Virginia's Candidates for Governor on Education

If you’re unfamiliar with the 2013 race for Virginia Governor, this statement from Larry Sabato sums up why this election is so peculiar:

“These two are running against the only people they could beat”

No doubt, we’ve got two terrible choices. All politics aside, we’ve decided to look at both candidates' education platform. I could never endorse either of these two as a candidate, but there are significant differences in their plans for education.

Ken Cuccinelli

Cuccinelli’s plan begins by pointing out the obvious. Despite a history of success in Virginia schools, our biggest problem lies in racial, economic, and geographic disparities in student outcomes. His plan is based on four principles described below.

1) Empowerment

In order to ensure all of our students have the best possible education, we must empower

parents with the option to determine the best academic setting for their child’s education.

One could argue we already do this. Parents can discern from many rankings (including the states A-F rating) what schools are good. Once they’ve done so, they simply move into that district. Yes, that is ludicrous, but only in its extreme from the idea that parents can simply choose a good school. Factors of economics and parent involvement will still keep disadvantaged kids, well, disadvantaged. What about the goal of providing every parent’s child with the best academic setting?

2) Excellence

We need to always remember that teachers are the backbone of our education system. Study after study proves there is no more important variable in terms of determining a student’s long-term success and financial security than teachers.

Anyone propagating this falsehood has zero credibility. It is a statement meant to promote an agenda and a disservice rather than a complement to good teachers. Some studies show that teachers are the most important IN SCHOOL VARIABLE determining student success. This lets policy makers off the hook in addressing the most important variables that happen out of school. It also provides an easy target when reforms don’t work.

3) Opportunity

All children, regardless of who they are or where they live, deserve the opportunity to attend a quality school and learn from motivated teachers.

The obvious fix, provide support and resources to make every school a quality school. The reform fix, punish bad schools and reward the good. Create more disparity and place the outcome for children in the hands of whether or not their parents make the right choices.

4) Accountability

If we care about our students’ progress, we must implement real and verifiable measures

that allow our education system to replicate success and remedy failure.

Several decades of “accountability” haven’t moved us very far. Instead of starting over to find something that works, we keep tinkering with the tests. The best question to ask is “to whom are teachers accountable.” In today’s testing climate we are accountable to “big government” to borrow a phrase. Our students and their parents should be the ones to whom we’re accountable. A real education platform would figure out how to make that happen.

Terry McAuliffe

Like Cuccinelli’s plan, McAuliffe's plan uses numbers. That makes it easy on us. Here’s what he says about plans for education.

1) Reforming the SOL tests.

We must have a strong system of student achievement and teacher evaluation.

How about scrap and start over? I do like his ideas about what needs to change, but I don’t trust his plans to change them. The plan seems to place much faith in the validity of “growth measures” and still focuses on the purpose of SOLs being teacher evaluation rather than student learning. He also calls for a “Blue Ribbon Panel” to reassess content. How about we just release some of the content and let parents, teachers, and students judge for themselves whether the tests are fair?

2) Innovation in Education.

Quality educational systems need to think more creatively. Partnerships with businesses and community colleges, emphasis on STEM and Computer Science, and increased flexibility for our school districts will all help bring our schools into the 21st century.

Public/Private Partnerships and an emphasis on STEM are good, but if we’re not careful, we sacrifice other areas of equal importance. Education should not be solely driven by economic incentive. As a teacher, my job is not to prepare students to earn as much money as they can when they grow up. Let’s not sacrifice the arts and humanities for the sake of preparing students for a global economy. And, the quest for private/public partnerships should not overshadow the fact that education is a public trust and the public has a responsibility to support it, fully. The addition of private partnership should enrich, not support. (On a side note: Quality political systems need to think more creatively. Can’t we do better than just using words like Innovation, STEM, and 21^st century and really focus on what we’re doing now in the present)

3) Supporting our Schools

Over time, the Commonwealth has reduced state investment in our schools, reducing the resources of our schools and shifting the burden to local school districts.

I agree. But the biggest obstacle to spending money on education is accountability. I think the public wants to know what they’re getting for their investment and the lack of transparency in educational spending creates a public sentiment of distrust. I don’t think the public wants test scores, I think they want to know how their money is being used. We don’t do a good enough job of letting them know.

4) Let Teachers Teach

Our teachers need to be relieved of the growing amount of paperwork and administrative tasks so they can focus on the job they signed up for: educating our kids.

