Things are becoming more difficult for educators in New Jersey. We're facing uncertainty in the upcoming budget with regards to school funding, and uncertainty about reforms (tenure changes, pension changes, and accountability changes), testing, and the looming 2014 (you need to know NCLB for that one). In a sense, we are facing a push and feeling a pull.
The Push
You'd have to be living in a hole to not recognize that there is a powerful faction of education reformers picking a fight with traditionalists and progressives. I define traditionalists as those who cling to the methods, ways, and means of past education styles; the administrators and educators who believe that what worked in the 1960s is still viable today. In my mind, progressives are those who strive for changes a la Dewey or Parker.
The pushers consider both philosophies outdated and irrelevant. So, they have formed a philosophy I call "Accountabilitism"; every student can and should be measured, every teacher must and will be measured, and every administrator must and will become an Accountabilitist, on pain of being called a failure. All this without regard for the science, the research, and the plain old common sense that says one measuring stick will never accurately measure the depths of the ocean. Regardless, they push.
They have loads of money behind them (think Gates and Zuckerberg) and plenty of political clout. They even have Oprah. Think of this, what current Washington or any-state-house politician would ever tell Duncan, Obama, Gates, or Christie they are wrong or that they at least need to read some books and journals? Zero is the answer. Yet, here we are, in unchartered territory - where what we knew and what we know is out and the quick dismantling of all that public education has achieved is underway.
The Pull
I consider myself a progressive; I want for a time when we are educating, not producing, students. I want for a time when we see learning as messy and sometimes "here and there" and that it is okay for learning to fall off of a continuum... because it never can be mapped for students.
So I am pulled to be a defender of learning without deadly testing, a voice calling for the truth about Accountabilitists to be revealed, and one person standing on the sidewalk watching this parade of fools march down Main Street. And then I feel the push. Everyday.
Torn
As a principal I must think of SAT scores, HSPA scores, PSAT scores, Algebra exam scores, Biology exam scores. I enjoy looking at the data when it comes in. I can see trends, patterns, and speak with colleagues about making sense of the information. But here's the rub - I see that data as information only, meant to be devoured and discussed then used for improving curricula. Not because these tests mean life or death for us (as an Accountabilitist would). That's what a progressive would do. We look at data for information, not condemnation. We look at data to inform, not scorn. Data should drive, not kill.
The push comes when I discuss scores with those closet Accountabilitists we all know. They see slight dips in scores and immediately jump to statements like, "What are those teachers doing?" or "What's happening to the school?" Never mind the validity of tests or the motivation of students. That is not to say that instruction is not a factor in the equation... but it is only a factor. It also comes when I know that my faculty and I will be judged by the test scores. Then I must act, in some way.
So it's a push and a pull all day long. Which leads one to question their very essence. Thoughts like, "Maybe I'm the one who's wrong." and "Is this what it truly is all about and I never knew it?" begin to stomp through my mind, over and over again. It's like an internal tug of war where confidence, principle, and ethos are on the line.
I'm not so sure how long the Accountabiltists will last. Perhaps we will begin to see lots of research about schools who follow Accountabilitism or principals who live for more accolades through test results. Perhaps we will begin to get beyond their rhetoric and begin to examine their claims that small schools, charter schools, voucher schools, choice schools, and magnet schools are undoubtedly better than neighborhood public schools. Maybe... and maybe not. After all, we have yet to give Dewey and Parker a real chance in our public school system. For this, we can thank the traditionalists... and now the accountabiltists.
Enough ranting... my arms are tired from the pull, and my back is sore form the push
September 1, 2011
September 10, 2010
Who's Accountable?
I recently finished Diane Ravitch's book. I have to say it was very compelling; not so much for what it taught me, but for the affirmation it provided. Her views and research on accountability will give any die-hard modern "reformer" a run for their money... and their test scores. After I finished her expose, I had the chance to hear her on the Leonard Lopate show on WNYC. Audio is here. She is quite impressive and I applaud her "Sisyphus-ness".
