I despise the politicization of education. It would seem self-evident that children should come first in every discussion in schools; that the needs of students necessarily supersede those of the adults that serve them. After all, schools are supposed to be about kids, about helping them to identify their talents, to hone their strengths, to overcome or at least ameliorate their challenges, and to find their passion. In the same vein, it also makes sense that schools should work together to support students in these endeavors; that networks of administrators and teachers should pool their training, wisdom and experience to address the needs of all students to the greatest affect. It rings true that school boards and city officials and state legislatures and national leaders should focus their efforts solely on children and on educational reforms that support positive teacher development in order to achieve this end.
And yet... In an article in today's New York Times, entitled "The Battle for New York's Schools", one gets a clear picture of the state of educational reform in the United States. Test scores that do not effectively measure preparation or ability—correlation maybe, causation no—inaccurately drive conversations about teacher accountability and student achievement. False claims purport excellence in student achievement in schools that have mastered the art of gaming an incentivized system. Bread and butter unionism, complicit in protectionism, and driven to ensure market share, is fundamentally at odds with the theoretical and purposeful aims of education. Political machines, oligarchs, and demagogues engage in grudge matches and turf wars and blame campaigns instead of bettering a defunct system. The profession itself is cannibalistic.
Kids deserve better. All kids. I shudder to think how many students in the United States and here in Puerto Rico are underserved or worse, ignored and disenfranchised altogether...daily. As a society, we tolerate a system of education nearly as likely to fail our students as to help them succeed. This is not an indictment of teachers. There are so many wonderful educators working their tails off to make a difference for their students. These adults bring their students food from their own pantries to ensure that their children get at least one hot meal on a given day. They purchase classroom materials for their kids with salaries that don't meet their own needs. They navigate bureaucracies more concerned with threats of litigation, quick fixes du jour, union by-laws, and politics as usual, than teaching kids. Our systems have failed, and our kids and our society pay the ultimate price.
We need to do better. We need to hold our elected officials accountable. We need all of our kids to have a fighting chance—a real shot at a meaningful life where hope is real. We need to do more than talk. A generation is counting on us to make this right.
See you around campus.