The Public’s Expectation of Education

Education is a favorite whipping post of . . . well, everyone. It is easy to understand why. In most communities, citizens have been removed from the public process in all areas save education. Voters no longer have a say in municipal, fire, police, or any other budgets. When taxpayers see their taxes rise, the only time they truly have a say is during school votes. That only 10-15% even vote in those elections means that a small portion of the population is controlling what goes on.

Adults have a knack of looking at those younger as not having been held to same standards and thus are to blame for all that is wrong with the world.

Now none of this is to say that public education is a paradise. There are plenty of things wrong with it . . . like our expectations.

We want our children to go to school and learn. But learn what? How to read. How to write. How to use mathematics. We want our children to learn geography. Perhaps pick up a foreign language. Maybe some technical skills. A little science. Some might say that schools should even teach music, art, library skills, etc.

But what else? Are schools responsible for teaching hygeine? What about how to eat properly? Social skills? Not to curse at adults, fight, bring weapons to school, simulate sex in first grade, assault each other, run off school grounds, etc.? These are the behaviors that are impeding teaching the academics in the previous paragraph.

There are plenty who sit on the sidelines and talk about the problems. Just today, The New Editor assails public education in its piece Is We Educating Our Children Good?

The fact is, the overwhelming evidence indicates that our nation’s various public school systems are not only not delivering, they are in horrible shape.

Not delivering what? I suspect that the public cannot even agree as to what is supposed to be delivered, let alone have a plan for how to achieve it. Yes, it is easy to talk about it.

I read the New Editor piece and could not shake all the horrible news.

Two, we learn, according to Reuters, that another survey, conducted by the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum, found that “most Americans have an easier time naming members of the cartoon Simpson family than listing the five freedoms granted by the nation’s founders.”

Is this the standard? When do we need to place the responsibility upon the individual? Mr. Elia is thorough in denouncing that schools are horrible, yet his second paragraph

However, it’s not the case that a few aberrant stories have been reported in the last few days — they are part of a long-term trend, and should be of major concern.

certainly does not follow E.B. White’s lesson about not using however until there is something within the sentence that will be contrasted by what follows. I do not know where Mr. Elia was educated, but I suspect The Elements of Style was used. Who is to blame then for Mr. Elia’s poor grammar?

Is that public education’s fault or can we hold the learner responsible for . . . not learning? Yes, public education has problems, but public education is responsible for a lot more today than when we attended school. Mom now works. Some children as young as three years old spend 12 hours a day at school. These students dine thrice daily at school. Schools now teach parents not only academics, but how to parent. Schools transport students to doctor offices and oher social areas. Schools now employ teams of counselors. My district has five positions (two guidance counselors, a social worker, student assistance counselor, and a Skills for Growing teacher) per elementary school.

Are schools equipped to handle these challenges? I read another article today: Kids have it tougher here than anywhere else in state.

* Cumberland ranked last among New Jersey counties in its infant mortality rates, births to teenage mothers and percentage of children passing state achievement tests. * The county ranked 20th in the percentage of children living in poverty — 21 percent compared to the state average of 12 percent. * The county’s 7 percent poverty rate was second-highest in the state. * County children were more likely to face abuse and neglect. * The county had the second-highest rate of child abuse referrals and the fourth-highest percentage of children removed from their homes.

These are the students who attend our schools. So, before you sit on the bandwagon lamenting public education, understand the situation. How do we reach those students who come hungry, not for learning but for food? DYFS is a staple in our schools. Despite our state constitution that mandates education for all five to 16 year-olds, our district and 29 others are forced to educate children from three years of age.

There was one bright spot: Cumberland ranks No. 1 in the state for the number of children enrolled in state-approved preschool programs.

The reports that blast public education do not question whether or not what the public expects from schools is what schools are equipped to teach. Public education has become a dumping ground for every ill that society has. And when the institution does not produce positive results under these heavy burdens it is raked across the coals. Send schools children who are not hungry, who have had a good night’s sleep and a decent breakfast. Spend some time, not only checking your child’s homework, but also educating them. Visit museums. Read together. Go see a play. [link=http://blog.ladow.net/news.php?extend.321]You would be surprised to learn just how few students ate at a table with a family member the night before[/link]. If you think this doesn’t have an effect on what public education does, you need to spend some time within the hallowed halls. Are we expecting the right things from public education?

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4 Responses to “The Public’s Expectation of Education”

  1. By Anonymous on Mar 2, 2006

    Uh, this is pretty shitty writing, too, Mr. or Ms. Elements of Style. Are you a teacher?

  2. By Bob on Mar 3, 2006

    Obviously, you have missed the point of the piece here.

  3. By Contrarian on Mar 3, 2006

    Bob, kudos on a job well done.

    Don’t forget that schools also spend big bucks on state-mandated psychological services as well. In fact, I would bet that the state mandates plenty of costly responsibilities for our public schools and then mandates that local school districts pay for them via property taxes.

  4. By Bob on Mar 3, 2006

    Indeed Contrarian, unfunded mandates are plenty. It is not just the state, but the feds (who have no role in education whatsoever) who do this.

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