FIXING OUR SCHOOLS FOR DUMMIES -I

Much, maybe too much, has been written about what is wrong with our educational system. Blame has been placed on: schools, teachers, students, parents, administrators and numerous other aspects of this country's educational system. Unfortunately far too little has been offered in the form of real, practical and achievable solutions to these complex problems. Having taught for almost 40 years and having witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly I feel I am somewhat qualified to offer some observations and possible solutions. Let me stress that I am not a traveling educational expert with a pre-packaged power point presentation offering the quick fix. I was a classroom teacher in a suburban junior high school. I taught language arts to a culturally and ethnically diverse middle class population in the once golden state of California. Currently California's education system, much like the rest of the state's institutions have lost their golden shine and are in fact now quite tarnished.

Before making some observations and offering some solutions to the state's educational difficulties it seems identification of the existing problems is necessary. Hopefully I will avoid the usual process of "ready, fire aim" in my attempt to problem solve. Based purely on past experiences and first hand observations I would list California's, if not most states, problems as follows:

1. secure and consistent funding
2. teacher recruitment and retention
3. reality based curriculum
4. emphasis on subject content
5. return to student tracking
6. return to safe & secure schools
7. dangerous, disruptive & disobedient students
8. over emphasis on testing

Now I would imagine that a list of educational problems would vary depending on whether one is a parent, student, teacher, administrator or elected official. However; one needs a starting point and my list of eight problems is where I will start.

As a preface to this exercise it is noteworthy to recognize that this country's educational system is truly remarkable. The goal is to provide a free public education to all children from kindergarten through twelfth grade and in some states even into community college. This commitment is crucial to the well being of our country. Unfortunately public education has not kept up with the times. It is symbolic that in this post industrial age most of America's schools still follow the even older agrarian calendar. Our children are no longer needed to help out on the family farm; yet schools still close up shop during the summer months. It is important then to recognize that this country's educational system is entrenched in tradition and past practices yet will occasionally embrace programs and strategies of little merit or value in misguided attempts to appear to be cutting edge. I think that if this country's educational decision makers adopt the simple philosophy that the business of education is education there may be hope.

I had originally planned to make this blog entry a single posting. However; once I got started I soon realized that it would be better to start with an introduction and then discuss each of the eight problems in separate postings. As I have already stated my list of eight problems is my list and the observations and possible solutions are also mine. Obviously, anyone reading this Blog may differ not only with the problems but also the proposed solutions. Regardless of whether or not you agree with me I think we can all agree that the situation with our public educational system is not only bad; but more importantly getting worse. We are running out of time and our children are the losers.

Next Post: SECURE AND CONSISTENT FUNDING