The Good and The Bad of Republican Education Policy

This week brings news from two states regarding a Governor's involvement in education. In Wisconsin, the debate rages on while one must wonder if the rest of the nation really cares any longer. What was the news of the day in the midst of a Senate Democrat walk-out and Republican union-busting activity has been relegated to page two. But in the aftermath of this debacle, more attention turns to Governor Walker's treatment of public education in his budget. Reports claim that Walker's cuts to education are about to greatly cripple the state's system. His cuts go so deep in fact that many voters are starting to wonder if they really got what they bargained for.

I think the important lesson to the rest of the nation sounds a bit like the "sheep in wolves clothing" story. When facing tough economic times, politicians find it easy to sway public opinion and scapegoat large groups of people. This is where Walker started in Wisconsin. Once the mandate of the populace is given, the true nature of the ideologues shines through. Walker and many of his ilk are flatly anti- anything public.

I've grown just as frustrated as many with wasteful spending in the public arena, but the public must be wise about whether our politicians truly aim to limit public spending or if their true motive is a basic distrust of all things public. When we put people like this in power because we grow tired of hard earned money being drained by public waste, we should stay mindful that we do not send to the statehouse individuals whose primary mission will be systematic dismantling of the public system, education or otherwise.

Our own Republican governor, Bob McDonnell recently made a wise decision and gave a hopeful statement in doing so. Opposing a bill to mandate greater time for children in Physical Education was likely unpopular for many. In today's climate, a push for more physical activity for children easily gained steam in Richmond. McDonnell rightly recognized the financial burden this mandate would place on already cash-strapped school districts. I hope the reader does not lose the irony that the very reason physical education has taken a hit in the state in the first place is due to state and federal policies that focus so intently on math and reading test scores.

I'm not opposed to more Physical Education, in fact, the bill was a great idea. That has become part of the problem with public education. People often fail to recognize when the great idea can potentially become the worst practice. Schools should provide adequate Physical Education, but Richmond could more efficiently accomplish this by changing educational priorities instead of placing an additional mandate on schools.

We try to stay above the political fray at the Teaching Underground, but personally, I've been equally disappointed with both Democrat and Republican education policy of the last ten years. Regardless of the source, I think the following quote by McDonnell may be the smartest thing I've heard from a politician regarding education in quite some time:

“I am a strong proponent of the importance of exercise for our young people. My wife, Maureen, has made combating childhood obesity and inactivity, and promoting preventative [health care], one of her chief issues as Virginia’s first lady. However, we should not attempt to achieve important goals by disproportionately placing the burden of implementation on others. While I strongly agree that we must encourage exercise and physical activity, I oppose unfunded mandates, whether they come from Washington or Richmond.”

*** a little update--
I wrote this piece two days ago, and we were a little apprehensive about getting political here.  I've read several pieces and reactions to Gov. McDonnel's veto and see that education and politics mix like, well, like nothing, they just don't go well together.  It seems that liberals are ready to attack anything Republican and conservatives are poised to strike at anything Democratic.  No wonder we feel so "stuck in the middle." 

Here I Am, Stuck in the Middle With You

I read an encouraging article today in our local Charlottesville newspaper, The Daily Progress titled "Expert Seeks Deeper Education Reforms." Dr. Pedro Noguera from New York University believes that we place too much effort trying to get students passing scores on standardized tests. Noguera also says, "we have found ways to insure that with the right strategies we can educate all kinds of people.” I appreciate the use of "strategies" versus "strategy."

I certainly appreciate Dr. Noguera's point of view, but to paraphrase a quote from a previous post, "we're drowning here and he's describing the water." A few solutions are hinted in this talk. He states “the people who make policies have never been educators and they simply don't understand, and even when they see it firsthand, they still don't understand what it takes to get young people excited about learning.”

I agree, but would also add that I don't understand what it takes to get an urban New Yorker or a rural Georgian excited about learning. I'm confident that given the right support and a little experience I could learn quickly, but the expert on exciting these young people about learning are the students themselves, their parents and caregivers, and the teachers who interact with them daily. Until the power to inform educational policy shifts from the distant politician and insulated departments of education to the stakeholders most invested in public education real education reform will not be realized.

The article closes with another quote from Noguera, “when you have students entering high school and reading on a third-grade level that is not a high school problem... that's a systemic problem.” We have learned in various disciplines that system problems have system answers. Top down reform cannot fix a systematic problem. In a hierarchical system, the actors at the top have too much vested to entertain significant change at the top level. What we end up with are myriad changes at the bottom of the pyramid which still support the unchanging structures at the top.

Where does this lead? As a teacher, the title of this post is addressed to my students. We are stuck in the middle together. Academics and educational experts know what quality education looks like and they expect us to deliver. Politicians and district and state level administrators expect us to meet standard measurements of performance delivered in the form of test scores and pass rates. This means that I live in two realities, with my students. We balance the demands of both, but more and more, the weight on the side of standardized testing grows and grows.

Here in the classroom, we are stuck, in the middle. The article referenced above stuck out because it is proof for me that people understand what we need in public education. Yet still, schools and teachers are torn between serving two masters. One master says test scores are the only metric we care about and the other says focus on learning that matters and not the tests. (Someone wise had something to say about serving two masters.)

That's the end of the post, but I can't create a title like this without giving proper credit, so here's a little Stealer's Wheel for your Wednesday afternoon.