The Education Stuff

I used to dismiss some international test score comparisons because I assumed other countries focused primarily on an elite pool of lucky and hardworking students. That our best and brightest would compare well to the best and brightest from other countries. However, the authors suggest that we do not stack up well no matter how you slice it: "There are millions of students in modern American suburban schools 'who don't realize how far behind they are.'" I used to think we looked bad because we try to educate everyone, yet "most top performing countries do a better job of educating students from low-income families." I am appalled at the number of students that have to take remedial classes in college: "about a third." The authors also point out that many good jobs that exist now (with even more possible in the future) do not require a four-year degree, but do require high-quality vocational education. Obama does mention technical education, but what usually is emphasized is college for all. It is practical and realistic, not elitist to say that college is not the right route for all.
The authors point out that teacher quality can vary greatly from school to school and class to class. I am always floored by the following stat: "we lose 50 percent of teachers in the first three to five years." That is a pretty high attrition rate. The upside is that many of the people who are not cut out for the job take themselves out before they can do much damage. The downside is that good teachers may find themselves in terrible conditions without proper support and, therefore, leave a profession that could really use them. I also wonder whether the stat is misleading, as it may include women who leave teaching to stay and home with children (even though they may return to teaching years later). And then there's the increasingly popular "make 50 percent of every teacher's and principal's performance evaluation based on demonstrated student growth." Where do I begin? While standardized test scores can do a pretty could job of telling us what students know and can do (I lose patience quickly with those who dismiss them as useless or evil) they are not designed to evaluate instruction. There are so many variables that play into a student's performance that a teacher has no control over (including the quality of instruction the student had in the previous year). Even in the same year, as an English teacher, I am not the only one supposed to be teaching kids to read and write. If one student in my class works hard (or doesn't work hard), gets an A and scores really well, but another students gets a C and scores below basic, am I a good teacher or a bad teacher? And this growth model or Value Added Assessment is fraught with statistical problems as well. From what I have read, there winds up being a fine line between top-tier, mid-range, and bottom-level teachers when rankings are done. Relative standings can fluctuate wildly from class to class and year to year which points to the weak reliability. Administrators must make their expectations clear, then get into classrooms often (all the time / every day) to evaluate if teachers are creating and environment where students can be successful. That is all they can be accountable for.  If too few students are successful, administrators should counsel teachers on what they want to change in the classroom or the teachers should be given the freedom to make adjustments as they see fit (could also be a combination of the two).
The governor of Delaware says we need to be honest with students about what it means to be proficient. We need to have high expectations and help students achieve them, but we cannot lower the bar and pander to kids looking for a high grade for mediocre work (this becomes tough when they get to fill out surveys on whether they like you or if they think you like them). And even though effort often trumps IQ, "American young people have got to understand from an early age that the world pays off on results, not on effort. Not everyone should win a prize no matter where he or she finishes."
I think it is interesting that the authors had another take on the Race to Nowhere film we saw this year: "They have to juggle homework, soccer, Facebook, wrestling practice, the school play, the prom, SAT prep, and Advanced placement exams. Some would call that stress. We call it misplaced priorities." According to the authors, some students can't do it all, but they better get the academics under control: "[O]ur students are spending more time texting and gaming and less time than ever studying and doing homework. Unless we get them to spend the time needed to master a subject, all the teacher training in the world will go for naught." Amen!