Teacher and parent voices are missing in learning accountability debate

By Robin Brooks, Special to the BDN

Posted Oct. 10, 2011, at 6:13 p.m.

The debate about education is heating up again, with editorials from the Bangor Daily News (Sept. 13) and others suggesting ways to improve our public schools.

Some of the measures being discussed, including merit pay and more stringent teacher evaluation tools, already are being implemented thanks to financial incentives from the Obama administration. The expressed intent of these reforms is to make teachers “more effective” (Read: improve test scores).

The Augusta school board already has implemented a merit pay system with a maximum $4,000 bonus going to principals, administrators and the superintendent for increasing scores on high-stakes tests and making annual yearly progress toward the proficiency goals of No Child Left Behind, our federal education law.

Advocates of merit pay claim that if only our public schools were run more like businesses, with pay bonuses going to highly effective employees, then our schools somehow would produce children capable of grappling with the demands of our complex 21st century world.

But the research on such measures is inconclusive at best. In the 2010-2011 school year, my elementary school had a 30 percent turnover in our student body from September to June. What this suggests to me is an extreme level of instability in families who are struggling just to maintain basic human needs such as food and shelter. It is no wonder our school did not achieve annual yearly progress in 2011 because of attendance, never mind our students’ test scores.

Blatantly missing from the national debate on education is the passionate voices of teachers and parents, not to mention the children who have been suffering for too long under the oppressive testing regime that dominates today’s classrooms.

Ask the teachers and they will tell you that it is the culture of high-stakes testing that is the real problem. Ask the parents and they will tell you that their children are increasingly discouraged by the onerous pacing schedules and narrowed instructional focus of their children’s classrooms. But no one is asking us.

All children are born with the inborn capacity, indeed drive, to explore their environment, to make connections and to learn with joy. This is a biological fact, notwithstanding the myriad of birth defects, learning disabilities and health problems such as neglect and malnutrition that plague our children.

The arts are one of the few areas that have maintained the spirit of playful exploration and discovery in the classroom that is the innate, biological basis for authentic human learning. Sadly, many of our nation’s schools already have eliminated or greatly reduced the arts and physical education, another basic human need, in favor of “skill and drill” and test prep. Our children deserve better.

We need our children to establish habits of inquiry, to develop their capacities as creative and critical thinkers and to work collaboratively with their peers to solve problems. Some higher education officials are speaking out to say that our children are ill prepared for the rigors of college for want of these skills.

Children must be allowed to connect mind and heart as they follow their educational journey. It is past time for President Barack Obama, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Congress to relegate No Child Left Behind to the dustbin of history. If we are truly committed to improving education for all children across our nation, we need to renew our respect for teachers and join in nascent efforts to remove the yoke of high-stakes testing from the backs and necks of our children.

Please visit saveourschoolsmarch.org and unitedoptout.com and consider joining the grass-roots effort to save our schools.

Robin Brooks is an artist and art teacher who lives in Topsham with her husband, who also is a teacher, and their son. Her work can be seen at www.robinbrooksart.com.

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Anonymous

All well and good, but the fact remains that many of our high school graduates are so lacking in basic reading and math skills that they require remediation before they can begin basic college work and many more are ill-prepared to take on the knowledge based higher paying jobs in the work place. We have whole generations of kids that we have failed and who will never be able to earn decent incomes because they don’t have the required skills to qualify for better paying jobs.

It is a tragedy, it’s sinful and I am tired of reading feel-good columns from so-called professionals in the field of education who bury their heads in the sand with respect to what needs to be done to deal with our failures in the classroom. How many more generations of students will we sacrifice before we get down to the “business” of educating kids?
Anonymous

Broken record here, just want to see if anyone can explain why we have lost the ability to teach reading and basic math to elementary school children. Why we would allow a child who hasn’t mastered the basics to move on to high school.
Anonymous

I’d say look no further than the school boards, the voters, and the Administrators on that. I assure you that isn’t a policy set in the classrooms.
Anonymous

Are you kidding??? the teachers know about these students and try to help them. However they don’t want to learn and the parents don’t care, teachers can only go so far. The student must want t learn.
Anonymous

You propose that the single solution to all of our problems in education rests with
student motivation and parental involvement as if teachers are somehow only
passive agents in the process. Teachers have a central role to play in
education and it should not be minimized. You can fit teacher performance on a
bell curve with extremely poor and outstanding teachers as outliers on the
curve. We should endeavor to shift the curve to the right – that is produce
more effective teachers. Parents are important – no doubt, but so are teachers. The following link might interest you: ”Teacher training bill would cause education revolution” http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/57582.html
Anonymous

I’m sorry I didn’t mean to sound like I was minimizing teachers, I know they are an amazing part of our society.
Anonymous

Ugh! The learning process is not a “business”; children are not “consumers” and diplomas are not “products”. The first bevy of briefcase-toting morons who march into our children’s school hell-bent on “running this school like a ‘business’” — is going to get “the business” from me!

