The
State Board and the Future of Education in Vermont
by William J. Mathis
I was presenting standardized test scores to a group of
parents when I unconsciously parroted an often-heard phrase, “In order to be
economically competitive in the twenty-first century, we have to have high test
scores.”
A mother’s hand shot up, “But I don’t want my son to be an
international competitor in a twenty-first century global economy,” she
declared. “I want him to be a good man.”
The room fell silent. She went on.
“I want him to hold a good job, carry his own weight, and
give a little bit more to his community than he took. I want him to get along
with others. I want him to love and be loved. I want him to be happy.”
With stunning and simple eloquence, this mother brilliantly
defined the purposes of education.
In contrast, the Vermont State Board of Education has
initiated a “public engagement process” to define the future of education in
Vermont. Alas, the state board’s invitation does not ring with the clarity of a
mother’s voice. It clangs with dire warnings about twenty-first century learning
environments and a world of rapid change. In a bureaucrat’s vision, it talks
about implementation plans and stakeholder involvement. It uses phrases like
“allocate resources in a way that will support desired learning results” and
“Parents are encouraged to be meaningfully participating [sic] in their
children’s learning. “
As we lament the decline in civic participation, governmental
processes build walls on the other side of a great divide from the people.
Incomprehensible funding formulas and pages of costly mandates build the walls
higher. Parents talk of the well-being and happiness of their children -
bureaucrats talk of global competitiveness. The people know the dangers to our
economy are the national debt, lack of health care, crises of corruption, and
Asian countries paying pennies per hour in wages — not test score differences.
The annual Gallup polls tell us people are increasingly
unhappy with a state imposed standardized test score regime. While ideological
think-tanks spew negative reports about public schools, the people find the
faults of our state and federal education laws to be greater problems than the
condition of our schools.
The people are deeply concerned about an educational system
that squeezes out the arts, social studies, and even playground in favor of
test preparation. Yet, this intrusion is never mentioned in the state board’s
vision.
Contrary to political proclamations, the Economic Policy
Institute, buttressed with Department of Labor statistics, says we do not have
a math and science shortage. Parents’ opinions concur. In a Public Agenda poll,
parental support for their children getting more math and science has steadily
declined since 1994 (Only 32% said students were not getting enough science and
math).
In another disconnect of political rhetoric from reality, the
people say the biggest problem in the schools is lack of financial support.
More than 85% say low performing students must receive extra help and preschool
opportunities. By a two-to-one majority, they are willing to pay more taxes to
close the gap.
Perhaps our problem is in Montpelier’s vision for schools.
According to the American Institutes for Research, if we set aside the Asian
city states (such as Singapore and Hong Kong) and if Vermont was ranked as a
nation, we would score third highest in the world in math and fourth highest in
science.
The educational problems we face in Vermont are clear.
Schools identified as not meeting standards have higher proportions of poor
children and are more racially diverse. They spend less per pupil than higher
achieving schools. Yet, neither the state board nor the legislature addresses
this most fundamental issue.
So, what is our vision of our future educational system? As
the Vermont state board recognizes, we cannot define the jobs of the
twenty-first century. Building a house on shifting sands is a speculative and
risky enterprise. Yet, there is a base, there is a core. We can agree that
skills for the twenty-first century include fundamental knowledge areas,
adaptability, working with others, and contributing to the common good.
Our goals are also the goals of the mother; that our children
be good men and good women. That they are enabled by us to lead richer and
fuller lives; that they are boosted higher because we lifted them. That our
success is measured by what our children do to improve a globe threatened by
warming, diminished resources and factional wars. These must be our vision of
the future. Whether the 18th
century or the 21st century, these imperatives abide.
William J. Mathis is the superintendent
of Rutland Northeast
Supervisory Union.