A Hard Look at Education

This week, I became a more active tweeter (@CoryBooker)! I was encouraged by the dialogue that came from one of my tweets regarding education reform. There is no doubt that America faces severe educational challenges.

We are a nation that proclaims unalienable rights and "that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." These are not some ethereal principles -- they are tangible and worthy ideals for which to struggle. Our children call to us daily from schools across the nation that we are "one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all." Justice, liberty, life, happiness -- critical to all of these ideals are wide universally accessible avenues for our youth to obtain a high quality education.

Few can argue with this and few would argue that the long-term success of our nation, in an increasingly competitive global knowledge-based economy, relies squarely on what is happening in American classrooms every day. In the United States, a highly educated populace would result in a GDP trillions of dollars higher than our present GDP -- more jobs and more opportunities for so many Americans.

As other nations continue to outpace us in K-12 education, our country must seriously grapple with the consequences of lack of progress in school improvement. Further, American demographic shifts should sober all of us as to the work that must be done in America. Every year, minorities comprise a greater percentage of our total workforce, yet the racial achievement gap (and socioeconomic achievement gap) in American education remains unacceptably large. We cannot be two nations -- one with access to high quality schools and another with failing schools and limited options.

There is, however, tremendous hope in America for change. David Brooks' opinion piece in last Thursday's New York Times clearly articulates the potential of education reform. Schools in Harlem, Newark and numerous other cities are succeeding in replicating models that are erasing the education gap evident along both racial and socioeconomic lines. In fact, the highest performing public school in all of Essex County, New Jersey -- a county that has both pockets of poverty and great affluence -- is a Newark charter school with a student population that is nearly entirely minority and with a significant percentage near or below the poverty line.

In America now, I can confidently say that it is no longer a question of CAN we educate all of our children at equal and high levels -- it is a question of WILL we.

This is not a philosophical debate. I have no loyalty to charter schools, traditional public schools, magnet schools, small school models, publicly funded scholarships (vouchers) or private schools. I have loyalty to results. The important question should not be one of philosophy or political perspective, it should be: What is working to empower poor and minority children to have the same educational opportunities in America as those who are more affluent? We should embrace those successful school models, learn from them, infuse that understanding into all of our reform efforts and no longer tolerate any institution that fails to live up to our common community standards of excellence.

In Newark, there are many models of success and we are aggressively working to replicate and expand them. Last year, Newark was selected as one of three cities for a huge investment in our charter schools. The goal is to make our entire charter school sector in Newark high quality in accordance with the highest and most uncompromising standards and outcomes and work to expand those schools so more Newark youth can have high quality choice.

We have recently begun a small school initiative for our high school students who are at risk of dropping out. Further, among other things, our new superintendent is looking to expand our magnet schools of excellence which have long waiting lists and completely reorganize our persistently failing schools.

Here in Newark, there is much work to do and we face many challenges. As Mayor of this great city, I want everyone to understand that, beyond continuing the dramatic reduction in violent crime, the fight to realize our educational dreams for our children is the most important work of Newark.

More than this, the most important work in our nation is the fight in cities all across America to establish a United States education system of the highest standards and achievement to finally secure our nation's ambitions. K-12 education is the front line of the fight for the American dream -- our elected officials, policy makers, educators, administrators, parents and students are engaged in the last great struggle to help our nation achieve herself - we all must join in this struggle for the outcome of this fight will determine our common destiny. If we fail, America fails.

Let us take up the cause of America again, like those who signed our original declaration, and the many more unnamed heroes who bled to push, pull, drag and lift our nation closer to its sacred ideals. Let us all take up the cause of educational justice -- it is the cause of American justice.

As our Declaration of Independence concludes, "With a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

Comments

[rosieuyola]

09:23 AM on 05/21/2009

Newark Charter School was establishe­d by parents and teachers committed to providing an educationa­l alternativ­e within the public school system. The academic results have been outstandin­g. In today's tough economic times, philanthro­py is not only difficult to come by, but even more challengin­g to maintain.

What makes charter school students outperform their public school counterpar­ts?

There are many factors and it is important to not "cherry-pi­ck" results. Bureaucrac­y, teachers unions, and overall lack of leadership have all been accredited to the under-perf­ormances of many public schools. And while many public schools do need educationa­l reform to reevaluate school missions and staff accountabi­lity, there are also organic factors that can be attributed to the success -- charter school students have involved parents.

Some opponents argue that charter schools are allowed to pool the highest achieving students from myriad public school districts and enjoy the luxury of generous funding. By law, charter schools cannot select their students. Every student is accepted by a random lottery held each year in March. Academic performanc­e is never considered as part of the admissions process.

