Category: Teaching, Learning, and Education

Don’t blink, or you might miss the fact that not only do we have teachers who cannot pass basic English proficiency tests, sometimes even their bosses fail the tests. In fact, the Superintendent of Schools in Lawrence, Massachusetts has failed the test 3 times. His excuses include lack of preparation, the fact that English is his second language, and that “nobody” looks at the rules of grammar and punctuation on a regular basis except English teachers. He went on to call the test “stupid.”

I can understand the idea that maybe the first time he took the test, he could have been blind-sided by depth of contest. That is no excuse for the second and third failures. The “ESL” tactic is an insult to anyone who came to this country and learned to speak and read the language. It should be considered an insult to anyone whose grandfather came to this country for a better life. The fact of the matter is that good English skills are the cornerstone to getting a decent job, although you would never know it to look at Mr. Laboy’s $156,560 annual salary. As for the rules of grammar and punctuation, one is forced to wonder if Mr. Laboy ever writes memos. Does he rely on a word processor to correct his grammar? I might have sympathy if he is having trouble remembering the exact formatting of a footnote according to Turabian, but I would not be surprised if the problems are more mundane. Their, there, or they’re? s or ‘s? How do you decide whether to use a colon or a semi-colon? You don’t need to be an English teacher to know these things. All things taken together, this is nothing less than an indictment of the Superintendent’s own education.

If we were hearing that a large percentage of teachers given this test were failing, we might indeed  conclude that the test was “stupid” — I mean “not a valid measurement of skills and knowledge.” But we are talking about a district with 22 schools and over a thousand teachers where a mere 24 teachers failed the test. Those sound like pretty good numbers.

Competent teachers are important. Nobody will publicly say they disagree. Unfortunately, there seems to be a difference of opinion regarding what that means. It certainly means more than “having completed educational coursework and possessing a teaching certificate.” If we are to improve the education of our children, we must start with teachers who can read and write English correctly. Our teachers should have a firm grasp of concepts and facts in other basic subjects, such as math and science. How can we set this standard without equally competent administrators?

We all know that America’s continued general prosperity hinges on people: people who can do the important research or the future; people who know how to get things done in an increasingly complicated world; people who simply know how things work. That starts with teaching our children, and that in turn depends on our schools. Do not accept incompetence. Indeed, do not even accept mediocrity.

Recently, articles like this have reminded me about the issues surrounding school vouchers. In summary, now that certain legal issues surrounding vouchers have resolved, there are a handful of programs and very little in the way of measurable results thus far. As much as I respect the underlying concepts, I am not a supporter of vouchers. I say this as someone who would likely benefit from a voucher program.

I think the widely used Cato Institute figures showing that a voucher of $3000 would cover tuition at most private schools, and that the average tuition at such schools is $3116 are flawed. First, these figures include church-run schools. A church which sponsors schools normally subsidizes education at such facilities. Thus, they are effectively providing education below cost. Second, it is not known whether the Cato Institute figures include schools of less than 20 students. Such schools tend to fall into 2 categories: one room schools with one or two teachers (perhaps run out of the instructor’s home), and organizations intended to provide support services and legal status to home-schooled students. Finally, there is no indication of whether all the schools included in this average were fully accredited. Failing to take this distinction into account is like comparing an average person’s driving to that of a professional truck driver. I would be much more interested in seeing average tuition figures which exclude these three classes of school.

This, and my own personal research, lead me to believe that any voucher program will actually fall far short of paying for a quality, secular private school. Please note that I have specified a quality, secular school both for reasons above, and to completely sidestep issues of philosophy, religious education and the First Amendment. Furthermore, such a voucher does nothing to defray added incidental costs such as transportation, uniforms, and activity fees. In short, saying that vouchers are for the benefit of the lower and middle class, who cannot otherwise afford private schools, is ludicrous.

However, there is an even more important issue concerning vouchers. Government — particularly at the Federal level — has a tendency to grant funds only when specific conditions are met. For example, the Federal government got states to pass laws mandating seat-belt use, a 21 year old drinking age, and minimum blood alcohol of .08% for drunk driving by threatening to take away highway funds. Libraries can have money for internet connections from the Feds, but only if they install content filters. Schools can have Federal funds for sex education, but only if they teach an “abstinence only” program. As the old saying goes, “He who pays the piper picks the tune.” Allowing government to fund private schools is one step closer to allowing them to mandate what and how students are taught. Since the vast majority of parents who have chosen private schools did so because they disagreed with the philosophy or methods of what they consider “failed” public schools, this is unacceptable.