It’s that time of year again–reliably bumming out students and parents alike… it ’s back to school! But back to school is also a time to reflect on the state of education in this country… and it’s not all that great.
America is one of the richest countries in the world. But you wouldn’t know it if you looked at our education statistics. We’re 16th in science globally. In Math, we scored below the average and well below the scores of the top five countries, all of which were in Asia. And in 2018, we ranked an astonishing 125th in literacy among all countries according to the World Atlas.
As we tumble down the international tables, public schools around the country are getting rid of gifted and talented programs. They’re getting rid of standardized testing. All while trying to regain ground from COVID-related learning loss…
So how did we get here? Why have public schools deprioritized literacy and numeracy? What role have teachers’ unions played in advocating for public education in this country and also in holding kids back by protecting bad teachers? How is socioeconomic segregation hurting academic performance? And what kinds of books should really be taught in public schools?
Today, we're diving deep into these questions and more with three experts who bring diverse perspectives to this debate:
Richard Kahlenberg is Director of the American Identity Project and Director of Housing at the Progressive Policy Institute. His many books and essays have focused on addressing economic disparities in education. Maud Maron is co-founder of PLACE NYC, which advocates for improving the academic rigor and standards of K-12 public school curricula. She’s also the mother of four kids in New York City public schools. Erika Sanzi is a former educator and school dean in Rhode Island. She is Director of Outreach at Parents Defending Education, which aims to fight ideological indoctrination in the classroom.
We discuss the misallocation of resources in education, the promise and perils of school choice, and how we can fix our broken education system.
And if you like this conversation, good news! All week this week at The Free Press—as summer ends and kids return to class—we’re pausing our usual news coverage to talk about education. We’ve invited six writers to answer the question: What didn’t school teach you?
With elite colleges peddling courses on “Queering Video Games,” “Decolonial Black Feminist Magic,” and “What Is a Settler Text?,” there’s never been a better time to go back to the proverbial school of life.
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I am a 25 year public educator (20 as an education professor). I've lived within the system long enough to know that government schools at any level do not work, have not worked, and will never work. It's time to quit throwing good money after bad and try some new options.
Interesting episode, but seems to have missed the mark. Yes, the items highlighted are problematic, but they're certainly not the main cause of the lack of literacy and such. More likely causes include things like behavior issues and the move away from phonics. I would also like to hear more about "direct instruction", as well as the role of curriculum and tech. Re tech, each year principals go to conferences where tech companies sell them shiny, new, expensive products, and each year teachers and schools get to somehow figure out how to use these new tools and incorporate them into the classroom. One recent example from my local district is giving tablets to 5 year olds. The kindergarten teachers now get to figure out how to get their students to work with these things during their half-day session, despite the fact that childhood experts seem to say that the less time these young kids spend on these devices, the better.
So please do a follow-up episode on behavior, phonics and "the science of reading", as well as school leadership and how technology has impacted the classroom. (Or, perhaps a few episodes, as each of these are big subjects).