Let’s focus here. Paperwork and administrative tasks are a nuisance, and when I’m overworked, they become the proverbial “straw that breaks the back.” I did sign up to “educate kids” but I’m educating about 35-50 more of them a year than I did in the late 1990’s when I started. Before worrying about the administrative burden, we need to understand the “job that we signed up for.” It takes much energy, effort, and time to “educate our kids.” Many teachers today are not doing their best, they’re doing the best they can.

Was Obama Right?

I can't speak for the other half of the Teaching Underground (but I'm guessing he agrees), but I am not a fan of the Presidents education policy. The democratic platform's comments on education in general are not very appealing either. Without a Republican plan for education that looks any better, it looks like education may be in for another tough four years regardless of the election.

I used to think that the President didn't matter to public education in America. After all, state and local governments oversee the education of children. But, unless I didn't know any better before the mid-90's it looks like that balance began to shift under the Clinton administration and certainly tipped during the Bush years to the point where today, what the President says (or perhaps more importantly, who he appoints) makes a significant difference in the way we do public education in the fifty states. We've gotten used to the rhetoric.

Obama says repeatedly that we shouldn't over test our children, yet still creates and enforces policy that drives the testing craze. The Administration's words speak highly of public education and educators, but actions increasingly follow the path of corporate reform instead of educator initiated improvements. I know that the words don't always reflect the reality, but one single sentence uttered last night by the President made me think that on some level he gets it:  

Government has a role in this. But teachers must inspire; principals must lead; parents must instill a thirst for learning, and students, you’ve got to do the work.

1) Government has a role- we can't continue to short-change education under the guise that we're throwing money at a failing system.  We can't deny the responsibility, the "rightness" of government to provide for the education of our children and the long term benefits of this investment for our nation.  But Government has a role, and especially the federal government should take care to ensure that states and districts are adequately providing education without encumbering them with excessive regulations that may not apply across the board.

2) Teachers- to inspire must be inspired.  We've heard enough empty thanks and platitudes of how important we are.  It's not just about money, but we are more than a pool of workers.  Evaluation methods should be fair, we need to stop inflating the idea of "bad teachers" ruining education, and teachers need more influence and input in policy and decision-making.

3) Parents- this thirst for learning will look different for different families.  This is the part where government may play a larger role.  I do a good job of working with kids, but add responsibilities with parents and my job gets tougher.  I can't do the job of a parent and I can't make parents do their job.  I'm not talking about laws and punishments.  Most parents are doing exactly what they need to.  Opening schools and creating access often just makes active parents more active.  We need to figure out the best ways to engage the unengaged and that solution might not be found within the wall of the school.

4) Students- do the work.  We need to hear this more often from our leaders.  I take responsibility for the job I do, but I can't take 100% responsibility for the performance of others.  I teach students, I don't "learn" them.  Learning is what you do yourself and what I learn is my responsibility.  Until student responsibility re-enters the national narrative on how to improve schools, schools will not improve. 

Last night Obama set forth a pretty decent rhetorical formula with these words.  I only wish it could translate into effective and reasonable policy.  Unfortunately, based on the record of the last four years, I don't have much hope in that.

Why Labor Day?

Like most American civil holidays, we rarely take the time to recognize the meaning and reason of Labor Day.  Memorial Day has become an unofficial kick-off to summer, as likely to be marked by cook-outs and pool openings as by ceremonies to honor fallen soldiers.  And, Labor day is more likely seen as the last hurrah of the season than a day to recognize the contributions of Labor to the American society.

In 2012, Labor deserves a Day.  In the face of job losses and a struggling economy, labor still takes its kicks, even when down.  Originally conceived, Labor day was placed on the first Monday of September and not on International Worker's Day.  The president feared associating the holiday too closely with a communist or socialist ideology.  Today, we still observe the holiday, but national opinion toward organized labor is cool at best, hostile at worst.

The question of Labor Day is similar to the question out of the mouths of children every Mother's or Father's Day.  "When is there going to be a kid's day?"  You know the answer to that question.  So why a Labor Day.  "When do we get an entrepeneur or business owner day?"  The answer isn't quite as strong, but much the same.

Folks who sell the only good they own, their labor, are at quite the disadvantage in a populated society.  We look at them skeptically when they organize to set wages or workplace standards for themselves.  If they stood as individuals, the market would govern and wages and conditions would set themselves in a real, rather than artificial and fixed way.

But what of the chambers of commerce, the industrial lobbies, the trade agreements, etc., of the business class.  They work to change the law of the land toward conditions that fit their goals of production and profit.  They bind themselves together to fix markets and create favorable conditions to do business. 

