The focus of Ravitch's argument is the fact that charter schools are really no better then public schools. She that Davis Guggenheim, the director of Waiting for Superman does not study both sides of the issues when it comes to failing public schools. The documentary notes that the reason schools are failing children is because of very bad teachers. The teachers are hard - or virtually impossible to get rid of because of the very powerful teachers union. The answer to this problem, as stated by an economist in the film: "If we could fire the bottom 5 to 10 percent of the lowest-preforming teachers every year, says Hoover Institution economist Eric Hanushek in the film, out national test scores would soon approach the top of international ranking in mathematics and science." (Ravitch 4) Also, they never come out and say it in the film, but it feels like they are suggesting that we basically give up on public education.
What the film does not include is a successful public school teacher, principle, or superintendent. There is also no mention of successful public schools. (Ravitch 4) Based on a recent personal experience in speaking with the Curriculum Coordinator of RSU #25 (in Maine), I am sure she would love to show you the amount of success her public school had last school year! To add fuel to that fire, Ravitch reports that, "only one in five charter schools is able to get the "amazing results" that it celebrates." (Ravitch 4) She also notes that based on the CREDO study which, "...evaluated student progress on math tests in half of the nation's five thousand charter schools and concluded that 17 percent were superior to a matched traditional public school; 37 percent were worse than the public school; and the remaining 46 percent had academic gains no different from that of similar public schools. The proportion of charters that get amazing results is far smaller than 17 perfect." (Ravitch 4) These statistics are truly startling and prove that the film needs to be viewed with an understanding that this is only one side of the story.
Ed points out that this article really delves into school reform. It took me a while to really pick up on it, but I found what he was talking about. Ravitch contains that it isn't only bad teachers that are causing the problems in the public school sector. There are so many issues that come into place. Some of the examples as to why students may not be achieving to their ability include poverty and parents that are not engaged. She focuses on explaining that although teachers do make a difference and have an effect on students, a teacher - at times - can not compete with what is going on outside of school.
Other items that Ravitch looks at for school reform is the ability to identify "bad" teachers. What is a bad teacher? Obviously there are some clear telltale signs. However, if you are looking at students test scores, "teachers in affluent suburbs get higher ones. If one uses student gains or losses as a general measure, then those who teach the neediest children - English-language learners, troubled students, autistic students - will see the smallest gains, and teachers will have an incentive to avoid districts and classes with large numbers of the neediest students." (Ravitch 8)
I totally agree with her insistence that one way to fix the problem in public schools is to improve the teacher force. As a teacher, I am on board with her ideas that teachers need to be paid more, have better support and mentoring systems, and of course better working conditions. Ravitch offers a statistic in which she states that, "50 percent of those who enter teaching leave within five years, mostly because of poor t working conditions, lack of adequate resources, and the stress of dealing with difficult children and disrespectful parents." (Ravitch 10) I am currently holding strong at 8 years and looking forward to continuing my career in education...I can't argue that those changes wouldn't be a bad thing!
I really enjoyed this article as it opened my eyes to what charter schools are and the success that they are or are not having. Mostly, the article allows me to be able to now show my students the other side of the argument after watching Waiting for Superman. I think that they will enjoy being to debate both sides of the story. Also, the Ravitch provides at least a possible answer on how to fix the supposed problem with public schools.
Here is a link to the article so that you can enjoy it to!!
Mathy, are you familiar with a couple of other films that came out around the same time as Superman—Race To Nowhere, The Lottery, and The Cartel. Each has its own point of view about the American education system, just as Superman does. I would start with Race To Nowhere, but you might find them interesting to use with your students. I really like your idea of teaching a class about our education system...very, very important. Talk about having to use critical thinking to make sense of all that goes on!
ReplyDelete