The way back: Refocus on things schools can do
- Joanne Jacobs
- Feb 5
- 2 min read
Rick Hess goes old school in his column, "Old School." He thinks schools need to refocus on "things schools can do," such as teaching academic subjects, "as opposed to things (like ending injustice or combating climate change) they really can’t."
"That means setting clear guidance for students and teachers," he writes."Maintain order and address misbehavior. Encourage rigor and cultivate high expectations. Ensure that instructional time is used effectively."
In recent years, he writes, "ed-school radicals and assorted grifters" have told educators to question grading, relax "oppressive" discipline and see testing as "inhuman and unfair," Hess writes. "They were told that phonics instruction was constricting and unnecessary," and that students didn't need content knowledge because they always "look things up."
Reading and math scores have fallen the most for low achievers, he writes. "When traditional norms erode, the biggest losers are the students who aren’t getting structure, discipline, or high expectations at home."
There's been a lot of talk about "equity," as the neediest students have floundered. I keep thinking of the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote: "“The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons.”
Since the pandemic, learning recovery has stalled, writes Olina Banerji on Education Week. Some students are slipping farther behind.
A poll of teachers, principals and district leaders asked about "unfinished learning," that is, how many students haven’t fully mastered grade-level concepts and skills.
In elementary school, a third said the problem was "severe" or "very severe" in reading and math; another 40 percent reported "moderate" problems.
In middle and high school, it was worse in math: 37 percent reported severe/very severe issues and another 40 percent moderate issues. For English Language Arts, 26 percent said problems were severe/very severe, and 46 percent chose "moderate."
There are a few sayings I can remember from my youth, and a big one I always heard
from my parents "I don't CARE what someone else's kid is doing, I only CARE about what you are doing" and one teacher's favorite expression "The Cream Will Rise to the Top"
These days, I read that to mean "I'll get MY education, and forget about everyone else" and the highest achievers, will continue to outpace, and in MOST cases, out earn their lower performing peers...If you work in an industry which requires certification exams on a periodic basis, the exam (or your employer) does NOT care how you feel about the exam, you either know the material well enough to pass,…
Once again, someone writes the standard argument that the U.S. should tolerate higher failure rates without admitting it. Anyone who says that the U.S. can have more discipline and higher standards without higher failures rates needs to stay out of discussions on education policy.