And Labor, divided, stands as individuals standing at the table of prosperity waiting to work for the crumbs that may drop from the table.  This scene wouldn't be a problem if the very labor waiting for a bone didn't help build the table in the first place.

America was founded through struggle.  Our nation was birthed through a war.  The fundamental document that sets the law of the land was a process of conflict and compromise.  So goes the relationship between labor and capitalists from the origin of industry until today.  Conflict and compromise is hard, and often painful, but when both sides are working for the American ideal, the outcome is strength and unity.

Labor isn't the good guy, it's just often the underdog.  And let's face it, the hands that built America deserve at least a day of recognition.  The faceless millions who gave an honest days work for an honest wage to drive the economy of prosperity-- and yes, despite our troubles of 2012, we are still a prosperous people.

So enjoy your last day of the swimming pool, take that one last mini-vacation, enjoy a movie on your day off, or take care of the last minute business if your school year starts tomorrow.  But, at least for a minute, take pride in the work that you do and say thank you to someone for doing the same. 

The Underground plans on taking our first annual Mountain Bike outing to celebrate.  But Tuesday, it's back to work.  Satisfying, life-giving, nation building labor.

Happy Labor Day.

TU turns 200.

"So these guys know their stuff huh?"

You're reading the 200th post from the TU.  To celebrate this occasion, the President of the United States himself, Barack Obama will be visiting our hometown, Charlottesville, VA to mark the occasion.  City and County schools are dismissing early because of traffic concerns, but teachers have to work the full day, so we won't be able to attend the event.  Considering the President has found this event worthy of commemoration, we would be remiss if we did not take time to acknowledge the significance of our 200th post while Obama fetes us in absentia.  We thought it might be "special" to at least share a few of our personal observations:

"Down those stairs, that is where real teachers work"

Lindsay:
It would seem that 200 times we have had something to say.  We've had around 44,000 hits but it remains to be seen whether anyone is listening.  I pity the lost soul wandering the internet that stumbled onto our blog by accident.   One thing I have learned from that traffic is that an image can produce far more hits than anything of substance I write.  So we keep going, even if only for ourselves.

Over the past 2 years I cannot recall how many times a colleague shared a thought with me and I said..."yeah I know, we wrote about that last week/month."

The blog is part of our still evolving "master plan."  This remains a closely guarded industry secret but I can say it is cutting edge, revolutionary, and strategically dynamic.  It will probably change the world more than sliced bread.

"Shake and Bake"...that's me the funny one with the bread sponsorship.

When asked what exactly the blog is about, I usually respond with something cryptic like" Yes."  That baffles people and either confirms their suspicions about my low intellect, or gives them reason to suspect I am brilliant.  The two reactions are indistinguishable. 

Teaching Underground continues to be a labor of love and is a window into what I , Steve and countless other dedicated professionals have the privilege to do. With the occasional foray into deep philosophical discussion we succeed on the blog and in the classroom by keeping things very simple.  Keep a sense of humor, work hard, try to get better, find fulfillment in what we do, and above all try to do what is right.

Turner:
We started in October 2010.  I thought we'd run out of stuff to say by Christmas.  Now that I think about it, maybe we did and we just endlessly repeat ourselves.

I really appreciate friends who mention they've read a post or personally mention the blog, but I've been surprised at how many people we've never met subscribe to and/or comment on our site.

I'm still motivated by a driving desire to communicate.  Public education is not failing.  Struggling in areas, but not failing.  Too many parts of the media, both political parties, the business world and even some education insiders have written a false narrative of the state of public education and we need to reclaim the true story of education.

Considering there's no monetary compensation for working on the Teaching Underground, our only source of reinforcement comes from readers.  Thanks for all the follows, likes, and comments, that's what keeps us going, so if you haven't "followed, liked, or commented" consider doing so.  Share this site with others.  It makes us happy.  And when we're happy, we're better teachers.  Better teachers make better students.  So if you care about children, you'll support the Teaching Underground.

Say Something

Lloyd Dobler would say something.

If you don't, someone will.  This truism could be applied to countless scenarios but fits well the field of public education.  Fact is that there are plenty of folks out there saying stuff about education. The media, politicians, reform leader profiteers, philanthropists are all weighing in.  Most of their ideas do not originate or even consider input from teachers.  Some of these folks are more celebrity than educator.   While some know what they are talking about, there is no shortage of poorly informed ideas. 

