is being held up as a sage.
Great. Thanks for illustrating the downward spiral of the American education system. Now Wendy Williams is being held up as a sage.
Today bureaucracy has gone out of hand, become the handmaiden to crony capitalism. It is now 1) big government, and impossible and extremely counterproductive 'standards' ;
2) big business, monopoly, & overpricing ;
3) big 'rights' for 'the people' ;
4) galloping unemployment, and lower and lower standard of living,
5) violation of any states' rights and leading from the local up, instead top-down autocracy ;
and this has been done entirely without consideration for
1) common sense ;
2) ethics ;
3) probity ;
and against any
1) religious precepts of any of the great religions ;
2) the Constitution ;
3) the wisdom of the Enlightenment .
2) big business, monopoly, & overpricing ;
3) big 'rights' for 'the people' ;
4) galloping unemployment, and lower and lower standard of living,
5) violation of any states' rights and leading from the local up, instead top-down autocracy ;
and this has been done entirely without consideration for
1) common sense ;
2) ethics ;
3) probity ;
and against any
1) religious precepts of any of the great religions ;
2) the Constitution ;
3) the wisdom of the Enlightenment .
HOW BRAINS GROW--BLAMING THE VICTIM It's essential to inject facts about how brains grow and develop in any conversation about education, as neuroscience has gained preeminence in understanding what's going on in the brain. No brain, no learning. Fact is that in the first year of life the brain undergoes the most dramatic changes of a lifetime. So if educators want to be on the mark, they'd better start with increasing prenatal care for expectant mothers. But as Barney Franks said, Republicans believe that life begins at conception and ends at birth. So they squander unlimited resources in assuring that no child is left behind before birth. But thereafter, they're AWOL. Any critique of any educational program is, therefore, too little too late. Quibbling about whether Every Child Left Behind is better or worse than the Core Curriculum is gentle in the extreme, since it ignores the fact of their irrelevance. Until and unless we begin preparing children for education in utero and during the first year of life, much of what we do is futile. The findings of neuroscience go against the social theory that anybody can do anything if they try hard enough. Not if their brains are affected aversely before birth and during the first year they can't! How remote are the chances that there will be a dramatic increase in funding for prenatal and first year of life support of children? Ask the Republican social program slashers! Why waste taxpayer money on brains?
1
No one ever considers the responsibility on the part of the TWO parents who created the "student". Teenage pregnancies are down. That's great. But "adults" are still having kids they cannot afford or without family support systems. Thus enter the fed, state and school. When these kids fail despite their "interventions" the blame falls on the teacher.
2
...and the Republicants ensure it stays that way - cut free birth control, say you love Jesus so you don't have to pay a few hundred dollars on your female employees, scream about sex education, and keep those unwanted babies coming (because we need to shame and beat down those lazy mooches)...ah, yes, that's how we'll keep winning elections!
2
Alexander: "But you don't need a department. You need a president who cares about education and a Treasury Department that cuts the checks."
Does that description fit any of the current GOP presidential candidates? The likes of Scott Walker, Bobby Jindal, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz et.al would like nothing more than to turn the U.S. Education system into a low budget "Bible School."
Does that description fit any of the current GOP presidential candidates? The likes of Scott Walker, Bobby Jindal, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz et.al would like nothing more than to turn the U.S. Education system into a low budget "Bible School."
6
Given the rousing collapse that public education has undergone in the half-century of its existence, I declare the Dept. of Ed. to BE the education assassin. Just because we tried something doesn't mean that we have to pay for it forever. Do you buy EVERY bit of clothing that you try on at the store?
Unless you thought the country was being The Budget Assassin when we added this mess all the way back then? That would have made you sound so UnCool!
Unless you thought the country was being The Budget Assassin when we added this mess all the way back then? That would have made you sound so UnCool!
1
School is taught by teachers. Teachers learn in their communities. So many Americans have lost touch with reality that we can't expect teachers to correct it all. And school is only a slice of the educational experience.
4
Perhaps another way to phrase this is what does society wants from the DoE? Here is one suggestion—advance the profession of teaching!
Do this by promoting rigorous training, painstaking evaluations, and pay commensurate with a profession, not a job. Bring back training akin to the normal school and employ an actual apprenticeship/mentoring process. Evaluate teachers with in-class visits and face-to-face sessions over their curriculum and topical knowledge—not solely on standardized test results. Promote the best, train the middling, and fire the poor.
Finally, pay the job as a true profession. Revamp budgeting to pay more to those who teach and less to those who administrate or preside. Base pay on performance, not longevity. In the process, reduce the addiction to the adjunct model and place them in the same evaluation cycle. If the adjunct is the better teacher, fire the tenured professor.
Do this by promoting rigorous training, painstaking evaluations, and pay commensurate with a profession, not a job. Bring back training akin to the normal school and employ an actual apprenticeship/mentoring process. Evaluate teachers with in-class visits and face-to-face sessions over their curriculum and topical knowledge—not solely on standardized test results. Promote the best, train the middling, and fire the poor.
Finally, pay the job as a true profession. Revamp budgeting to pay more to those who teach and less to those who administrate or preside. Base pay on performance, not longevity. In the process, reduce the addiction to the adjunct model and place them in the same evaluation cycle. If the adjunct is the better teacher, fire the tenured professor.
2
Again...no mention of parents role and responsibility.
When, oh WHEN are we going to see education standards for Congress? This could save us from having so many worthless dunces there...
10
Some of you may have noticed that all of the countries that are ahead of us in accomplishments of educators and children have national programs. As people that call themselves exceptional you would think that our standing in the world would be an embarrassment. We rank number fourteen in world standings and have no momentum going to get better.
This is not exceptional, it is a shame.
This is not exceptional, it is a shame.
201
But we have a national education department, spending billions and promulgating the common core and we are 14th. Its not only not working its just confused the situation more.
2
Without the stalwart efforts of the Fed Dept of Ed, we'd be in the dark ages.
1
While the Dept of Education works to level the differences between states, it is still extreme. If we were to look at individual states competing with other countries, some would rank very high, like Massachusetts, while others would rank very low, like Mississippi. Without federal intervention, we can assume that the poorly performing states would do even worse.
Eliminate anything that smells of community or 'we'. Carve the whole country up into fiefdoms each with its billionaire and a couple of politician lackeys running the show. Enough with a 'United' States. Let's go pre-magna carta.
8
Republicans have only one education goal: to slash tax funding for public schools at all levels. Everything they say is simply cover for this endgame.
9
. . . and lower tax rates for the wealthy.
Mr. Bruni:
Thanks for keeping the spotlight on this important debate. Republicans only want to cut out the middleman in education. The quality of education is never part of their agenda. Education is big business.It is always about the money with them. Texas schoolbooks anyone or how about a "new learning system"?
Thanks for keeping the spotlight on this important debate. Republicans only want to cut out the middleman in education. The quality of education is never part of their agenda. Education is big business.It is always about the money with them. Texas schoolbooks anyone or how about a "new learning system"?
3
No , kids with disabilities and poor kids don't come last. Gifted kids do. Especially poor gifted kids whose parents don;t have the wherewithal to get them out of the race to the least common denominator.
11
The Republicans' scheme is so transparent that any moron can see through it. The plan is from another page in the states' rights play book. If they succeed in taking down the Department of Education, they will, under ALEC's guiding hand, isolate the last vestige of knowledge on an island of ignorance. It shouldn't be difficult to see where this is going; curricula in Red states will focus on creationism, the evils of government, the hoax of climate change, re-writing American history to conform with the Right's justification of all the evils in which America has been complicit, science as fraud. Home-schooling will replace the once-revered role of the professional educator, thus killing off the final breath of education's raison-d'être: intellectual curiosity and the good student's contempt for mute, unblinking, unquestioned acceptance of a presented fact. This loathing of the Department of Education by Cruz, Christie, Walker, Huckabee et al. has nothing to do with money; it's all about dissolving the disparate parts that once shouted to the world that the American student is to be admired and copied as unique and exceptional. The Right desires us to become docile and pliant, dumb as sheep.
14
The British have an interesting term, 'Jobsworth'. A jobsworth is a person, "who uses their job description in a deliberately uncooperative way, or who seemingly delights in acting in an obstructive or unhelpful manner." The Department of Education policies have created thousands of these "Jobsworths" who, when armed with a computer and data, fatigue classroom teachers and kids with their endless tests and tiresome analysis. Many of these mini-administrators were, only a few years ago, excellent teachers.
5
We need national standards for student achievement. Every state is all to willing to lowball its standards and say everything is just fine. This is a huge fraud that is being perpetrated on a complicit American public. Be reminded: our economic competitors don't settle for stupid. But we are fat and lazy, and that is the American way.
3
What about Bruni's Populist sweater wearing buddy, Scott Walker? He's anti-education, so he must oppose the Department of Education. Is Patty Murray really a Democrat? She supports the middle class destroying TPP and supports cutting federal aid to education? How is she a Democrat? I guess she must support gay marriage, so that makes everything else OK.
6
Since every other advanced economic nation (Canada, the European Union nations, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, etc.) and most other nations have national Education ministries or departments, of course Republicans want to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education.
