We Need to Start Talking Seriously about Education Now!

According to Ed Week, it is pretty unusual for candidates to talk about education this close to an election. That is part of the problem. We know that education and the economy are joined at the hip. Up to now, what has driven economic policy is maximizing short term profit, also known as greed. A similar engine drives education. For example, gains in test scores is taken as improvement, and as long as there is a cosmetic appearance of improvement, the population is pacified and grant funders are happy to continue giving money. Now there is some lipstick on a pig.

Teaching to the test is not a sustainable strategy for getting the kind of profound improvements America needs to successfully compete in the global arena. It is a cliche but education IS an investment in the future. Americans must lift their heads and look toward the horizon. Yesterday Jeffrey Feldman said the meme for the election should be "grandchildren." You bet. I have written many times that American society has the education it wants. We know this because if it were not so, society would demand something else. Instead, we waste decades and generations bouncing from one educational fad to another. When will America say with Obama, "Enough!"

I say this election, even now, even this late in the election cycle, is a perfect time to put education and its implications for the economy front and center. It is harder work and not as fun as parsing every word out of Palin's mouth, but surely a much more long-term profitable use of time, energy and brain cells. When Bush touched the third rail of Social Security, society stepped in. Everyone with a brain and an internet connection added their two-cents worth to that debate. Except for the diehards, non-partisanship ruled the day as society concluded that privatization would be a supremely bad idea.

It is past time for society to get excited, even passionate, about the education of future generations. We can begin by examining the candidates' positions on education. I have already started. Please join me. Comment here, there, and everywhere. Most blogs have blogrolls. Use comments and Digg to create a tsunami network of education conversations. Look for creative ways to reallocate present resources. Make the media sit up and take notice.

I agree with Robert Gordon, an advisor to the Obama campaign.

McCain sounds pretty good on education, but when you scratch even a little bit beneath the surface, there’s no there, there.

The McCain campaign begs to differ.

Senator McCain ... is interested in empowering families and speaking directly to the educational needs of Americans, as opposed to the system,” said Eugene W. Hickok, a former deputy secretary of education under President Bush who is advising the McCain campaign. “Whereas Obama, beyond his mantra of more money, more money, is really just supporting these traditional approaches to the system.”

Let's go beyond such back-and-forth of political campaigns and make education an issue right up there with the economy and foreign policy. Americans need an education race mindset and commitment like that of the 1960s space race. Let's work hard to prove Paul Manna wrong.

“As for [education] being a centerpiece, I don’t think that’s going to happen with just two months to go” before the election, said Paul Manna, an assistant professor of government at the College of William and Mary, who studies politics related to education. “It’s hard to see how it’s going to gain traction.”

Education: McCain and Obama Compared

Two days ago I printed out both the McCain and Obama information on education. I really do not like reading computer screens so I printed out all the info from both campaigns. McCain's required seven pages and Obama's required two pages.

McCain writes extensively about he calls his “vision,” his “principles,” and his “policies” on education. He does not write about a “plan.” Overall, McCain's information is characterized by an overabundance of pretty words, with very little in the way of specifics. Generally, each educational entity is responsible for figuring out for itself how to deliver quality education.

After a brief introduction to what Obama sees as five of the biggest problems, the rest of Obama's two pages is devoted to what he entitles, “Barack Obama's Plan.” Throughout Obama stresses that he will increase funding for each of his initiatives. Seven points out of his fifteen-point plan mention the source of funding. His plan is somewhat more specific than McCain's and does not ask education to fix itself.

Democrats will likely consider McCain's policies another example of the “you're on your own “ society and Republicans will likely consider Obama's policies another example of the “nanny” state.

McCain's Positions

Choice should drive excellence. Public education means the taxpayer pays for education in whatever educational setting the parent chooses. McCain is especially excited about the idea of virtual schools.

Competition should drive excellence. Schools must compete to attract the most effective teachers. Schools must compete to be the highest quality schools, as determined by parents. Furthermore, “every child in America is destined to compete with his or her peers around the world.” McCain would coordinate the many federal and state child care and preschool programs.

The closest thing to a plan revolves around Head Start.

