Education
Some Thoughts on Education
Last night at the caucus meeting I was surprised to see education take over the meeting as the flagship issue. I am used to following national news, and education is certainly not in any spotlights in the national front. It was encouraging that education was the most pressing local issue. Maybe my precinct was biased because of a large turnout from teachers; nevertheless, education is an important issue confronting Utahns. I briefly explained my views regarding education, and these views appeared to be well received. However, I would like to lay out my feelings on education in more detail. I will discuss vouchers, parent involvement, accountability, and discipline.
Vouchers
From the caucus meeting I gathered that school vouchers is a sensitive issue that attracts a lot of public attention. To me, this is a signal that the issue of school vouchers is an example of “shiny keys.” In other words, we are looking at a fabricated issue designed to distract our attention from other possible solutions. The purpose for fabricating an issue like the voucher program is because there is a lot of political capital to be gained by mobilizing a party around a hot issue. I think the No Child Left Behind Act falls in this same category. It is an act designed to make politicians look good more than it is designed to improve public education in America. With that said, I am divided regarding vouchers. I said in the caucus meeting that I don’t agree with the ardent supporters that vouchers are the one-ticket, fix-all solution to public education. I think the biggest danger arising from the voucher issue is that it is distracting voters and politicians alike from other possible solutions for improving education.
Although I don’t believe that vouchers will fix a public education system that could use some help (I don’t say this to denigrate the profession of teachers. My wife is a teacher, and I think that our teachers our wonderful. I believe the problems in education lie in the context in which our teachers perform. This context is largely determined by legislative and administrative decisions, that I think can be improved). In these posts I intend to share my research on my topics. My research regarding vouchers is limited, but it suggests that vouchers are promising.
On March 7, 2006 in his editorial page in the New York Times called “City Schools that Work,” John Tierney discusses the successful implementation of voucher programs in Milwaukee. First of all, the spread of this program was encouraged by Republicans. The following passage from the article sets up Tierney’s stance: ''We've seen what school choice can do,'' said Gregory Stanford, an editorial writer and a columnist at the [Milwaukee] paper. ''It's impressive to go around to the voucher schools and see kids learning. Their parents are much more satisfied with these schools. And the fears that the public schools would be hurt have turned out to be wrong.'' Tierney continues to back up what has worked with these programs and why fears regarding the programs were misguided.
• Students at public schools threatened by vouchers received higher test sores.
• The competition encouraged a shift of power from a central administration to individual schools, so councils of parents and teachers made decision as opposed to an administrative board.
• Students were seen as customers instead of seat fillers
• Although some voucher schools flop, it is easier to shut down a failing voucher school than a failing public school.
• “In Milwaukee, where the public system spends more than $10,000 per student, private schools get less than $6,400 for each voucher student. But when you see what can be done for that money, you realize what's wrong with Democrats' favorite solution for education: more money for the public-school monopoly.”
I reiterate that I am not convinced that vouchers will fix all of the problems of public education, but this list of benefits is promising. I strongly agree that shifting power from a centralized administration is a worthy goal for any kind of educational reform. If vouchers truly do this, then I am certainly interested. I also strongly disagree that the best way to improve education is to throw more money at the problem (However, I would certainly like to see an increase in teachers salaries. Eventually, when I post on Health care issues I will discuss why I think it is problematic to have private health and public education).
Parent Involvement
I mentioned at the caucus meeting that parent involvement in education is an issue that gets little attention but would probably help far more than the voucher program. It is ironic to me that the voucher program parades itself as a vehicle for promoting parent involvement in their children’s education. To me, parent involvement means helping in the classroom, participating in the PTA, and helping with the financial burden of running a classroom. From my wife’s experience as a teacher, the lack of parent involvement seems to be one of the biggest problems that she faces. However, the parents' situation is understandable. Most of the parents don’t have time, because they work. School therefore becomes a useful daycare facility for them. This scenario could change with the right incentives and punishments coming from our legislators.
My first proposal is that we create an initiative that gives parents incentives to donate time to the classroom. The first place to start is to take the proceeds from businesses that donate to public schools and distribute these to parent volunteers. For instance, if Maceys donates $1,000 dollars in cash to the school it is distributed by an administrative board wherever they deem appropriate. All Maceys gets from this is good PR. However, if Maceys donates $1,000 dollars in gift certificates to their stores they are really only giving away the cost of their food. I am guessing this margin is between 20-33%. Therefore, they are giving food valued at $200 to someone who values the same product at $1,000. I suggest we break down the donation to smaller amounts and give parents gift certificates to Maceys for donating a designated amount of time in the classroom. Parents benefit by being paid in food, which is something they would buy anyway. They end up with extra cash for other areas of their budget. Maceys benefits because it can afford to triple or quadruple its donations, and it will also increase its customer base and foot traffic in its stores. They still receive the good PR. I believe that legislators should provide tax advantages to Maceys for participating in the program. The gift certificates should also be exempt from sales tax – more bang for the buck. Finally, employers should receive incentives for allowing parents to take time off from work to participate in school, and there should be special incentives for attracting fathers and men to the classroom. I know that a program would require administrative overhead. I suggest that the program should be administrated by the PTA, and members of the PTA should also receive gift certificates for helping.