As we race to the bottom, it's important to invoke American exceptionalism at every turn.
We're number 28! We're number 28! In OECD education rankings, that is. Tied with Italy, and just ahead of Portugal and Lithuana -- the last a nation 0.05% of American high school graduates can find on a world map.
As we race to the bottom, it's important to invoke American exceptionalism at every turn.
We're number 28! We're number 28! In OECD education rankings, that is. Tied with Italy, and just ahead of Portugal and Lithuana -- the last a nation 0.05% of American high school graduates can find on a world map.
7
Author fails to mention that Mike Petrilli was a Bush Administration Education Dept appointee at a new non-program office essentially established to politically babysit the existing elementary ed offices's implementation of No Child Left Behind.
5
There seems to be plenty of opposition to Common Core on both the left and the right, which I don't understand. Maybe the opposition to national standards is because it would show that we don't really live in Lake Wobegon, where everyone is above average.
Let's agree upon national standards, test for those standards periodically (but not too often) and let the states decide how to teach students. Those who do it effectively will be clear for all to see.
Let's agree upon national standards, test for those standards periodically (but not too often) and let the states decide how to teach students. Those who do it effectively will be clear for all to see.
4
Since the federal government became involved in education, low income children and children with mental disabilities and behavioral problems have been given priority treatment over the average and gifted children. The goal, of course, was to produce equal outcomes for all, which will never happen. The result has been a lowering of education standards and a sharp rise in discipline problems in our schools. I believe that the schools should be managed by local school boards with minimal input from the state and none at all from the federal government.
2
I've worked in schools with problems for children with mental disabilities, and have read a great deal about it.
This is the first I've ever heard (and hopefully the last) that there are schools where they want children with IQs below 70 to have the same **outcome** as children with IQs above 150.
This is pure psychopathic libertarian (a better label than corporate libertarian, I think) propaganda, and I hope nobody else falls for it.
This is the first I've ever heard (and hopefully the last) that there are schools where they want children with IQs below 70 to have the same **outcome** as children with IQs above 150.
This is pure psychopathic libertarian (a better label than corporate libertarian, I think) propaganda, and I hope nobody else falls for it.
6
Obviously my statement about " outcomes" is exaggerated, but it is true, at least in this area, programs for the gifted have been dropped and the tracking systems used to separate different learning abilities are no longer used. As for the discipline problems now in our schools, I say "bring back the swats"
Living in a state whose governor has refused to expand Medicare despite a crying need for help for our uninsured, I can imagine what mincemeat would be made of education if it were left to our right-wing government-shrinkers. But it needs to be noted as well that if the federal education establishment is in thrall to corporate interests, or being directed by well-intentioned-but-largely-clueless billionaires like the Gates, if it becomes one no-child-left-etc. after another, we have a problem that way, too. Top-down authoritarian micromanagement is stifling education these days, and too often it's giving fodder to those who would localize it into the hands of wreckers on the other end of the political spectrum. It's the devil and the deep blue sea, in education these days. Hard to know when or if common sense will again let teachers teach without being hamstrung, whether by federal test-and-destroy forces or by no-evolution-you-godless-communists at the local level.
4
The question that needs to be asked is, "Is education a national issue or a local issue?"
Unfortunately, there is too much "local" in education and not enough "national."
I live in Long Island, home to some of the best schools in this country. Long Island is not alone in carrying "local" to a whole new level. In addion to my own school district, I can literally walk to five other school districts, each with its own board of education, superintendants and so on. The money spend on administration is astounding. Salary and pension costs are staggering.
Schools primarily rely on local property taxes for funding and that creates striking disparities and inequalities in the way our children are taught.
The Times in a 2013 editiorial, "Why Other Countries Teach Better" identified three reasons why some countries do better than the U.S. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/18/opinion/why-students-do-better-oversea...?
Lamar Alexander and Mitch Daniels, among others, should read it and then try to use those lessons to improve education in this country instead of bashing Department of Education.
Unfortunately, there is too much "local" in education and not enough "national."
I live in Long Island, home to some of the best schools in this country. Long Island is not alone in carrying "local" to a whole new level. In addion to my own school district, I can literally walk to five other school districts, each with its own board of education, superintendants and so on. The money spend on administration is astounding. Salary and pension costs are staggering.
Schools primarily rely on local property taxes for funding and that creates striking disparities and inequalities in the way our children are taught.
The Times in a 2013 editiorial, "Why Other Countries Teach Better" identified three reasons why some countries do better than the U.S. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/18/opinion/why-students-do-better-oversea...?
Lamar Alexander and Mitch Daniels, among others, should read it and then try to use those lessons to improve education in this country instead of bashing Department of Education.
4
Aside from the obvious fact that the entire Republican platform is predicated on cultured ignorance, the short-circuiting of knowledge and being the official sponsor of the 'party of stupid', the GOP also wants to undermine public education and to 'privatize' it with vouchers and charter schools for personal profit.
Once privatized, the Republican Party can drown education in a bathtub along with the rest of the country's infrastructure and finalize our third-world status.
Education is not a public service to Republicans; it's a multibillion dollar cash cow to them for the rapacious vulture-capital private sector to milk private profit from the federal teat.
Shrinking public education furthers the Republican Party goal of drastically reducing the public sector...and lining private pockets
Education privatization also undermines teacher unions and worker rights, a key base of support for the Democratic Party.
Shrinking the nation's IQ's through miseducation and misinformation is the fundamental building block of the Republican Party; that's the basis of duping and ripping off the masses in order to subsidize billionaires and hedge-funders.
It's much easier to rip off an uneducated person.
The old Republican dog whistle of 'states rights' never worked with civil rights or voting rights or with healthcare - see GOP Death Panels in all the red states.
'State rights' won't work with education either.
An educated and informed citizen is the Republicans' worst nightmare.
Once privatized, the Republican Party can drown education in a bathtub along with the rest of the country's infrastructure and finalize our third-world status.
Education is not a public service to Republicans; it's a multibillion dollar cash cow to them for the rapacious vulture-capital private sector to milk private profit from the federal teat.
Shrinking public education furthers the Republican Party goal of drastically reducing the public sector...and lining private pockets
Education privatization also undermines teacher unions and worker rights, a key base of support for the Democratic Party.
Shrinking the nation's IQ's through miseducation and misinformation is the fundamental building block of the Republican Party; that's the basis of duping and ripping off the masses in order to subsidize billionaires and hedge-funders.
It's much easier to rip off an uneducated person.
The old Republican dog whistle of 'states rights' never worked with civil rights or voting rights or with healthcare - see GOP Death Panels in all the red states.
'State rights' won't work with education either.
An educated and informed citizen is the Republicans' worst nightmare.
220
Can you imagine the quality of education you would get if you let a state like Texas, Mississippi or Alabama create their own education standards? Their legislatures don't believe in evolution, science, sex education or anything that differs from their Christian fundamentalist teachings. If for no other reason, we need a Dept. of Education just so the young people of America don't turn into these same fools on the hill.
7
It doesn't take much imagination, the schools here in NYC are a disaster zone. They are also more segregated than Alabama or Mississippi.
1
There is something so strangely wrong with every republican candidate when it come to education. Either they support the 'national' standards already proven to be aimed at mindless testing. Or they use hostile rhetoric against teachers and their unions. Or they become all anti science when it comes to topics like evolution in our schools.
This GOP field running for president will lose it on education along with so many other issues. No wonder comedians can't wait for the presidential debates.
This GOP field running for president will lose it on education along with so many other issues. No wonder comedians can't wait for the presidential debates.
4
It's terrible enough that our kids lag behind all the other kids in the Developed Countries and quite a few in Developing Countries as well. Forget about Math and Science, they even lag behind in - Reading, Writing and Comprehension not forgetting English is our first language. And this is WITH a Board of Education. Imagine without one. If the Republicans have their way our country will be in dire straits. They want to dumb down our kids and turn them into their own clones. If the States pick up the reins completely overturning Common Core we will be left far, far behind in this age of digitalization and globalization. It's bad enough where States have almost taken over, but complete power - that will be the death knell to educating kids. Future generation of ignoramuses who believe Earth is 6000 years old and was created, a cell is a child and the Earth is hunky-dory with all the poisons poured into it will be our downfall - not ISIS or Al Qaeda. Unfortunately for us, they will be the more educated than us. They will have read up about their enemy and knowing their enemy ( remember, Osama's bookshelf of American books? )We are surely and certainly going down the drain spending trillions on useless wars instead of spending a fraction of that to give some real education to our kids. Priorities, priorities, totally misplaced priorities!
When are we going to learn? Oh, I forgot. We should not be learning!
When are we going to learn? Oh, I forgot. We should not be learning!
3
It might surprise ALL presidential contenders, but the president doesn’t get to eliminate a department or agency – Congress needs to do that, and it took 9/11 for them to find the courage to do ANY serious reengineering of government since God was young and politicians were innocent.
