We have an incredible ways to go to make sure all of our students are educated. This is especially true for the most vulnerable students. We may be their only advocates who are in positions of power and privilege. That is why it is imperative for us to know the facts.
Most current reforms to education follow a free market, profit motive philosophy. Our students should not be treated as guinea pigs in some ideological lab. We need to make sure that our reforms are for students interests, and not interests of maintaining the power norms. The market reforms basically claim that the profit motive of capitalism will save our students. There are essentially four legs supporting this free market stallion of reform.
1) Create competition through innovative public charter schools. Competition makes everyone try harder.
2) Increase the labor force by making it easier to become a teacher through alternative paths.
3) Provide vouchers for private schools.
4) Institute performance pay for high achieving test scores.
Some say that the profit motive is an incredible engine of growth. I would say that it is when profit is the motive. Does the profit motive work when profit is not the main goal? In healing our sick, educating our young, or even rehabilitating our prisoners, profit is not the main goal. I would contend that applying the profit motive to non-profit goals is not a good plan. Let's take a look at the four legged stallion of free market reform, and see how it is doing. Join me after the break.
1) Create competition through innovative public charter schools. Competition makes everyone try harder.
According to the most comprehensive study about charters from Stanford , 37% of charters do significantly worse than public peers and only 17% do better. We can certainly learn from charters that are doing well, but we can learn from public schools doing well too.
Ideological twist
Charters are the hammer du jour used to bludgeon public schools. They are an end around unionization and paying decent wages and benefits to teachers.
Broken leg.
2) Increase the labor force by making it easier to become a teacher through alternative paths.
In a comprehensive study released by the Education and the Public Interest Center and the Education Policy Research Unit (EPIC/EPRU) they clearly show that these alternative license programs have mixed results at best. The only place TFA teachers compare favorably is against other under-qualified teachers. A brand new, traditionally trained teacher is much more likely to perform better than a brand new TFA teacher who has 5 weeks of training. In addition, the TFA teacher is likely to leave sooner, costing the schools billions in re-hiring, re-taining, and replacing costs.
Ideological TwistIn an Orwellian twist, free marketeers want to lower the standards for new teachers, but make the standards much, much stricter for current teachers. It is all about cheap labor.
Broken leg.
3) Provide vouchers for private schools.
Milwaukee, WI is probably the grand daddy of voucher programs. there program has been going on for 20 years. For the first year ever, they required voucher recipients to take the same state tests as public school kids. What a mistake that was.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction , The voucher students underperformed, and underperformed badly compared to their public school counterparts. It turns out, educating vulnerable students is challenging. The conservatives still want to expand the voucher program. Their solution to the under performance is genius. The Republicans just want to stop requiring voucher students to take the test.
Ideological twist
Funneling public money to private ventures and away from public schools is just another way to chip away at our public education.
Broken leg
4) Institute performance pay for high achieving test scores.
The most extensive study on performance pay, fund by supporters, finds that the extra cost has little to no effect on student outcomes. Most teachers will attest, that given a decent salary and benefits, they are more motivated by helping kids than by money. The Vanderbilt study makes this pretty clear.
Finally, when you put a persons livelihood at risk, they may actually cheat to hold onto their jobs. I would rather quit than cheat. It tears my heart apart when my students don't do as well as I want them to. Not because of money, but because I want them to learn. Luckily, I don't have the added pressure of being fired if I do my job well and my students still struggle. That pressure has caused many administrators and teachers to cheat. gigantic gains do not happen overnight. 8 of 10 D.C. schools that Michelle Rhee singled out as "exemplary models" were flagged a potential cheaters. All six schools overcame 1 to 30,000 odds in their test improvements. A statistician said it was like each school winning the Powerball. You decide how likely it is.
Ideological Twist
Performance pay reinforces the solitary, super human teacher. It separates teachers into dysfunctional isolation rather than competent cooperation.
Broken leg.
This four legged stallion of free market reform has turned into a broken legged old ass.