Accountability
I believe that one of the biggest challenges facing our education system is that students with behavioral problems are holding back the rest of the students who want to learn. Teachers are overburdened with these students, and then expected to meet ridiculous requirements for No Child Left Behind. My encounter with these students who are pulling everyone back is that most of them come from homes where parents don’t care that their children are draining our education resources. Education has become so liberalized that there are no policies with any teeth to force parents and students to change their behavior. As a property-owning, tax-paying citizen I insist that our legislators find a way to curb the detrimental effects of underachievers and their unconcerned parents on our public education system.
For example, if a child gets sent to the principal’s office for misbehaving, then the parents have the choice to give 10 hours of community service or pay a fine. The philosophy behind this rule is that the parents should have to pay back the tax dollars that are being wasted by their children’s misbehavior. Because of the liberalization of education, there are no means whatsoever for teachers to effectively discipline children. I believe it is time that we discipline the parents.
Discipline
After watching my wife teach second grade for a year in a Title 1 school, I am convinced that teacher’s hands are tied when it comes to discipline in the classroom. I believe that an increased presence of parents in the classroom will alleviate this problem. I also believe that if we have laws that make parents accountable for their children’s behavior, the worst discipline problems will improve significantly. To me, the voucher program is just a means of sidestepping what I consider some serious problems in our education system. It is going to take some tough and innovative policy decision to change the course of our education system as it stands.
Conclusion
These are just some of the initial ideas that I have had regarding education. I would be interested to receive feedback on these ideas from others who feel strongly about education. If you post a response to this blog, I would be interested to know if you are a state or county delegate for the Utah Republican Party. Eventually I am going to share these ideas with the candidates that I encounter, and there is a good chance that the ideas from those who comment on this blog will find an audience with our current and future political leaders.
Last night at the caucus meeting I was surprised to see education take over the meeting as the flagship issue. I am used to following national news, and education is certainly not in any spotlights in the national front. It was encouraging that education was the most pressing local issue. Maybe my precinct was biased because of a large turnout from teachers; nevertheless, education is an important issue confronting Utahns. I briefly explained my views regarding education, and these views appeared to be well received. However, I would like to lay out my feelings on education in more detail. I will discuss vouchers, parent involvement, accountability, and discipline.
Vouchers
From the caucus meeting I gathered that school vouchers is a sensitive issue that attracts a lot of public attention. To me, this is a signal that the issue of school vouchers is an example of “shiny keys.” In other words, we are looking at a fabricated issue designed to distract our attention from other possible solutions. The purpose for fabricating an issue like the voucher program is because there is a lot of political capital to be gained by mobilizing a party around a hot issue. I think the No Child Left Behind Act falls in this same category. It is an act designed to make politicians look good more than it is designed to improve public education in America. With that said, I am divided regarding vouchers. I said in the caucus meeting that I don’t agree with the ardent supporters that vouchers are the one-ticket, fix-all solution to public education. I think the biggest danger arising from the voucher issue is that it is distracting voters and politicians alike from other possible solutions for improving education.
Although I don’t believe that vouchers will fix a public education system that could use some help (I don’t say this to denigrate the profession of teachers. My wife is a teacher, and I think that our teachers our wonderful. I believe the problems in education lie in the context in which our teachers perform. This context is largely determined by legislative and administrative decisions, that I think can be improved). In these posts I intend to share my research on my topics. My research regarding vouchers is limited, but it suggests that vouchers are promising.
On March 7, 2006 in his editorial page in the New York Times called “City Schools that Work,” John Tierney discusses the successful implementation of voucher programs in Milwaukee. First of all, the spread of this program was encouraged by Republicans. The following passage from the article sets up Tierney’s stance: ''We've seen what school choice can do,'' said Gregory Stanford, an editorial writer and a columnist at the [Milwaukee] paper. ''It's impressive to go around to the voucher schools and see kids learning. Their parents are much more satisfied with these schools. And the fears that the public schools would be hurt have turned out to be wrong.'' Tierney continues to back up what has worked with these programs and why fears regarding the programs were misguided.
• Students at public schools threatened by vouchers received higher test sores.
• The competition encouraged a shift of power from a central administration to individual schools, so councils of parents and teachers made decision as opposed to an administrative board.
