Recently I viewed the documentary, Waiting for Superman, for the umpteenth time, and I noted that almost a year after the film's September 24, 2010 U. S. première, the American educational system is still not living up to its potential. Sure, education reform was the phrase on the tip of everyone's tongue, but after a year, most of the fervor and commitment to educational change that was initially exhibited has all but subsided.
The comparisons with other developed countries show that the strongest nation in the world is still falling behind academically. The cost per pupil in the U.S. has soared to five times the level in the 1950s, after adjusting for inflation. With this kind of money being pumped into the system, why are many our school systems of such a low caliber, and further falling behind?
Statistics and common sense born of observation tell us that the biggest crisis in our schools is finding ways to educate students in low-income areas. However, as Waiting for Superman illustrates, our educational problems are not limited to poverty-stricken areas alone. As Lesley Chilcott, producer of the Waiting for Superman put it, "the dirty little secret... is that middle- and upper-class communities are suffering as well. When we talk about U.S. students ranking twenty-fifth in math, we're not just talking about underserved communities, we're talking overall." Yet, despite decades of knowing that these problems exist, little improvements are being made to the system itself. Of course, everyone seemingly wants to improve America's education system; they just do not seem to know or agree on how to do it.
The American public must believe that educational reform is a top priority issue in these times of severe economic troubles. It is understandable that, in today's economy, people are primarily concerned about their jobs and putting food on the table. Upgrading education, although important to most, can hold a low priority in the mind of the average American, who is mostly concerned with keeping a roof over their heads. The paradox here is that this is precisely the time to make that investment into education. When times are tough in an economy such as ours, workers need to improve their skills to compete effectively in the local (and global) marketplace. The education system is where people turn to acquire these skills.
Furthermore, enhanced skills and technological talents are going to be desperately needed in the future, as America continues to struggle towards sustaining a dynamic 21st century labor force. Production is not getting easier and simpler -- in fact, it is just the opposite. Along the same lines, workers down the road will need to be able to adapt to technologies that are just now being developed. If American students and workers find themselves in an educational system that cannot fulfill these necessary, required functions because it is sub-par, not only will these individuals and their families find little success in an economy that has left them behind; it will cripple America's competitiveness.
Waiting for Superman has been criticized as being against teacher's unions, placing the blame too squarely on the shoulders of educators, and misrepresenting educational statistics. Nevertheless, the film shined a bright spotlight on the harsh reality of our educational system, showing the exodus of middle and upper class children from our public schools; the sadness of the lottery system; and the general hopelessness that some express about our educational system and its future.
One segment of Waiting for Superman illustrates American self-confidence through an image of kids doing daredevil bike stunts, and then crashing. This scene shows, in a metaphorical sense, that while our students seem to have confidence, many do not have the skills to actually succeed.
A year later, Waiting for Superman still serves as a stark reminder of just how bad our educational system has become, and just how ineffective most of our efforts at improving it have been. The American educational system has reached a turning point, a time when things seem at their most dire, and yet many appear to simply sit idly by "Waiting for Superman."
America needs to view this film as a public call to action, where each of us is summoned to be a Superman (or Superwoman, as the case may be), or at least to lend a hand in saving our educational system, perhaps without the flashy heroics and cape. Rather than waiting, we should strive towards getting every educator, educational leader, government official, parent, and citizen to educate themselves about the problems that exist in our educational system, and to work together to fix them.
What is most important is that we understand the deficiencies in our educational system, and strictly forbid placing blame -- which rarely serves to encourage cooperation. Rather, we must demonstrate accountability for our situation and fulfill our responsibility to our children. Collectively, we must come together with an understanding that "Superman" is not coming to save our children, and it is up to us to work together to find innovative ways to rise to the challenge of fixing our education system.
The future must be planned for; now. It certainly will not be an overnight process. However, by taking positive, productive steps, one at a time, an enormous amount of ground can be covered in the coming years. If we simply work together, we can restore the U.S. educational system to its former preeminence, and give our children the bright futures they deserve in our great country and aboard. We must become the Super-citizens that we have been waiting for.
