Public School Educators: Get in Front of the School Bus

Or Get Run Over, Your Choice



Educators - Get Way in Front or Get Run Over



Public school education is America is under attack.  The attackers are Conservatives whose ideology does not allow for public education.  It does not allow for public school teacher’s unions.  The ideology certainly does not allow for increases to public school educator’s compensation paid for by tax dollars.  And it absolutely does not allow for public school teacher unions that support Democratic politics.

The vast majority of Americans support teachers and public schools.  But this support is conditional.  It is conditional on children getting a good education.  If the non-Conservative public believes that educators are putting their own interests ahead of children’s education and that as a result the educational system is failing, then they will support Conservative goals of privatizing  K-12 education and turn against the public education system.

The most recent evidence of difficulties with the public educational system is the release of SAT scores.  The news is not good.

SAT scores for the high-school graduating class of 2011 fell in all three subject areas, and the average reading and writing scores were the lowest ever recorded, according to data released on Wednesday.

The results from the college-entrance exam, taken by about 1.6 million students, also revealed that only 43% of students posted a score high enough to indicate they were ready to succeed in college, according to the College Board, the nonprofit that administers the exam.

Well what about students who took a program designed to let them succeed in college.

Students who took a core curriculum, defined as four years of English and three or more of math, natural science and social science, did much better. Still, only 49% of them posted a score high enough to be considered college-ready, compared with 30% of students who didn't take a core

And the data is confirmed by the ACT results

The report on the SAT, long known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, comes on the heels of results from the ACT college-entrance exam that suggested only 25% of high-school graduates who took that exam were ready for college

Public education and public school educators need to realize that this is their moment.  The need to put their own economic goals on the back burner and put public education on the front burner.  They need to take the leadership roles in improving public school performance.  They need to determine what is needed, communicate that to the public and the state, local and federal governments and they need to be the leaders in implementing those programs.  If they need the system to be changed or reformed, they need to tell us what is needed, develop a plan to do it and exert maximum pressure to get it done.

There is no downside to doing this.  Public school educators are going to be blamed for system failures even when it is not their fault.  So if the system can be improved they need to be the one doing the improvement.  This is their only chance to improve their own situations.  Their ability to influence the system through political action is declining sharply.  If the Conservative agenda for public education is implemented, there will be underfunded public education for many students, and a huge decrease in good jobs for public school educators.

Do it people, do it now.