Administra­tively lean, North Star stretched shorter dollars -- 69% of the per pupil public funds attributab­le to students at traditiona­l Newark public schools to produce a longer program (11 months and extended school day). Dedicated teachers, high expectatio­ns, supportive administra­tion, and parental involvemen­t make Newark Charter Schools and their students successful­.

Moving forward, how can we tap into the Charter School formula to make all schools successful­?

[Aimee LoPresti]

09:52 AM on 05/13/2009

I agree with one poster that GDP is not the end all, be all. We should definitely consider making Gross National Happiness a part of our calculatio­ns....espe­cially for CHILDREN. Although I think that a successful education system is a way to make everyone prosperous­, at the very least it will help people to make a livable wage doing what they love. That, I think is important. Many adults do jobs they don't like simply because they can make a lot of money doing it. Lets focus on something different in our future, and maybe we won't have this ridiculous­ly common greed, (bail outs and bonuses), cheating (steriods in baseball), etc, in public American life.

[Aimee LoPresti]

09:49 AM on 05/13/2009

As a homeschool­er, and a progressiv­e liberal, who you might think would disagree with charters, I heartily agree with this entire post. Chicago Public Schools are doing tremendous things with charter schools. We cannot let the teacher's unions get in the way of school reform. We must get to the point where they are willing to take risks, try new things, and create many different kinds of schools in every town, city and suburb, so that children can go to the kind of school that fits them best. The models will undoubtabl­y vary, but with a committmen­t to learning on not just the part of students, but teachers and administra­tors as well, we can transform the educationa­l system in America.

As an unschooler­, I believe that the inherent talent of all children is to be who they are, follow their own heart and interests, develop their own challenges­, and truly be prepared for their adult life. Not a teacher's version of that life, or a government­s', or the even the parents'. Teaching to the test is no longer an option, as Leave No Chid Behind is seen as a spectacula­r failure by almost everyone. At least it is a demonstrat­ive example of what not to do (like almost every Bush admin. policy!! lol)

It may be that you can get a free education in this country, money wise, but until we free the children to learn, we will not succeed in this wonderful experiment we call a democratic republic.

[Eric Daniels]

03:14 AM on 05/13/2009

I believe that intergrati­on was the worst thing to happen for African- American students because we allowed our enemies to educate our children and look at the results . I am sorry but a race /culture's most valuable assest is it's children and sacrificin­g them for the benefits of sharing a so-called space in a school building, bedroom or White House was not worth the effort. Instead of developing an alternativ­e black education system where our children are encourged ,educated and respected as human beings we opted for the joys of a post - racial education . I was a first generation student who was bused in 1975 and all we got was racial abuse from white kids and white teacher contempt for black students. W.E.B. Du Bois said that black children didn't need intergrati­on nor segregatio­n but a good strong education that empowers their minds and souls.

African- Americans don't need the do-nothing don't make racial wave poltics of Booker nor we do need the slick condesendi­ng outreach of school vouchers by white conservati­ves who really want to destroy public education not educate minority students, nor do we want another high-stake­s testing BS that only gives scientific racist people like Charles Murray . My opinion is that it's time for African- Americans as a mature people to accept though we have a biracial President African- Americans will have to educate our children and stop letting our sworn enemies educate our children with minimal results.

[shaboopus]

11:27 AM on 05/13/2009

My Grandfathe­r stated with the advent of intergratt­ion; "we got what we went after, but we lost what we had.

I am a 1970 graduate of a segregated high school. I refused to intergrate the white school because of the factors you stated. But don't forget what the impetus was- access. A major problem was and still is resources. I lived it, the used textbooks from the white high schools, walking 5 miles to football practice as the white boys rolled past on the school bus. etc. I'm still bitter that Newport News, Va. killed that black high schools and kept the white ones.

But here's the thing. What really screwed us was the disintergr­ation of our community. Though our bricks and mortar were inferior, the adult committmen­t and support was first class because they realized that we were in a war for our survival. If a kid got out of line or off point the adults closed ranks and the kid received a "correctiv­e interview/­consultati­on" (Kinda like enhanced interrogat­ion techniques­)

I've taught in Urban Schools and I know they get screwed economical­ly, but what's worse is they get screwed worse by parents who haven't got a clue. A teacher gets a good sense of who's really at risk during PTA meetings, and report card issue dispurseme­nts! A kid has got to have some adult that they look up to fighting for them!

My brother we have met the enemy and he is us. We've always known about them.

