I have been trying to stay off my soap box about this, but I can't any longer. I have been a public school teacher for the past eight years, and I attended public schools from 2nd grade to high school, as well as attending a public university for both my undergrad and two graduate degrees. My mom, two grandparents, great aunt and uncle as well as Jon's mom, aunt, and both grandfathers were also teachers or principals. I feel like I am pretty knowledgeable about the subject and have, in fact, grown up listening about the topic of public education.
Are there "bad" schools? I think there are schools with bad teachers (in the best and worst neighborhoods), but this doesn't make the entire school bad. (And I'd like to point out each profession has "bad" examples-lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs, etc). There are schools that struggle to meet NCLB requirements each year, but I also don't think the performance on this one test makes a school bad. It's not as simple as that. The media would have you believe that by tying test scores to teacher's evaluations, the entire system would improve. This is a fallacy.
The fact remains that students come into the classroom each day with different advantages and disadvantages. I taught for six years in an "excelling" school district based on NCLB scores. The students in my classroom had parents that were actively involved, private tutors were hired if necessary, they were exposed to the latest technology at home, and were given lots of opportunities to explore their world through traveling and extra curricular activities. In contrast, students in my current school, and the district my Mom taught in for 35 years, come to school and eat breakfast because their parents don't have the money to provide one at home. The usually come home at the end of the day to an empty house because their parents are working multiple jobs, or some might be in jail and are out of the picture. These students often times don't receive motivation from home to do their homework, no one is there to help them study, and the idea of going to college is totally out of the question because no one in their family has ever achieved this goal.
Are the vast majority of teachers in these two schools working their tails off to provide meaningful opportunities and lessons for their students? ABSOLUTELY. But are the teachers working with the same type of student? ABSOLUTELY NOT. It is not the children's fault that they are growing up in different environments, and it is not the teacher's fault that these students are coming to school with entirely different sets of readiness and/or preparedness. The blame for how these students perform on test scores can not rely entirely on the teacher each year.
So you may be thinking...then how do (some) charter schools in low income areas do it? How do they have 100% acceptance rates into college and high test scores? In my opinion the difference is parental involvement and student selectivity.
Parents in charter schools elect to have their child attend that school, thus they are already showing they are actively involved and motivated to do something about their child's education. Parents involvement is a huge factor in student success, but as a country we want to overlook this fact. It's easier to blame the teachers than say to parents, "If you want your child to succeed, you also have to play a part in the process."
Many times charter schools are able to select which students they accept into their school, and if a student isn't "cutting it," these students can just as easily be removed. A public school has the responsibility to educate EVERYONE. As long as you live in the school's boundaries, you WILL NOT be turned away. Charter schools do not live by this same code.
Are there things we can do better in American public education? Absolutely! Are struggling schools all the fault of teachers and/or teacher's unions? NO!
I wish the media would present a more balanced view of the school situation in America. There is rarely only one reason a problem is occurring, and until some respected individuals stand up and say, "Look, it can't just be that public school teachers stink. There's got to be more to this story" the myth about the terrible public schools in American will continue to be broadcast.
In the meantime, I'll continue to educate. I'll work my behind off providing meaningful, engaging lessons to students, and I'll continue to inform adults about the misconceptions that are out there regarding America's public schools and the teachers inside of them.
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