@DrTeresaSanders I had an interesting exchange with an educator on Twitter. She was an advocate of public schools and acknowledged the persistent shortcomings of the public school system. However, she believes that public education can be fixed with some “radical, innovative thinking” instead of parents pulling their children out to homeschool or send them to private schools. According to her Twitter bio, she has 30 years of teaching experience. I respect that degree of expertise, but at the same time, I don’t understand her logic.
I reminded my Twitter friend that sixty years of education reform has failed to produce sufficient gains in America’s public schools. Sixty years of the top minds in education coming up with plans that were purported to raise the bar in education have failed to improve achievement. Yet she, and many others, want to hold on to hope that public education will somehow be improved as long as we hang in there and wait for it to get better.
The problem is that countless children are falling farther and farther behind each year that we sit waiting for the magical seeds of education to bloom. We judge our housekeeper, landscaper, or mechanic on outcomes. If we go to a café and the food is substandard, we don’t return. We won’t go back if we go to a salon and get a bad haircut. Why is it, despite decades of data showing the profound failure of public schools, that so many people are willing to sacrifice their children’s education, and potentially their futures, to wait for education to improve? The consequences of waiting for public education to improve are far too costly to justify the wait. Minimally, students must learn to read, write, and complete basic math calculations to lead productive lives. Yet, nearly 70% of students cannot read proficiently in our public schools.
Illiteracy is directly connected to academic failure. Illiteracy increases the likelihood of students crossing paths with the justice system and incarceration, substance abuse, unemployment, poverty, poorer health, and premature death as adults. Literacy is foundational to self-determinism, yet our system that is in place to help our children develop into responsible, self-sufficient citizens is failing to ensure they have the basic skills they need to be successful in school and in life. This phenomenon has persisted for decades, leaving me to question the intent of public education policymakers and administrators.
The time for waiting for improvement in public education has long passed. Now is the time for parents to explore their children’s learning options. For children identified with a disability, this is extremely critical. Instead of judging the intent of public schools, judge the outcomes. There are phenomenal educators in our public schools. This is not about them. This is about the system in which they work. If the last sixty years produced little improvement, do we want to gamble with our children’s futures another sixty years to see if anything changes?
Email comments to [email protected]
Follow me on Twitter @DrTeresaSanders
I reminded my Twitter friend that sixty years of education reform has failed to produce sufficient gains in America’s public schools. Sixty years of the top minds in education coming up with plans that were purported to raise the bar in education have failed to improve achievement. Yet she, and many others, want to hold on to hope that public education will somehow be improved as long as we hang in there and wait for it to get better.
The problem is that countless children are falling farther and farther behind each year that we sit waiting for the magical seeds of education to bloom. We judge our housekeeper, landscaper, or mechanic on outcomes. If we go to a café and the food is substandard, we don’t return. We won’t go back if we go to a salon and get a bad haircut. Why is it, despite decades of data showing the profound failure of public schools, that so many people are willing to sacrifice their children’s education, and potentially their futures, to wait for education to improve? The consequences of waiting for public education to improve are far too costly to justify the wait. Minimally, students must learn to read, write, and complete basic math calculations to lead productive lives. Yet, nearly 70% of students cannot read proficiently in our public schools.
Illiteracy is directly connected to academic failure. Illiteracy increases the likelihood of students crossing paths with the justice system and incarceration, substance abuse, unemployment, poverty, poorer health, and premature death as adults. Literacy is foundational to self-determinism, yet our system that is in place to help our children develop into responsible, self-sufficient citizens is failing to ensure they have the basic skills they need to be successful in school and in life. This phenomenon has persisted for decades, leaving me to question the intent of public education policymakers and administrators.
The time for waiting for improvement in public education has long passed. Now is the time for parents to explore their children’s learning options. For children identified with a disability, this is extremely critical. Instead of judging the intent of public schools, judge the outcomes. There are phenomenal educators in our public schools. This is not about them. This is about the system in which they work. If the last sixty years produced little improvement, do we want to gamble with our children’s futures another sixty years to see if anything changes?
Email comments to [email protected]
Follow me on Twitter @DrTeresaSanders