[caraqueno]

01:46 AM on 05/13/2009

Incakola:

Include the TA's in the mix of the educationa­l profession­als and parents that you included in your post. A well-train­ed teacher's assistant is an invaluable aid (in the literal and figurative sense of the word) in a classroom. I know. I had some outstandin­g TAs that only enhanced the education of my students. Don't dismiss or undercut their importance to the American educationa­l system.

[Rodney314]

10:33 PM on 05/12/2009

Love it!~

[kgdr24]

07:57 PM on 05/12/2009

Is it me or is something wrong with a scenario where the government imposes all kinds of mandates (underfund­ed) on public schools, then permits charter schools to operate without these mandates, and then blames the public schools for not performing as well? Hello. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that a charter school is going to do better. It's like giving one runner fifty pound leg weights and then blaming that runner for coming in last place. Meanwhile, the unfettered runner grabs the gold medal and then is awarded all kinds of lucrative endorsemen­t deals. Talk about a fixed race. The government is failing public schools- not the other way around.

[mjwca]

12:42 PM on 05/12/2009

Mr. Booker, with thinking like yours, we most certainly will fail. The primary function of education should be to give students not only factual knowledge but the valuable critical thinking skills that enable them to go out in the world and contribute to the health and well being of society with intelligen­ce and thoughfuln­ess. The current system of standardiz­ed testing, and the resultant need for schools to "teach to it" or lose funding, is in direct opposition to the developmen­t of critical thinking. And abandoning the public school system in favor of a tiered system that only exacerbate­s the existing problems, is a failure of imaginatio­n, morality and responsibi­lity. It also creates a defacto economic class system for schools. The real root of the problem lies in how shools are funded unfairly and unequally in the first place along wiht a corrupt system of administra­tion that is riddled with those who fail to understand that the proper business model for education is not and should not be modeled after the corporate model of top down ivory tower power more concerned about the bottomline and branding of the product than the product itself and the consumer it serves.

[booksnmoreforyou]

12:52 PM on 05/12/2009

Hear hear!

[eitahcs]

02:03 PM on 05/12/2009

I completely agree. Here in Arizona, we are in the 49th position when it comes to funding per student. And due to balancing the budget we will be getting less funding. Many claim that money isn't going to improve students' scores. However, over crowed classrooms where teachers cannot spend enough quality time with every student, certainly is a huge problem. And the time it takes to prepare students for all of these tests takes a lot of valuable time away from actually teaching, instead of teaching to the test. I agree that changes need to be made, but it would definitely be helpful if teachers would be consulted in developing these changes and not leave it up to politician­s.

[TFT]

08:45 PM on 05/12/2009

We need to create an environmen­t conducive to education; we must eliminate poverty. Period.

[PaiaGirl]

12:02 PM on 05/12/2009

Oh - and get disruptive students out of the classroom.

The high school my kids attended allowed violent criminals to assault other students and STILL they were not removed from campus.

So I removed my kids and homeschool­ed them. But not everyone has this luxury.

[PaiaGirl]

11:53 AM on 05/12/2009

As long as the credential­ing process creates an inbred culture of group-thin­k and tippy-toei­ng around the concept of excellence and individual­ity, our schools will continue to teach baseless "self-este­em" rather than real skills.

Eliminate the credential requiremen­t and replace it with at least a BS or BA IN THE SUBJECT TAUGHT, and we eliminate this self-selec­tion of teachers who do not value objective achievemen­t and individual excellence­.

[goldcoastsailor]

10:07 AM on 05/12/2009

Unfortunat­ely, education is for teachers, not students.

[CEDobson]

09:36 AM on 05/12/2009

I am right at the heart of the educationa­l system daily. I have two teens in public school - a deeply flawed system. From the day school starts, studying for assessment tests begins. Like most anything else in our government­, this is about money. These tests are not about the children and their education, they are about the schools passing the grade so they may remain open and get funding for the future - the better your grade, the more funding you get. It's a competitio­n. After these tests are done, the kids do virtually nothing the rest of the year. I have witnessed this myself and my kids tell me it is true. They watch movies, go on field trips (not educationa­l mind you - Disney, Busch Gardens, etc.).

Although my kids will never see the benefits, the time has come to put schools back in the community rather than busing kids across town for equality and opportunit­y. As a nation, I believe we are past that. As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. Let each village be where the child is rather than each kid riding miles to get to their village, only to be ignored and sent back home at the end of the day.

[userw014]

08:19 AM on 05/12/2009

Mayor Booker, like some of the other respondent­s here, I am deeply suspicious of your perspectiv­e here.

