Education report

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

The education report we discussed today in class raises many important issues and questions. First and foremost, it highlights the fact that we continue to trail behind other nations in academic achievement in literacy, math, and science. It is no surprise to any of us in education. And yet, we continue to dismantle one of the very best vestiges of the past-public education. This is not to say that public education does not have tremendous flaws that need to be addressed, but the onslaught of attacks on education we currently experience does not address the root of the problem. Diane Ravitch’s recent work, The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education (2010), explores the inconsistency in comparing public schools to their private counterparts and well as the charter schools that are all the rave in education. Ravitch points out the complexities of comparing these three types of educational institutions since the latter two have the ability to turn students down, unlike public schools which must accept anyone in their zone. She posits that these differences put public schools at a tremendous disadvantage that could potentially result in a massive exodus of the more successful students.

Another problem that needs to be examined is the quality of teacher training in the US. Linda Darling Hammond, professor from Stanford’s School of Education, posits in her recent work, The Flat World and Education: How America's Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Future, that the quality of the teacher is essential to student success. She argues that our urban, low-income schools face an astounding deficiency with regards to quality teachers. How can we address this disparity if the very programs that churn out “qualified” teachers are drive-through universities designed to fast track teachers. These universities water down the quality of teacher training that translates into a watered down educational system.

I suppose the politically charged debate will not be settled here.

[Anonymous]

I do agree that this is a vexing debate. However, I do think that much of the research available needs to more critically examined. All educators are faced with their own dilemmas and the state the education is no excuse for it being the source of blame. Education has been and will be inevitably plagued with irreparable problems. Good teaching can overcome dilemmas that currently exit. Problems don't get solved by pointing them out but by taking action to alleviate them. Change begins in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

I respect your optimism and gung-ho attitude, but before you start on that journey one classroom at a time, keep an open mind to external systemic problems that play a role in that success.

[clay dube]

Before discussing the ramifications of the report, it may be useful to actually look at the report. Some of its shortcomings will be apparent. I doubt the gap between even Shanghai schools and the US average is as great as the test results suggest, but I suspect the trend is accurate: hard working students with good teachers in Shanghai achieve great progress and American students need to work harder (huge family role to consider here) and be better taught. Yes, I know we likely didn't need a study to understand this.

It might be interesting to see how students respond to these results.

Here's the site where you can download the study:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2011004

Here's a different comprehensive chart than the one I showed in class:
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/54/12/46643496.pdf

And details on the study:http://www.oecd.org/document/61/0,3343,en_32252351_46584327_46567613_1_1_1_1,00.html[Edit by="Clay Dube on Dec 15, 4:25:14 PM"][/Edit]

[clay dube]

The Gates Foundation has underwritten a study of the value-added teacher evaluation methods employed by LAUSD/LA Times earlier this year. The study was reported on in the NY Times last week:

Sam Dillon, "What Works in the Classroom? Ask the Students," NY Times, Dec. 10, 2010.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/11/education/11education.html

Here's the report itself - Measures of Effective Teaching Project
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/college-ready-education/Documents/preliminary-findings-research-paper.pdf

[Anonymous]

In my opinion, the big reason for the decline in schools in the US is because of the lack of discipline. [Edit by="rzhang on Dec 19, 5:17:01 PM"][/Edit]
[Edit by="rzhang on Dec 19, 5:18:34 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

I agree that an important thing to take into account with this report is to focus in on what we as teachers can do, one student at a time, one class at a time. I believe that we should be aware of the disparity in cultures when looking at the report (ie and open society and democracy, vs a more "top down" culture).

Overall, I feel the most important factor is the family. I have spoken to my counselors about this on several occasions. I find that my parents feel so impotent when it comes being "parents". I try to encourage them to set high standards, and be the boss. As a parent, and a teacher I try to take this stand. I think as a junior high teacher, I have learned to be set the bar high, and consistently stick to it. Being a high school teacher, I would imagine, one already expects students to have internalized this. I try to prepare my junior highers for this expectation. I also try help our students by continuing my education, and becoming a repository of information to those willing to learn. My final challenge is to set an example to the teachers that I work with.

[Anonymous]

I do agree that the family plays a huge role in student motivation and there is absolutely no denying that when it comes to content, it is inevitably the teacher and their ability to incorporate instruction of SKILLS that the students need to become more independent, which will push the students to a higher level of achievement. Whether it is Charter, Public, or Private, it is the responsibility of the school to push for, and create opportunities for increased school-home communication and relations. Test scores aside, it is the value of education itself that needs to be reinforced at all times.

[Anonymous]

I thought this was the most interesting part of the lecture today, and I have continued to share this with colleagues and friends. Family plays a huge part, but what about the importance we place on extra-curriculars? Is that similar to the top- ranking countries? If you think about it, the extra curriculars I participated in when I was little have almost no daily role in my life right now. So are they as necessary as we make them out to be?

[Anonymous]

The question I always ask myself is how much of a role do actual K-12 classroom teachers play in making education policy. I frequently watch the political talk shows and always read articles in the news about education, yet I never see current teachers being interviewed or quoted about policy. It seems like our education policy is made by our elected official and so called "experts" who have little to no teaching experience or have been out of the classroom for many years. I would like to see current teachers play more of a role in creating education policy. I cannot think of any other profession in our country that is so regulated by people that have never worked in the field.

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