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I certainly will. I only got partway through the first chapter before the chapter abruptly cut off (mid-sentence) only to begin (again) at the start of the same chapter. As far as I can tell, this is a very intersting book filled with very good, concrete, and implementable suggestions on how to revamp our public schools. But those attempting to read this on the amazon kindle, don't. This edition is in need of some serious, serious editing.Get the print edition.
I do research on these issues and this is the best so far. Clear, concise, and well written by well respected people in the field of education and commerce. One of the best, if not the best book I have seen on the state of education in the USA. It should be a wake-up call to educators and parents, grandparents, and anyone who is interested in the continued growth of our country. If you want to know the real reason the job market is in such a state, and where our schools are headed, read this.
My largest disagreement is the emphasis on external testing rather than classroom assessment. There is no external test for this ability; whose importance is emphasized in the report. This is an interesting and important document from a group who have had considerable influence on education policy. Good art and music teachers both teach and assess creativty.
India and China are now competing with the US in the high skilled labor market (not just low skilled) and at lower wages. Thus, pension money could be moved to up front salary and portable 401Ks, with existing teachers having the option of opting in or staying with their pensions.The proposal to coordinate social services with schooling to help the disadvantaged, such as by putting all under a mayor has been done in New York recently, with great success. "A Nation at Risk" proposals in 1983 for merit pay for teachers were resisted, and teachers continue to come from the bottom 1/3 of University graduates. Other proposals include universal pre-school, school choice with funding following students, less bureaucracy and more independence for individual schools, adult education coordinated with the business community, and inter-city schools and supporting social services being coordinated under one person, such as the mayor. The Commission describes how US universities continue to be the best in the world, but grade schools and high schools have fallen behind. By providing programs for kids until 5 PM, and help to their families, the disadvantages of a poor home situation can be addressed.
The Commission proposes merit pay for new teachers, with an opt-in choice for existing teachers, combined with higher salaries made possible by eliminating pensions and using 401Ks instead, like other professions. But talented young people prefer money now, and don't know that they would stay in teaching long enough to earn a pension. The Commission points out the risks of our poor pre-university education to the US economy. But now, other countries have passed us in pre-university education and many foreign students are going back to their own countries after graduating."A Nation at Risk" came out in 1983, saying "If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre education performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war." The Tough Choices Commission points out that since then we've had a more than doubling of spending on education (inflation adjusted) with only modest improvement.
The school boards would then become performance contract managers.Finally, the report proposes training of people in the workforce, since these people will be the largest part of our workforce for some time, and will need more advanced and creative skills. The US economy is healthy because of the waves of immigration it has had over the past 15 years, and we can't afford not to train those immigrants so our business have a talented labor pool to draw on.The board exams proposed at the end of the 10th grade will provide badly needed motivation to students, since they can get out of school earlier if they work harder, rather than marking time.To cut bureaucracy, the commission proposed principals be given free reign on how to spend the money they get (which is based on the number of students). The Commission concludes that the main improvement, standards testing, turns out to be misguided because it is multiple choice, not essay, and thus doesn't teach the creative, out of the box thinking needed for the US to maintain its lead. It is a must read for anyone interested in the future of the US economy.
With the Internet, many jobs can be done anywhere, and companies will hire the best at the lowest cost (Indian engineers make $7500 annually with the same qualifications as US engineers who make $45,000). Multiple choice tests are by definition "in the box" tests. Finally, partial funding can be found by reducing the number of students in the last 2 years of high school by allowing board testing at the 10th grade, with those passing going to community college then a university, directly to trade school, or directly to work.I have separately read that having funding follow the student to encourage competition among schools has been implemented successfully at the city level in San Francisco. Also, school boards would not run schools, but would contract with others (such as private companies, groups of teachers, etc).
This book by the Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce is well written in clear terms with summaries and simple graphics. In the 20th century the US pioneered universal education, and received an influx of talent, from scientists fleeing Germany before World War II to a more recent influx of Asian students, who stayed and worked here. The Commission shows that if pensions and vacation time are included, current teacher salaries are actually somewhat competitive.