1.Who is eligible? Head Start centers operating in the state with a demonstrated record of success in improving the school readiness of children are eligible to be nominated by the Governor for recognition as a Center of Excellence.
2.How does it work? The Secretary of HHS will pick at least one Head Start Center in each state based on the qualifications and experience of the Head Start Center
3.Each Head Start Center identified by the Secretary as a Center of Excellence will use their funds to expand their programs to serve more children, disseminate their best practices to other Head Start agencies (similar to a charter school dissemination grant), and improve coordination of early childhood education in their city or state.
4.How will the funding be distributed? The Secretary will provide at least $200,000 per year to each Center of Excellence, depending on availability of funding. The Secretary has discretion to increase awards if more funds become available.

Basically, any Head Start facility that has demonstrated success has a chance at $200,000 per year from the federal coffers IF the money is there. The McCain plan says that if you fix yourself in a way we find acceptable, maybe we will reward you monetarily (and maybe not). Schools do not need an extrinsic reward to motivate them. Schools want to be successful. If schools could fix themselves, they would have done so already. The systemic problems with education are more than any one school can fix on their own.

It is possible to cite a wonderful school here and there, just like once in a while a basketball player becomes a star. America needs all of its schools to be stars. America needs to become as obsessed with winning the “education” race as it once was with winning the space race.

Education reforms must address the “underlying cultural problems in our education system.”
I am guessing that what Republicans consider the underlying cultural problems and what Democrats consider the underlying cultural problems would be substantially different. It is a phrase that seeks to establish a meaningless and deceptive common ground.

All of America's children must be healthy McCain says he will “ensure there are no federal prohibitions against preschool programs offering basic health care screenings to children...” Getting rid of prohibitions is a far cry from actually paying for health care screenings. It is another example of a toothless “plan.” Japan has a regular program of health care screening for children in all the preschools. Local private practice doctors and dentists regularly visit each preschool and kindergarten at no charge to parents.

Parents must be educated to prepare their children for school. McCain would add the mission of instructing parents “in reading and numbers skills, as well as nutrition and general health” to current federal programs. There is no mention of additional funding.

In conclusion, I found that McCain did not have an education plan as much as an unfunded wish list.

Obama's Positions

Out-of-School Programs

Zero to Five Plan: Obama's comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan will provide critical support to young children and their parents. Unlike other early childhood education plans, Obama's plan places key emphasis at early care and education for infants, which is essential for children to be ready to enter kindergarten. Obama will create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state "zero to five" efforts and help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school.

Obama will also expand Early Head Start, Head Start and other child care options. Obama will improve after-school options and summer school programs. Successful in-school and out-of-school programs together will encourage kids to stay in school. College outreach programs must show students a future. If American society decides that all children need college to compete in the world, the societal benefit of relegating less accomplished students to lower level jobs needs to be addressed. Obama's plan resembles McCain's in the sense it lacks specific directives, but at least Obama does not expect education to fix itself and ask for federal money later.

Reform No Child Left Behind Obama supports the intention of NCLB but plans to reform the design, implementation and funding. It is not clear how he will address the testing and punitive aspects of the program. Testing takes care of itself when children enjoy a quality education. Punishment adds stress and people do not do their best work under stress. Although autonomy is a primary trait of satisfactory professional experiences, it is also clear that schools are unable to autonomously fix themselves without serious guidance.


Make Math and Science Education a National Priority Obama hopes to recruit math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession. In many states, secondary teachers must have a degree in their field as well as a teaching credential. It is not clear if Obama would like to recruit math and science graduates to elementary teaching.

Recruit, Prepare, Retain, and Reward America's Teachers

Recruit Teachers: Obama will create new Teacher Service Scholarships that will cover four years of undergraduate or two years of graduate teacher education, including high-quality alternative programs for mid-career recruits in exchange for teaching for at least four years in a high-need field or location.

Prepare Teachers: Obama will require all schools of education to be accredited. He will also create a voluntary national performance assessment so we can be sure that every new educator is trained and ready to walk into the classroom and start teaching effectively. Obama will also create Teacher Residency Programs that will supply 30,000 exceptionally well-prepared recruits to high-need schools.