Don’t believe me? Let’s consider Finland. Consistently #1 or #2 in the world, they invest in, develop, and trust their teachers — NO standardized testing.

Contrast that to the United States, where, in “business” mode, so-called “reformers” seek top-down “solutions” that deliberately de-professionalize the teaching profession in hopes of implementing plug ‘n play procedures in order to further reduce teachers’ salaries
Anonymous

This is the finest piece I’ve seen on a subject close to my heart.
Anonymous

Why are these students allowed to move from grade to grade if they don’t have the learning to merit the next grade. Simply, the teacher union’s need to keep their numbers high so no one can see their abject failure.
Anonymous

Teachers in Finland and other high ranking countries are only accepted if they graduate in the top tiers from their universities. Try that here and watch the NEA wage a war.
Anonymous

Teachers unions have to protect their members by allowing kids to move along and eventually graduate. Unfortunately, the educational system fails to tell the truth.
Anonymous

When you stop paying the very worst teacher that exact same salary as the very best teacher then you can call it a profession. The way it is set up now it is a trade, and one that is producing a decidedly inferior product. Surely these education “professionals” who have great autonomy in the classroom should be able to teach children simple math and reading. If they can not they should be looking for another career.

When 25% of the students that arrive at college are unprepared there is absolutely no question that the teachers are not doing their job.

The AVERAGE teachers salary in Bangor was over $50,000 several years ago with lifetime health benefits, a guaranteed fat pension and 3+ months vacation. Please don’t embarrass yourself with that drivel about underpaid teachers.
Anonymous

Because it’s easier to promote children for seat time than it is to actually teach them or suffer the wrath of angry parents when they are held back. The teachers take the path of least resistance. Much to the detriment of the children. But remember, at contract time it’s always “for the children”.
Anonymous

Generally these policies are put in place by the School boards and the Admin. It has nothing to do with the teachers. If they give a kid a bad grade, they will get in trouble with their bosses who want to keep all tax payers happy at the expense of the children, the teachers, and our countries future.
Anonymous

I thought these were professionals. Have they no professional ethics? Or are they just putting in the time to get the paycheck and the retirement bennies?

Funny how you never hear teachers publicly complaining that they aren’t allowed to fail students. End the practice of putting your professional stamp of approval on students who have not mastered the material. The teachers have the power to stop graduating unqualified students today. Do your job.
Anonymous

Actually if you do a google search about social promotion you will quickly see that Teachers are at the forefront of this issue and have been for over 20 years now. Lots of articles about teachers who are tired of it but have been hamstrung by school boards. In fact just recently teachers have been under attack for disciplining too many students (another form of social promotion). It is the voters who keep electing these useless school boards that want it this way. I urge you to get involved since you seem to think it is an issue that needs addressed, you could help craft the new policies. Maybe instead of bad mouthing teachers you could put some skin in the game.
Anonymous

Makes one wonder where the incentive lies for students that know they really don’t have to do the work and will be promoted to the next grade just for showing up for school.
Anonymous

I would be much more likely to “trust” teachers if they were delivering results. The fact is, on average, teachers are not getting the job done. We have a union system that protects underperforming teachers – how else do you explain 99% of teachers being granted tenure and a miniscule proportion of teachers being fired each year for performance? My question stands: how can you continue to protect the status quo in the face of kids failing to master basic skills year after year?
Anonymous

Skin in the game??? I get raped in my property taxes to pay these drones. I have plenty of skin in the game.

As far as changing the school board, the teachers are more concerned about “negotiating” with their hand picked school board at contract time than worrying about the children getting educated. Remember it’s about the teachers first. The children come last.
Anonymous

So instead of doing something about it you get on here and whine about the teachers who have NOTHING to do with it. Do something about it or you are part of the problem.
Anonymous

NOTHING to do with it??? Then what are we paying them for? I think I just found a solution to the budget problem.
Anonymous

Yes, teachers have NOTHING to do with setting policy. In fact, by law, they are forbidden from running for school boards and setting policy. It is their job to work within the policy set by school boards and implemented by administrators to give the best education possible to the students before them. It is customary for schools to change failing grades at the request of the school board and parents if the teachers are too hard on the precious little snow flakes. Once again, it has nothing to do with the teachers, whose job it is to try and educate the children. If they are being socially promoted that is the fault of the board, the admin, the voters, and the citizens who think it is wrong but cannot take the responsibility to try and change it.
Anonymous

How many times does it have to be said before it begins to sink in : teachers’ unions do not make policy for schools, they do not hire teachers, they do not determine what children learn or when they learn it . Unions do not pass children or keep them back. Unions do not hire the principals and superintendents that carry out the policy your elected school board makes. If you are not happy with the way your schools are run, talk to the school board you elected.

