Money Is Relative- Over Testing and Under Teaching

Money Is Relative- Over Testing and Under Teaching

Theoretically, I guess everything is relative. My opinion, and everyone has one, is that I want my children spending seven hours per day with the most qualified people (educators) not the least qualified. I do not want teachers that are teaching because they could not find a job in another profession. It was like that before states established a minimum starting salary for teachers back in the late 1980s. And it could be like that again if we do not do something about the over testing and under teaching.

Education has made some tremendous strides but it has made some regressions, too. Bureaucracy and decision makers are the biggest barriers. All teachers should be inspire-ers of dreams. Some are dream killers but the truly great ones can connect to all of their students.  Phenomenal teachers recognize that each child is a gift, and all children are our future. Passion beats data every time.

If you want to reform the classroom, then money should be spent preparing pre-service teachers and fine-tuning the quality of non-tenured teachers. By the time a teacher has taught for ten years, it is too late. Be passionate about it or don’t do it! Pour money into creating passionate teachers.

Our country spends in excess of $600 Billion dollars on education each year. The state of New Jersey spends nearly $9 Billion. Big business wants this money. That is one reason why we are over testing and under teaching. Who are the real winners of the proliferation of testing? You do not have to look very far. Large corporations prepare the tests, test preparation material, textbooks, software, and mass media. Who has the strongest lobbyists? Not the education unions.

In1980, Milton Friedman, a world renowned economist, suggested that schools should operate like a business. He partnered with Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) to create a ten part series called Free To Choose. One episode focused on the school voucher option. He suggested that families be given the option to pull out of public schools and attend private schools at no cost to the family.

Around the same time, Ronald Reagan initiated A Nation At Risk. Although creating awareness, this report perpetuated actions that have since scarred public education. One, it expanded the number of students we test then report it to the media in a way that compares every student to a test score and does not promote a well-rounded student. Comparisons are made to spending without any consideration to economies of scale.

What the world-wide comparisons do not compare is the percentage of students in other countries that take the test in comparison to the numbers and types of students in our country. Some countries do not allow all types of students to take the tests that are used to make comparisons to students in our country.

Secondly, A Nation At Risk has propagated the over use of vouchers and charter schools. These have both put band aids on school reform and stifled the real problems that poor performing schools deal with. Instead of addressing issues, we remove students from schools and the problems remain. The truly successful charter schools either have tremendous private financial backing or they only take the “cream of the crop” students.

I have never been a proponent of merit pay. However, I am a supporter of attracting the best in the field of education. This can be accomplished by having a legitimate pay scale throughout the state that pays educators in direct proportion to their advanced degrees, professional development, and school-wide accomplishments.

By stopping the over testing and under teaching we can eliminate the billions of dollars being wasted across the country and start the thought provoking creation of a teaching force that generates students that are real problem-solvers. The biggest link in this success will be qualified teachers that are paid as professionals. Likewise, create passion not stressful comparisons to other schools that are allegedly like your school.

In 2001, we created the “age of accountability” with the enactment of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). I always liked to refer to it as “no child left behind but yours.” The premise of the idea may have had good intentions but the goals were lofty and impossible. I preach “raising the bar” but goals must be attainable.

During this same time of accountability in schools, businesses and scam artists were bailed out by the government and given second chances. If that were education, teachers would lose their credentials and be sent to the curb. Granted, teachers should be examples of integrity but so should government and business.

The President wants schools to increase their STEM curriculum but at the same time wants a common core curriculum that promotes more testing days thus relinquishing the control of the classroom from passionate teachers. If we want great test takers then we are well on our way.

Now, with the new Common Core and the Partnership for Assessment for Readiness of College and Career (PARCC) testing, our country will deter the most qualified people to pursue an education career. Among other restrictions, this craziness calls for testing at every grade and it almost doubles the number of testing days. I predict that potential teaching candidates will opt for a less stressful and more lucrative career in another area.

If you do not brag about the great things in your schools then nobody will. So let us generate schools that promote well-rounded people that can think. Let’s create thinkers! What a novel approach!

I saw this happen for years in our school. We created a caring, supported, happy environment where there was leadership for all. We need to keep it happening by reversing the testing trend. HAPPY PEOPLE OUTPERFORM UNHAPPY PEOPLE! Every day people should say, “I love my job!” Connecting students and empowering them will create the next generation of passionate teachers. So let’s attract them, support them, pay them, and let them teach while at the same time eliminating the self-serving leaders!