We are spinning in circles on public education and the kids are not all right | Opinion
Few public policies impact Tennessee’s future as much as those related to education. As a policy attorney for much of my career, I’ve worked on issues from high-stakes testing all the way to charter schools and vouchers.
Recent consternation around the Tennessee Charter School Commission and the Achievement School District demonstrates the need to rethink both our approach to education policy and our focus.
Primary and secondary education exists to equip children and young adults with intellectual tools and personal skills to thrive both individually and as a member of a community. How we do that varies wildly. Public, private, homeschool, hybrid, and tutorial programs abound.
The point is developing people. Four such people currently live in my home. What happens to them isn’t just about Tennessee’s future, it’s tremendously personal for me as well.
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All students deserve meaningful education opportunities
Despite political protests to the contrary, I’ve come to realize that there is no inherently evil type of educational environment.
Public charter schools aren’t magical answers to struggling traditional public schools. Homeschooling isn’t necessarily inferior to even the best private education. The preconceived notion that one type of education is the problem and another is the answer isn’t helpful.
I understand why local education authorities bristle at the thought of the Charter School Commission overriding their decisions regarding a charter school in the district. Who wouldn’t be humiliated by the state stepping in and giving the reins to an Achievement School District because of chronic underperformance?
At the same time, all students must have meaningful educational opportunities. Support must pair with accountability. At a minimum, we should possess enough humility to admit we haven’t adequately addressed our educational challenges. If we had, chronically underperforming schools wouldn’t persist in spite of various interventions.
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These three factors matter more than anything
A myriad of factors shape educational realities, but many of them reach far beyond education itself. Parental involvement is radically important. The local economy impacts education. Access to affordable housing matters. Transportation is a significant challenge. Even so, we can’t reasonably expect educators to account for all adverse forces outside the schoolroom.
Speaking specifically about the educational environment, three factors matter more than anything else:
Adequate funding
Excellent teachers
Stable learning environments.
Tomes of research exist about education funding. It doesn’t necessarily dictate education outcomes, but there’s an undeniable connection between higher funding levels and better results. 2018 research by Kirabo Jackson at Northwestern University finds “a strong link between spending and outcomes – indicating that money matters on average.”
It’s perfectly acceptable to fund kids rather than systems, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the truth that we must invest in the future regardless of policy preferences. Jackson’s research also notes that the specifics of how money is spent matter significantly. When we simply reduce education funding to a per pupil amount, policymakers may not fully understand the impact of various spending choices. We should break the habit of discussing education funding in such simplified terms.
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Why measuring the performance of teachers matters
Without a doubt, the most important contributors to student success in the school are teachers. They ought to be paid like we’re entrusting them with our children because that’s exactly what we’re doing. Most of my family’s income goes towards supporting our children.
Food, clothing, shelter, and extracurricular fees are incredibly costly. If we’re willing to make such significant investments in other areas, why on earth would we start cutting corners on something as vital as teachers.
We shouldn’t pay teachers based on a grid. Tenure and accumulated degrees don’t inherently demonstrate skill at teaching. Relative student progress does. I have yet to hear an adequate explanation why classroom teachers shouldn’t be accountable for year over year gains for the students they educate.
Yes, it’s difficult to generate a fair method to measure student progress, but so is learning Algebra II. If we’re asking students to put in the effort to learn, we should at least make sure we’re able to effectively measure whether that’s actually happening. Both teachers and students should be held accountable to ensure that it is. A student being automatically advanced through any educational system is a fate far worse than failure.
A solution: Consider shortening summer vacation
We also need clearer pathways for professionals and subject matter experts to regularly engage the educational process. I’m not talking about a lawyer coming in for Bring a Parent to School Day. Plenty of colleges and universities enjoy adjunct professors with real world experience. Finding options to incorporate parents and other professionals into the educational process and course of study helps connect learning with life especially at the secondary level.
Education can’t take place in a vacuum either. We must address behavioral, nutritional, and physical barriers to education. If a student is hungry, it’s hard for her to learn. If an early reader can’t see the text because of poor eyesight, he’ll fall behind. When a student suffers trauma that manifests in behaviors preventing him from learning, he’ll suffer and so will other students in his class. Our schools need the flexibility to address these sorts of critical issues efficiently and effectively.
Part of creating a stable educational environment may be doing away with a lengthy summer break. I recognize that I may be stoned for the suggestion, but we’re foolish not to recognize the learning loss that happens when we continue to use an academic calendar that made the most sense for farmers a century and a half ago. A more traditional work year also dovetails nicely with paying teachers more.
Creativity and innovation are American virtues, but we are reluctant to apply them to education. Too many policymakers seem to believe that one-size-fits-all education promotes equality. That’s not true or helpful even in an individual school, much less a district or entire state.
Policymakers shouldn’t seek out a magic solution for Tennessee’s education system, but we shouldn’t be afraid of exploring different options in a dogged determination to secure the future we want. Who knows? We might even be able to show our students how to work together in the process.
USA TODAY Network Tennessee Columnist Cameron Smith is a Memphis-born, Brentwood-raised recovering political attorney raising three boys in Nolensville, Tennessee, with his particularly patient wife, Justine. Direct outrage or agreement to smith.david.cameron@gmail.com or @DCameronSmith on Twitter. Agree or disagree? Send a letter to the editor to letters@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Public education: We are spinning in circles and the kids are not OK