Since then I have been reeling about accountability - what it means, how it is determined, how the term is thrown around, and how almost no one outside of our profession can tell me what it means. Quite frankly, they often define accountability as being subject to punishments. After all, don't we all use the term "accountability' with kids when they did something wrong or hurtful? Accountability has a connotation that was unintended. So when I am asked what I think accountability is, I reply
I think that's a pretty fair and direct statement. And I am dead serious about that last line. We push our students to take more challenging classes (i.e. CP to Honors or AP), to take the SAT seriously, and to be well prepared for the SATs. That test, above all others, is the great equalizer for us. It took me a while to accept this... but it is true. Our students' college options are dependent upon those scores. We accept our role in this.
But once our students get to a college, what happens? Sadly, in New Jersey, it looks like 3 in 10 drop out and only 61% of all New Jersey college students earn a Bachelor's degree in six years. Take a look at this (source):
So if we're going to talk about accountability and own it (as I do), then why aren't institutes of higher education accountable for their completion rates? And don't tell me that it's up to the kids to get it done - I would be crucified if I used that line with my seniors - who will all be college students seven weeks after we graduate them.
I simply want the same level of accountability to apply to colleges (especially public colleges like Rutgers, Montclair, Ramapo, etc. who receive public tax money). But that might be asking too much.
Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus have published a book Higher Education? I had the chance to hear them on Talk of the Nation on NPR. They, like Ravitch does for the reform movement, point out the deficiencies in higher education and the system. It's worth a listen and a ponder.
It's nice to know that I'm not all alone in my thinking or views. Collectively, though, we may be all alone on an island. While we're here, we can at least debate the definition, merits, and measures of accountability. I don't think many others are.
Since then I have been reeling about accountability - what it means, how it is determined, how the term is thrown around, and how almost no one outside of our profession can tell me what it means. Quite frankly, they often define accountability as being subject to punishments. After all, don't we all use the term "accountability' with kids when they did something wrong or hurtful? Accountability has a connotation that was unintended. So when I am asked what I think accountability is, I reply
I know that our school is on a continual mission to provide students with solid and strong curricula, determined and creative teachers, and oodles of opportunities to be creative, athletic, expand personally gratifying learning experiences, share talent, and contribute to our traditions and legacy (by the way, none of those opportunities are measurable in their success, but they are as important - if not more - than knowing calculus). And if there are state, federal, or commercial measures of accountability in this mission, then we are liable to keep our students at least on par with the comparisons. What matters most to me is that our students graduate on time and have the opportunity - if they wish - to attend college or a trade school because we prepared them.
I think that's a pretty fair and direct statement. And I am dead serious about that last line. We push our students to take more challenging classes (i.e. CP to Honors or AP), to take the SAT seriously, and to be well prepared for the SATs. That test, above all others, is the great equalizer for us. It took me a while to accept this... but it is true. Our students' college options are dependent upon those scores. We accept our role in this.
But once our students get to a college, what happens? Sadly, in New Jersey, it looks like 3 in 10 drop out and only 61% of all New Jersey college students earn a Bachelor's degree in six years. Take a look at this (source):
So if we're going to talk about accountability and own it (as I do), then why aren't institutes of higher education accountable for their completion rates? And don't tell me that it's up to the kids to get it done - I would be crucified if I used that line with my seniors - who will all be college students seven weeks after we graduate them.
I simply want the same level of accountability to apply to colleges (especially public colleges like Rutgers, Montclair, Ramapo, etc. who receive public tax money). But that might be asking too much.
Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus have published a book Higher Education? I had the chance to hear them on Talk of the Nation on NPR. They, like Ravitch does for the reform movement, point out the deficiencies in higher education and the system. It's worth a listen and a ponder.
It's nice to know that I'm not all alone in my thinking or views. Collectively, though, we may be all alone on an island. While we're here, we can at least debate the definition, merits, and measures of accountability. I don't think many others are.
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