Oh yes, and unions do not prevent school districts from firing teachers.
Anonymous

“Funny how you never hear teachers publicly complaining that they aren’t allowed to fail students.”
You aren’t listening.
Anonymous

Teachers are not allowed to campaign for or against, contribute, work for or distribute information in a school board election. Teachers do not elect school boards. You did.
Anonymous

Think you will change his mind? LOL
Anonymous

Doubtful, I can’t imagine the difficulty his teachers must have had trying to get him to comprehend new material. Always fight the good fight I guess, just realize some people you will never reach.
Anonymous

The teachers in Finland are also all unionized.
Anonymous

The teachers union has absolutely nothing, read that again, absolutely nothing to do with establishing school policy about promotion. If you are not happy with the way the schools are run talk to the school board members you elected. They make all policy, they hire the teachers, they approve the curriculum, they approve the teaching methods, purchase the books, they also have the power to fire the teachers that don’t perform. It is a myth that somehow the union keeps bad teachers in schools. Every school board is required by law to have a policy and procedure for firing incompetent teachers. The fact that they do not use their power is not the fault of the unions. You badly need to educate yourself about how our educational system works, the laws that control it and how your school board uses or doesn’t use the powers granted to it.
Anonymous

No, the average pay of Bangor teachers was not over $50,000 several years ago, they did not get lifetime health care. Teachers donot get SSI they get recieve a pension from the Maine State Retirement only and average pensions of $1500 a month are not considered “fat” by anybody with the same level of education as teachers. Ask an engineer.
Anonymous

I’ve heard your pro-union rants before and you are simply a union hack. You always blame everyone else for the failure of education, the union is complicit. Read that again! I’m sure you are an ex teacher union hack as you protest too much.
“When inflexible seniority and rigid tenure rules puts adults ahead of children then we are not only putting kids at risk we’re also putting the entire education system at risk” said Arne Duncan the Blamer in Chief’s Ed. Secretary to the boos of the NEA.

Please stop the union lies as it hurts the kids!!
Anonymous

Everyone in Eurpoe is unionized which is why half the countries zare collapsing under the weight of socialism. Unions are BAD. You are such a hack and transparent
Anonymous

From the Economist 1/8/11:
“Union rules mak it extremely hard to fire teachers who turn out to be bad at their jobs. Younger teachers are the first to be let go, even though seniority does not necessarily ensure quality. In 2009 Indiana and Florida fired young staff who had been nominated for “teacher of the year”.

Stop your pro union lies as it hurts the kids
Anonymous

Things you’ll never hear on a college campus…”I couldn’t cut it in the college of education so I switched majors to engineering”.
Anonymous

I never had much trouble comprehending new material, no thanks to the many ineffective teachers I was saddled with during my k-12 career. I somehow managed to obtain both a bachelors and masters degree in engineering. I guess I’m just an example of the ablilty to overcome challenges if you work hard enough.
Anonymous

Median Teacher pay in Bangor

2007 $52,038
2008 $53,860
2009 $55,610

Thank god for maineopengov.org.

If the teacher making median pay in 2009 started working at 25, worked until 60, and then retired they would receive $3,140.43 per month adjusted for inflation for the rest of their lives. Quite a bit more than the $1,500 you quoted.

Either you’re one of those teachers whose only math course in college was “Math 100 – Numbers and how to write them” or you’re a union hack trying to keep the tired old myth of the overworked and underpaid teacher alive.
Anonymous

Your conclusion is widespread, and somewhat understandable, but education does not occur in a vacuum. Poverty, empty homes (we expect both parents to work and work they do — 20% more hours than 40 years ago), the breakdown of civil society. These factors matter in such a profound way, as to impact children in classrooms where the teacher is, in fact, doing their part.

The failure to terminate teachers who truly are shortchanging their pupils is that of school boards alone — NOT unions.

“Busting” the union is not only a violation of basic human rights, but further diminishes teacher quality.

We cannot expect teachers to ameliorate the stresses that brings our children to school NOT ready to learn.
Anonymous

Teachers in Finland enjoy the investment of society, that they may graduate at the top of their classes without crushing debt — they are subsequently highly-respected, and well-compensated.

Try that here, and it’s the corporate, so-called “reformers” that will “wage war”…
Anonymous

“Everyone in Europe is unionized” …which is why they enjoy humane working hours, high wages and a thriving manufacturing base. It’s German steel rebuilding Ground Zero, at $50 per hour, while poverty-stricken steel workers here…..

Unions are a basic human right, and, if you were raised by a wage earner, you owe them a great debt for the standard of living, the safety of your family etc.

FOX News: “Well make you stupid and mean.”
Anonymous

The average teachers’ salary is much lower; they pay an arm and a leg for benefits that leave them with hefty co-pays. I don’t know who gave you numbers like that — they aren’t to be trusted.

If teachers had more “autonomy” in developing curricula toward college prep, rather than “test” prep, and the support of small classes and mentoring — the sort of things they have implemented in Finland, (of course a more just society, humane working hours etc. would help as well).

If you haven’t looked at the Finnish model, you should. To be number 1, is to “reform” in the opposite direction edu-business wants to take us.
Anonymous

Actually, school boards often give preference to younger teachers, fresh out of college for the costs.

Firing truly bad teachers is not as onerous as school boards would have you believe. Their failure to do so, means they are shirking their responsibility.

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