I support the Dept. of Education, but find it as clueless as every OTHER agglomeration of partly-useful ideas yet not one idea about how to effectively SELL anything to Americans. They really ought to consider buying a Madison Ave. agency or two to figure out how to do this. They’ve wasted IMMENSE resources and political capital trying to ram Common Core down America’s throat and NO effort really trying to get it accepted. None that you’d notice by any success, anyway. With all the interests arrayed against it, it only needs a nudge to be precipitated into the dustbin of history.
And that would be a shame. But one of the prices paid by America for the stridency of the left these days, and much of America’s rejection of that stridency, is that it’s likely we’ll see less balance in our governance for some years. The most obvious example of this is the increasing power of states to challenge federal desires – has Mr. Obama really won ANY federal court decisions against the states? And that’s definitely a shame: I don’t support his outré claims of presidential power, but I do support the notion that on some things we need to be Americans, and not just Californians or Mississippians.
I support the Dept. of Education, but find it as clueless as every OTHER agglomeration of partly-useful ideas yet not one idea about how to effectively SELL anything to Americans. They really ought to consider buying a Madison Ave. agency or two to figure out how to do this. They’ve wasted IMMENSE resources and political capital trying to ram Common Core down America’s throat and NO effort really trying to get it accepted. None that you’d notice by any success, anyway. With all the interests arrayed against it, it only needs a nudge to be precipitated into the dustbin of history.
And that would be a shame. But one of the prices paid by America for the stridency of the left these days, and much of America’s rejection of that stridency, is that it’s likely we’ll see less balance in our governance for some years. The most obvious example of this is the increasing power of states to challenge federal desires – has Mr. Obama really won ANY federal court decisions against the states? And that’s definitely a shame: I don’t support his outré claims of presidential power, but I do support the notion that on some things we need to be Americans, and not just Californians or Mississippians.
1
My goodness Richard you're turning into a strident leftist!
I'm wrapping up my 28th year as a public schoolteacher. I started my career in the largest city in the state and now currently work in a town close to the NY border. Large cities with a small revenue stream rely on government assistance to meet their educational goals. As mentioned - that money always comes with strings attached - so you find yourself grant-writing for money that is available but my not address your specific needs. I always wished it could be given as an allowance - and the school district could spend the money on the things it needed most. That's the biggest difference in education - the autonomy that comes with having the resources to pay for it. And since we now live in a time when there is no such thing as contributing to the collective good by public funding through taxation more and more cities around the country will be taken over by Education "Incorporated" and a generation of impoverished, marginal, and challenging students will be lost. It's all policy - we could choose to solve these problems - smarter regulation and courageous policy makers are the answer.
6
I am constantly amused and discouraged by my mathematically illiterate government officials when they disparage the Common Core Standards for high school mathematics. As a professional mathematician I can honestly tell you that the un-plussed high school standards are not unreasonable for an informed electorate. Of course, this is counter to the welfare of the majority of those holding office on either side of the aisle.
2
The absense of standardized math education in the US sets back childrem whose parents move frequently.
1
It does indeed, particularly in K-6. There are some scary tables showing the hodgepodge of approaches to organizing mathematics at that point in children's education. Children who move are at great risk of seeing some material repeatedly and other material not at all. What is never mentioned is that CCSI does not tell anyone how to teach any of the mathematics, only what topics and in what order.
The real irony here (at least another one) is that in reality the state of Texas controls the content of education throughout the country. The mechanism for this is simple but effective: no course materials may be used in Texas unless they pass inspection by the state Board of Education (or equivalent). We can all guess how accurate and non-political such a Board wants the content of its school curricula to be.
Because the producers of educational materials want their materials used in the huge state of Texas, they meet the Texas standards. This means that these standards govern everyone.
If I have to choose between having the federal government or the state of Texas controlling the content of my children's educations, I would go for the federal government every time.
Because the producers of educational materials want their materials used in the huge state of Texas, they meet the Texas standards. This means that these standards govern everyone.
If I have to choose between having the federal government or the state of Texas controlling the content of my children's educations, I would go for the federal government every time.
5
The argument against centralized education is largely debunked when you look at all the countries in the world that outperform ours in standardized testing. Many if not all have a very large role for their national governments in their countries' education (China comes to mind, and its government has a very strong role in its people's education).
And while it can be argued, and often is, that that's because these tests are not measuring the right things (after all, they say, who's the most powerful country in the world, so we must be doing something right), it's also pretty uncontestable that a solid education requires more than just teaching that invading other countries, exploiting and taking others' natural resources, and encouraging a brain drain around the world is not always reflective of being the smartest people on the planet. Just the most powerful.
And while it can be argued, and often is, that that's because these tests are not measuring the right things (after all, they say, who's the most powerful country in the world, so we must be doing something right), it's also pretty uncontestable that a solid education requires more than just teaching that invading other countries, exploiting and taking others' natural resources, and encouraging a brain drain around the world is not always reflective of being the smartest people on the planet. Just the most powerful.
3
Shared educational experience unites nations.
It should be more than obvious that when states are left on their own we will see Kansas everywhere. GOP Governors have shown that Governorships are great places to train future Presidents as poppycock. Scott Walker, Chris Christie by any accepted standard are failure as Governors but are seen as "serious" candidates for President? Huckabee was decent but not especially that good. Kasich and OH, Snyder and MI would be basket cases if Obama had not saved the auto industry. Lets not even mention Brownback or Rick Scott. rauner has no clue what he is doing. You know they deserve as much blame as the Dept if Ed. if education is not working What Scott walker is doing to Univ. of WI is treasonous. Why is it that since 1980 this has all come about? Oh thats right Reagan. Need i say more.
7
Arne Duncan's arrogant and bullying style are why the DOE is in such poor standing. As Secretary of Education, Mr. Duncan said firing every teacher in Central Falls, Rhode Island's district was brave, as if they were solely responsible for their troubled town's problems; he glibly dismissed thoughtful, vociferous opposition to Common Core as coming from white, suburban soccer moms who couldn't handle learning that their child wasn't that bright and their schools not that great. With stunning insensitivity, he said that Hurricane Katrina was the best thing to happen to Louisiana's schools and, inexplicably, concluded that students drop out because school is too easy. He would like to bleed our public schools and throw money at gimmicky charters with a short life span. Secretary Duncan would have students and educators alike see nothing but scantrons. He is as abrasive with teachers' unions as Chris Christie. The Department of Education will get less blowback when this blowhard is no longer its face.
7
Seems to me folks are conflating several issues: (1) Is the current Department of Education doing a "good" job (and we can determine what is their job and whether they are executing well); (2) Is there a role for the federal government as it relates to education from birth through adulthood? (Answer should reflect that there could most assuredly be a role; whether it is well executed is another issue); (3) federal student aid is now housed in education and we can ask if it should be moved based on a variety of issues -- to Treasury for example. Debatable for sure. (4) We need ways to deal with quality assurance of the thousands of educational institutions that exist. What could be more important than quality assurance? Whether the Department of ED is managing accreditation most effectively is a different question. No matter what, we need a way to insure that all college/universities are making good on their promises to students. We want and need affordable education that leads to career launching opportunities.
My point: there is most assuredly a role for the Department of Education. Absolute yes on that front. Whether the Department has been effectively executing on that role is a separate issue. Easy to confuse existence with effectiveness.
Follow: KarenGrossEdu
My point: there is most assuredly a role for the Department of Education. Absolute yes on that front. Whether the Department has been effectively executing on that role is a separate issue. Easy to confuse existence with effectiveness.
Follow: KarenGrossEdu
3
I supported the Dept of Education until Arne Duncan's Race to the Top forced teachers to divert their energies away from teaching and drove great teachers out of teaching. This administration's education policies have been a disaster.
11
For the most part our public school classrooms are not an environment that cultivates learning.
Our schools are in a state of disarray with a root cause due to lack of commitment by many parents, children, and communities. It seems easier to blame the teachers for a lack of commitment and skills rather than getting back to allowing the teachers to do what they are supposed to do.
The teachers are under-paid and over-extended with unnecessary administrative policy changes and time consuming tracking reports that hampers teaching. Rather than having teachers focus on each students’ need to decode learning keys; teachers’ are forced to have a goal of high expectations of having their student excel in standardized testing scores… thanks to the government’s policy of no child left behind.
Legally. teachers cannot physically discipline a student other than remove them from the class, thanks to protective laws that takes the control of the classroom out of the teacher’s hands and gives it to their students. Disruptive students desperately need discipline and since that option no longer exist in our schools all we can do is to remove the disruptive student, so the teacher can have some resemblance of a teaching atmosphere.
Our schools are in a state of disarray with a root cause due to lack of commitment by many parents, children, and communities. It seems easier to blame the teachers for a lack of commitment and skills rather than getting back to allowing the teachers to do what they are supposed to do.
The teachers are under-paid and over-extended with unnecessary administrative policy changes and time consuming tracking reports that hampers teaching. Rather than having teachers focus on each students’ need to decode learning keys; teachers’ are forced to have a goal of high expectations of having their student excel in standardized testing scores… thanks to the government’s policy of no child left behind.
