Okay - this, is gonna be a big one, yet another, so make sure you get your drink before you read on, or have time where you'll be interested, because I have a lot to say on this issue. It is my belief that education is the central crux of our social society, and having public access to such a thing is not only a gift, but a way to build our social organism. That being said, go get your drink...
Welcome back, or thanks for reading on. If you would like to be both welcomed and thanked, feel free to consider yourself both.
So, there are several issues that are central to our problems with education. I will address those I feel are the most important in the line of issues plaguing the public education we know and experience.
1. Money: Each year, Schools vie for money, applying for grants from the state and federal government so they can continue to provide the same education they have been providing, or improve/adjust based on raises/cuts. They have a committee of teachers that work on grant-writing for each area of educational focus. They gather the data and the numbers and present it to the writing team, who then formalizes it and presents it to the local Board of Education (depending on the school) and Superintendent for approval. They then present it to the state/federal government, and wait for approval/denial. When the money is given, the schools can continue working bonus programs that supplement the learning done in or out of class. Otherwise, the schools get a percentage income based on the PROPERTY VALUES of the homes within the district. They do this because they receive their money from the taxes on the land. You pay for your school when you pay your property taxes.
So, the state gives each school a certain number of dollars based on the total amount of taxes divided by the total number of students. This creates an issue of equity. In a wealthy district, the school is given more money per student. They will have more money to provide for the kind of education people in poorer districts struggle to maintain. The logic of this is: If a wealthy school has more money, they will not need the grants for which poorer schools apply. Therefore, the poorer schools will match the funds of the wealthier schools by earning grant money from the state/federal government. But logic isn't followed by everyone.
Vouchers: While this, at first, seems like it would be a benefit to the overall educational experience, these are a detriment to the public school system as we know it. Why? Well, it just so happens that because the ADA passed, as well as IDEA, all government buildings now need to have specially designed facilities to aid the physically or mentally impaired. This is a good thing. I wholeheartedly encourage the example it sets. However, this requirement does not apply to parochial or private institutions of learning. They do not need to supply the facilities. Because many do not, it gives the parent of an exceptional student only one option: public school. What does this do? Traditionally, exceptional students do not perform well on standardized tests when they take them. Many do not. But those with middling conditions often find themselves generalized due to the demands of IDEA. Because the general ed population consists of these students, teachers have to adjust their lessons accordingly in order to be in line with the IDEA guidelines. What does this do? This allows students who would not normally be considered eligible for state exams to be eligible. This also means that those students with behavioral disorders, not considered severe enough to warrant separate attention, also take these tests - right alongside Sally Smartypants, Class Genius. This, in turn, creates numbers that do not reflect the teacher's ability, or many of the students, but the school altogether as whole. These numbers are printed in the newspaper - we see them. We say, well, Sally got a good score, but the school got an average score. We don't stop to consider why - we jump the gun. We say that these bad numbers mean it's a bad school. What happens then? People become less likely to move into the district...land values drop...people take their kids, move, and go to the successful school district that has consistently high scores. Or, they stay where they are, get a voucher - which takes money from the taxes that would have gone to the school, though not all - and send their kid to the private school that has consistently high performance numbers.
Now, the intelligence pool at the school has dropped because X amount of students left after hearing the bad scores. Those that do not send their student away now send their student to a school where his chances of educational success have just dropped by a percentage relative to the value X. Even more so, the prestige of the neighborhood and value of their home have both dropped because their school is less desirable.
Answer: To remove the inequity within our school organization, we must first remove the inequity in funding. Every school gets the same amount per pupil - based on an average of the state as a whole. To say one child will receive $7,700, and another receives $4,200, is to say that the child in the district receiving the greater portion of dollars has more worth and value than the child in the lesser. This is dependent upon where the parent lives. If both pupils go to the same schools for 10 years - 7-17 minimum - you see a difference of $35,000 between just those students. Imagine how many students stay in their districts from start to finish during the course of their public education, then multiply that by $35K. That's a big difference in the type of education and extra-curricular supplements a school can offer - all because of where you live. Now, if each student received $5,950 instead, each school would be able to offer the same things. Only a federal curriculum would be needed after that to fully make each school provide equal education across the board.
2. Keeping Kids On Task: We, as a society, have begun to do things to our kids that are reprehensible. It is inherent within the social structure of our society and comes in the form of television and video games, as well as smartphones. We have allowed them to become distracted - we have allowed them to take charge. Many times, teachers and parents complain that one or the other is not doing enough, when clearly, both are trying very hard. They do not think to place the blame on the student for slacking off so he could web-surf/game/text on his/her smartphone/pc/game platform. When they do, the student does what the student needs to do to succeed, and continues about life interested in his/her hobby. Where does it start? How can we stop this? Simple, enforce both parental and school rules, and restrict the use of electronic devices. Studies have shown that the students of parents who limit the amount of electronic exposure their students experience often have students with higher IQ's and higher grades.
Studies have also shown that less exposure leads to students having higher attention spans - in that the reverse relation is observed. Students with higher attention spans will be less likely to be distracted during a lesson in class and excel in areas of learning concerning math and reading (which also effect comprehension of science). These students also aid the teacher in tutoring other students to success as well - I can tell from experience.
Answer: By restricting the amount of electronic entertainment to which a student is exposed, one can passively encourage academic growth within one's student. This being said, we must also be the example so it is less easy for the student to dip back into old habits. Yes, that's right, sometimes, we have to turn off the TV and play with the person we brought into the world. Isn't it so difficult?
It really is, though isn't it? This answer comes with much more complication than the first. The further we delve into the reason of our children's successes or failures, we see why. We have a couch and TV based society. Every night, we get home, we hug our loved ones, sit on the couch and snuggle as the show of night comes on - or some facsimile thereof. Not everyone likes the show of the night - some people have their own. So, they go set up their own couch and TV area. Or, we have two jobs to put food on the table, and have to work, so the kids are watched by the babysitter, or the oldest sibling... which means TV or video games for the night. Whatever the situation, as technology becomes more accessible, it becomes harder and harder to limit control of the imagery to which our children have access. Enforce what you can.
3. The Grading Scale: We have this philosophy we preach in schools to children that as long as you give it your best effort, you'll do fine. But we don't give examples of best effort outside of grades. How can we really know if someone's A was because of their best effort and not because the questions were just that simple? What happens if someone doesn't know how to give his/her best effort because they are not given an example of what it is outside of grades? Children don't see their parents giving their best efforts at work - mainly because the kids aren't at their parents' workplaces. Whatever the case, the grading scale attempts to place value on the knowledge presented in the work of the student. Whether the student understands by test time is up to the teacher. If that student doesn't understand the knowledge, he receives less than an A and the teacher moves on - maybe the student is tutored on the side.
The grade is placed; That grade has value. That student sees the grade, and places the value on themselves. Many times, it discourages progression in the area of weakness.
Answer: This is the biggest one, and simplest - Stop using it. Hire more teachers, lessen the class load on each, better fund educational institutions to meet the growing needs, and allow the teachers the time necessary to ensure that each student understands the principles explained. Administer tests, but only for record of progression as opposed to placing value on student performance, and make sure the tests are fair for the students involved. Big load of work there - easy to say, harder to do. This is why I place this last.
These are just three of the problems public education is facing - and there are many more.
Where is the art? Outside the inherent struggle that comes with trying to understand the universe, or the Thinker posing on his rock, there is the teacher surrounded by eager students...too many to teach all at once. The face of desperate hope in the shadow of a problem too large.
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