Is it the student or the system that is failing?

noemail@cowboysolution.com — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:00:00 GMT

A March, 2008 editorial in the Houston Chronicle title "Back to School" once again focused the light of truth on the problems of educating our children. And like thousands of other studies and billions of dollars spent on them, the conclusion is the same: “Houston, we have a problem.” However, this piece did shed light on a few new ones.

The letter stated that “almost no one believes that the law (NCLB) can achieve the main goal of having every child in America reading and doing math at grade level by 2014.” One can only wonder what would happen if we not only believed this statement, but accepted it as our only goal. The Effective School Movement, on which the NCLB is partly based, says that social, economic, and environmental factors are not to blame for poor student achievement. It states that all students can learn, but they learn at different rates, different times, and in different ways. But all students can learn.

What if educators, school boards, parents, civic clubs, and communities all believed and understood the complete statement (but they learn at different rates, different times, and in different ways) and joined forces to find a viable solution to help each child succeed and to reach his or her full potential. What if failure were not an option? Imagine the positive results if all students were helped to achieve a high standard at each grade level before moving to the next? Passing a student on to the next grade level by using low standards to make our school systems look “exemplary” or to insure that we do not “lower a neighborhood’s desirability and property values” seems to succeed in only in exacerbating the problem. Where exactly is the focus on the student in that statement?

It seems unconscionable that school districts must adopt two reporting methods to avoid losing federal funding rather than focus on the real root of the problem which is how best to teach all children. Protecting property values to avoid losing tax dollars insures that our students will suffer. Perhaps a back to basics approach is needed. How can we help our teachers in the classroom?

The editorial also stated, “the law will work better if it is tweaked to distinguish between schools that, according to standardized math and reading tests, are failing miserably, and those in which only a handful of students are not adequately passing.” Do laws teach? What if we took a no excuse approach to teaching to a higher standard for all students? Do the concepts of math, science, history, or any other learning have anything to do with racial, ethnic, or class biases? Isn’t 2+2=4 the same if you are poor, rich, Hispanic, African American, or Caucasian? High standards are not affected by race creed color or religion.

The last sentence of the letter is the critical one. “How best to achieve it is a puzzle from which a nation must not turn away.” Absolutely true. But, it is not the lack of desire or lack of efforts for the past 20 years that has caused the problem. The real problem just may be that we are focusing our attention on the “problem of the problem” instead of actual solutions. After decades of spin to show that we have met our testing goals the truism is that students are at every grade level have been left behind.

If we are to succeed in changing our approach, failure cannot be an option.

15-Jul-08 8:00 AM

The Billion Dollar Drop-out

noemail@cowboysolution.com — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:00:00 GMT

It is widely recognized that the U.S. and the world have moved towards a knowledge-based economy—one where knowledge and technology are vital to economic growth. Knowledge, of course, is embodied in human beings and thus the use of the term “human capital,” which seems to hold the key to our nation’s future success and its ability to compete in a rapidly changing global landscape. Social observers in fact agree that a city’s prosperity depends on finding, attracting and retaining the nations most skilled and creative knowledge workers.

How will Houston or any other city be able to accomplish such a feat when our education system continues to fail the very students it is supposed to help?

Much discourse of late including articles and editorials in the Houston Chronicle and other publications through out the United States extol the efforts of public educational institutions to find better ways to help our children learn. Acts mandates, and initiatives abound all designed to help “each child reach their full potential.” But, student outcomes do not improve by spending more dollars or by adding more bricks and mortar. Instead, teachers must be empowered to bring out the best in all students.

Teacher accountability in Texas began in 1983. Now, 23 years later, “student achievement in the U.S. remains effectively flat even as the demands of a 21^st century stiffen,” according to the Washington-based Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. The report indicates a national average grade of D for student achievement. And, there are more mandates, acts, and initiatives than ever. Another recent study, Quality Counts at 10; A Decade of Standards-Based Education, reports that the Texas education system received a grade of C with only 18 states receiving a score above that mark.

Billions have been spent on these studies, all of which urge change. The real issue is not that we need to change, but what are we going to do to initiate change. With so many accountability issues facing schools today, we often forget that the real key to student achievement -- not to mention our most important resource -- is the teacher.

Of the 10 recommendations made by the National Center on Education and Economy’s 2006 study Tough Choices, Tough Times, not one actually addresses the real problem. How are we helping our teachers teach?

Perhaps the issue is that our education system fails to come to grips with the actual definition of the word “teach.” According to Webster, teach means “to cause to know.” There are no excuses or extenuating circumstances. Webster does not even mention the student in the definition. What is the basic goal of education? To cause all students to know—plain and simple.

The Department of Education cites that the greatest single influence on student achievement is the teacher. Yet, there is not one recommendation related to teacher training in a quick review of the 10 recommendations made in the Tough Choices study.

The “Six Big Goals” outlined in HISD’s five-year plan are certainly lofty and needed. In essence, they reflect many such educational plans throughout the US. However, not one of the goals focuses on teacher training.

In the end, the solution may be to ask some simple questions. How are we preparing our teachers to teach? Not how can we spend more money? Not, will new technology will help? Will more police help? Will branding help or more community involvement?

Maybe the real question is how can we help our teachers to inspire a student to learn? What techniques can be used that will help with the critical issue of transference of knowledge? What is our current teaching process?

Perhaps there is a simple solution.

What would happen if…

Teachers were given effective tools to help students learn.
If students were not allowed to go forward until they had mastered the subject matter to an acceptable (high) standard.
- Not just to the next grade
- but to the next unit or concept

What would happen if…

Our focus was on insuring success in the teaching process
Our teachers were able to inspire students to learn

I suspect that if we spent more time focused on preparing our teachers for the classroom rather than on the next act or mandate we might not require marketing campaigns and programs which are costing our nation billions of dollars a year. It is beyond disheartening to know that the U.S. spends $268 billion a year on high school dropouts. And, those figures do not include marketing plans, safety programs, management efficiency studies, acts, mandates, and the litany of initiatives. Congress could certainly find a good use for $286 billion dollars.

Failure should not be an option. Because in the end we all lose. We pride ourselves as a world power, but we are letting our children down by not helping the people who can make the most difference in their lives on a daily basis. Their teachers.

If our global economy and future do in fact lie in a knowledge-based economy, it seems incumbent upon our education system to insure that our students can learn. And, that our teachers are more empowered to teach.

8-Jul-08 11:00 AM

The Cowboy Solution

Is it the student or the system that is failing?

The Billion Dollar Drop-out