In the News Back-to-School
2000 E-Mail
CER
CER and Education In The News
FIRST, FIX THE SCHOOL
By Jeanne Allen
Today's Debate: Opposing View
USA Today, September 5, 2000
Teachers matter enormously to how well a child achieves. So what would make them do a better job in some of our worst schools? More money and better teacher training can help a little. But they cannot create an atmosphere of excellence where excellence is never rewarded. Failing schools can hire highly experienced teachers, but those teachers often are driven out by a culture of low expectations, which rewards seniority over excellence and doesn't give teachers the autonomy to do their jobs.
Without real accountability -- that allows money to follow success -- all of the teaching reforms in the world won't help our minority and at-risk children.
Accountability means that schools should be measured by their performance. It means that staff rewards should be based largely on the progress children make when they are under the teacher's instruction. More importantly, accountability means that parents must have choices when their children are stuck in failing schools.
In Florida, when failing schools were faced with the loss of students by the threat of vouchers, they stepped up to the plate. Some made major staff changes, brought in specialists and did triage to turn around their schools. Now many children are in better schools because of standards, resources and the pressure brought to bear.
And when charter schools started in the nation's capital, they caused officials to reconstitute many failing public schools. Teachers were transferred out, and many had to reapply for their jobs. Even those efforts failed to guarantee the best teachers for children for whom the District spends more than $10,000 per year. However, charter schools, which attracted 14% of District students, must work to hire and keep the best teachers, or they won't succeed. Lack of success for charters and private schools means they go out of business. Failure for traditional public schools rarely has the same effect.
Schools held to high standards, for which there are consequences for failure and where parents are given the power to leave, will attract and keep experienced educators.
To fix the teacher problem you have to reform the schools.
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Jeanne Allen is president of the Center for Education Reform.