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Hektore · 07-01-2009, 07:06 PM

I think the biggest problem with education is a loss of accountability at all levels.

Teachers (particularly those in unions or tenured) aren't accountable to anyone if they pass along a failing student, or give a student answers to 'help' them pass. Nobody checks to see if the kid can actually do at the work, the administrators look at the numbers, see very few kids failing, the kids who are usually doing well continue to do well and everything is hunky dory, it doesn't matter that the kid can't actually do the work as long as the paperwork checks out.

The administrators aren't held accountable when teachers don't do their jobs, again, so long as the paperwork checks out. As long as the school is scoring proficiently on the standards tests and has a reasonable graduation rate - nobody bothers to check to see if those students should really be graduating. (I realize the standardized tests are supposed to assure us of adequate quality of graduates, but this isn't the place for the do/do not argument).

The students aren't held accountable by the school because it doesn't matter to the school if the student can actually do what he's supposed to, it only matters that the school can produce a paper that says s/he can.

The teachers are also in a losing position because they cannot hold students accountable. They have less power over their classrooms than ever before. And if they exercise the one power they do have - grades - and fail a bunch of students it only makes them look like a poor teacher, when it could just be they have a classroom full of assholes (in my high school I'm pretty sure this is how they sorted the classes).

And the reason there isn't any accountability is because the state and federal education boards are too busy playing politics to actually get down to brass tacks and do something about it - because actually getting off your ass and doing something might make you look bad on teevee.

And we as a voting body seem to have such a short memory that we can't seem to boot these worthless do nothing politicians out on their asses when they fail to accomplish even a single item on the agenda of the platform they ran on.

Ok, sorry, I was just ranting there...moving on.

Anyway, the idea behind generating some competition within the realm of education (particularly between schools, in the form of say money directly attached to the student) is then the accountability problem takes care of itself. It's built into the system - if a school is shitty, has bad teachers and lazy administrators then nobody or very few people will send their kids there. Eventually the school closes from a lack of funding and all those lousy employees are out of work, like they ought to be.

07-01-2009, 07:06 PM	#17 (permalink)
Hektore Junkie Location: Greater Harrisburg Area	I think the biggest problem with education is a loss of accountability at all levels. Teachers (particularly those in unions or tenured) aren't accountable to anyone if they pass along a failing student, or give a student answers to 'help' them pass. Nobody checks to see if the kid can actually do at the work, the administrators look at the numbers, see very few kids failing, the kids who are usually doing well continue to do well and everything is hunky dory, it doesn't matter that the kid can't actually do the work as long as the paperwork checks out. The administrators aren't held accountable when teachers don't do their jobs, again, so long as the paperwork checks out. As long as the school is scoring proficiently on the standards tests and has a reasonable graduation rate - nobody bothers to check to see if those students should really be graduating. (I realize the standardized tests are supposed to assure us of adequate quality of graduates, but this isn't the place for the do/do not argument). The students aren't held accountable by the school because it doesn't matter to the school if the student can actually do what he's supposed to, it only matters that the school can produce a paper that says s/he can. The teachers are also in a losing position because they cannot hold students accountable. They have less power over their classrooms than ever before. And if they exercise the one power they do have - grades - and fail a bunch of students it only makes them look like a poor teacher, when it could just be they have a classroom full of assholes (in my high school I'm pretty sure this is how they sorted the classes). And the reason there isn't any accountability is because the state and federal education boards are too busy playing politics to actually get down to brass tacks and do something about it - because actually getting off your ass and doing something might make you look bad on teevee. And we as a voting body seem to have such a short memory that we can't seem to boot these worthless do nothing politicians out on their asses when they fail to accomplish even a single item on the agenda of the platform they ran on. Ok, sorry, I was just ranting there...moving on. Anyway, the idea behind generating some competition within the realm of education (particularly between schools, in the form of say money directly attached to the student) is then the accountability problem takes care of itself. It's built into the system - if a school is shitty, has bad teachers and lazy administrators then nobody or very few people will send their kids there. Eventually the school closes from a lack of funding and all those lousy employees are out of work, like they ought to be. __________________ The advantage law is the best law in rugby, because it lets you ignore all the others for the good of the game.