School financing would be a state, rather than a local matter. If they score well enough, they will be allowed to begin a two-year technical training program or to enter a four-year degree program. In short, no one would be allowed to progress unless they are ready and no one would be held back based on a scheme that honors time more than it does competence. screening and diagnosis, tutoring; community involvement, etc.
Essentially, the Commission wants to shift American education from a system that is time-based to one that is based on merit, using Board Examinations to control progression. States would recruit and train teachers; build standard curriculum and assessment agencies; investigate, review and approve networks; contract for special services; and develop statewide schools to serve gifted children.Teachers would be employed and licensed by the state. They would allow high school students to sit for the initial board examinations at the end of their sophomore year. All familiar words, I know, but the devil or angel, if you will, is in the details.
Schools would be operated by independent contractors and would have complete discretion to determine spending, staffing, calendar, organization and management ---- all subject to the same safety, curriculum, and testing standards as other schools. The National Education Association (NEA) doesn't want to support the shift in compensation because their current membership favors back-loaded systems. The fund would accept tax-free contributions from employers, states, and individuals. Neither the NEA nor the National School Boards Association wants to give up local funding and operation of schools. The objective of all these changes is to recruit, develop, and retain individuals who had graduated from the top third of their high school graduation classes.To discover where much of the money is coming from to pay for these changes, you have to examine their recommendation in the area of assessment. Predictably, all favor high-quality universal education for three and four year olds and for injections of more money into the educational system. The Commission expects this progression scheme to save $67 billion.In addition to teacher compensation, the Commission would spend part of the savings on high-quality, universal early childhood education for three and four year olds.
School boards and districts would find their role focused on policy making, facilitation of educational networks, operation of support service centers, reporting, and writing performance contracts with those who operate the schools. Instead, they require a thoughtful, soul searching reflection and authentic dialogue to meet the challenges that are quickly coming into view. students on international tests and the prospect that we will lose our leadership position in fields that require exemplary abilities in mathematical reasoning; scientific concepts; writing; creativity and innovation; self-discipline and organization; and teamwork, the Commission calls for regional economic development authorities. In addition, incentive pay would be paid to teachers willing to teach in remote areas, tough urban areas, and in fields with labor shortages like math, science, language, and special education. From these funds, individuals could draw to improve their education and skills as adults.Reactions from the educational establishment have been mixed.
These accounts would be funded by the Federal government with a $500 deposit at birth and annual contributions made to age 16. Such losses are projected to grow geometrically if we fail to act with an integrated whole system response.The Commission recommends a major overhaul of American education to include how we define needs, develop curriculum, attract and retain world class teachers, focus scarce resources, assess stakeholders, and finance public education. Supplemental funding would be made available to help schools with high concentrations of disadvantaged students, e.g. These authorities would be responsible for coordinating with existing institutions to develop goals and strategies that would serve as guides for local decisions and channel resources where initiatives contributed to the achievement of such goals and strategies.The Commission calls for significant changes in school governance. Neither progression would permit remediation at the next highest level. As the Commission emphasizes, this is not a set of recommendations to be cherry-picked. Finally, the National Association for College Admission Counseling cautions against using Board Examinations if they are built on the foundation of European models.All stakeholders need to realize that the situation has deteriorated to such a point that anything less than a major transformation of American education risks being characterized as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
No one, however, wants to support recommendations that would require substantial changes for their membership. Let's look at some of the most important.Noting the poor scores made by U.S.
Their compensation would shift from current practices, which are back-loaded to emphasize pensions and defined health care benefits, to one which is front-loaded to emphasize cash compensation. Those who scored less well would remain to prepare for the second board examination which, when passed, would allow them to attend a state college or university.
New Federal money would be sought to fund interest-bearing Personal Competitiveness Accounts. Competent academic-year teachers could receive $95,000 and competent calendar-year teachers as high as $110,000.
Citing Winston Churchill, who said America always did the right thing after it had exhausted all the alternatives, the New Commission on Skills of the American Workforce calls for a complete overhaul of American education.Unlike the Commission Report in 1990, which recommended that we improve our high technology skills and accept as inevitable the movement of low-skill jobs to global competitors, the current Commission draws our attention to the fact that we are losing high-skill jobs to global competitors as well. Under a front-loaded approach, pay for beginning teachers would be $45,000.
And the state would use a uniform funding formula that emphasizes equity over equality.
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