Nevada's nincompoop governor has figured out how to fix education in this state. His three-prong attack is thus: 1) Eliminate teacher seniority (we don't have tenure), which would allow them to lay off the teachers who make the most money; 2) follow Jeb Bush's model and end social promotion, while giving schools a letter grade; and 3) amend the state constitution to allow taxpayer dollars to be spent on private school vouchers.
Once again, the politicians dance around the real issues here. Teacher salaries are not bankrupting the state. I've been teaching since January 2004, I have a BA in English and an MS in education - which is required under NCLB for me to be highly qualified in my core subject - and I gross $45,146 a year. There are secretaries in the school district who make far more than I do. In fact, there are custodians for the city bus service who make more than I do. If public employee salaries are such a huge problem, the state needs to really start at the top and trim away there.
The real problem is total and complete lack of accountability for parents and students. I teach 8th grade English, and in order for students to be promoted to high school, they only have to pass three total semesters of English and/or reading during 7th and 8th grade. They take four semesters in 7th grade - two of English, two of reading - and two semesters of English in 8th grade. If a student passes three semesters in 7th grade, he/she can sit in my class all year long, do absolutely NOTHING, and still be promoted to high school. My students have to take state-mandated tests, but they don't need to pass those either. In fact, nothing about 8th grade sends the message that this is important.
And parents? I have parents who won't answer the phone, won't call back, won't come in for parent conferences - or better yet, will make appointments and then be a no-show, won't check grades, won't sign progress reports...and these parents are the majority. I have students who are habitually truant, who are on probation, who are teen mothers, who can't speak English. None of this is because of my teaching ability, but all of it affects their school performance and thus will be used to judge me as a teacher. My own son, who is also in 8th grade, reads at 12th grade level and outperforms most of his peers on state tests, and that's not just because he has good teachers but because I do my job as a parent.
As long as public schools have to accept everyone who enrolls and put them at grade level according to age, rather than ability, public schools will continue to fail. Think about it. Private schools are successful because they do not have to follow a government model, and therefore they can demand higher standards from their students. They can administer admissions exams, hold students and parents accountable for learning, and kick out students who fail to perform. They do not have to accept students who don't speak English, who are on probation, who are teen moms, or who require special education services.
If the governor really wants to change education, he needs to change the way schools are run. Perhaps it's time to rethink the idea that every student should go to college, or even that every student should go to a comprehensive high school. The idea that education is a right should go hand-in-hand with the knowledge that education is a responsibility. Not a responsibility just for teachers or schools, but for all people involved. Take some responsibility, add a dose of reality, and maybe we'll stop lagging behind third-world nations in education.
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