Teachers are fond of keeping their views within our classroom walls though on occasion we pass along articles to each other originating from those that are critical of those within our profession.  Some of that criticism fuels our fire to improve.   What teachers and public schools face in today's climate though is a different animal entirely.  Getting down to brass tacks there are those out there doing and saying things harmful to teachers and teaching and it is incumbent upon teachers(and others) to speak up.

Like just about everyone else out there teachers tend to think they work really hard.  Avoiding this debate, what is agreed upon is that the teaching profession is a tough one that has a habit of wearing people down.  Lots of good talented people quit.  Not all teachers are saints.  But they are not robots either.  No great teacher goes through lessons in a mechanical manner detached from their surroundings.  The simple act of teaching involves giving.  Most people can only give so much.  Famous for what some call "whining", teachers might deserve some criticism for our self-pity.   But it is out of necessity in an effort to find support among shared hardship.  It is also true that unless you teach, you just cannot understand all the job involves.  Those who did so for 3 years on their way to getting credentialed up to administration simply can no longer comprehend like those knee deep in a classroom.  The camaraderie and awareness of what teachers need gets lost in translation, differing priorities and perspective.

These differences are magnified when discussing the contrast between those trying to shape education and those working in it.  The average teacher rarely engages directly in policy making,  choosing instead to dutifully labor in the calling they love.  This may no longer be possible given the assault on the profession.  Ill informed individuals along with powerful and self interested groups have set sights on remaking the "school" dynamic in a way more beneficial to business and their own ideological principles.  The battle front for this has been the media and in the legislature.  Nationally, at the state level and locally much is being done to undermine faith and support in one of our most significant public institutions,  the public school system.

He is a "General" after all.

The voices rising against pubic education often cite international comparisons, test data and carefully select facts to convince scores of people that in fact little is being done right.  They can be convincing, especially without response.  Unions and other education advocates have proven unable to match their volume or effectiveness or have abdicated their responsibility to maintain their influence.    They instead end up as targets themselves and are named as among the chief problems with the system.  There are causes for concern.  But we are leaving the enumeration and resolution of those to people far from the schoolhouse door.  Its analogous to entrusting military policy in the Middle East to an arms manufacturer or maybe the Surgeon General.  Or a large school system to a magazine publisher...nevermind.

The future for our schools is far from certain.   What is clear is that if substantive and effective changes are to occur teachers must speak up.  Their views and experiences must be the bedrock of the future.  As virtuous as any voices may seem if they are not formed with the thoughts of the simple teacher in mind, they are flawed.  Until such time as this occurs it is only natural that things head in the wrong direction.   The course will be guided solely by carefully selected data or knee jerks. 

Teachers must be advocates for their students and schools on a broader stage.  They must educate themselves and voice their views at a level equal to that of the philanthropist billionaires, well connected lobbyist, high minded edupreneurs and opportunistic politician if policy is to be well informed and beneficial.  The debate needs balance, reason and common sense injected.   So get informed.  Take action.  Speak up.  Now is the time for all good teachers to come to the aid of education.  If they do not, a disproportionate degree of influence will remain in the hands of the privileged connected few who lack expertise and perspective to really know what is good and what only sounds like it.

Bush on NCLB- Ten Years Later

Time Magazine, January 23, 2011.  Andrew J. Rotherham gives us George W. Bush in his own words on the tenth anniversary of "No Child Left Behind."

Bush: "So I'm pleased with the progress and concerned about efforts from people in both parties to weaken it."

Rotherham: "What do you think is driving those efforts?"

Bush: "Some on the right think there is no role for the federal government in education.  Some on the left are saying it's unfair to teachers--basically, union issues.  People don't like to be held to account."

Both parts of Bush's response define a clear divide among first, left and right politics regarding education and second, the yet-to-be-labeled opposing sides in the education reform debate.

First, if we could make policy with all of our biases on the table, perhaps everyone would understand each others goals a little better.  But, I have a hard time accepting policy decisions made by those who have limiting the government role in public education as their primary goal.  What better way to pull the government out of education than to convince the American public that money spent on public education is money wasted?  If successful in this effort, any number of agendas are guaranteed (vouchers, school choice, private/public charters).  I gravitate away from conspiracy theory, but when those who wish to undo the system play a vital role in making policy for the system, bad things are likely to happen.