I believe a huge factor is also the ever-rising mandates for special services for students with special labels. The cost-per-student for learning support, special needs, etc has risen steadily as the courts and legislatures have decreed that they are entitled to certain services and support. Under NCLB, higher-risk students have also been targeted for additional test prep.
Bottom line is that while the average may rise, many districts are actually diverting resources away from students who have the disadvantage of being average and normal.
Bottom bottom line-- citing a rise in average cost-per-student is meaningless as a measure of anything.
Perhaps this is because the message of the film and the wave of educational reform that has swept across the the country are not actually in the best interest of improving public education. The problem is not that no action was taken after the movie release. The problem is that the reforms supported by those who funded the movie and those politicians who have been forcing through legislation are counterproductive if not damaging to the future success and sustainability of public education. I appreciate your rally call, but I question what you are calling to rally around.
I certainly think the film had a narrative that it pushed relentlessly, but in reality, charters are serving our vulnerable students more poorly than public schools are. The film gave exactly the opposite impression. That's not "shining a light" on anything; in contrast, that film tries to keep people in the dark.
Why have I not seen the movie? When it was released I went to the movie's website and saw a list of corporate sponsors who had signed on to a pr campaign for the film. I did not and do not want to support that kind of top-down corporate involvement in public education reform.
I continue to vote with my dollars and have no desire to see the film.
We need to put forth a NEW VISION of what we want our educational system to become, and how important it is to move away from corporate ideas of statistical "bottom lines" and managing schools as though they were businesses. This is a failed model that is coming to its absurd conclusion right now. The blame belongs to all of us and none of us; the current system has grown, like kudzu vines, to engulf all of us in bureaucracy, not a little corruption, and a whole lot of systemic paralysis. What comes next? How do we flatten this top-heavy, expensive hierarchy and put resources toward teachers/better teachers, kids, parents, and schools? How do we concentrate on what is best for EACH kid at all economic levels? The American people love their public education; we just need it to be equitable, smarter, and much more engaging. Patricia Kokinos, http://ChangeTheSchools.com
"Although public school children we assessed were performing at or above expected levels for their ages, children who received structured homeschooling had superior test results compared to their peers: From a half-grade advantage in math to 2.2 grade levels in reading,"
There is no reason that families in urban areas cannot do a well. By kids are in middle school, online courses are available. Some of them are reasonable (my daughter took a number).
Even if the local school has bad test scores, you can successfully educate your kids - but it takes a lot of time.
Sandra Martin-Chang, Odette N. Gould, Reanne E. Meuse. The impact of schooling on academic achievement: Evidence from homeschooled and traditionally schooled students.. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, 2011; 43 (3): 195 DOI: 10.1037/a0022697
http://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/se/agfactsheet.asp
I know HP will not let my statement of truth go through. Any time I write the truth I am not posted. This proves that even in this foram the truth can not be "heard"
It is perfectly fine for white people to say and write anything they want, (lies) but facts about this country toward black people and all people of color across the globe, gets "flagged".
If a case study was done on each and every low performing student, you would find all kinds of issues that do not have anything to do with teachers teaching: poor attendance, lack of or no preparation, disrespectful behavior, no homework done and very little classwork done, emotional abuse, socially promoted without requesite skills, multiple school changes, mid school year changes, lack of English language skills, etc. These issues are all the causes for student low performance within the inner city schools. There is nothing a teacher can do about these things...............scapegoating teachers and mis-educating the public is the political ploy/plan, plain and simple. All of the people driving reform have never spent time in the classroom teaching: entertainers, Corporate CEO's, politicians, media figures love to tell the people on the ground what the problems are..............why don't they spend a month inside a classroom and see what is really going on.
Well the truth is "teachers' job is not to raise other's kids", "it is to teach"
I am from a country where most don't have the opportunity to go to school, or only the boy or the smartest kids in the family gets to go school.
Therefore it's a privilege.