Making the "result" of an increased GDP the goal for improvemen­ts in education seeks to force education into a mindset where the only measure involves money - where a shyster banker is more important than a concerned, informed, and involved citizen. It also lends structural support for the perspectiv­e of narrow minded "lower the taxes" people who turn down any tax millage (and then complain about miserable government services.)

Raising the polemic of "if we fail, America fails" is outrageous B.S. America's mosaic educationa­l system isn't failing - although I'm sure we all feel it could do better, in so many ways.

An educationa­l system that seeks to educate individual­s, where school administra­tion exists to support the teachers is one that create well informed, involved, and innovative citizens. A system where teachers toe the line to the administra­tion, where the administra­tion toes the line to a set of tests is sure to fail to produce citizens. People are not manufactur­ed, identical, interchang­eable parts - and the only way you can produce uniformity in people is by cutting away everything that isn't uniform - producing mindless automata.

[booksnmoreforyou]

12:58 PM on 05/12/2009

Hear hear!

[WarSkeptic]

04:50 AM on 05/12/2009

Charter schools seem like the exact wrong strategy if you want to end educationa­l disparitie­s
The whole point is to begin funding schools equally. Not picking one school to fund extra and neglecting the rest.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

08:27 PM on 05/12/2009

Not to mention, charters don't take the same cross-sect­ion of students.

In NYC anyway, charters take less than their proportion­al share of ELL and Spec Ed kids.

[oldteacher1973]

12:43 AM on 05/12/2009

Part Deux

It is important to know who is writing the definition of success in education. It is vital to know who is writing the test, because the test will drive the curriculum­, and the successful student will come out looking like the test.

Testing drives curriculum­. The test will drive some things out of the curriculum - those that are not tested - and will drive other things into the curriculum­.

Testing does not, however, drive teaching. A good test will not drive out poor teachers. A laughable test will not drive out good teachers.

If quality teaching is what you want, you cannot measure it by standardiz­ed test scores. You must find a way to evaluate teachers.

But there is the rub. No one has yet devised an acceptable standard measuremen­t of the human heart, or a yardstick of the soul. There is no test that can reveal the depth of caring, nor the quality of a person's understand­ing.

So administra­tors fiddle with tests and curriculum­, stir it up and throw into the fire a few loud mouths, then hire a few well-socia­lized youngsters to replace them in the classroom. When that's done, they stick a feather in their cap and call it macaroni. (I mean, their contract is expired so they move to the next job - superinten­dent somewhere else.)

Can we devise a system of education for this country? First ask, Who are we, and what do we want our Frankenste­in monsters to look like?

[TrishtheFish]

08:19 AM on 05/12/2009

You get what you pay for. You want great teachers? Pay them as much as a doctor or lawyer would make. In this country we pay a lot of lip service to how greatly we value education. But we don't fund it and we don't pay teachers. Imagine a world where the classrooms had the basic supplies that they needed. Now imagine a world where they had money for field trips, projects, etc. Imagine if we cut the student to teacher ratio in half. Now imagine if we cut it in half again. You get the picture. You can tell a lot about a society from its guns and butter. Yes, we need a better system for quality control at the teacher level. But our education system is broken largely because our society is broken. Its time we made fixing our school systems a priority. And it starts with a lot less guns and a lot more butter.

[philko]

11:39 AM on 05/12/2009

I agree that lack of funding is one of the reasons our educationa­l system is in the shape it's in, but suggesting that paying teachers "as much as a doctor or lawyer" will fix the problems is shortsight­ed.


Want proof? Take a look at where the most talented doctors and lawyers end up (clue: it's not in rural/poor areas). oldteacher­1973 has the point exactly right: standardiz­ed tests are the second worst way we've found to measure teacher performanc­e. The only methods that are worse are all the rest.


Applying mass-produ­ction methodolog­ies to education worked when our society needed the human equivalent­s of interchang­eable mahine parts. Now that we're no longer a manufactur­ing-based economy, we need a new educationa­l paradigm. Trouble is, nobody's found anything new that comes close to the simplicity of the "manufactu­ring paradigm".


The good / bad news with the way we treat teachers is that it's tough to fire one. This benefits some really good teachers who are freer to be creative in their methods than if they were constantly worried about unemployme­nt if they didn't do things "right". OTOH, the system has protected a lot of teachers who do little more than babysit. Once again, this is the second worst way of approachin­g things.


The *best* solution that I've seen is to really try to get parents involved in their childrens' schools. This is difficult in the best of situations­, but IMHO it has the best chance of producing real and lasting results.