Wake Up, Rip

Going Through The Motions—A Disastrous Sham

Paul Richardson, May 2011
The new report, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants—An Agenda for
American Education Reform, is the latest indictment of American
education practices. It is perhaps the most comprehensive look at the
differences between our approach and that of our best foreign competitor
nations. That we have a problem should be no surprise. The surprise is
that we have been so loathe to face the truth of the ridiculously poorly
designed education system whose foundation was laid over a hundred
years ago. That effort by progressive forces replaced the “envy of the
world” American Common School of Mann, Webster and others with a
dumbed-down, going through the motions affair designed to prepare
students to work in industrial factories as essentially human robots on
assembly lines. As the global economy has changed other nations have
worked hard to make their education systems meet the challenge of
preparing students to have the tools to compete in a knowledge value
world. We haven’t.
We have been worse than Rip Van Winkle in our slumber while the
realities of our poor education performance go ignored. In 1957 the
Russian Sputnik launch triggered a desire to add more rigor to our
schools. Gary Lyon’s article in Texas Monthly magazine, Sept. 1979
“Why Teachers Can’t Teach” decried Ed school training as a farce and a
fraud. In the 1983 A Nation at Risk report we were clearly told that our
education system was affected by a rising tide of mediocrity and that if a
foreign nation had imposed our education system on us we would
consider it an act of war. Listing the reports and initiatives since A
Nation at Risk would be a long task. The point is that we have had
plenty of warning but have approached the needed reform by applying
bandaid after bandaid to a zombie that has to have radical surgery if it is
to be truly “fixed.”
My guess is that the parties whose vested interest (read huge amounts of
money and power) will be threatened by the required change to reform
our education system to one that is truly worthy of us will work hard to
make sure it is doomed to fail. Of course, that is betting on an extension
of the current trend and that is an easy bet. Inflection points are caused
by a big shift in ancillary forces from outside the system and they do not
exist now because Rip has not awakened yet. By the time he awakes it
will likely be too late and our children and grandchildren will have to
live through much tougher times caused by our increasing lack of
competitiveness in the global economy.
Listing some of the biggest anchors preventing the needed reforms –

 Education schools—compared to the best competition our training

of teachers (and administrators) is weak to the point of ridicule.
The low admission standards result in entrants to our schools of
education scoring in the lower third of all SAT test takers. The
course offerings of the schools of education are a total sham.
Lyons described the courses as, “the intellectual equivalent of
puffed wheat: one kernel of knowledge inflated by means of hot
air, divided into pieces and puffed again.” The new report points
out that the competitor nations require absolute subject mastery
and pedagogy that is far more rigorous than the waste of time
approach we take to pedagogy training. The admission
requirements for our Ed school grad programs are similarly low.
Thus our education schools are “diploma mills” skimming huge
amounts of money from their farcical educator training programs.
If you think that the universities that have schools of education will
 give up that low overhead, gravy train without a fight, well good
luck.
 Current educators—these folk, to support the needed change would
need to be retrained with rigor in both subject matter and
pedagogy. That is, the current cadre of education “professionals”
is totally inadequate to what we desperately need. During the
study that resulted in “Standing on the Shoulders . . .” an American
representative suggested adding a question about what percent of
teachers were teaching subjects they weren’t trained in. The
representatives from other countries thought he was kidding and
then were aghast that it would even be considered to allow a
teacher to “teach” a subject they didn’t know and know very well.
Yet in America the Taylor management philosophy supports the
philosophy that teachers (line workers) are interchangeable without
being concerned about such trivial matters as subject knowledge.
The joke is on us. The other countries have it right and we have it
wrong.
 Poor management philosophy and structure—our schools are based
on management principles of Frederick Taylor, Gantt and others
who were involved in designing the systems used to manage
production line factories in the early twentieth century. This
management style has been long ago replaced by more humanistic
and participatory models in many organizations outside of
education although it is more prevalent than it should be even now.
This top down, repressive style is NOT the way to manage
professionals. Hence as in industry a perceived need for unions to
protect against the long outdated management philosophy adds
even more anti-change reality into the system. It also gives rise to
pay for time in service instead of results achieved (merit) and
emphasis on work rules that prevent effective performance of the
 mission. If the “step pay” plan weren’t in place, starting pay for
new teachers who were of the training, competence and intellect
required could be implemented.
 Unions—these have acquired huge levels of power and if the
choice is to give up their power or continue the status quo which
ensures their power stays in place, it is easy to predict their stance.
 Legislators—the unions wield great power in supporting the
election of “compliant” politicians to office. They support
candidates who will support their status quo agenda. This is
another tough impediment to positive change.
 An army of researchers, education vendors, government
bureaucracies—these people also see threat of less power or
remuneration or both if the needed reform were to happen.
It is and has been clear for decades what needs to be done. But who will
step up to the plate and get it done. It will require lots of guts,
determination, and passion from those who understand the consequences
for our progeny and country if we don’t force it to happen. One thing
that must be crystal clear, change will not occur from within. Our
educators are working to protect their self-interest at the expense of our
children and our country. It is time to wake up and face the truth.

The Standing on the Shoulders. . . report is available at

http://www.ncee.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Standing-on-the-Shoulders-of-Giants-An-American-
Agenda-for-Education-Reform.pdf