Legally. teachers cannot physically discipline a student other than remove them from the class, thanks to protective laws that takes the control of the classroom out of the teacher’s hands and gives it to their students. Disruptive students desperately need discipline and since that option no longer exist in our schools all we can do is to remove the disruptive student, so the teacher can have some resemblance of a teaching atmosphere.
6
While I'm a lifelong Democrat, even I can see the flaws in the current DoE. For starters, the insistence on the use of a fundamentally flawed evaluation system is disgusting. Independent statistical organizations have spoken out against VAM, and yet it continues to be used. While evaluation can be a good thing, this methodology is fatally flawed -- and yet it continues to be used.
The insistence on using Navient as a student loan processor, despite the multiple reports of their unethical (possibly illegal) behavior towards veterans and those who were taken in by for-profit schools, is inexplicable.
The favoritism shown to "reformers" like Michelle Rhee, Bill Gates and others who just want to make a profit off of education is reprehensible. Study after study shows that they do not outperform public schools. In addition, they continue to be plagued by scandal.
Arne Duncan needs to go and a thorough overhaul of the system is needed
The insistence on using Navient as a student loan processor, despite the multiple reports of their unethical (possibly illegal) behavior towards veterans and those who were taken in by for-profit schools, is inexplicable.
The favoritism shown to "reformers" like Michelle Rhee, Bill Gates and others who just want to make a profit off of education is reprehensible. Study after study shows that they do not outperform public schools. In addition, they continue to be plagued by scandal.
Arne Duncan needs to go and a thorough overhaul of the system is needed
12
Arne Duncan's Department of Education unfortunately abetted those who scapegoated teachers and their unions. National testing in as diverse a country as ours is as doomed as the SATs. Real education reform requires us to address poverty and, yes, segregation. Without that, it's all meaningless. Spend the resources on pre-K and kindergarten, and enable the exceptional, not the common.
6
In Canada, the majority of teachers are in the top 25% of their class. The competition to get into the faculty of education is intense, especially at the secondary level, which almost unanimously requires secondary teaching candidates to have a degree in their major BEFORE starting teacher training. For most of Canada there is no such thing as teacher's college. I believe this tends to create a higher quality teacher - but then again, even in Canada 50% leave the profession before 5 years is up.
6
How many Canadian teachers could survive even a week teaching in an inner-city school in the U.S.?
3
Education at all levels - primary, secondary, college - has been on a downward arc for 40 years. Our kids perform poorly on the international scale, with verbal and mathematical skills on a par with countries that spend far less per pupil.
We lack standards, our teachers are not very good, and we do not demand enough of our students. We also thing higher education for everyone is a good idea, despite the fact that not everyone is cut out for school.
Let's look at expanding vocational opportunities, and teach people how to be electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and other useful trades. Let's show these students how to set up a business and how to balance the books.
For those who really belong in high school or college, let's set higher standards. Let's get more critical thinking and critical writing, and let's demand more of them.
Let's cut loose the teachers who are not cutting it, and get better ones. Let's reduce the number of administrators, and get leaner bureacracies.
Let's start caring about education in a meaningful way.
We lack standards, our teachers are not very good, and we do not demand enough of our students. We also thing higher education for everyone is a good idea, despite the fact that not everyone is cut out for school.
Let's look at expanding vocational opportunities, and teach people how to be electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and other useful trades. Let's show these students how to set up a business and how to balance the books.
For those who really belong in high school or college, let's set higher standards. Let's get more critical thinking and critical writing, and let's demand more of them.
Let's cut loose the teachers who are not cutting it, and get better ones. Let's reduce the number of administrators, and get leaner bureacracies.
Let's start caring about education in a meaningful way.
6
The rising cry to do away with the Department of Education surely correlates with the desire to undo Brown v. Board of Education. Nothing unites white conservatives and white liberals more than the desire to ensure that their progeny are educated as far away as possible from black children and their achievement gap. Most of these people believe that education is wasted on black children. After all "tax cuts" and "small government" are euphemisms for keeping public dollars away from the undeserving, meaning black people. American exceptionalism is all that's needed for real Americans to excel. After all, Rick Perry and Scott Walker have done pretty well for themselves without an education.
4
David, while we have some bad teachers and some good ones, the problem is not the teachers as much as the inability of any teacher to take control of the classroom for a teaching environment. The problem arises from different sources. Our government's direct interference with one new program after another requiring more time for teachers to do administration work change lesson plans and less time helping each student find the keys to unlocking how they learn. Parents don't discipline children at home, but expect the teacher to do the discipline with no authority to discipline a child.
We do not lack standards, but are inconsistent with total changes every couple of years that again takes the teachers out of the classroom teaching environment and puts them to task to learn a new system that once learned must be changed, because the old one didn't work or wasn't given a chance to work. For the most part our kids perform poorly, because they are not required to know the basics at any level. One model does not fit all and it is time we give back the classroom to the teachers and let them teach.
We do not lack standards, but are inconsistent with total changes every couple of years that again takes the teachers out of the classroom teaching environment and puts them to task to learn a new system that once learned must be changed, because the old one didn't work or wasn't given a chance to work. For the most part our kids perform poorly, because they are not required to know the basics at any level. One model does not fit all and it is time we give back the classroom to the teachers and let them teach.
1
License teachers as we do doctors and nurses. National standards in education are as important as they are in healthcare. Republicans want to get rid of every agency that is not subservient to business profits. Republicans have become too transparent.
1
Teachers, like Doctors and Nurses are licensed by the States.
1
However, the Nurses and Doctors take a National Examination which the states recognize and apply "pass" criteria along with other "State" requirements. Doctors take the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). Nurses take the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) for RN or LPN licenses.
I am both an RN and a teacher in New York. I am licensed as an RN and Certified as a teacher. A License has far greater legal standing in every profession.
Thank you MKM for eliciting a clarification that will be helpful in understanding this issue.
I am both an RN and a teacher in New York. I am licensed as an RN and Certified as a teacher. A License has far greater legal standing in every profession.
Thank you MKM for eliciting a clarification that will be helpful in understanding this issue.
Let it be known to all those who criticize or engage in dissent against the current U.S. Department of Education, from this date forward, will be known as the "Education Assassins."
Please stop with your cries about corporate infiltration and domination of the education agenda by those who have no educational background, mega publicly-funded "innovation" grants being awarded to predetermined recipients promising to follow the "plan" so data can be generated, and your crazy delusion that educational equity has morphed into a massive gold rush by corporate elites to finally capture a once-untouchable "public" and sacred space with enormous untapped GDP.
Because many educators and state agencies are laggards, cover up their deficient education systems with happy talk, and put poor and disabled kids last, they are no longer welcome in the decision-making process. We will be protecting the children, and making sure they are saddled with the educational technology and testing products we deem important for their future success as workers in one of our affiliated corporate industrial complexes.
Please stop with your cries about corporate infiltration and domination of the education agenda by those who have no educational background, mega publicly-funded "innovation" grants being awarded to predetermined recipients promising to follow the "plan" so data can be generated, and your crazy delusion that educational equity has morphed into a massive gold rush by corporate elites to finally capture a once-untouchable "public" and sacred space with enormous untapped GDP.
Because many educators and state agencies are laggards, cover up their deficient education systems with happy talk, and put poor and disabled kids last, they are no longer welcome in the decision-making process. We will be protecting the children, and making sure they are saddled with the educational technology and testing products we deem important for their future success as workers in one of our affiliated corporate industrial complexes.
3
Them that can, teach, them that can't become managers and members of some bureau.
We need a department of education to provide funding for schooling, we do not need some bunch of amorphous clerks setting curriculum. Let teachers teach their specialties, and let them teach in a manner that best fits their individual personalities.
These national standard tests keep good teachers from challenging the students, and allows the poorer ones to get by, by teaching to the test.
As usual the poor results of our schools are blamed on the teachers, instead of the real culprits, the managers.
Teachers form together into unions to prevent abuse from management, not to just keep their jobs. The common core requirements look good to politicians, but not to the kids or those that have to teach them.
At one time our schools were envied for their individuality, and the students they turned out. Now we have a class of clones.
We need a department of education to provide funding for schooling, we do not need some bunch of amorphous clerks setting curriculum. Let teachers teach their specialties, and let them teach in a manner that best fits their individual personalities.
These national standard tests keep good teachers from challenging the students, and allows the poorer ones to get by, by teaching to the test.
As usual the poor results of our schools are blamed on the teachers, instead of the real culprits, the managers.
Teachers form together into unions to prevent abuse from management, not to just keep their jobs. The common core requirements look good to politicians, but not to the kids or those that have to teach them.
At one time our schools were envied for their individuality, and the students they turned out. Now we have a class of clones.
23
Over the last three decades, regulatory actions and programs implemented by the US EPA, and the California EPA, resulted in a dramatic improvement in the air quality in Northern and Southern California. More can and will be done, but, without the enacted regulations, our air would be very unhealthy.
2
Obviously the conservatives want complete control over molding the minds of the young. What they want is the Republican Dept of Inculcation. er education. They want to solidify prejudices against govt itself, or prevent respect for govt taking hold. Then future voters will be more amenable to gop messages.
