"You don't get better pork by weighing the
pig every day" was my favorite take-away from a meeting I attended on
Monday night called" ‘Measuring Up’--a Statewide Conversation on
High-Stakes Testing & Accountability" at the LBJ School of Public
Affairs. You can read about it HERE. The
quote just about sums up the problem with the testing mania that grips Texas
public schools, thanks to the Legislature.
The problem is caused, at least in part, by big
business interests, led by Bill Hammond and the big education-for-profit outfit
Pearson. They hit the legislature with a lot of BS and, perhaps, campaign
"contributions" (If anyone knows an investigative journalist looking
for a story, there may well be one here.) The truth, for the majority of our
children, is that graduation outcomes are mostly unchanged, SAT and ACT scores
haven't gotten higher, and kids are not only learning less, but hating it more.
The majority of the Lege bought into the myth that children are products and
can be tested as such, after first falling for “No Child Left Behind” when Bush
was governor of Texas and later President.
Don't misunderstand. Too many schools in lower
socio-economic areas were written off in past years. Not much in the way of
funding went to them, and that concerned too few of those in power. That, as
far as I can see, is the ONLY redeeming quality of NCLB, but then, again, to
close a neighborhood school, as if the building were responsible for the underperformance,
is asinine. All children deserve a good education, and we must fund all schools
and staff them with the best of the best. That is harder to do with all the
cuts and with the ugliness being said about teachers by the far right. I taught
in a public school many, many moons ago, fresh out of college. It was hard
then; it is clearly harder now.
Teachers deserve our respect. They're taking all
our blueberries, not matter what shape they're in when they get
there and doing their best to turn out kids who love learning. At least that is
what they used to do. Now, as one special ed teacher said the other night,
they're "making them cry." The testing mania is out of control. It isn't just the 45-60 days a school year
that are wasted on "benchmarks, practice tests and actual
tests", but the narrowing of the curriculum, reducing the range electives,
and all the emphasis on grades, grades, grades, along with almost a billion
dollars that it costs each year.
I remember when homework was to help with mastery
of a subject; when if one missed some, it didn't lower one’s grade, but showed
the teacher and/or parents where he or she needed to work with that student to
help him to master the concept. My child has homework every night, and it is
all graded, every piece of it. Shoot, Band members even got a grade (as if it
were a test!) for returning a piece of paper requiring a parental signature,
telling parents the basis on which the kids would be graded.
Homework is now punitive, as is far too much of
schooling. A Montessori teacher who attended the session Monday night told the
panel that Montessori schools DO “project-based” learning and project
assessments and that they don't obsess on grades, but on learning. He invited
participants to visit a Montessori school to observe the Montessori process. I
could say the same about Waldorf Schools. They emphasize teaching how to think
and kindling the flame of a lifetime’s love of learning. With the public
schools’ emphasis on grades, grades, grades, love of learning can be difficult
to come by.
Here is my
big question, based on Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock's assertion that schools must be
accountable to the LEGE, if that august body is going to “GIVE” us $34 billion
(of
our money) for our public schools.
When Republicans argue for tax cuts, they
generally claim it is because people know better how to spend their own money.
So, why, given that these are OUR schools, in OUR communities, with OUR
children and paid for with OUR taxes, are we accountable to the Lege, who have
acted only as tax collectors and are too often totally preoccupied with raising
campaign cash for themselves rather than bothering with details like working
for the betterment of our state and specifically with working on difficult, complex issues like, say,
education policy?
It wasn’t long ago that locally elected school
boards, chosen by us from among our neighbors in our community had this
accountability, but not now. Now State Lege and some zealots in the US Congress
make these complex, tough decisions. And, as one person courageously
noted, when the Legislature holds hearings, it is the people like Bill Hammond
and the head of Pearson who are invited to share "expert
testimony." Among those NOT
invited: teachers or school principals—those on the front line every day--and
especially not parents or students. Those who demand accountability regard the
folks who reap a profit out of this system, but not those whose lives are most
affected, as experts with opinions worthy of consideration. Parents haven't
really been organized or outraged enough to demand accountability from those
who collect our money and set the policies for educating our kids. That is
beginning to change this year—and not a minute too soon--thanks to groups like Texans Advocating for Meaningful
Assessment.
Rep. Aycock asks how we can be sure that schools
are teaching. To answer, I direct his
attention to what some schools in New York City have developed: a measurable performance assessment. It
allows the students to a meaningful role and involves local community members.
What could be better? Of course, in New York these schools are being sued for
not using New York's version of high-stake testing. I'm willing to bet that the
educational industrial complex is behind the lawsuits. They can't let these
schools "get away" with actual teaching, right? It will adversely
affect Pearson's bottom line!
The hope here is that this is the year that more
parents will involve themselves. When deciding for whom to vote, especially for
the State House and State Senate, demand to know where your candidates stand on
high-stakes testing, as well as funding for schools. If they were in the Lege
last year, check to see if Bill Hammond, Sandy Kress, or anyone else who is
lobbying for or involved with Pearson
Education in any way has given them campaign donations. See how
they voted, not only on the school funding bills, but also on Rep. Donna
Howard's common sense bill that would have put money back into public
schools if the Rainy Day Fund grew beyond a certain level. (Had the bill not
been voted down, it would have meant additional state funding this year,
because the Rainy Day Fund did exceed the specified level.)
Where there are good, pro-public education
candidates this year, elect them. Let's don't send the exact same people to the
Legislature, because, as my Mother said, "If you do the same things you've
always done, you'll get the same results you always have."
Finally, to my homeschooling friends:
Public education is important to you, too, even
when you don't directly partake of it. The majority of kids are educated in
pubic schools. That is the reality. It is to everyone’s advantage that they
receive a good education, one that will allow them to make a decent living once
they get out of high school, whether after they go on to a Career & Tech
school, a community college or a four-year university. We all benefit when
public schools are strong because these kids are far less likely to need social
services, which are expensive, or to land in prison, which is even more
expensive. I strongly believe in parents’ right to decide how their kids are
schooled, whether that is public, private/homeschool, or any combination of
these.
