Hat Tip to Down East Blog for this, though permalinks are broken there. Fortunately, Joanne Jacobs also has the link to the article and the study:
"[American] public school teachers are almost twice as likely as other parents to choose private schools for their own children, the study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute found. More than 1 in 5 public school teachers said their children attend private schools.
In Washington (28 percent), Baltimore (35 percent) and 16 other major cities, the figure is more than 1 in 4. In some cities, nearly half of the children of public school teachers have abandoned public schools."
This is sickly funny in a world where the teachers' unions remain the biggest single obstacle to school choice and accountability, and a Michigan school district plans security drills in which the terrorists are a homeschooler association.
There are a ton of good teachers out there, and the system needs to change if we want to reward the excellent teachers, eliminate the Locke High horror stories, and give our kids better education options. Then we can get on with tasks like broadening the achievement culture... because only then can an achievement culture and support at home translate into meaningful change in many of the problem districts. As the Locke incident showed, the appetite for it is there.
Just got home from Back to School Night and I think the Legislators are about to edge out the teachers unions as the black hats of public education. There must have been four new activities that had been sent from the state due to a new "mandate". The teacher clearly did not understand two of them and frankly, I don't blame her. What do 3rd graders need to know about "construction"? The worst was a mandate that all 3rd graders be proficient in the use of Powerpoint. That'll make them compter literate, all right.
Power Point? Aaaaaaaauuuuuggggghhhhhh!!!!!
In a real sense, we've failed ourselves with public schooling. None of this nonsense would be an issue with strong and active local school boards, and hence legislatures would be far less able to push down the nonsense du jure from on high.
Isn't there a smidge of disconnect between the idea that the public school system would be better if teachers were paid more and sending their own children to private schools (where teachers are frequently paid less)?
Actually, I lean toward the concept of weaker school boards - and much stronger Principals.
Joe, would you like to expand on that? I think the actual problem with the U. S. public school system is that there's no clear definition of the objectives. I have a quaint belief: that you can infer the true objectives of something from what it actually achieves. Using that benchmark it appears that the public school system's main objective is employing adults and it's doing quite a good job of it.
Sure Dave. Let's start with the fact that I don't see the school boards doing a very good job acting as solutions to educational problems. In many of the worst districts, they're a big part the problem. Which may help to explain the teachers' behaviour. I don't see giving more power to this part of the educational establishment, which is weakly connected to both voters and kids, as an especially useful solution.
Schools aren't made great by any set of objectives from on high (though they can be damaged by poor ones). They are made great the same way any other organization is made great: caring, committed leadership with the power to make changes in their environment and accountability for results.
Right now, Principals have too little power to make changes in their schools, and even if you gave them more accountability that is unfair without more power as well.
I say: give public school Principals a greater ability to put their imprint on schools, similar to that enjoyed by private school Principals. Then set a benchmark and standards for curricula, provide clear indicators of success or failure, and create accountability in the system via parental choice.
As that happens, the parents (and kids, vid. Locke High) who are interested in achievement will find all kinds of new levers and options available to them to reward strong leadership, and punish those who do poorly.
I think many teachers send their kids to private schools simply because class size is often smaller. They will take the cut in pay in exchange for a more rewarding experience.
If unions are unappealing to some, then find ways to protect teachers in your community and they will lose their appeal. Unions are appealing because they are often the only place for teachers to turn when they are being treated unfairly. Sometimes I think it's too easy to sue schools and teachers. I hate to say that, but fear of legal action drives policy far too often in our schools. Don't we want policy to revolve around the needs of the students? Right now policy is geared towards protecting school districts, not providing for students.
Oh, and I hate Power Point.
Let me explain my first paragraph. My point was that small classes are better for both the teacher and the student. Thanks.
School boards are boring to voters. Candidates often have no challenger in elections. Is it any wonder they are often dominated by weird or inept people?
Unions are appealing because they are often the only place for teachers to turn when they are being treated unfairly
Unions are also "appealing" because membership in them is often mandatory. In that way they are part of the entrenched power structure, and their actual usefulness to teachers can be minimal or even negative without genuine threats to their well-being emerging. As in any one-party political system, there may be more attractive alternatives that are squelched by those with a vested interest in the status quo.
This is not to say that I have any answers, just that I'm more of a cynic than some.
Oh, and Alice is right about school boards. If significant numbers of parents actually wanted schools to improve, and were willing/able to deidicate time and energy to the improvement, then schools would improve.
What parents what is for somebody else to make schools improve, so they don't have to.
If only life worked that way.
It is interesting how everyone plugs a piece of data into their own existing belief structure.
Anti-government conservatives think teachers actions prove the failure of government schools and argue for privatization and school choice.
Liberals argue that teachers recognize the underfunding and overcrowding of public schools and protect their own children.
As the husband of a public school teacher in Colorado where public school funding has been dropping for a generation thanks to anti-tax initiatives (and as a liberal) I am inclined to believe the second explanation. Teachers know how bad the conditions in many public schools are.
When people with an anti-government ideology run government, they do a bad job governing(Dohh)!
Also anyone who thinks teacher's unions are the biggest obstacle to school success in Baltimore and DC badly needs a reality check.
