Experiments gone horribly wrong
According to the Associated Press, the nation's governors offered an alarming account of the American high school Saturday, indicating only drastic change will keep millions of students from falling short. Virginia Governor Mark Warner stated, "We can't keep explaining to our nation's parents or business leaders or college faculties why these kids can't do the work." We now know that simply throwing vast amounts of money at school districts as we have done and continue to do is not the answer. What happened to our schools in 30 years?
Of course this is just my opinion, but: What began as enlightened public school experiments that had their birth in the early 1970s, ultimately becoming the norm for school curricula and policy, seem now to be bearing bitter fruit. The old, structured, stricter methods of teaching and learning were gradually replaced with untried, progressive theories and modes that included open classes, alternative learning sessions, the reduction of meaningful performance-based criteria, reducing the emphasis on strict, benchmark (read high grade weight) homework assignments, and more emphasis on the group experience rather than competitive spirit, individual success, or personal achievement.
It seems that the first National Education Summit to directly address the high school problem and Achieve, a group comprised of governors, business leaders, and some enlightened educators, agree. The focus of the summit? Raise high school challenges and align graduation requirements with skills demanded in college or work. Good luck, and here's why:
Why I wish them good luck Reason Number 1: In order for this to happen, Achieve must find the will and way to overcome opposition from many of today's parents (insert selfish here, sad but true), special-interest groups, and politicians. The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education just indicated that out of every 100 ninth-graders, only 68 graduate high school on time and only 18 make it through college on time. The center added that once in college, one in four students at four-year universities must take at least one remedial course to master what they should have learned in high school. The only way to correct this is by a dramatic alteration in today's manner of teaching.
Why I wish them good luck Reason Number 2: Greater teacher accountability and work. The National Education Association (NEA) and its 2.7 million members, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and its 1.3 million members, and political allies at all levels of government that support them will fight tooth and nail to oppose change. Remember, despite propaganda to the contrary, these groups began as and will always be labor unions first, advocating for members, expanding member rights, and furthering the interests of educational employees before doing anything else. They are also a large voting bloc, have pull with politicians and thus access to considerable political power. Always follow the money.
I don't know how all of this will turn out, but it is going to be a hoot to see which groups fight against necessary reform. Hopefully, my children are working with their children as we did with them; supplementing what they don't learn in school with home reading, writing, spelling, math, science, art, and civics lessons. I hope you are doing the same, because it is blatantly obvious to most that our school children are no longer required to strive or achieve as they once were.
Now if only emphasizing feelings rather than thought, embracing diversity, working at your own pace, and group encounters could get you through college or help hold a job.