And teachers are one of the last bastions of that horrible threat to the American Republic—unions. Any bargaining power by employees must be painted as undermining capitalism and private property itself. The real idea is this-- Keep workers as weak individuals and corporations as strong collectives (of capital).
So far this vilification of both govt and unions has worked quite well, as the results of our elections prove. We have a rw congress and our democratic presidents take centrist or conservative positions and put Wall st in their cabinets. For pols and media, frankly defending unions or defending govt that protects the majority against corporate interests gets an immediate categorization of left wing, thus sidelined. So Warren and Sanders, actually centrist in any moderate democracy, are called leftist.
Charter schools seem to be good investments for hedge funds. How does that work exactly? Please explain in next column.
And teachers are one of the last bastions of that horrible threat to the American Republic—unions. Any bargaining power by employees must be painted as undermining capitalism and private property itself. The real idea is this-- Keep workers as weak individuals and corporations as strong collectives (of capital).
So far this vilification of both govt and unions has worked quite well, as the results of our elections prove. We have a rw congress and our democratic presidents take centrist or conservative positions and put Wall st in their cabinets. For pols and media, frankly defending unions or defending govt that protects the majority against corporate interests gets an immediate categorization of left wing, thus sidelined. So Warren and Sanders, actually centrist in any moderate democracy, are called leftist.
Charter schools seem to be good investments for hedge funds. How does that work exactly? Please explain in next column.
45
@Meredith: Andrew Cuomo is proposing huge tax credits (70%) on investments up to $1,000,000 to those who invest in charter and private schools, which hedge fund managers probably love. They all call themselves reformers. The education "reformers" which is code for "privatizers" are led by super rich people like Bill Gates and the Walton family and so many other entities it's impossible to list them, that are united in the stated goal of improving public education and the unstated goal of not raising their taxes to accomplish the task. While the majority may be Republicans, a lot of Democrats are also supporters. You can read all about it and it's a very shocking read, at:
http://billmoyers.com/2014/03/28/public-education-who-are-the-corporate-...
http://billmoyers.com/2014/03/28/public-education-who-are-the-corporate-...
26
One of the best headlines in NYT history.
Education Assassins, indeed... from denying evolution to skirting practical sex education to American history sans warts (like slavery), we shortchange our future for the sake of a few pennies. And when the states administer education, it's the first budget cut - in favor of "tax relief" for the wealthy.
Education Assassins, indeed... from denying evolution to skirting practical sex education to American history sans warts (like slavery), we shortchange our future for the sake of a few pennies. And when the states administer education, it's the first budget cut - in favor of "tax relief" for the wealthy.
31
to Rough acres.... are you saying that even today, the schools don't teach about slavery? How widespread is this? I've read they censor evolution and sex ed, but slavery, the civil war and Lincoln, how do they paint that? they have to teach it.
1
You sound like just the guy the always-larger-government types count on to defend even the most awkwardly bad programs. When ''they'' come for the Office of Shoeing Horses, too, you should expect a phone call.
3
I am not a states' rights advocate or a Republican, so I'm uncomfortable finding myself on the same side with Rick Perry and denizens of the Klown Kar. Yet the Fed Dept of Ed only reinforces the worst trends of the so-called reform movement. The only good results this movement can claim involve helping testing and textbook companies, educational consultants, and for profit charters make more money at the expense of schools and students. Teachers’ critical and scarce time and effort have been wasted attending meetings with these consultants and learning the theories of Marilyn Friend and Charlotte Danielson and their one size fits all approach to education. We have become so concerned about accountability that one would think every teacher is a drunk or a felon when in fact the 3% number was made up -- Google Weissman at slate.com (as if even 3% would be cause to upend the whole system).
This bogus reform movement has 3 objectives: one, take public money out of schools and give it these leeches, two, destroy teaching as a viable source of steady employment and a safe retirement (notice the scary stories of states' unmet pension obligations), and last destroy teachers’ unions who stand up for the poor and middle class and oppose right wing policies and politicians. The union movement created the middle class. Before unions workers’ rights were trampled, unemployment and corporate profits were high. I learned that in AP US History and I see history repeating itself today.
This bogus reform movement has 3 objectives: one, take public money out of schools and give it these leeches, two, destroy teaching as a viable source of steady employment and a safe retirement (notice the scary stories of states' unmet pension obligations), and last destroy teachers’ unions who stand up for the poor and middle class and oppose right wing policies and politicians. The union movement created the middle class. Before unions workers’ rights were trampled, unemployment and corporate profits were high. I learned that in AP US History and I see history repeating itself today.
97
Once you said Charlotte Danielson has a one-size-fits-all approach to education, I stopped reading. Clearly you don't know what you're talking about. We've been using Danielson in our district for over a decade -- very successfully and with the support of teachers and their union.Danielsont is anything but one-size-fits-all. What would make you even think that?
1
Your 2nd paragraph is dead-on. I don't know enough about the federal DoE to know if it pushes charter schools, but I know the federal DoE was used to push the disastrous "No Child Left Behind" brainfart of the Bush administration.
Your 2nd paragraph is glaringly on display in Wisconsin under Scott Walker. Walker and the other purchased republicans in the state legislature have been funneling taxpayer money from the public schools to charter schools. They just voted to increase, yet again, this diversion of public money to private, corporate interests.
And it's Walker who bears the blame (or responsibility, depending) for his Act 10, which was his first attempt to destroy the state's teachers' unions, and which destroyed many state taxpayers' pensions and incomes.
They continue this course even though it was a study of MILWAUKEE AREA charter schools that showed, conclusively, that charter schools not only did no better than the Milwaukee Public School District on standardized test scores, but that they did worse. This in spite of the facts that the charter schools can essentially pick-and-choose their students, and that the MPSD is one of the poorest in the nation.
They also pushed through legislation--even with disability organizations and advocates strongly against it--to give public money for the education of disabled children to charter schools.
They funnel taxpayer money to private corporations, who, in turn, make large anonymous donations to super-PACS.
Your 2nd paragraph is glaringly on display in Wisconsin under Scott Walker. Walker and the other purchased republicans in the state legislature have been funneling taxpayer money from the public schools to charter schools. They just voted to increase, yet again, this diversion of public money to private, corporate interests.
And it's Walker who bears the blame (or responsibility, depending) for his Act 10, which was his first attempt to destroy the state's teachers' unions, and which destroyed many state taxpayers' pensions and incomes.
They continue this course even though it was a study of MILWAUKEE AREA charter schools that showed, conclusively, that charter schools not only did no better than the Milwaukee Public School District on standardized test scores, but that they did worse. This in spite of the facts that the charter schools can essentially pick-and-choose their students, and that the MPSD is one of the poorest in the nation.
They also pushed through legislation--even with disability organizations and advocates strongly against it--to give public money for the education of disabled children to charter schools.
They funnel taxpayer money to private corporations, who, in turn, make large anonymous donations to super-PACS.
13
Why then do other countries like Canada achieve significantly higher results in international scoring results (PISA) while providing equalizing funding the provinces from the federal government and leaving the nuts and bolts of education to the provinces. I should note that provincial ministers of education meet on a regular basis to discuss and try to sort out issues of common concen and interest.
There is no one model for effective interaction between a federal and localised authority to strengthen education.
There is no one model for effective interaction between a federal and localised authority to strengthen education.
8
to E. Caron.....There may be no one model for strengthening education, but the US has the most effective model for weakening it. Good topic for a column or 2.
Why do other countries show superior education results, and also don't leave funding up to states, and property taxes of householders? Their schools get central govt funding, and that's not considered intrusive govt tyranny, for some strange reason. University tuition also gets govt subsidies so their grads don't graduate with crippling debt, and will contribute to society.
Some countries--Germany, etc, have collaborative programs with high schools and manufacturers for good apprenticeship programs. Their kids can graduate with some skills and self confidence that they qualify for a salary earning job. Imagine the social stability such policies create. And it keeps kid motivated to graduate. What a concept.
Whatever might improve organization and financing is shot down as big govt. Then the victims of the disorganization and under funding are blamed for the results!
Why do other countries show superior education results, and also don't leave funding up to states, and property taxes of householders? Their schools get central govt funding, and that's not considered intrusive govt tyranny, for some strange reason. University tuition also gets govt subsidies so their grads don't graduate with crippling debt, and will contribute to society.
Some countries--Germany, etc, have collaborative programs with high schools and manufacturers for good apprenticeship programs. Their kids can graduate with some skills and self confidence that they qualify for a salary earning job. Imagine the social stability such policies create. And it keeps kid motivated to graduate. What a concept.
Whatever might improve organization and financing is shot down as big govt. Then the victims of the disorganization and under funding are blamed for the results!
29
One more thing get rid of Charter Schools. They are certainly touted by their owners as being an exercise in freedom of choice, but in reality they are not unifying in any way. Free quality public education is the way forward for our nation and any other path is simply divisive.
254
Charter schools are presented as "choice" but they're only there to make money for the few. The test scores don't warrant that expensive a middleman - just as healthcare outcomes don't warrant the insurer as middleman.
46
''Choice" is a slogan used to justify charter schools. Makes it sound nice when they underfund and privatize one institutions essential to a middle class. Use of the word "choice" in finances by politicians is a signal to run for the hills--someone is going to rob you.
