The scary state of public education

I saw this article in today's (Sunday's) Canton Repository when I was home in Massillon.

How scary is this that teachers are giving students easy grades?


Why easy grading is good for a teacher's career
By Jay Mathews
The Washington Post
Posted Feb 05, 2009 @ 05:07 PM

New Jersey high school teacher Peter Hibbard flunked 55 percent of those in his regular biology class one year.

There were no failures in his honors classes, he said, but many of his regular students refused to do the work. They did not show up for tests and did not take make-ups. They did not turn in lab reports. Homework was often ignored.

“Still, the principal told me that the failure rate was unacceptable, and I needed to fix it,” Hibbard said. “The pressure to give grades instead of actually teaching increased.

“A colleague told me that he had no problem. If students showed up, they got a C. If they did some work, they got a B. If they did fair or better on tests, they got an A. No one ever complained, and his paycheck was the same. He was a finalist for a principal’s job.”

Sometimes teachers are so candid and wise I am compelled to quote them. Here is what Hibbard told me:

“The pop phrase is that ‘those who can’t do, teach.’ I would like any serious critic to spend a month in the classroom. It is easy when you are a guest speaker and don’t have to worry about discipline.

“But do the planning, maintain interest, do practice and review, write and grade a test or three, and then deal with the parents. In your spare time, maintain records, deal with teen angst and crisis, monitor the bathroom (I went to college for this?) and be available for extra help. ...

“The message comes from the top. When leadership backs good teachers, it is so much easier. When I have to justify failing a student who refuses to try, well ...”

Hibbard taught biology for 27 years. Before that he was a field biologist for the U.S. Agriculture Department and a lobbyist on environmental issues for the housing industry.

He thinks his experience in the field was invaluable. When he started teaching he could give students practical answers to the question, “Why do we have to learn that?”

Asked for solutions for the apathy and buck-passing he observed, he sent me seven ideas. Each suggestion is followed here by my “grade.”

1. PARENTS

Get parents involved, not in the grades, but in the learning. If Johnny cuts school or misbehaves, on the third detention, one of the parents must also be present. The time should not be “quiet time” but a session with a professional on behavior modification.

Grade: A (Many of us parents hunger for support of our desperate attempts to deal with teenagers. Those of us who are totally clueless can still use a taste of reality.)

2. EXPERIENCE

Since we cannot require teachers to gain more experience in their field, the school system should arrange for paid internships for teachers during summers.

Either colleges or school systems can do this.

Grade: B (This strikes me as expensive, thus unlikely, but worthwhile.)

3. SOCIAL PROMOTION

Do away with it. The federal government should set specific standards for knowledge and application. States may add to it but not teach less.

The committee that sets the standards should have equal numbers of teachers, administrators, college officials and business executives. Parents should have representation.

Grade: A (This is expensive, too, but essential. It is possible under our current system to miss half of the questions on some state achievement tests and still be judged proficient.)

4. PROTECT TENURE

I almost lost my job because I failed an administrator’s child who did no work and got in my face, assuming his parent would protect him. Good teachers must not be subject to political pressure for grades. It happens far too often.

On the other hand, unions and administrators must decide on a procedure that does not protect bad teachers.

Grade: C-plus (The problem is real, but enforcing tenure rules is not a solution. As Hibbard’s own clash with his principal shows, an administrator trimp even a tenured teacher.)

5. FUNDING

Funding must be reliable and consistent. In New Jersey, the budget is sent to the voters. They provide the students but don’t approve enough money to educate them.

Grade: C-minus (Reliable and consistent funding is a fine thing but impossible to arrange in a free-enterprise, nonrecession-proof democracy. So this is a pipe dream.)

6. AUTONOMY

Give teachers ownership of their program. Teachers should have sufficient collaborative time to decide how to achieve the goals, what books to use and what equipment is needed, within the budget.

Most people with any skills want to be told what the job is, but not how to do it. That is why I went to college and go back for continuing education.

Grade: A-plus (Harnessing the creative energies of teachers is the key to making schools work.)

7. PARENTS, AGAIN

Districts must set up programs for parents during the evening or weekend for those who want to learn how to help their children with school. So many parents tell me ... they understand their children’s frustration, but they don’t know how to help.

Teach study skills to both students and their parents throughout their school years.

Grade: A (My mother taught parent-effectiveness classes after she retired as a classroom teacher. They were very popular, and I wish more parents had the same opportunity to learn proven techniques.)