Politicians keep teachers at the forefront of their electoral campaigns by focusing on the concept that teachers are responsible for student achievement. Politicians are not just those who hold elective office. School administrators are politicians who walk fine lines between parents, state and local school boards, and requirements, teachers, and students. In effect, this means that administrators function as everything to everyone, but often fail to be anything to anyone. Students misbehave because instructional levels may be inappropriate or the teacher may have discipline problems. Since teachers have no resources within a classroom or a school for the student who misbehaves, nothing happens. Students quickly learn how to avoid onerous tasks that they cannot perform. Teachers don’t feel supported by administrators when students misbehave. Students don’t learn if they’re not in the classroom, and suspensions and expulsions count against a school’s federal report card. Teachers do not feel supported by administrators accommodating parents who may have invalid or questionable complaints based on student reports.
Teachers in schools classified as “in crisis” do everything they must to keep their jobs. They do everything the state and contracted consultants tell them to do. They spend time on documentation (lesson plans, more frequent grading, behavior logs, and data collection) and extend time spent on reading and math instruction. The district may lengthen the school day and/or year by requiring failing students to spend more time doing what they cannot do. There are teacher training demands that are in the form of in-service and professional development days or continuing education requirements for certification. The net result is that what is “new” is actually the “old” recycled with new buzzwords. There are internal blame game tactics within the ranks: high school teachers blame high school teachers who blame elementary school teachers who blame preschool or parents. Administrators blame parents and/or teachers. Parents blame administrators and teachers. Nobody blames the students, but that is another topic.
For students, the pressures manifest themselves in different ways. They are taught reading skills at an earlier age when they may not be developmentally ready for instruction. They have longer and more frequent periods of instruction in reading and/or math. Since more time is needed for “core” instruction, that means time is taken from recess or social time (such as reduced lunches) and specialized content areas (social studies, science, computer, library, PE, art). and music suffer in primary schools). Students whose interests or talents do not include reading and/or math do not enjoy school. As students begin reading instruction in kindergarten, readiness skills instruction has been cut short or ignored. Without readiness skills, students often struggle with reading because there is no foundation to build on. Students who are struggling in school typically display aggressive behavior, often escalated by frustration and an inability to perform. This cycle of behavior begins in elementary school and expands in middle school. Students resort to “escapism” in many forms: truancy, disciplinary actions to avoid assignments, substance use, early sexual activity and pregnancy, formal or informal abandonment.
what does it all mean
The net result of federal and state pressures on schools is that no one is happy in or with schools. Performance schools with their own validity issues dominate the news and decisions made at all levels of education. Real learning, when information or processes are mastered, often occurs incidentally within discussions and application situations or problems. Schools must focus on preparing students to become responsible, self-sufficient adults. The pressures on education as they currently exist mean that students have fewer options to learn appropriate skills to prepare for the workplace. Yes, we need education reform, but doing more of the same, for longer periods of time and at harder levels of performance is not the smart way to create our future workforce.