Retain Teachers: To support our teachers, Obama's plan will expand mentoring programs that pair experienced teachers with new recruits. He will also provide incentives to give teachers paid common planning time so they can collaborate to share best practices.

Reward Teachers: Obama will promote new and innovative ways to increase teacher pay that are developed with teachers, not imposed on them. Districts will be able to design programs that reward accomplished educators who serve as a mentor to new teachers with a salary increase. Districts can reward teachers who work in underserved places like rural areas and inner cities. And if teachers consistently excel in the classroom, that work can be valued and rewarded as well.

I would add it's about time America actively welcomed its proven veteran teachers back to the classroom. It's a crime that school districts all over America have a policy of turning away their most experienced applicants.


We tend to ask what are the problems and what can we do to get a quick, short-term positive appearance of improvement. When the problem is framed in such a way, regulatory answers seem obvious. Regulation tends to highlight and punish the negatives. We need to ask different questions.

The analysis should begin with examining and analyzing first the strengths of the American education system, then designing plans that build on those strengths to proceed to a well-defined goal. In the 1960's, America had a well-defined goal; to land a man on the moon. Regarding education, America has no well-defined goals. There is not even a consensus that education is an important issue.

It seems apparent that both the McCain and the Obama education advisors recognize the same issues and recommends the same basic approaches, each policy set is consistent with the ideological orientation of the respective parties. When it comes to education, everything needs to be on the table. For Republicans this might mean, for example, actually funding proposals; for Democrats this might mean, for example, confronting the teachers unions.

Although autonomy is a primary trait of satisfactory professional experiences, it is also clear that schools are unable to autonomously reform themselves without serious guidance. Both sets of policies are incoherent and piecemeal. American society needs to demand a systemic overhaul.

U.S. High School Graduation Rates 19th in World

On Sept 9, 2008, NBC Nightly News reported that the US rank 19th, just ahead of Mexico, in percentage of students graduating high school. In a well-cited article, Economist's View presents and elaborates on high school graduation and wage data, concluding that the gap between high school graduates and drop-outs is widening.

America is becoming a polarized society. Proportionately more American youth are going to college and graduating than ever before. At the same time, proportionately more are failing to complete high school.

Perhaps twenty years ago I read an article wherein the author prophesied the present dichotomy between the educated elite and “techno-peasants.” The author described techno-peasants as people who flip hamburgers all day and play computer games all night. I attempted to find the article in a Google search and discovered the term “techno-peasant” has entered English vocabulary, but I was unable to find the original article. Twenty years before the techno-peasant article, the Kerner Report foresaw the same situation with its famous and controversial conclusion:

Our nation is moving towards two societies — one white, one black — separate and unequal

With the educational polarization of America in place and squeezing of the middle class accelerating the economic polarization of America, we see another example of the tight connection between education and economics. CBCSE estimates that boosting high school graduation rates would save $45 billion per year. The Chronicle of Higher Education also laments the decline in graduation rates.

Employers continue to fill job vacancies with warm bodies. Students do not experience much encouragement to achieve academically. As one comment noted:

I believe the central culprit at the bottom of this is American popular culture and values. We as a society do not truly value educational attainment except as a ticket to money and status. We do not respect teachers, as is the case in many other developed and developing countries, and we have a range of derogatory names for children who excell in academics, e.g. geek, dweeb, dork and so forth. I am not surprised by these findings and if things don’t change in terms of fundamental values regarding education and intellectual achievement, this country will sink to a second-world level. I believe we are already sinking.
Christina Newhill Apr 1, (2008) 04:22 PM

I have long argued that American society needs to examine its fundamental assumptions and values about education. Right now America has the education system it wants. When America decides it wants something different, nothing will stand in its way.

World-Class Education A Moral Obligation

That's what Obama said and he is right. America's economy depends on it.

America, now is not the time for small plans. Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy.

Roy Romer of Strong American Schools said that providing a world-class education for all our children required “political will.” All Americans, whether they have children or not, need to invest in the education of ALL of America's children, if only for self-interested economic reasons. It seems that it should be common knowledge that education and economy are not just linked, but alloyed.


