“Simon Says” how to improve public education
By Richard Eber, California Political News and Views
I have a retired ex school teacher friend named Simon. This curmudgeon does not have any hobbies nor cares to watch baseball, football, basketball, or any other sports. He is a “decline to State” voter who distains both political parties. Simon is a one trick pony who only cares about public education in California.
As might be expected my buddy is in a constant state of agitation when it comes to the pathetic state of his former profession in the Golden State. Test scores and classroom performance are in the bottom 10% in the United States according to some surveys.
One of the favorable ones Education Week says:
This year, California finishes 36th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, with an overall score of 71.3 out of 100 points and a grade of C-minus. The nation as a whole posts a grade of C.
Diving into the findings for the three graded indices, California earns a C in the Chance-for-Success category and ranks 41st. The average state earns a C-plus. In School Finance, California receives a C-minus and ranks 32nd. For the K-12 Achievement Index, last updated in the 2016 report, it finishes 30th with a grade of D-plus. The average state earns grades of C and C-minus in School Finance and K-12 Achievement, respectively.
This is the good news. US News & World Report ranked California 44th out of 50 States. If only the performance of K1-12 matched the rankings of State colleges and the University of California which are considered to be among the best systems in the world.
This is why my friend Simon is so puzzled. Why in the land of high tech he reasons, are Math and Science scores so low? What forces make kids drop out of high school and not graduate? Why are so many students who do finish K12 not up to college level when entering JC’s to further their educations?
Simon says the present system is not working. He feels it is in a perpetual state of “No child left ahead” mode; drastic changes have to be made to turn what he considers to be a failing educational model to become what parents and students deserve. Here are his top 10 suggestions for turning things around:
- Change suspension system from being sent home for counseling to be done on campus. As often is the case problem children when exiled from the school grounds, end up having little or no parental supervision. The last thing that should happen to these kids is not being in school where they can receive the attention needed to assimilate better in class.
- Reduce substitute teaching use by eliminating training of teachers and administrative personal during school hours. Having over 4 months off a year should provide ample time for such tasks. Money saved could be given teachers for their time spent improving their skills. Even more important students will not lose valuable quality lass time which normally occurs when substitute teachers are utilized
- Put more emphasis in grade school to development English and Math skills showing less concern for art, music, P.E. This diversity world approach where everyone is a winner is not working. A more serious regimen is needed especially with English skills that are required for all educational and vocational advancement
- Eliminate half days on Wednesday’s in grade school. This is a sham that robs kids of needed time in the classroom. If the Teachers Union demands that there members have time during the working day for class preparation, it should be done on a rotating basis five days a week. During this time period, kids would be placed in computer labs and have blended education where they can learn at each individual’s speed.
- Streamline rules for allowing parents to participate in school activities. The present system in many cases discourages such involvement. Along with this the legislature needs to make it more difficult for parents to take legal action against schools for everything from bullying to accidents. Simon says schools operated much more efficiently 40 years ago. At that time, administrators did not have to speed dial the District’s legal department for assistance.
- Replace this time with blended education on computers a minimum of 3 hours a week. Going along with filling up the time when teachers are doing class preparation, (#2) utilizing technology to assist all students to move ahead at their own speed has proven to be effective whenever it is utilized. Such a system might also prove valuable if utilized by substitute teachers in lieu of watching movies with limited educational value.
- Change teacher tenure to five years on the job. This is a no brainer especially when it takes several years for an individual to put together all of the skills needed to earn a designation that has protections for workers and actually means something. Surely teachers should be subject to as much scrutiny as a union plumber, steel worker, or carpenter in being elevated through the Journeyman ranks.
- Increase amount of time in class room for students a minimum of 5 days a school year. There are too many holidays and disruptions. During the regular year there are months when kids are off almost half the time. This is too much and without educational value. This additional time can be realized by reducing 3 off days a year plus 2 days spent on Memorial Day and Martin Luther King Day at school studying subject matter relating to these subjects. No one has ever learned about the civil rights movement playing video games.
- Provide more educational options to families without concern expressed by the California Teachers Union that charter, vouchers, home schooling, and other educational models somehow detract from conventional public schools. As long as the amount per capita that the state spends on each kid remains the same, it is up to families to determine what is best for each child. This is especially true for trade schools which are extremely lacking in California’s high schools where not every kid is destined for a college education
- Of course “it’s the money stupid.” California which ranks of money spent per capita at 32nd is too low especially considering that housing prices are so high to rent or buy in the urban areas. However, as we have learned in the past, putting more funds into education is not the entire answer to what ails the public schools in California. Those answers should be coming primarily from local school districts where the majority of decision making should be coming from.
There is very little for me to argue about with the observations of my friend Simon. He seems to be right about just about anything he cares about. Whenever the words are spoken “Simon Says”, I always listen attentively.
Richard Eber studied journalism at the University of Oregon. He writes about politics, culture, education restaurants, and was former city and sports editor of UCSB Daily. Richard is president of Amerasa Rapid Transit, a specialized freight forwarder.
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