Issues in CR.... I say issues in USA

In asking for your thoughts on this post, I have heard from several whose region of the country, background and perspectives are diverse.  Below are thoughts from a dear friend from college, whom I actually met the first day I moved in to the dorms. She grew up in Kansas, has a degree in psychology, lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and is mom to two elementary age children in the public school system there.  She responded with her top 5 issues, and our conversation is so lengthy I've broken it down into two posts.


We spent many afternoons or evenings discussing issues of life and community, and I miss deep conversations like these and in hindsight I can see why time flew by when we had so much to discuss.


Her words are in black and my thoughts offering my pespective in red (get it, teacher with red ink)


This is what I have found in my experience with my kids in Cedar Rapids, Iowa over the last 5 or so years.  I think every city and every district has monumentally different struggles, but this is what I see here:

Issue #1-PEOPLE WITH MONEY ARE AFRAID OF PEOPLE IN POVERTY!!!  In Cedar Rapids, a good 60-70% of the people with moderate to high income will do one of three things to not send their children to a school with a high poverty (read low test scores) school: 1-move out of the city limits so their kids go to school in a higher test-score, higher median-income neighborhood.  2-open enroll their child into a school within city limits that has a more attractive ‘poverty ratio’.  3-pay up and send their child to catholic school even though the family isn’t catholic.  People are SCARED of other people who are in poverty.  They think that insulating their child from other people with ‘problems’ will ensure they don’t get the same problems.

I think the issue here is clear: we do not feel a part of a community; rather we do not want to be in community with those whose problems scare us.  We do not want to be connected to people below our socio-economic status.  One blogger, fellow teacher from California said in response to my post on Waiting for Super Man: “ I don't know how to fix education, except to say that the people in power don't really want it fixed because it's for poor people. Anyone who can afford to send their children to private school doesn't have this problem. It's not a rich white man's problem, so it's not a problem that will be solved by them.”  

Issue #2-The district is squeezing the elementary schools into performing for the most attractive possible test scores.  This causes ALL children to be squeezed into the middle.  The kids who are behind are pushed and pushed and shoved to catch up.  The ones in the middle seem to do ok.  The ones who are high are pretty much ignored and their parents are told ‘this is a good problem to have, consider yourself lucky’ while they do NOTHING to teach to that child’s level of ability.  The school my children attend has cracked the code on high test scores.  They have 270 students, 90% of them are free and reduced lunch, and 70% of the students are minority.  They were one of the first schools in Iowa to get off the SINA list and saw a 40 point jump in test scores for 4^th graders over a 3 year span.  But, I struggle every day because when they get a child in their class in 1^st grade who can already read pretty well and answer comprehension questions the child is still taught the same material that is taught to the ‘middle’ children.  Meanwhile, they get bored and either disengage (my daughter) or act out (my son).

This issue is the foundation of why I wanted to start this blog.  After I became a parent, I started to realize that my own children will most likely be neglected by the public education model we have today. No, they will not intentionally be neglected but the focus right now is not on them. It is on bringing the lower performing students up, focusing on achievement for the “sub groups” outlined by No Child Left Behind. I will spend more time on this issue, but in a nutshell it is this:

Of course, I think my first daughter is brilliant, charming and gifted.  But in all likelihood, she is probably just smart. Not exceptional like some gifted children who are already dividing fractions at age 5 or ready for college by 14.  I want America to know that you do not give us the impression you want these kids serviced.  I mean I know you want all kids taught, but what is supported through No Child Left Behind is that the most amounts of kids pass a test. Period. There are no consequences for not offering enough enrichment programs; There are no incentives to improve students' achievements beyond the bare minimum. (I took that line directly from Wikipedia, where you can read more about No Child Left Behind in a very readable format. You can tell the writer is biased against the legislation, but I think the descriptions are fair)

How this manifests itself is that we spend our resources (time, energy, funds, tutoring time) on getting the lower achieving kids to pass a test. Remember the goal of No Child Left Behind is to get the most amount of kid to pass the tests.   There is only so much time, resources and energy, people. It seems fairly clear that we are directed to use what we have to get the kids who aren’t passing or who are close to pass (kids on the bubble we say in the industry) to pass. Not much is mentioned about getting the smart kids to do more. It seems to me this is a misuse of resources. 

As parents we should be aware that our students who are passing the tests are only doing the minimum. I promise you that I try to dig deeper, I try to offer enrichment but I do not teach a subject that is tested although I have in past years. I can only imagine that the teachers, who are teaching a classroom full of children who will be tested, whose scores will help determine a school's standing,  focus on the kids who need help passing that test. I imagine my child will already pass the test.

It is a damn scary thought to me to think that people in power don't really want the smart kids serviced; they only want to be able to privately pay for that type service and only for their kids. What do you think? 
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 In the next post, we'll wrap up this discussion. In mean time think about the issues you are seeing. 

No problem can stand the assault of sustained thinking.  ~Voltaire