Second, I do like to be held accountable.  It makes me a better person.  I learned long ago that one of the best ways to avoid bad practice is through openness.  Letting others in on what's happening in the classroom.  Parents, administrators, peers, all serve to hold me accountable for what I do.  I don't like thinking that I've been doing something ineffective, but I do appreciate knowing that I've done it versus continuing to fail without ever realizing it.  This statement indicates that Bush begins with the understanding that I want to teach in the shadows, without any oversight or input into my work.  If you believe that I'm this type of person, then you probably don't respect me enough to listen to my professional opinion.

I don't think Bush or any of the corporate reformers want to be held accountable.  It's like when your zipper is down, or you've got food on your face.  I like a person with the courage to let me know so that I can avoid further embarrassment.  I suppose some people prefer to go through the evening not knowing any better.  Instead of listening to feedback (they'd prefer to call it complaining), corporate reformers prefer to demonize the source of the feedback-- teachers, who stand behind protection of their unions in order to protect themselves from having to do honest work for honest pay.

How have we devolved to this national narrative that teachers who care enough about children to spend hours of time with them for average pay are the one's who are holding our children back while profit driven reformers and corporate educational companies pushing for more testing and accountability are the great hope for our public school system?

(I recommend this great reply from John Spencer's Education Rethink to the Time article that accompanies the interview)

The Teaching Underground on Virginia's State of the Commonwealth

Virginia Governor, Bob McDonnell, delivered his "State of the Commonwealth Address" this evening, part of which includes highlights of his education plans for the next two year cycle.  Below are highlights from his speech with the Teaching Underground comments in italics.

States are competing against each other, and the world, for job-creating businesses.

When deciding where to move or expand, businesses look for a well-educated and well-trained workforce. We owe every student the opportunity to be career-ready or college-ready when they graduate from high school. A good education means a good job.

This is how McDonnell begins his comments on education.  It is unfortunate that economics is quickly becoming the only measure of value in American society. 

 

I have proposed an increase in funding for K-12 education of $438 million over this biennium to strengthen the Virginia Retirement System for teachers and school employees, increase dollars going to the classroom, hire more teachers in science, technology and math, improve financial literacy, and strengthen Virginia’s diploma requirements.

I appreciate the contribution to VRS, but it doesn't cover increases enough to keep from impacting local budgets.  I know this is an area where public employees are often compared to the private sector.  I won't complain about the benefits, but I know from friends in the private sector that I'm not getting any significant retirement benefits over them.  

I haven't seen any indication that the new budget really adds dollars directly to the classroom.

STEM is certainly important, but I think it is quite over-stated as of late.  We should stay competitive, but not so much that we sacrifice and devalue HEAR (History, English, Arts, and Recess).  O.K.- lame attempt at humor.

As for financial literacy, perhaps there should be a remedial effort aimed toward adults who make public policy considering they demonstrate such a deficiency in this area. 

We will also provide new funding for the successful Communities in Schools program, as well as funding for all 10th graders to take the PSAT, and for the start up of new health science academies.

Thank goodness we're making another standardized test possible for students.  It's about time.

However, while we will put more funding into K-12 in this budget, more funding alone does not guarantee greater results.

Of course not, we need to stick it to the bad teachers.

Over the past decade, total funding for public education increased 41 percent, while enrollment only went up 6 percent. This budget will provide new funding, but we will also seek more accountability, choice, rigor and innovation.

Is the increase any wonder?  How much more do we spend on testing, data collection, and reporting?  Federal and State mandates and partially funded programs and policies just like what you're proposing tonight have bloated local expenses.

Providing flexibility to local school divisions is important. It is time to repeal the state mandate that school divisions begin their school term after Labor Day unless they receive a waiver. Already, 77 of the 132 school divisions have these waivers, so that the exceptions have become the rule.

DoubleSpeak- If providing flexibility to local school divisions is important, then provide flexibility to local school divisions.  You meant to say 'even though our tourism industry is against it, repealing the Kings' Dominion law is a great leverage point for me to get folks on board with my less popular points like continuing contracts for teachers.'
 

Local communities can best balance their teaching and calendar needs with the important concerns of local tourism and business. They know their situations far better than Richmond.

And our next big initiative can be longer school years since that obstacle is out of the way.
 

Our teachers are well educated and motivated professionals who deserve to be treated as such.

Then do it.
 

Just like workers in most other jobs get reviewed every year, and are therefore able to be more accurately promoted and rewarded for their success, so too should our teachers.

When is your annual review Gov. McDonnell?  Oh, that's right, it's a four year term.

I am asking that we remove the continuing contract status from teachers and principals and provide an annual contract in its place. This will allow us to implement an improved evaluation system that really works and give principals a new tool to utilize in managing their schools. Along with the merit pay pilot program we approved last year, we will provide more incentives and accountability to attract and retain the best and brightest teachers.