Look at the cultural, financial, legal, and medical circumstances of the students/families and funding for the schools before falling back on the teacher's union for a simplistic(wrong) explanation.
The key word is accountability. Accountability runs in many directions. Parent accountability, student accountability, teacher accountability and educational governing accountability. All of these are integral to the student learning process.
Parent Accountability
As parents there is nothing more important than recognizing that a good education will be the foundation for your children’s future. I would venture to say all recognize education is a necessity to some degree (read, write, balance your check book). Some recognize that education should provide more than just the basics (the infamous three “R‘s“). Government. foreign language, history, social science, science, biology, athletics, music and art add to the basics. Generally speaking anything else in the curriculum above and beyond the infamous three are gravy on the potatoes. If you can read, write and do basic math the others are certainly attainable on one’s own merits. That said some parents will take a more proactive role in their children's education than others. Some seek out the best schools and do what it takes to get their children in those facilities. Some take a less proactive role and allow the governmental structures to decide for them. Regardless of a parents stature in life the primary role of any parent is the safety and well being of their children. Parents that are proactive tell the teachers what is or is not acceptable. Parents that are reactive wait until the fall out to complain.
Student Accountability
As most students are minors it is the parents responsibility to ensure the student adheres to socially acceptable behaviors, institutional laws and in general avail themselves to a form of authority that instills the knowledge necessary for their future well being. The authority being teachers and principals whose sole purpose is to control the educational facility and educate the student.
Teacher Accountability
The sole purpose of the teacher is to impart knowledge of curriculum material to the student and verify that such knowledge has been attained by the student. How the teacher imparts this knowledge is sometimes questionable (lectures, labs, field trips, homework, tests).
Parent, student and teacher accountability form the core of the educational triangle. The governing structure can have an effect on all three but for the most part it is peripheral to the education process and in some cases does more harm than good.
That said I have put three children through public schools and have a fourth still in the system. I have made it a point to visit all of their teachers, I have made it point to visit all of their principals (oh! Mr. USMC glad to see you back this year). I have made it a point to read, review and criticize the material they are being taught.
For those wondering; one child graduated from Hood College, one elected not to go to college, one is currently at Radford University and the last one will make the decision of pursuing a higher education over the next 6 years.
The point here is parental responsibility and a proactive role. Without it there is no change. If parents don’t hold students, teachers, and governing institutions accountable the system is designed to fail.
This is sickly funny in a world where the teachers' unions remain the biggest single obstacle to school choice...
Another major obstacle of course are voters, who have voted down several attempts to create school choice via referendum (much to the chagrin of those who support school choice and argue that the majority of Americans do to).
I find it ironic no one has asked the bigger question this analysis begs.
Why are teachers electing private school tutelage for their children over public schools?
If you think about this for a minute are public school teachers saying their qualifications to teach are severely lacking? (IE I can’t trust any one who teaches in public schools to teach my children.)
Aren’t these teachers really questioning their own professional abilities?
If public schools are so bad why do teachers continue to teach in an atmosphere that is not conducive to their profession?
Personal example for holding teachers accountable.
My youngest son is by no means a dummy and medical evaluations can bear that out. The amount of time I spend with him also bears out he has an active, developing, logical mind. Whether or not he wants to study or grasp the material that is being taught is what is at issue. When teachers come to you and say your son is doing well. He’s doing everything asked of him to the best of his ability and the grades and school work back it up then come to you half way through the year and say he needs a tutor what would you think? Hmm.. One either the teacher has been sugar coating everything up to this point or two the teacher and the student have reached an impasse.
OK so what are the options?
1) Get a tutor as the teacher suggests and pay for it out of your own pocket.
2) Work with the teacher to get the student back on track.
3) Request a change of teacher.
4) Change schools.
Now don’t get me wrong if a tutor is required then so be it. But shouldn’t the teacher be docked the pay or price of the tutor? Seems only fair to me. You didn’t provide the service so why should I pay you.
Requesting a change of teachers runs the gamut of dealing with school administration but it is not impossible.
Changing schools runs the gamut of dealing with the governing structure but again this is not an impossibility.
Needless to say my son is again on track in his studies. The point here again is what parents should demand from the educational institutions and hold them accountable for delivering those demands.
If you people have all of these answers then why aren't you here helping me teach our children. I am a teacher and believe that almost every school offers a program that students can choose to get a high quality education. There are programs for everyone. I agree with the idea of getting a tutor for your child if they can't do the work especially in the formative years but I don't think that the teachers should pay for it if you don't want to be a teacher, then don't have children!!! My son got behind inreading when he was in the fourth grade, I made him read every night and tutored him for one year until he caught up. it was the most hellish of my child rearing years because he didn't want to read and I am not going to that level with anyone else's child. I can only do so much with the 150 students that I teach each day. Finally teachers are not required to join unions they can and do give to charities, or get some of their dues back that are used for polititical activities and they do sue the unions (CTA) every year for the books on how the dues money was spent. it has also been my experience that those teachers who don't join unions are the most interested in the contracts and pay raises that the unions negotiate for them. ARRRGH!!!! now I feel better. sigh.