I wrote about Gov. Romer's roundtable discussion earlier this week.

{Gov. Romer} continued, “If we put as much into education as we do athletics, we would be first in the world.” I agree. It is not money. It is commitment. The money will follow commitment.

Moral Obligation. Political Will. Commitment. I reported that PEPG survey concluded that Americans are committed to education. Americans need more than an intellectual commitment. We need a deep sense of moral obligation translated into political will. When America, the richest country in the world, decides it really wants a world-class system, nothing will stop America.


Senator Ted Kennedy recalled JFK's challenge to put a man on the moon.

We are told that Barack Obama believes too much in an America of high principle and bold endeavor, but when John Kennedy called of going to the moon, he didn't say it's too far to get there. We shouldn't even try.
Our people answered his call and rose to the challenge, and today an American flag still marks the surface of the moon.
Yes, we are all Americans. This is what we do. We reach the moon. We scale the heights. I know it. I've seen it. I've lived it. And we can do it again.

Maybe education for all children is not as sexy as the moon, but it is certainly a more important challenge. The moon challenge appealed to nationalistic pride. Somehow the education challenge needs to take hold in the American psyche. But as long as survey results continue to report self-satisfaction with schools at the local level, I fear that the chance of a world-class education for all will continue to play second fiddle to faddism.

Education in Denver 2008: An Interactive Diary

Mark Warner, speaking at the Democratic convention, connected education with the economy. You, too, can participate in this Great Schools forum on the question, “How would an improved education system affect our economy?”

ED in '08 is on the ground in Denver with ads in seven states. You can view all the ads here.

Strong American Schools Chairman Roy Romer is trying to raise awareness. Gov. Romer wants America to “get a political will” even though, according to one roundtable participant, 78% of American households do not have children in school. All of us need to invest in all of our children's futures.

Gov. Romer believes America needs to benchmark our country's education performance and accountability globally by annually comparing ourselves to the ten best nations. In other words, we need to stop congratulating ourselves on our good schools (like my town recently did) when we post 52% tested proficient this year instead of 50%. A 2% gain is great when half are not proficient in the richest country on earth?! We need to get real about the data .

Gov. Romer says this nation is simply not conscious that our expectations are too low because we are lying to ourselves. He continued, “If we put as much into education as we do athletics, we would be first in the world.” I agree. It is not money. It is commitment. The money will follow commitment. If we put as much into education as we did into the war in Iraq, we would be first in the world. Furthermore, it would not be money down the drain; it would be an investment in the future. For those who are risk-adverse in their investments, this one is virtually guaranteed to reap benefits that really will “trickle” down.

Maybe we are complacent because we think we got our education. Is it possible we think if the schools did alright by us, they are probably doing alright by our kids? Great Schools challenges all to find out “Are you smarter than an eighth grader?” Go ahead and test yourself, and then see how you compared to eighth graders in 46 countries.

Maybe it is just the common artifact of surveys. We generally believe the other guy is worse off than we are. That would explain the survey results quoted in this post. Maybe the country simply cannot get on the same page, preferring turf wars to substantive debate. Republicans and Democrats seem irreconcilably opposed on a number of education issues, but unions conflict with at least one Democratic school reform group with a prominent place at the convention. Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) allude to some of the conflicts in their blog. Fully half of DFER's board members are involved with charter schools no less.

When American society finally decides it wants a world-class education system, there will be no stopping us.

Algebra For All Eighth Graders

Here we go again. Another example of education reform by fiat . Another example of education reform without supporting infrastructure.

California 8th graders will be required to take Algebra 1 and be tested on it as part of the state’s accountability system, under a controversial decision made by the state board of education last week after last-minute pressure from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Why don't we just fail the kids right now and save some money?

Mr. O’Connell said in his own letter to the state board that requiring all 8th graders to take algebra would especially be hard on African-American and Hispanic students who, as demographic subgroups, are still not even scoring at the proficient level “on what amounts to 7th grade standards.”

...snip...

Education officials so far have offered no details about any budget impact from the move. But providing support to get teachers ready to teach algebra to all 8th graders could be difficult given a California budget deficit estimated at $17 billion at one point, which has forced cuts in all departments, including education.