Can you REALLY ignore the mountains of research that show incentives and merit pay don't improve student learning?  Data-driven, huh?  Dan Pink save us please.

We’ve got so many great teachers in Virginia, teachers like Stacy Hoeflich, a fourth grade teacher at John Adams Elementary School in Alexandria, who was recently named the National History Teacher of the Year.

I happen to think my sister Nancy, a public school teacher in Amherst County, is a great teacher.

Your House Majority Leader, Kirk Cox, is a great teacher.

We all know strong teachers who deserve to be better recognized for the invaluable roles they play in the development and learning of our students.

Yes, and we all know racists who say "I've got lots of (fill in the group) friends."  Picking a handful of teachers to praise doesn't excuse the disrespect toward all teachers communicated by your proposal. 

We will also fund policies to ensure all young people can read proficiently by third grade, so they are ready to become lifelong learners. Social promotions are not acceptable. When we pass a student who cannot read well and is not ready for the next grade, we have failed them.

But we won't invest more in pre-school and real early intervention.  I guess they have to be officially tested before we can justify intervention.

Our public education system must also embrace multiple learning venues and opportunities.

I agree with President Obama that we need to expand charter schools in our nation. I am proposing that we make our laws stronger by requiring a portion of the state and local share of SOQ student funding to follow the child to an approved charter school, and to make it easier for new charters to be approved and acquire property.

A Republican governor evoking the name of Barak Obama-- bad education policy knows no party.  But why can't we give greater flexibility to traditional public schools and let them innovate and provide choice.  In our county, we already do this with a Math, Engineering, and Science Academy and will add a Health Sciences Academy next year.  Charters have no proven track record of out performing public schools.

We need a fair funding formula for the fast growing virtual school sector. I will propose that a portion of the state and local share of SOQ student funding should follow the student in this area as well, and that we implement new regulations for accrediting virtual schools and teachers.

i.e., reduce barriers and make it easier.  While clamping down on teacher tenure and accountability for traditional public schools, you're going to make it easier to operate virtual schools.  I bet K12 loves this.

We should also create effective choices for low-income students, so I’m asking you to provide a tax credit for companies that contribute to an educational scholarship fund to help more of our young people, and I thank Delegates Jimmie Massie and Algie Howell, and Senators Walter Stosch and Mark Obenshain for their leadership on this issue. A child’s educational opportunities should be determined by her intellect and work ethic, not by her neighborhood or zip code.

CREATE A TAX CREDIT FOR COMPANIES!!! Forget the public responsibility to provide equal opportunity regardless of economic status, let's add incentives and trust the goodwill of the private sector.

We will also propose innovations to promote greater dual enrollment in high school and community college, so motivated students can get a head start on their college educations.

The goal of all of these proposals is simple: at high school graduation, every student who receives a diploma must be college- or career-ready.

And there you have it.  At least we have a simple goal. 

Watching Chaos

I admit my attention span is short and I'm tired of hearing or using the word Occupy.  But I don't tire as easily when discussing or informing my views on education.  It is in this context that the following video becomes relevant.  Imagine if you will entering a classroom where the teacher is disengaged, irrelevant and unresponsive to student needs.  Then compare that to what occurred at a Panel for Educational Policy(PEP) meeting in New York recently.

Is what we are watching a response by a public that sees leaders as disengaged, irrelevant and unresponsive?   Has education reform become too reliant on Top Down decisions in pursuit of desired outcomes?  How are these top down decisions being perceived by stakeholders?     Are the few creating a process that ignores the voices of many that could affect lasting and positive change?    Will this closed process engender support or further alienate decision makers?   Is this approach consistent with the ideals of democracy?  Shouldn't we expect more from our leaders?  





Love to hear some comments after watching.

Quick Roundup and Apologies

Sticking with the current events theme of some recent posts, there continues to be a great deal of conversation about the Occupy Wall Street movement.  More of that in a second. The TU was at the annual "Making Connections" conference held by our division at one of our local High Schools. We indeed connected with our fellow educators and  in an usual occurrence ate lunch above ground.  Bad news is that Harold Camping has revised his previous prediction.   Just when you thought things were looking up, we learn we are all doomed once again.  

In an conclusion that can be described as equally relevant, Newt Gingrich appeared on Face the Nation and commented...

