In the recent weeks, there has been a lot of buzz about the movie Waiting For Superman. It has had rousing premiered in New York and Los Angeles on September 24, and has been released in Seattle and Portland. Directed by Davis Guggenheim of "An Inconvenient Truth" fame, and promoted by high powered leaders like Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and President Obama himself, this movie promises to raise the awareness of another inconvenient truth - that our public education system has failed. But unlike other movies on the subject, it presents some ideas that have actually worked. I had a chance to see this movie, and I think it presents most of the issues in a format that hits home with those on main street. There are several myths that are broken in this movie. First, success can be had in the toughest of neighborhoods in the country (starting with Harlem), and can be reproduced anywhere (Kipp Academy has 100 schools nationwide, all with excellent results). All the schools portrayed are charter schools that have limited enrollements. The hardest truth of all is that for most disadvantaged students, their shot at a good education (defined by one that will prepare them for college) depends on the luck of the draw. Poorer the community, longer the odds (I had to do some mental math from the raw numbers that popped up on the screen to come to this conclusion).
The root of the problem has arguably existed for at least the last 30 years, or at least since the "Nation At Risk" report came out in 1983. And I think the public has been asleep for that period of time, blissfully ignoring the problem and wishing it would go away. Well, Einstein was right in saying that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. I choose a much milder state of mind, i.e,. sleep, to compare the public's reaction during this time. Many people have tried heroically to change things. But it is reasonable to believe that since nothing has changed with their effort, the problem is structural, and a lot more is needed to bring about structural change.
Let us pretend that all the voting public in this country fell asleep (at least as far as public education is concerned) in 1990, and woke up in 2010 and looked at the education statistics. In those 20 years, they would have missed several national studies done on the lack of focus in Science and Math, the "Math Wars", and the recent developments such as the Race To The Top. They would miss the fact that billions were poured to reduce class sizes and teacher development, with no measurable impact on student achievement. They would miss the excitement of watching our top students slide down lower and lower in academic competitions compared to their global peers. "But wait a minute!" you say. "They were not asleep during this time!!" Did it make a difference? I think not. Perhaps because they were caught up in the excitement of the gulf war, the internet revolution, the stock market boom, the 9-11 attacks, gulf war #2, the real estate boom, and so on. Whatever the reason, the most important structural problem plaguing our economy went unnoticed like termites in the basement.
Enter a rotten economy stuck in the greatest downturn since the great depression. "A Nation at Risk" has now become a nation almost completely consumed by risk. Unemployment is stuck near double digits, those who are employed are overworked and stressed out fearing they may be next, and homelessness and poverty are at depression levels. During no other time since the depression have so many people have so much fire in their bellies and so much time on their hands. Add "Waiting For Superman", and now you have added fuel to the fire.
Will the movie finally get the general public angry enough to take control of their children's education? After all, it is our tax money entrusted to the public employees (teachers, administrators, and others) to make sure they stay competitive in this dog eat dog global competition. If the system has failed us, isn't it our civic duty to find out why and demand that it be fixed? I sincerely hope, for the final time, that this is what ends up happening, and not another 20 years of sleep!
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Hello Sudhakar,
ReplyDeleteI am a Columbia Valley parent and teacher. To be quite honest your academy has some issues I am concerned about. I have a few questions to pose for you to think about before your open house next week. I am wondering if you considered having a certified teacher on board to strengthen and ensure curricular vision and instruction? I know I personally wouldn’t begin an engineering firm without hiring at least one engineer. I do believe having at least one instructor with a Master’s in education is essential to the success of your endeavor.
I am wondering if you have given thought to how you will handle a range of K-5th grade students with only three employees. I am sure you are aware that because not all students work at the level of the grade they are in, you could potentially have students in your program from a preschool ability level through students working at a 6th or 7th grade level. This gives your instructors a range of 9 grade levels. Is each one of your instructors prepared to work with at least 3 different grade levels and/or grade bands? How will you manage even instructions that will be differentiated?
Have you given much thought to the idea of teaching being a craft or an art form itself and the types of knowledge required to be a strong successful teacher? I would encourage you to look at "A Framework for Understanding Teaching and Learning" p.11 from the text: Preparing Teachers for a Changing World written by Darling-Hammond and Bransford. This visual gives a basic outline of the types of knowledge required to be a teacher. I will not argue that you have knowledge of subject matter; however I am concerned that you lack the pedagogical content knowledge as well as a developed curricular vision for your program.
I am also wondering how you will help with the achievement gap or what I like to call the opportunity gap for some of our students. With some families needing help with food and clothes how will your academy make the same opportunities available for students who come from more affluent homes? If you don't provide some scholarships, then isn't your academy contributing to the widening achievement gap between the "have" and "have nots"?
Finally, what do you personally believe is important for students to learn while studying math concepts? Do you think students should only memorize facts, procedures, and algorithms, or do you believe students need to develop a conceptual understanding before applying memorized techniques? I am concerned about students being confused between discontinuities in instruction.
I admire your ambition for a learning academy in which students are offered a variety of experiences after school each day. I will be watching the development of your academy. If or when you discover you need advice from someone with an education background, I’ll be available.
Thanks for considering my questions,
Jennifer Brown
Teacher of 14 years
BS Mathematics
BA Education
Masters in Education
Literacy Endorsement K-12
Special Education Endorsement K-12
Doctoral Student in Education
Hi Jennifer:
ReplyDeleteMy apologies for the delayed response. By now, you have probably got the news that we have postponed the opening of the academy at Columbia Valley School. Some of your questions will not be applicable any more, since our plans may take us elsewhere. But I will answer those which are, in our opinion, universal in nature.
We do not consider ourselves a typical company. The core of our company is technology, that too one that has roots in using cutting edge research in artificial intelligence and combining it with world leading and proven methods. It covers both conceptual understanding and skill building, something that rarely happens in other programs that are offered. But it happens every day in leading nations like Singapore. We believe our technology can easily span seven or even all thirteen grades without demanding too much skill from the instructors. This technology will probably take years if not decades to make its way into our public education system, because of the delays involved in the system. But as a private company, we can bring it to our customers as soon as it is available. Our hope is that all the children will be able to benefit from this technology sooner than later. But in a tight budget environment, I think the likelihood is that it will be later.
For more on the role of technology in the future of education, please read our latest blog.
Sincerly,
Sudhakar Kudva, PhD
Amerinko Academy