Don't get me wrong. I am all for higher standards and greater expectations. It is not surprising that studies show “that taking algebra in middle school is linked to higher mathematics achievement in high school.” The problem is that students lack the “foundational skills” for algebra such as fractions and (believe it or not) place value.

The students who struggle the most with the abstract nature of algebra are those who tend to lack “understanding around the key big ideas” throughout elementary math, said Terry Vendlinkski, a senior researcher at the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Liping Ma has famously documented that American elementary math teachers lack “profound understanding of fundamental mathematics” . How are these teachers supposed to teach what they themselves do not know ?

James M. Rubillo, the executive director of the Reston, Va.-based National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, pretty much agrees.

”We’ve seen a lot of schools trying to mandate Algebra 1, and the failure rates are very high,” he said. “It doesn’t necessarily take into account the readiness of the students or the capability of the teaching force.

Gifted Smifted

TAG (Talented and Gifted, or GAT, Gifted and Talented, or GATE, or just GT, depending on the school) teacher, Tamara Fisher, corrects common misunderstandings in her lengthy and detailed description of what “gifted” is and is not. I have a ton of experience with the gifted issue so I am interested in her take. I can tell you right off the bat that I got sick and tired of the Salem witch trials. Our family moved around a lot and it seemed every GT program was inordinately fond of the Salem witch trials. All told, my own children covered four topics in their years of GT participation: Salem witch trials, bridges, French, and Russian.

GT is NOT a reward for kids who behave well in class and turn in perfect work. Rather it IS an academic necessity for children who learn differently….
GT is NOT a program for kids with exceptional grades...
GT is NOT fun for fun's sake…
GT is NOT extra work to fill extra time…
GT is NOT for kids who are "better" or "more special” than other kids…
GT is NOT about fun and games...
GT is NOT a program only for good kids…
GT is NOT a test of what the kid does know…
GT is NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT a privilege!!!!! Rather, it IS an essential need for children whose pace of learning dramatically out-steps other kids …
GT is NOT a self-esteem booster for children who seem to need one. Rather, it IS a sincere validation of ability(bold added)...
GT is NOT about preparing kids to “save the world” someday..
GT is NOT a “club” to belong to. Rather, it IS a peer group where gifted kids can feel like they actually belong…
GT does NOT address only academic needs. Rather, it ALSO addresses social and emotional needs and validates gifts and talents. (bold added)…
GT is NOT about pressure to fit a label or stereotype…
GT should NOT be an experimental group led by whoever is available….
GT should NOT be an optional offering, if convenient. Rather, it SHOULD BE a high priority because there are kids who need it (bold added)..
GT is NOT an easy A…

I bolded several of the statements because they allude to a very specific issue of academic achievement in our schools. Regardless of all our fine talk about academic achievement, society does not value academic achievement and students perceive the hypocrisy every day at school. In predominately black schools, classmates often accuse the high achievers of acting white. In some schools, students hide their achievements and some of their misbehavior is theater in order to protect “street cred.” I have been known to participate in these little conspiracies with some students.

Every state has laws that mandate the education of every child according to the child’s needs. Practically, what really happens is that only children who have been labeled into a specially funded program get that extra attention. Normally, the special programs are for students who have been deemed “deficient” in some respect.

In my state, where both state law and state accreditation standards mandate that schools identify and provide services for gifted students, only about 40% of schools claim they actually do so. There is no consequence for the schools that don’t meet that portion of the accreditation standards. The only consequence falls onto the shoulders of the gifted students who are at the mercy of luck that they will get a teacher who recognizes their learning needs and does something on her own to try to reach them. Educating kids shouldn’t be an optional convenience. It should be a high priority. We SAY it’s a priority. But when it comes to our nation’s gifted students, are we really educating them if research shows that they already know, on average, about half the year’s material before the school year even begins?

One of my main themes is that US society does not really want a world-class education system. If we did, nothing would stop us. It may be a trivial example, but is there anyone in the US who DOES NOT KNOW that their analog TVs will not work in six months?

GT is NOT a surplus offering for kids who have surplus knowledge. Rather, it IS an academic intervention...