"We have had a strain of hostility to free enterprise and frankly, a strain of hostility to classic America starting in our academic institutions and spreading across this country," he added. "And I regard the Wall Street protests as a natural outcome of a bad education system teaching them really dumb ideas."
Comments from to 5:10




As a member of this bad education system let me be among the first to apologize for anything else I am responsible for.  I'd add that Mr. Gingrich does better job as the former House Speaker than he does as an analyst on things, especially education(Dennis Hastert would never throw me under the bus like that).   I can certainly be criticized for some things I have done or have not done as a teacher but I think one would have to stop just short of blaming me(or any teacher) for this protest.  For the record I support free enterprise and don't want to share any wealth, especially mine.  But there is plenty of evidence socio-economic level is something that impacts education(I agree).

Speaking for myself I do believe that the government should when necessary compel our citizens to act in the best interest of our nation and not always for themselves.   The debate comes begins when we discuss how to best go about that.   I start with the  Constitution,  a brilliant creation of mankind that attempts to balance the needs and rights of both individuals and society as a whole.  Does a darn good job I might add.    This is among the dumb ideas we teach.   (Not among these is the idea that the Congress can "ignore" Federal Judges as Mr. Gingrich later stated. )

We asked around and what follows is a list compiled by experts on the events of the past year that can in fact be traced to actions of the TU.

(Feel free to add a comment with what you've done over the past year that you are either sorry for or proud of.  Funny or not.)

Oprah Retires

The Arab Spring

Jonas Salk invents the Polio Vaccine(we read this on the internet so it must be true)

Brette Favre Retires(again)

 The Miami Heat fail to win the NBA title(healing Cleveland's wounds)

The Text Neck Institute is Founded(yep...it's real    http://text-neck.com/   )

Rebecca Black's Friday becomes less popular

 

The NFL Lockout Ends

What Republicans Think About Education

Thursday night's Republican Presidential Debate included a question about education.  Candidates were given thirty seconds each to respond. (Does that say something about the value of education?)  We've included the question below, candidate responses, and a brief commentary from the Teaching Underground for each.  Enjoy.

QUESTION: I've taught in both public and private schools, and now as a substitute teacher I see administrators more focused on satisfying federal mandates, retaining funding, trying not to get sued, while the teachers are jumping through hoops trying to serve up a one-size-fits-all education for their students. What as president would you seriously do about what I consider a massive overreach of big government into the classroom? Thank you.



FORMER GOV. GARY JOHNSON, R-N.M.: I'm promising to submit a balanced budget to Congress in the year 2013. That's a 43 percent reduction in federal spending.

I am going to promise to advocate the abolishment of the federal Department of Education.

The federal Department of Education gives each state 11 cents out of every dollar that every state spends, but it comes with 16 cents worth of strings attached. So what America does not understand is that it's a negative to take federal money. Give it to 50 laboratories of innovation, the states, to improve on, and that's what we'll see:

dramatic improvement.

Abolish the Federal Department of Education?  That sounds pretty Anti-Education to many folks, but maybe not.  If Johnson is right, it's costing more than it's worth.

FORMER SEN. RICK SANTORUM, R-PA.: Yeah, 20 years ago, the federal contribution to education was 3 percent. It's now at 11 percent, and our schools are doing worse, and it's exactly what Gary Johnson just said. It's because the federal government's meddling.

The bottom-line problem with education is that the education system doesn't serve the customer of the education system. And who's the customer? The parents, because it's the parents' responsibility to educate the children.

It's been that responsibility -- from the moment they were born, they began the education of their children. And at some point, we have-- the government has convinced parents that at some point it's no longer their responsibility. And in fact, they force them, in many respects, to turn their children over to the public education system and wrest control from them and block them out of participation of that.

That has to change or education will not improve in this country.

I can't say that I totally disagree, but we have a public trust.  Sometimes parents will not live up to their responsibility and with this attitude I fear the children suffer.  How do we adjust education to make sure we're responsive to parents?  I must say, I don't think the feds can do much for us there.

FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, NEWT GINGRICH: I think you need very profound reform of education at the state level. You need to dramatically shrink the federal Department of Education, get rid of virtually all of its regulations.

And the truth is, I believe we'd be far better off if most states adopted a program of the equivalent of Pell Grants for K-through-12, so that parents could choose where their child went to school, whether it was public, or private, or home-schooling, and parents could be involved. Florida has a virtual school program that is worth the entire country studying as an example.

I'm always a little leery of the baggage associated with vouchers and choice talk.  And technology should facilitate education, but this virtual school example sounds too much like technology as a solution to education problems.