• Students were seen as customers instead of seat fillers
• Although some voucher schools flop, it is easier to shut down a failing voucher school than a failing public school.
• “In Milwaukee, where the public system spends more than $10,000 per student, private schools get less than $6,400 for each voucher student. But when you see what can be done for that money, you realize what's wrong with Democrats' favorite solution for education: more money for the public-school monopoly.”
I reiterate that I am not convinced that vouchers will fix all of the problems of public education, but this list of benefits is promising. I strongly agree that shifting power from a centralized administration is a worthy goal for any kind of educational reform. If vouchers truly do this, then I am certainly interested. I also strongly disagree that the best way to improve education is to throw more money at the problem (However, I would certainly like to see an increase in teachers salaries. Eventually, when I post on Health care issues I will discuss why I think it is problematic to have private health and public education).
Parent Involvement
I mentioned at the caucus meeting that parent involvement in education is an issue that gets little attention but would probably help far more than the voucher program. It is ironic to me that the voucher program parades itself as a vehicle for promoting parent involvement in their children’s education. To me, parent involvement means helping in the classroom, participating in the PTA, and helping with the financial burden of running a classroom. From my wife’s experience as a teacher, the lack of parent involvement seems to be one of the biggest problems that she faces. However, the parents' situation is understandable. Most of the parents don’t have time, because they work. School therefore becomes a useful daycare facility for them. This scenario could change with the right incentives and punishments coming from our legislators.
My first proposal is that we create an initiative that gives parents incentives to donate time to the classroom. The first place to start is to take the proceeds from businesses that donate to public schools and distribute these to parent volunteers. For instance, if Maceys donates $1,000 dollars in cash to the school it is distributed by an administrative board wherever they deem appropriate. All Maceys gets from this is good PR. However, if Maceys donates $1,000 dollars in gift certificates to their stores they are really only giving away the cost of their food. I am guessing this margin is between 20-33%. Therefore, they are giving food valued at $200 to someone who values the same product at $1,000. I suggest we break down the donation to smaller amounts and give parents gift certificates to Maceys for donating a designated amount of time in the classroom. Parents benefit by being paid in food, which is something they would buy anyway. They end up with extra cash for other areas of their budget. Maceys benefits because it can afford to triple or quadruple its donations, and it will also increase its customer base and foot traffic in its stores. They still receive the good PR. I believe that legislators should provide tax advantages to Maceys for participating in the program. The gift certificates should also be exempt from sales tax – more bang for the buck. Finally, employers should receive incentives for allowing parents to take time off from work to participate in school, and there should be special incentives for attracting fathers and men to the classroom. I know that a program would require administrative overhead. I suggest that the program should be administrated by the PTA, and members of the PTA should also receive gift certificates for helping.
Accountability
I believe that one of the biggest challenges facing our education system is that students with behavioral problems are holding back the rest of the students who want to learn. Teachers are overburdened with these students, and then expected to meet ridiculous requirements for No Child Left Behind. My encounter with these students who are pulling everyone back is that most of them come from homes where parents don’t care that their children are draining our education resources. Education has become so liberalized that there are no policies with any teeth to force parents and students to change their behavior. As a property-owning, tax-paying citizen I insist that our legislators find a way to curb the detrimental effects of underachievers and their unconcerned parents on our public education system.
For example, if a child gets sent to the principal’s office for misbehaving, then the parents have the choice to give 10 hours of community service or pay a fine. The philosophy behind this rule is that the parents should have to pay back the tax dollars that are being wasted by their children’s misbehavior. Because of the liberalization of education, there are no means whatsoever for teachers to effectively discipline children. I believe it is time that we discipline the parents.
Discipline
After watching my wife teach second grade for a year in a Title 1 school, I am convinced that teacher’s hands are tied when it comes to discipline in the classroom. I believe that an increased presence of parents in the classroom will alleviate this problem. I also believe that if we have laws that make parents accountable for their children’s behavior, the worst discipline problems will improve significantly. To me, the voucher program is just a means of sidestepping what I consider some serious problems in our education system. It is going to take some tough and innovative policy decision to change the course of our education system as it stands.
Conclusion
These are just some of the initial ideas that I have had regarding education. I would be interested to receive feedback on these ideas from others who feel strongly about education. If you post a response to this blog, I would be interested to know if you are a state or county delegate for the Utah Republican Party. Eventually I am going to share these ideas with the candidates that I encounter, and there is a good chance that the ideas from those who comment on this blog will find an audience with our current and future political leaders.
posted by Benjamin J Burr at 9:45 PM
1 Comments:
Republicans value roads over education. The cuts made to primary, secondary and higher education in our state are inexcusable and indefensible.
Well, not all Republicans beleive this. But the uber conservative ones in the Legislature do.
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