The Failure Of Education In America

The Collapse of Public Education In America Our K–12 children are increasingly unprepared to meet life’s challenges

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Mary Lynn Manning November 2008

Of one trillion dollars spent on education in 2007-2008, ninety billion, or about 8% comes from federal funds.

Source: http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/role.html

The Federal Role in Education The original Department of Education was created in 1867 to collect information on schools and teaching that would help the States establish effective school systems.

Source: http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/role.html

The Federal Role in Education 1890: Second Morrill Act gave the Department responsibility for administering support for colleges and universities.

Source: http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/role.html

The Federal Role in Education 1917: Smith-Hughes Act and the 1946: George-Barden Act focused on agricultural, industrial, and home economics training for high school students.

Source: http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/role.html

The Federal Role in Education 1941: The Lanham Act and the 1950: Impact Aid laws eased the burden on communities affected by the presence of military installations by making payments to school districts.

Source: http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/role.html

The Federal Role in Education 1944: "GI Bill" authorized postsecondary education assistance that ultimately sent nearly 8 million World War II veterans to college.

Source: http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/role.html

History of Education in the U.S. Prior to 1960: the Little Red Schoolhouse

History of Education in the U.S. Prior to 1960: the Little Red Schoolhouse

History of Education in the U.S. Prior to 1960: the Little Red Schoolhouse

History of Education in the U.S. Prior to 1960: the Little Red Schoolhouse

History of Education in the U.S. Prior to 1960: the Little Red Schoolhouse

Education Legislation Lyndon B. Johnson 1963-1969 “Great Society” legislation The “War on Poverty” 1965: Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

Source: http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/role.html

MISSION: to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.

Source: http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/role.html

Education Legislation 2001: No Child Left Behind Act signed into law by George W. Bush

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/education/whschoolsummit/index.html

Objectives: No Child Left Behind 3. Hold schools accountable. 6. Close achievement gaps. 8. Reading proficiency of every student within 12 years. Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020108.html

Objectives: No Child Left Behind 6. Allow "flexibility for accountability” in the use of federal funds. 7. Ensure programs that are research-based and proven to be effective. Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020108.html

•Education is primarily a State and local responsibility in the United States. •91 percent of funds (for education) come from non-Federal sources. •ED’s 2008 appropriation: $68.6 billion. Source: http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/role.html?src=ln

Mission Our mission is to advocate for education professionals and to unite our members and the nation to fulfill the promise of public education to prepare every student to succeed in a diverse and interdependent world. NEA believes the No Child Left Behind Act needs to be fundamentally overhauled. Source: http://educationvotes.nea.org/NEAConcrnsAbtNCLB.pdf

NEA is asking Congress to make three fundamental changes in the No Child Left Behind law so that it works for children: 3. Use more than test scores to measure student learning and school performance;

2. Reduce class size to help students learn;

3. Increase the number of highly qualified teachers in our schools.

NEA President Dennis Van Roekel

A Victory for a Friend of Public Education Posted by NEA on November 4, 2008, 11:48 PM

The election of 2008 was a milestone for our nation. With a groundswell of enthusiasm among youth and minorities, the American people turned out in record numbers to vote for change. The NEA helped lead the way in this historic event.

To help Obama win the election, NEA distributed 21.3 million pieces of mail; placed more than 2.1 million phone calls; and sent more than 4.5 million e-mails to members in battleground states. Source: http://educationvotes.nea.org/blog/talking-point/a-victory-for-students-and-edu.php

Obama’s Plan: • Hire 30,000 new teachers per yr • Add $18 billion a year to federal education spending • Expand federal funding for charter schools from $236 million to $450 million • Add $10 billion to quadruple the number of slots in Early Head Start • Expand the Child and Development Care Tax Credit, making it refundable allowing up to a 50% tax credit for child care expenses Source: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-10-13-obama-mccain-policy_N.htm

New Leaders for New Schools: A nationwide nonprofit. Inception: 2000. The organization was first conceived by a team of five graduate students in business and education. Total number of New Leaders has grown to 431 school leaders in 2006 Source: http://www.nlns.org/AboutUs.jsp

MISSION: It is our mission to ensure high academic achievement for every student by attracting and preparing outstanding leaders and supporting the performance of the urban public schools they lead at scale.

Source: http://www.nlns.org/Mission.jsp

2007 Locations: New York, Chicago, Milwaukee, Washington DC, Baltimore, Memphis, Bay Area CA, Prince George’s County and New Orleans Source: http://www.nlns.org/Locations.jsp

New Orleans: Tragedy and Opportunity? Before Hurricane Katrina: the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) operated 127 schools that enrolled over 65,000 students. A vastly different system has emerged since the storm: In November 2005, the legislature expanded the state’s Recovery School District (RSD) to take control of over 100 OPSB schools performing below the state average. Source: http://www.nlns.org/Locations_NewOrleans.jsp

New Orleans: Opposition to NLNS After Katrina: Charter Schools enrolled half of New Orleans school children The other half were assigned to public education run by the State that got no federal funds RSD (Recovery School District) schools are for poor students who are being denied a real education Source: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8579

--Loyola University law professor Bill Quigley

2007 • TOTAL NUMBER OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS: 94,382 • TOTAL PUBLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENT: 49,113,000 • TOTAL NUMBER OF CHARTER SCHOOLS: 4,568 • TOTAL PUBLIC SCHOOL EXPENDITURES: $411.5 billion • AVERAGE PUBLIC PER PUPIL EXPENDITURE: $10,770

Source: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/

Of all students enrolled, only 71% will reach graduation Of all Hispanic students enrolled, only 52% will reach graduation Of all Black students enrolled, only 56% will reach graduation Of all White students enrolled, only 78% will reach graduation

Source: http://thestateofamerica.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/the-state-of-no-child-left-behinds-progress/

There are other problems facing public education: My sister, who chooses not to disclose what school she works for, named these: CORRUPTION AT THE LOCAL LEVEL MISAPPROPRIATION OF FUNDS REVERSE DISCRIMINATION IN HIRING, PROMOTING AND PAYING TEACHERS OVERCROWDING STANDARDIZED TESTING RESULTS UNFAIRLY ATTACHED TO TEACHER EVALUATIONS REQUIRED INTERVENTION AND DOCUMENTATION FOR KIDS WHO DO NOT WANT TO LEARN SEX, DRUGS, CELL PHONES AND TEXT MESSAGING DISTRACTIONS Source: JANET BYRD, public high school English teacher for 27 years.

Are you in favor of Merit Pay? No. Because it already is in place and it is corrupt. Teachers who are not qualified to teach are hired, promoted, paid more than teachers who have decades of experience. If it could be realigned, restructured, completely overhauled and overseen, then maybe. But as it is, it would just be another way for good teachers to be given bad evaluations in order to justify lower pay than, say, the friend of the principal who is hired and given a big title.

Source: JANET BYRD, public high school English teacher for 27 years.

• Conclusion: Successful Education Reform will require: – a complete restructuring of Education in the U.S. – raising standards for all students – changing how teachers are paid – empowering principals to manage their schools – ensuring that states are honest about performance – constant evaluation – innovation

Source: http://educationvotes.nea.org/NEAConcrnsAbtNCLB.pdf