In Missouri, we have heard about Department of Elementary and Secondary Education meetings where no questions were taken about implementation of Common Core Standards. Apparently, the situation is just as bas, or worse, in Maryland, when a parent was arrested for speaking out at a state board of education meeting.
The following passage comes from Friday's Baltimore Sun:
As he was being taken out, Small said, "Don't stand for this. You are sitting here like cattle." Then he said, "Is this America?"
The officer pushed Small and then escorted him into the hall, handcuffed him and had him sit on the curb in front of the school. He was taken to the Towson precinct and detained. Small was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, which carries a fine of $2,500 and up to 10 years in prison, and disturbing a school operation, which carries a fine of $2,500 and up to six months.
The police report said that Dance's chief of staff, Michele Prumo, who was standing on the side of the auditorium, had asked the officer to walk over and calm Small down. The report also said Small had attempted to push the officer away when he first confronted him.
The forum was held by the Maryland State Department of Education to explain the new curriculum, known as the common core, to the public. Objections to the new standards, which are being implemented this year for the first time in 45 states and the District of Columbia, have been growing in the past several months.
The problem with education in America is that it has become big business, and big business has too much of a hand in it. Education reform has created an entire industry, from software programs and books that guarantee success if adopted and implemented, to speakers and conferences, to huge numbers of non-teaching staff that sap the resources of schools for teachers and useful materials for students. Job positions must be justified, and each new job position and initiative places more burdens on teachers and administrators.
ReplyDeleteWhat to do? Look at countries in which the students are successful. What is their secret? For most, it is paying teachers a salary sufficient to attract the best minds, and then giving those teachers the respect they deserve, considering the importance of their mission. Success comes from expecting the students to be successful instead of pandering to their parents and making excuses for their lack of achievement. Educational success will come not from catering to the needs of business, but from educating students to be successful in any career they choose. A well-rounded, liberal arts education balanced with practical arts will produce students who are adaptable learners and critical thinkers. Teaching them to work in only one career field while limiting their academic exposure will create a culture of entry level workers who cannot adapt as the need arises, and will surely contribute to America's rush to become a two-class society.