I'm still waiting for an explanation why hedge funds find charter schools so profitable, and how much they're making. And why the head of charters in NY makes 450,000/year. Why isn't this publicized? Isn't this essential info for voters?
I'm still waiting for an explanation why hedge funds find charter schools so profitable, and how much they're making. And why the head of charters in NY makes 450,000/year. Why isn't this publicized? Isn't this essential info for voters?
7
Charter schools are "Free quality Public education"
4
Our nation has been at this game of governance long enough to know what works and what doesn't. There is no need to discuss the need for and efficacy of a unified public school education. Just put the money up, buy the books, pay the teachers and demand all the kids go to school.....and learn.
Clearly many of our citizens mustn't recognize it, but the back and forth that occurs every four years debating ideology is a distractive waste of time and money that only benefits a few at a great cost to the vast majority.
Discuss fashion trends as much as we want at home, but our nation needs an educational system to run in an open, efficient, non-sectarian and unified way.
We may very well be the Divided States of America when it comes to the value of religious beliefs, conservative/liberal philosophies, hairstyles and fashion trends, but if we really want to keep the freedom to discuss this sort of drivel we have to have an educated citizenry.
The rest of the world doesn't give a tinker's dam about our concerns with such trivial matters.
Clearly many of our citizens mustn't recognize it, but the back and forth that occurs every four years debating ideology is a distractive waste of time and money that only benefits a few at a great cost to the vast majority.
Discuss fashion trends as much as we want at home, but our nation needs an educational system to run in an open, efficient, non-sectarian and unified way.
We may very well be the Divided States of America when it comes to the value of religious beliefs, conservative/liberal philosophies, hairstyles and fashion trends, but if we really want to keep the freedom to discuss this sort of drivel we have to have an educated citizenry.
The rest of the world doesn't give a tinker's dam about our concerns with such trivial matters.
7
Wanted! the Department of Ed,
But not alive, They want it dead!
As they duly imply
One more thing to deny!
But They might take Tax Cuts instead!
But not alive, They want it dead!
As they duly imply
One more thing to deny!
But They might take Tax Cuts instead!
8
During my tenure as a public school administrator I witnessed firsthand the visits we endured from federal officials who came ostensibly to review our Title 1 reading and math programs. They were more interested in where we would be taking them out for lunch than practicing any vigilant examination of our program or providing constructive ideas on improvement. The DOE is at a crossroads. Either we put some teeth into it and encourage it to truly enhance learning opportunities for all students, or we scrap it entirely. The status quo is certainly not working.
4
Interesting article considering your premise that the Department of Education works on behalf of public school students. This administration and its current Education secretary have undermined public education at every turn, given their zealous support for charter schools, testing, children field testing on behalf of private companies, absurdly Kafkaesque evaluation schemes, and monetary giveaways to the "private sector," which has profited handsomely from contracts for materials educators once produced. (I remember getting paid a dollar per test question!) If Republicans were smart, they would be courting the teachers unions. Democrats like Obama, Duncan and Cuomo are not our friends.
61
Interesting moniker. I once belonged to the Metropolitan Republican Club, on the Upper East Side -- Teddy Roosevelt's old club. Talk about being a lonely Republican in NYC. Quit in 1992, when they endorsed the "Two Bills", Bill Green, longtime kinda sorta Republican congressman representing the Silk Stocking District ... and Bill Clinton. Bill Green lost, Bill Clinton won and I quit the club, sadly.
The NOTION of a federal Dept. of Education isn't a bad one. In order occasionally to be Americans and not just New Yorkers or Virginians or Texans we need some means to implement what that means. As a bureaucracy, it will commit bureaucratic imbecilities and even crimes. But we still need that means. It's up to us to make the arguments about what it means to be an American and not something less, and to win those arguments; and up to them to implement that definition.
Get in the game, Lonely Republican.
The NOTION of a federal Dept. of Education isn't a bad one. In order occasionally to be Americans and not just New Yorkers or Virginians or Texans we need some means to implement what that means. As a bureaucracy, it will commit bureaucratic imbecilities and even crimes. But we still need that means. It's up to us to make the arguments about what it means to be an American and not something less, and to win those arguments; and up to them to implement that definition.
Get in the game, Lonely Republican.
1
I believe there is a typo here - surely Mr. Bruni intended to say Joel Klein and other "education profiteers" rather than "advocates"? At least, please, call him and his ilk education "reformers" who view Testing and Technology as the panacea for all problems in public education. Of course Klein would support a Department of Education in which Arne Duncan funnels federal money to the newest corporate cash cow, being milked by Pearson (Testing) and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp (Technology), among others. Amplify (CEO- Joel Klein), the education division of News Corp, is distributing its tablets across the country, paid for in part by a $30 million grant from the federal Department of Education’s Race to the Top program. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/15/magazine/no-child-left-untableted.html...
It is not surprising that the GOP is trying to privatize education in the name of corporate money but if the Dept. of Education in a nominally "progressive" Democratic administration uses the Dept of Education for this purpose, the role of the Dept of Ed needs to be dramatically reconsidered. Federal funding is necessary to do whatever possible to level the playing field when states can't or won't do it, but the federal government should be reviewing local proposals to this end.
It is not surprising that the GOP is trying to privatize education in the name of corporate money but if the Dept. of Education in a nominally "progressive" Democratic administration uses the Dept of Education for this purpose, the role of the Dept of Ed needs to be dramatically reconsidered. Federal funding is necessary to do whatever possible to level the playing field when states can't or won't do it, but the federal government should be reviewing local proposals to this end.
51
We are, without meaning to be, a nation of ill-educated, ill-informed citizens who scarcely understand the workings of our own federal, state and local governments, let alone know the names and important aspects of our elected officials at home and in Washington. Most of us are non-literate, which means we don't read much of anything most of the time; plenty among us never read anything at all. So we know very little about very little.
Compared to most if not all nations with developed economies, we are the least cultivated, even with our superlative universities and research institutions which do an exceptional job of grooming that infinitesimal percent of us to fill the footsteps of their elders in maintaining their hegemony and controlling the destinies of our nation.
The U.S. Department of Education. as in most countries, is seriously lacking in many respects. A civilized nation's task, in that regard, is not to disarm its department of education for the purpose of rendering it powerless, but to reinforce its foundations so as to render it powerful: a stronghold against the ignorance and obscurantism that makes our 21st century a far more dangerous time in which to occupy our planet than the the extermination camps of the 20th century or the bubonic plague of the 14th. That distant reflection is looking us straight in the face and whispering in our ears: mirror mirror on the wall who's the dumbest of them all?
Compared to most if not all nations with developed economies, we are the least cultivated, even with our superlative universities and research institutions which do an exceptional job of grooming that infinitesimal percent of us to fill the footsteps of their elders in maintaining their hegemony and controlling the destinies of our nation.
The U.S. Department of Education. as in most countries, is seriously lacking in many respects. A civilized nation's task, in that regard, is not to disarm its department of education for the purpose of rendering it powerless, but to reinforce its foundations so as to render it powerful: a stronghold against the ignorance and obscurantism that makes our 21st century a far more dangerous time in which to occupy our planet than the the extermination camps of the 20th century or the bubonic plague of the 14th. That distant reflection is looking us straight in the face and whispering in our ears: mirror mirror on the wall who's the dumbest of them all?
49
"We are, without meaning to be, a nation of ill-educated, ill-informed citizens..."
While I strongly agree about what we must and ought to do, I am not sure I agree with the phrase "without meaning to be". I think there is quite a bit of evidence showing that certain of our political leaders and most of our noisiest political commentators encourage an increase in the number of uneducated, and otherwise uninformed people, preferring them to focus on what they like or don't like (without being able to convince anyone else or even explain to themselves why) and feeling good about how they are actually superior to people who have learned to question "received knowledge" from those claiming the right to dispense it by dint of their self-promotion as pundits.
While I strongly agree about what we must and ought to do, I am not sure I agree with the phrase "without meaning to be". I think there is quite a bit of evidence showing that certain of our political leaders and most of our noisiest political commentators encourage an increase in the number of uneducated, and otherwise uninformed people, preferring them to focus on what they like or don't like (without being able to convince anyone else or even explain to themselves why) and feeling good about how they are actually superior to people who have learned to question "received knowledge" from those claiming the right to dispense it by dint of their self-promotion as pundits.
7
Power is as power does. It's one thing to have the power to send in the National Guard to force a state university to admit African-Americans. It's quite another to use fed $ in a recession to force-feed states with standards and tests dreamed up by big-pocket lobbyists and campaign-funders with purely political &/or profit motives. The culprit here is overweening power, a creature of laws allowing money to buy government. At least at the local level the folks who pay the taxes can see how they're being spent & have some say about it.
2
It seems pretty clear that most Congressional Republicans and even some Democrats simply want to eliminate the Department of Education so that the $140 billion in funding the DOE gets can be used for something else, like increasing the already bloated budget for DOD or even more likely, shifting it to greater tax breaks for their billionaire donors.
