The future of our nation will be determined by todays students.
Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe. (H.G. Wells, The Outline of History, 1920)
The primary concern of American education today is not the development of the appreciation of the good life. ... Our purpose is to cultivate in the largest number of our future citizens an appreciation of both the responsibilities and the benefits which come to them because they are Americans and are free. (James Bryant Conant, Annual Report to the Board of Overseers, Harvard University, Jan. 11, 1943)
These two men are from separate eras, countries and professions. H.G.Wells was an English historian, novelist, sociologist and journalist; James Conant was an American chemist, U.S. ambassador, educational critic and president of Harvard University. But both recognized the crucial role education plays in our culture.
I am sure we all recognize and pay lip service to that concept, but how many of us take that idea one step further? How many of us know what is being taught in our schools? How correct are the textbooks? The Texas textbook dustup unearthed some real issues in their history texts. Do we know how successful the current educational system is? What are the challenges to todays school system and are they being met?
I must admit to being inattentive to these areas after my kids graduated. But that can no longer be anyones excuse; the stakes are way too high. According to the U.S. Department of Educations 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. the United States falls below the following countries in average mathematics scores:
Singapore
Taiwan
Japan
Republic of Korea
Hong Kong
Sweden
Netherlands
Hungary
Slovenia
Every three years, the Program for International Student Assessment Scores reports on tests given to 15-year-olds in 60 countries, including 34 that are considered industrialized. Here is how our kids compare: We rank 14th in reading, 17th in science and 24th in mathematics.
And look at the amount spent on elementary and secondary education per student.
In 2007 the U.S. spent $10,768 per student. That computes to 4 percent of GDP at elementary/secondary school levels; with post-secondary education added it is 7.6 percent of GDP. Only Iceland spent a higher percentage on post-secondary education and only 6 countries spent a higher percentage for elementary/secondary education. In 1961, the United States spent (in 2009 dollars) $2,808 per student; in 2008 that rose to $10,441 per student. Thats a 372 percent increase. And the end is not yet in sight.
I want to know what were getting for this money. I dont wish to belabor a point but when my kids were in high school they were being taught material that I learned in grade school in the 1950s. Of course, the new math did befuddle me.
The reasons for our deficiencies and immense increase in cost are manifold.
The bloated bureaucratic Department of Education with 15 separate offices, 3,600-plus employees and two buildings in Washington issuing decrees to the masses is one reason.
Unions that advocate for the teachers rather than for the students are another.
Or how about competition? Why do charter schools, private schools and Catholic schools consistently score higher than public schools? I havent even talked about home-schooled kids who dont require remedial classes to prepare them for college.
Public school scores have been virtually flat since the 1970s. That coincides with federal meddling, which began with Johnsons Great Society legislation and gained momentum until the Office of Education was promoted to the Department of Education and became a cabinet-level department. That opened the money tap!
When Katrina devastated New Orleans schools, they needed to get schools up and running quickly so charter schools were created
The parents and the city fathers found that the kids loved them, there was less bureaucracy and teachers were more innovative in their techniques. With no unions, ineffective teachers could be fired. Lastly, the charter schools cost $4,000 to $6,000 less per child and test scores were higher! The solution to the problems plaguing education in our country is thorny but there is no reason to throw up our hands in despair. Lets work on this together. More detail next time.
Larry Tradlener lives down McElmo Canyon.