REP. RON PAUL, R-TEXAS: If you care about your children, you'll get the federal government out of the business of educating our kids.

In 1980, when the Republican Party ran, part of the platform was to get rid of the Department of Education. By the year 2000, it was eliminated, and we fed on to it. Then (inaudible) Republicans added No Child Left Behind.

So the first thing a president should do is -- the goal should be set to get the government out completely, but don't enforce this law of No Child Left Behind. It's not going to do any good, and nobody likes it. And there's no value to it. The teachers don't like it, and the students don't like it.

But there are other things that the federal government can do, and that is give tax credits for the people who will opt out. We ought to have a right to opt out of the public system if you want.

O.k. Ron, I'm with you on decreasing federal involvement, but you lost me at "business of education."  It's not a business, and we need some form of government guarantee of access to education.

GOV. RICK PERRY, R-TEXAS: There are a lot of good ideas here on the side and whether it is cutting back on the Department of Education, making those types of reductions.

I happen to believe we ought to be promoting school choice all across this country. I think school -- the voucher system, charter schools all across this country. But there is one person on this stage that is for Obama's Race to the Top and that is Governor Romney. He said so just this last week. And I think that is an important difference between the rest of the people on this stage and one person that wants to run for the presidency.

Being in favor of the Obama Race to the Top and that is not conservative.

Tell us what you think about education Mr. Perry, not your opponents.  I'll slam Race to the Top right along with you, but you need to tell us more about what you're for than what you're against.  Once again, the voucher and choice talk can mean many things, and too often on this side of the isle it means harm to public education.

FORMER GOV. MITT ROMNEY, R-MASS.: Nice try.

Let me tell you what I think I would do.

One, education has to be held at the local and state level, not at the federal level. We need get the federal government out of education. And secondly, all the talk about we need smaller classroom size, look that's promoted by the teachers unions to hire more teachers. We looked at what drives good education in our state, what we found is the best thing for education is great teachers, hire the very best and brightest to be teachers, pay them properly, make sure that you have school choice, test your kids to see if they are meeting the standards that need to be met, and make sure that you put the parents in charge.

And as president I will stand up to the National Teachers Unions.

You're dead on about state and local control Mitt, but you've fallen for the teacher union myth.  Do you really think that a group of average income teachers paying dues to a union has more clout than the multi-million dollar multi-national corporations like Pearson and Rupert Murdoch's educational ventures.  I want a president who will encourage governors to work with Teacher's Unions (who represent the folks who deal with students day in and day out) and stand up to the corporate interests who are driving school reform today.

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN, R-MINN.: We need that to do with education what has always worked historically, and that's local control with parents. What doesn't work is what we see happen right now.

I'm a mom five biological kids. We've raised 23 foster children in our home. The reason why I got involved in politics was because of the concern I had about our foster children and the education they were getting. What I would do as president of the United States is pass the mother of all repeal bills on education. I would take the entire federal education law, repeal it. Then I would go over to the Department of Education, I'd turn off the lights, I would lock the door and I would send all the money back to the states and localities.

Maybe not a bad idea, but again, we do need a government to at least guarantee that localities and states are living up to their responsibility to educate the children of America.

HERMAN CAIN, BUSINESSMAN: A lot of good ideas, I won't repeat them.

All of the programs at the federal level where there's strings attached, cut all the strings. We have got to encourage parents to take advantage of choices, but provide those choices and we must find ways to empower the students. This is how we are going to improve education, but primarily get the federal government out of trying to educate our kids at the local level.

Sounds great to me.  I'd like to know more specifics.

FORMER GOVERNOR JON HUNTSMAN, R-UTAH : This is a key question, because it has so much to do with our nation's competitiveness. I feel like I've run my own clinical trial in my home, raising seven kids. We've seen every option. We've experienced everything out there. But as governor I learned some important things. I signed the first -- or the second voucher bill in the United States, Carson-Smith. I've actually done something about this.

We actually worked on early childhood literacy. If you can lock in the pillars of cognitive development around reading and math before age six, you are giving those kids the best gift possible as they then proceed through education.

Finally, you've got to say no to unfunded mandates coming out of Washington. They are totally unacceptable. No one loves their schools more than parents and local school boards, and local elected officials.

Again, not sure about vouchers, but kill the unfunded mandate.

There you have it folks.  The republican take on education in thirty seconds or less (per candidate).  Here's to informed decision-making and an educated electorate.

(thanks to Fox News for transcript details from the debate)