The same thing is going on at the state level. Wisconsin and Kansas have taken huge sums from public education to close gaping holes in their budgets that exploded when Gov. Walker and Gov. Brownback practically bankrupted their states with huge tax cuts for the wealthy. Even Gov. Cuomo in blue NY wants to defund public education by diverting needed revenue to the tune of $150 million this year to charter, private and parochial schools through tax credits.
The US, on the state, local and federal level no longer has the revenue to fully fund public education or any other vital area like infrastructure investment because of our bloated military-industrial complex which soaks up over 50% of ALL discretionary spending and the obsession of the political class, mostly of conservative and Republican persuasion, to pile on ever more tax breaks for the very wealthy who no longer pay their fair share, if they pay anything at all.
Every other advanced nation has universal educational standards and first class infrastructure except for the US. Our educational system will soon achieve the third world status of our infrastructure.
The same thing is going on at the state level. Wisconsin and Kansas have taken huge sums from public education to close gaping holes in their budgets that exploded when Gov. Walker and Gov. Brownback practically bankrupted their states with huge tax cuts for the wealthy. Even Gov. Cuomo in blue NY wants to defund public education by diverting needed revenue to the tune of $150 million this year to charter, private and parochial schools through tax credits.
The US, on the state, local and federal level no longer has the revenue to fully fund public education or any other vital area like infrastructure investment because of our bloated military-industrial complex which soaks up over 50% of ALL discretionary spending and the obsession of the political class, mostly of conservative and Republican persuasion, to pile on ever more tax breaks for the very wealthy who no longer pay their fair share, if they pay anything at all.
Every other advanced nation has universal educational standards and first class infrastructure except for the US. Our educational system will soon achieve the third world status of our infrastructure.
132
If ever there were a billboard clamoring for a GREATER--not lesser--federal role in education, it's the alarming rise in the caliber and acumen of the GOP candidates we've been watching to date.
Many are totally inarticulate. Most recite weary partisan nostrums without showing signs of really believing them themselves. Few show intellectual curiosity. Fewer still show signs of surrounding themselves with truly creative thinkers.
At times I feel the GOP donor class wants it this way. Like the Catholic church of old, The GOP seems to want to maintain control by keeping the masses uneducated. Educational background is disparaged. Governors like Walker are gutting their states' brilliant university systems. Basic science--numerical literacy, statistics, meteorology, and earth science--are scorned and mocked.
As a result, we are fast becoming one of the more backward nations on earth. I cringe every time I listen to another insane statement from a GOP loony and how it must appear to our NATO allies. "Where is America going," they must ask?
Indeed. We renounce our intellectual past and present at our peril. Who will be left to pick up the pieces when more and more Americans are taught to disparage learning because of the messages they are receiving from intellectually lazy and manipulative politicians?
Many are totally inarticulate. Most recite weary partisan nostrums without showing signs of really believing them themselves. Few show intellectual curiosity. Fewer still show signs of surrounding themselves with truly creative thinkers.
At times I feel the GOP donor class wants it this way. Like the Catholic church of old, The GOP seems to want to maintain control by keeping the masses uneducated. Educational background is disparaged. Governors like Walker are gutting their states' brilliant university systems. Basic science--numerical literacy, statistics, meteorology, and earth science--are scorned and mocked.
As a result, we are fast becoming one of the more backward nations on earth. I cringe every time I listen to another insane statement from a GOP loony and how it must appear to our NATO allies. "Where is America going," they must ask?
Indeed. We renounce our intellectual past and present at our peril. Who will be left to pick up the pieces when more and more Americans are taught to disparage learning because of the messages they are receiving from intellectually lazy and manipulative politicians?
310
ERRATUM (speaking of education!): I clearly meant, "it's the alarming "decline" in caliber and acumen etc.".
6
A society that values wealth & materialism over education is doomed to collapse. Ever since Ronald Reagan, the US has been shifting its priorities more & more towards consumerism & away from community building & knowledge. Now we are left with crumbling schools that rely on drill & test regimens without any time for art, music & PE as if we were in North Korea. The elites send their children to the best private schools that money can buy, thus further alienating the classes. The extreme right wing fundamentalists are sounding more & more like Muslim fanatics who intrepret their holy books literally & insist on engaging in war instead of building thoughtful societies based on the principles of Western tradition including an emphasis on education & the arts. The best & brightest are attracted to ludicrously high salaries in banking, tech & the stock market which create nothing while the manufacturing sector disappears. The US doesn't create anything like it used to before this cultural shift & standardized testing is drilling the creativity out of its children with its emphasis on rote knowledge. Its a shame that in the wealthiest city in the world, the NY Opera was allowed to wither away while the city worshipped the celebrity filled Costume Ball extravaganza. The Tale of Two Cities includes the extinction of the arts while the cult of mindless celebrity is revered in a society that has lost its moral compass.
140
A well thought out comment, Christine. It leads to the biggest problem America has at this time: what must be done to make the Republican voters aware of the terrible damage they are doing to this beautiful country by supporting these near-clown candidates and their destructive thinking.
16
Do we ever talk about reforming the ed schools? That's where I first noticed the camel's nose under the tent, when my mother was taking education courses in order to receive state certification to teach (she had previously taught as a graduate assistant and in a private, parochial school). I think this was during the early to mid 1970s. The courses were bizarre, at best. My mother would describe to us the antics of the professors and what passed for content in the course. Her mother had gone to a teacher's college, her father had taught as well, so had a number of her aunts and uncles. What was being taught in the ed school she attended had nothing to do with the teaching she knew. That's a rock I would look under, changes in the ed schools. I have no idea whether any government, federal or state, influences what these schools teach.
25
You are SO right!
Sadly, schools of education are becoming as tragically politicized as the schools of journalism, history, and sociology have become.
Interestingly, this is also the time when colleges fire old professors, ditch research, and hire buildings full of administrative bureaucrats who wouldn't know how to teach Johnny to tie his shoes - but DO know all the right political people.
Sadly, schools of education are becoming as tragically politicized as the schools of journalism, history, and sociology have become.
Interestingly, this is also the time when colleges fire old professors, ditch research, and hire buildings full of administrative bureaucrats who wouldn't know how to teach Johnny to tie his shoes - but DO know all the right political people.
4
Republicans are having trouble accepting Charles Darwin as much as they are having trouble acknowledging that Obama really is president after all. So this same party is going to be enthused for education by any definition? Of course not. They survive only the ignorance and prejudices of their voter base.
But the deeper truth is that the GOP intends to 'privatize' education in order to funnel federal funding into corporate owned education franchises, and this scheme would apply to health care, military contracts, and every conceivable action of government.
The end goal is to reinforce the power structure of a country where every aspect of life is completely in the ownership of private corporations, and in turn those same corporations have unlimited campaign donation capacity to set the political agenda for the foreseeable future.
This circular rotation of money and power is the the Holy Grail, the Paradise on Earth that is the breathless dream of Republicans, where every star in the evening sky is be replaced with a shining dollar sign.
But the deeper truth is that the GOP intends to 'privatize' education in order to funnel federal funding into corporate owned education franchises, and this scheme would apply to health care, military contracts, and every conceivable action of government.
The end goal is to reinforce the power structure of a country where every aspect of life is completely in the ownership of private corporations, and in turn those same corporations have unlimited campaign donation capacity to set the political agenda for the foreseeable future.
This circular rotation of money and power is the the Holy Grail, the Paradise on Earth that is the breathless dream of Republicans, where every star in the evening sky is be replaced with a shining dollar sign.
337
Oh please let's not pretend it's just the GOP. The Democrat middle is rife with neoliberals. The '94 reauthorization of ESEA under Clinton set everything in motion that became NCLB under Bush2 and RTTT under Obama. The privatization of US schools has largely happened under Obama/Duncan and is funded by big pockets looking to shove their buckets under the school-tax spigot.
This scjeme already applies to healthcare and millitary contracts.
3
"The end goal is to reinforce the power structure of a country where every aspect of life is completely in the ownership of private corporations,"
And the end goal of Democrats is to reinforce the power structure where every aspect of life is completely controlled by the government (except for those corporations who pay tribute to their government masters).
Personally, I'll trust the corporations over politicians and their foundations.
And the end goal of Democrats is to reinforce the power structure where every aspect of life is completely controlled by the government (except for those corporations who pay tribute to their government masters).
Personally, I'll trust the corporations over politicians and their foundations.
2
I can see some Republicans getting behind this, as their not so hidden agenda is the dumbing down of America. After all, Americans who are not that literate, who don't read and don't go on to college are much more easily manipulated by the conservatives’ mindless rhetoric. Rick Santorum in his last presidential bid warned about the dangers of the influence of a ‘liberal education’.
It is about a dream, a dream of a return to the 1950s, and though they dare not say it, it's about women resuming their 'traditional' roles of wife and mother, and of men bringing home the bacon. And all of us standing behind the mantra 'America is the greatest country in the history of the world! We're exceptional! Believe us! Guns make everyone safer!’.
For those skeptical, I suggest listening to a Rush Limbaugh broadcast for fifteen minutes, or until nausea sets in.
