The problems that afflict public education go far beyond what President George W. Bush called, "The soft bigotry of low expectations." They go beyond tenure, evaluations and pay-for-performance. However, there is mounting evidence that there is a strong correlation between student performance and family structure and family income, as well as having limited resources and vocational training for special education students. Beating up teachers will not get the job done for us. This not to say that we shouldn't hold teachers accountable, but we shouldn't hold them accountable for factors they have no control over. It's not fair to expect teachers by themselves to fix all of our socioeconomic problems. Ignoring the structural reasons for our educational failings will do nothing to fix them, but getting involved will.
The problems that afflict public education go far beyond what President George W. Bush called, “The soft bigotry of low expectations.” They go beyond tenure, evaluations and pay-for-performance. However, there is mounting evidence that there is a strong correlation between student performance and family structure and family income, as well as having limited resources and vocational training for special education students. Beating up teachers will not get the job done for us. This not to say that we shouldn’t hold teachers accountable, but we shouldn’t hold them accountable for factors they have no control over. It’s not fair to expect teachers by themselves to fix all of our socioeconomic problems. Ignoring the structural reasons for our educational failings will do nothing to fix them, but getting involved will.
In the 2011 Tennessee Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning survey (TELL) you will find some meaningful insights into how and where our Maury County School Board and County Commission could develop a road map to an action plan that improves our under-performing K-12 educational system. This TELL report concluded, “supportive school environments, where educators are valued, trusted and have the time to collaborate can catalyze quality teaching.” The TELL statewide survey included Tennessee’s K-12 teachers in 1594 schools (57,391 teachers) with a 77 percent participation rate. In Maury County, 89.5 percent of Maury County’s 837 teachers participated in the survey — An indication that nine out of ten of our teachers want to solve our educational problems and want to improve our children’s learning environment.
Among the statewide TELL findings was that time and classroom size were the biggest barriers to better teaching conditions, and that consistent community support was a integral component of successful schools. In Maury County, 61 percent of our teachers “strongly disagreed or disagreed” that they have sufficient time in the classroom to meet the needs of “all the students.” Seventy-two percent of our teachers said that they have less than one hour or no time at all for collaborative planning; 45 percent spend 5 to 10 hours per week on school related activities outside the school day; 76 percent said they haven’t had any professional development in special education that would help them deal with learning disabilities in children.
(Note: 20 percent of Maury County’s K-12 student population of 11,700 students is identified as a special education student, which covers a wide range of conditions.)
Forty-four percent of our teachers “strongly disagree or disagree” that professional development provides teachers with strategies to involve families/community leaders as active partners in their children’s educational development, and 47 percent said that professional development was not differentiated to meet individual teacher needs. When asked where they need professional development, 72 percent said “closing the achievement gap”; 63 percent said they haven’t received “any” special education training for disabilities; 53 percent called for more reading strategies and 48 percent wanted training for “English language learners.” For a complete review of the Maury County TELL survey go to, www.telltennessee.org and click “TELL results”.
The state recently announced that it would provide a grant of about $250,000 to the Whitthorne Middle School to address strategies to close the learning gap, which was identified as one of the state’s 160 target schools to receive help. But Maury County has 18 other schools that need resources. Whitthorne is not entirely responsible for the achievement gap deficit. The problem is systemic, and the elementary schools who promoted children to Whitthorne need resources as well.
Most of the political noise in proposed educational reform has been aimed at teachers and declares, “We need great teachers!” Ninety-five percent of this noise and legislation has been about “weeding out bad teachers” through evaluations, and ignores the process of growing great teachers. Great teachers are developed through a process that begins in our teaching colleges with motivated students. In the auto industry, the union spent 95 percent of its time representing 5 percent of the members.
At Saturn we attempted to reverse that order and focused on representing the 95 percent who came to work every day and tried to do the best job they could under very difficult circumstances. The union’s job here was to remove those barriers that prevented great workers from doing their job. This process included empowering workers to make decisions on product quality and problem-solving. As for the 5 percent, job performance was measured in relationship to his/her total contribution. Some human failing needed to be addressed. Workers with drug or alcohol problems, emotional, attitude and motivation problems, family problems, health or financial problems were provided resources and professional guidance to help them become contributing members of the Saturn team. If they were “weeded out” it was as a result of their own decisions and behaviors not to accept the help.
I believe 95 percent of our teachers want to do the best job they can do and we as a community, including the school board, county commission and school leadership need to work together to help our teachers succeed. If we empower them and provide them with the training and the necessary resources they will close the learning gap deficit. When that happens, Maury County will begin to attract new residents, new businesses and higher paying jobs, and more importantly our children will have the opportunity for a better life.
Mike Bennett is a retired autoworker who resides in Spring Hill. E-mail him at email@example.com.