We are spending an awful lot of money on education and getting pitiful results in return.
It is fair to ask; why spend more on something that clearly isn't working?
That perspective prevents us from considering the possibility that education, despite our already overwhelming investment, is still underfunded.
While education will not be fixed by more investment, it may also be true that education will not be fixed without more investment.
It is time to focus less on how much we are spending, and focus more on how we are spending it.
Education nationwide, statewide, and district wide is run by oligarchies. The oligarchies have agendas of their own, not all of which are related to education, some of which stand in the way of education.
At the bottom of the oligarchy nationwide, statewide, and district wide you find the teachers and the educational assistants. The folks that work at the educational interface, the place where the system and the student meet.
Unlike most oligarchies, where as you work your way up the chain of command and find increasing capabilities, in education the most of the education, expertise, and experience is at the bottom. Those with the greatest potential to remedy the problems, have the least power, resources and influence to apply to the solution.
It is time to reexamine the fundamental model for education. It hasn't changed in decades, maybe centuries.
Fixing the model may cost more. But it will be worth the investment if finally we graduate nearly all students with the skill set they need to succeed as human beings, as citizens, and as contributing members of society.
We may find a model that costs less.
We need to talk about something besides :"how much" it costs, however important "how much" it costs, is.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Education; the funding conundrum
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6 comments:
On target with this one... Watch as the cuts in ed being brewed up in the roundhouse are applied - the oligarchy will escape relatively unscathed while those who actually do the work are left with jobs, but without the tools to do anything other than show up for work and collect pay. It is broken.
"Those with the greatest potential to remedy the problems, have the least power, resources and influence to apply to the solution."
I am a teacher, and I think that those "at the bottom" do have alot of power and influence, but we don't take advantage of it. If you are doing something that works in a classroom, you will have people begging you to replicate what you do and share it with others because "the system" is desperate for answers.
I think a big problem is that even those at the bottom and those in the classroom aren't quite sure what the answer is.
I'm in complete agreement, however, that the model needs to be re-analyzed. I just read "Weapons of Mass Insruction" this week by John Gatto, and it has some profound insights about the issues at hand. If you think the model is broken, then his book will provide you with even more evidence. It's good stuff.
On the contrary, I was at a policy committee meeting where AVID was being discussed. The administration has decided to not fund any initiatives except AVID.
I am not sure where you think the support is going to come from to replicate successes; it won't be coming from the leadership of the APS.
The administration has decided to not fund any initiatives except AVID.
Is this because AVID gave the largest kickback? No Audit = No more BOND MONEY
What is AVID? It is mentioned many times here.
Thanks!
Advancement Via Individual Determination.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVID
It is based on the theory;
If you identify students honestly willing to make significant sacrifices in order to further their education, and then spend a lot of time and money on them, including semi-individual tutoring, they will succeed.
Gee, you suppose?
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