It is about a dream, a dream of a return to the 1950s, and though they dare not say it, it's about women resuming their 'traditional' roles of wife and mother, and of men bringing home the bacon. And all of us standing behind the mantra 'America is the greatest country in the history of the world! We're exceptional! Believe us! Guns make everyone safer!’.
For those skeptical, I suggest listening to a Rush Limbaugh broadcast for fifteen minutes, or until nausea sets in.
153
"Qualms with the way it functions are one thing; debates about its power and size are legitimate, even necessary." Yes, there are plenty of concerns that need to be addressed. Some testing is not considered useful. When cost exceeds the average student expenses by 3 or 4 times what should be the limit of taxpayer expense for severely handicapped students? Many school districts underpay teachers. Union or nonunion what are the ramifications in light of the politics of school boards? Charter or private schools often do more poorly than public schools, but drain taxpayer resources from the district. How can the problems of city public schools be significantly improved?
Yes, there are plenty of issues. Eliminating the Dept of Education definitely is not the solution. Indeed, education of our young people is more than a state issue; it is a national one and education is a treasure not to be destroyed by political hype.
Yes, there are plenty of issues. Eliminating the Dept of Education definitely is not the solution. Indeed, education of our young people is more than a state issue; it is a national one and education is a treasure not to be destroyed by political hype.
25
Fox News, the Kochs, Norquist and other Republican interest groups all see public education as part of the federal government they despise and want to eliminate. Republican presidential nominees have no choice but to go along.
12
You left out Sarah Palin, Pres. Reagan, and the Birthers. Subtract 5 points.
3
"Fox News, the Kochs, Norquist and other Republican interest groups all see public education as part of the federal government they despise,...."
That really should tell you something, don't you think?
That really should tell you something, don't you think?
Common Core hasn't been realized over the past 5 years, in large part due that the States have had trouble finding the materials necessary to meet the CC standards, according to a just published article in a US News and World Report dated May 29th. But the "EngageNY" curriculum, which is apparently a structure that satisfies the need to meet the standards with the materials required to do so may comprise the first breakthrough for the program. Let's hope so!
Re the State control, there was a news article recently about the ability, or lack thereof, of Atlanta metropolitan students to measure up to the CC standards - though expected and sobering, this type of goal is needed here, even if it requires years to attain. Other southern states are in a similar quandary. Wisconsin is set to pass rules to qualify teachers who don't have the proper credentials. So the bill being sponsored by Murray and Alexander could result in even more damage down the road - the states will take the easy way out to not look bad. But the kids will lose, probably for life.
We need a president who won't allow millions of children to be left behind forever, and remains committed to closing the gap between the standards and the actual scores over time. Support for the DOE will reflect a candidate with a long range plan, whereas the opposite will basically be saying "it's ok if your kids are stupid."
Re the State control, there was a news article recently about the ability, or lack thereof, of Atlanta metropolitan students to measure up to the CC standards - though expected and sobering, this type of goal is needed here, even if it requires years to attain. Other southern states are in a similar quandary. Wisconsin is set to pass rules to qualify teachers who don't have the proper credentials. So the bill being sponsored by Murray and Alexander could result in even more damage down the road - the states will take the easy way out to not look bad. But the kids will lose, probably for life.
We need a president who won't allow millions of children to be left behind forever, and remains committed to closing the gap between the standards and the actual scores over time. Support for the DOE will reflect a candidate with a long range plan, whereas the opposite will basically be saying "it's ok if your kids are stupid."
3
In addition, the testing that is part and parcel of Common Core is designed so that most students will fail. The tests "prove" the premise that schools are failing and that teachers and students are not up to par.
3
The materials on EngageNY are horrible. They are of poor quality. The profiteers were paid s lot of money for them, but there is no mechanism to make the companies who made them fix the errors.
3
I don't know. This is one of the few issues in which I find myself half in tune with the conservatives. I don't see that federal involvement in education, beyond funding college loans, has been beneficial, on balance. We've ended up with monstrosities such as teaching to the test, which destroyed a generation of students; teacher accountability which is based erroneously on those very same tests, forcing teachers to teach to it; federal policies which now force schools to teach to the very bottom of the class, with a very negative impact on the kids at the top of the class, who are so urgent for our future. And meanwhile, standards continue their precipitous decline, the unrealistic core curriculum notwithstanding, and schools can't afford to educate kids because of mandates that are ludicrous.
It's all too political, too gimmicky,. What we need to do is listen to the actual educators and fund our schools, rather than having politicians meddle. Fixing it would be ideal, but I see no indication that that is going to be done. I'd rather that the federal government limited its involvement to funding for programs that are known to be useful -- pre k education for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. and making college affordable for the talented students who can't currently go.
It's all too political, too gimmicky,. What we need to do is listen to the actual educators and fund our schools, rather than having politicians meddle. Fixing it would be ideal, but I see no indication that that is going to be done. I'd rather that the federal government limited its involvement to funding for programs that are known to be useful -- pre k education for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. and making college affordable for the talented students who can't currently go.
179
It is absolutely correct, and it stems from the assumption that "All kids can learn" which is interpreted as "All kids can master the same level of education", which is false. Thus we have race to the bottom trying to find one convenient level all kids can master. Ultimately, we are substituting the equality of outcomes for the equality of opportunity.
64
DL, elegantly put.
The problem in "teaching to the test" is poor tests. The concept in itself is exactly what you want. You need to first set goals, try to meet them, see if you did, and then build on where you succeeded. If the test does not reflect the goals, then you have failed in that part of the enterprise. The goals have to come first, not the test. And in mathematics there are things you cannot "test" in the traditional way. However, there are many things you can test, and by and large, if the tests show that those things have not been mastered, then it is highly unlikely that the more complicated concepts can be mastered. This is why I tell my college students that homework will not be rote drill. It will be collected and the results inform part of their grades, and will consist in the main of exercises that require more time and thought than can expected in a 60 minute examination.
Given the performance of the Dept of Ed and the performance of the children since its formation I think education is best served by being the total responsibility of the local government. Given the billions that has been thrown at education we should know that merely throwing money does not make for success. The Dept of Ed should be relegated back to the agency level and placed in one of the other department. We do not need someone in DC telling teachers and administrators what to do in Alaska or any other state.
5
Very little money is thrown at education, if we define education as what happens in rooms containing teachers and students. I would like to know how many dollars are spent in the classroom relative to money spent on administrators, testing materials that haven't been validated, infrastructure , etc. All in all what is the ratio of administrators to teachers (measure in dollars).
71
I've heard for years about money being "thrown" at education, but when I was a US public high school teacher saw no evidence that any money had been "thrown" at education at all. When you consider that every elementary school in Japan has a small swimming pool to learn swimming... not for swimming competition... you wonder where this money is thrown. I've never in all my years met a US public school teacher who was overpayed. That thrown money must go somewhere...
21
If spending money on education has not, in your opinion, shown results, then surely taking money away from schools and students will spur them on to ever higher achievement?
9
The quote from Education Trust's Katie Haycock hits the nail on the head - without federal regulation that sets standards and then has power to enforce those standards, states will race to the lowest possible common denominator, resulting in more hoocoodanode moments from GOP'er deregulators like Alan Greenspan's moment of ' shocked disbelief ' in testimony to Congress:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/business/economy/24panel.html
over the Wall Street melt-down.
The deregulatory moment Dubya labeled as " this sucker could go down ":
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/business/26bailout.html?pagewanted=all
is emblematic of what results when GOP'ers have been over-served their cool-aid, and are trying to one-up each other in their favorite past time of drown-the-government-in-the-bath-tub.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/business/economy/24panel.html
over the Wall Street melt-down.
The deregulatory moment Dubya labeled as " this sucker could go down ":
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/business/26bailout.html?pagewanted=all
is emblematic of what results when GOP'ers have been over-served their cool-aid, and are trying to one-up each other in their favorite past time of drown-the-government-in-the-bath-tub.
163
Without federal oversight and enforcement of national standards, many states will not only "race to the lowest possible common denominator," but will skew the education data to hide their race to the bottom.
135
john - the insidious thing is indeed the soft bigotry of low standards; we all know that " goals which are not being measured are not going to be achieved ".
17
Except the Education Trust wants to destroy public education and the teaching profession. Look at their supporters -- Bloomberg, Gates, the Walton's of Wal-mart, and the College Board (the Mother of testing companies!!
And I can't believe Bruni had the temerity to ask Klein about accountability: that man fudged and juggled numbers and out-right lied about improving public schools here. What a hypocrite. And it's unfortunate that a reasonable, thoughtful person like Bruni gets suckered by these hucksters into believing they care about kids. You know teachers, Frank, listen to them, not these charlatans.
And I can't believe Bruni had the temerity to ask Klein about accountability: that man fudged and juggled numbers and out-right lied about improving public schools here. What a hypocrite. And it's unfortunate that a reasonable, thoughtful person like Bruni gets suckered by these hucksters into believing they care about kids. You know teachers, Frank, listen to them, not these charlatans.
7
as for low income children and children of disabilities, they will never be last but I don't believe they should have some of the funds they have while the 'brighest' students don't have the funds to excel.