Summary:Carlos Garcia began his description of the American public school system by quipping, "Everybody is an expert about schools, because everyone went to school." It should be expected then that with hundreds of millions of experts, the level of education would be exceptional. However, the current state of the educational system leaves much to be desired. From ever-increasing expectations, to sub-optimal levels of funding, to the increasing diversity of students, the distinguished panel discussed both the problems and possible reforms for the American public school system.
Expectations have changed dramatically since the 1950s when a high school would been praised for sending 50 percent of its students on to higher education. At both ends, students are expected to achieve more than ever before: kindergartners are expected to read, and exit exams are required for a high school diploma. Furthermore, a high school diploma no longer represents the end of a respectable education; America has upped the bar to at least a two-year college education.
In response to such problems, Eugene Hickok was appointed by President Bush to spearhead "No Child Left Behind," a program designed to help schools meet these expectations. By instituting a standard set of educational metrics, and increasing the amount of choices available to parents, "No Child Left Behind" hopes to capture the power of the American competitive spirit to develop the best possible schools. Hickok views education "as the leverage that could change everything forever."
However, such drastic change will only come with much work. Fully 63 percent of African American fourth graders read below the basic level; 50 percent of new teachers in the Los Angeles school district were hired with emergency credentials. In order to raise student achievement, Robert Lally stressed the importance of "continuing to improve teacher training programs as the children most at risk are often served by the lowest paid and least skilled teachers." In the Clark County School District, one-half the budget is spent on continuing education for teachers. As the state budget deficit grows, continuing education is often one of its first casualties.
The public school system was designed to provide the American child with an educational background from which it could grow and prosper. While the public school system was designed to level the playing field, it has instead perpetuated inequalities among entering students. Those children who come from professional families tend to have better vocabularies and experience more encouragement at home. These imbalances have a direct and meaningful effect on the future education of these children. According to Lally, those with excellent, and often expensive, pre-K education start at a higher level of ability and progress at a faster rate. This is known as the the "Matthew Effect."
Future success will include both reform in the schools and reform in the home. New programs are being developed and tested to harness parental involvement that has waned in recent years. Panelists agreed that the parent is the first and most critical teacher a child will ever have. Bennett commented that parents are the greatest resource possible; they are like "unpaid adjunct faculty" whose engagement is crucial to future success.
By concentrating on basic reading and mathematical proficiencies, developing a focused curriculum, training teachers and providing for accountability through data driven systems, educational reform is possible and attainable.
However, no easy solution exists. More money, more parental involvement and greater accountability are all required to reform a troubled system. The problems are deep and well ingrained, as Lally articulated, and the panelists affirmed that "you cannot solve the K-12 problem until you solve the 0-5 problem."
