By Laurie H. Rogers
The current national "blame the teacher" movement is neither fair nor helpful to our children, and it will not get our schools where they need to go. Are there some teachers in the system who should be replaced? Sure. As in any field, there are some who are not up to standard. Are some of the teachers unions obstructive to firing ineffective teachers? Definitely. But teachers are not the problem with public education.
In Spokane, teachers are hounded and harassed to use poor math and language arts materials and inefficient teaching methodologies. This is not a union problem; this is an administrative problem. Brave teachers say they have been challenged or threatened when they tried to teach arithmetic or grammar to their students. How crazy is that? Meanwhile, our administrators and board directors tend to blame weak outcomes on “uninvolved” parents, “ineffective” teachers, or “unmotivated” students. Our teachers will now be assessed on student outcomes over which they have insufficient control.
Folks, if we removed from this district all of the uninvolved parents, ineffective teachers and unmotivated students, Spokane would still have problems with math and grammar. That's because administrators refuse to allow our teachers to teach sufficient math and grammar. Meanwhile, they continue to tell us that a) everything is improving, and b) all problems are someone else's fault.
Here are some of the "Betrayed" articles on administrative and school board denial and obstruction:
Oct. 30, 2008: Teachers Are Afraid To Speak Out
Nov. 13, 2008: Education Establishment Rebuffs Concerns
Dec. 11, 2008: Board meeting yields few answers
Jan. 17, 2009: I say it's the curriculum
March 25, 2009: District says no one knows how to fix math problem
May 30, 2009: Board vote good for future business (this is a satire)
July 3, 2009: Why administrators don't listen
Aug. 28, 2009: Blame math problem on administrators
Sept. 12, 2009: Administrators, board members need reality check
Oct. 28, 2010: Board directors, superintendent show disrespect to teachers, union
Nov. 14, 2010: SPS brushes off math concerns in meeting devoted to math concerns
Dec. 19, 2010: Replace math curricula? Administrators won't answer in writing
Feb. 1, 2011: School administrators no help at math forum
Feb 8, 2011: District tries to silence dissenting voices
Feb. 21, 2011: Stop fighting lost causes; start talking with the people
March 23, 2011: District not replacing math materials for two more years
April 29, 2011: Good golly, our schools need new leadership
July 16, 2011: The Lake Wobegon Effect? Or deceit by omission?
Sept. 3, 2011: Politics driving math classes - not ethics, justice ... or math
Nov. 13, 2011: Spokane Public Schools is a "tale of two cities" -- and I live in the other one
Jan. 15, 2012: Yes, vote for kids by asking the adult questions about levies
Jan. 23, 2012: Hold district accountable for deceit, academic failure, and questionable activity
Feb. 15, 2012: Leadership seems filled with predators, sheep. Where are the sheepdogs?
March 7, 2012: Satire: In long-expected move - legislators, school districts outlaw the children
April 15, 2012: In defense of public-records requesters
May 31, 2012: Hold education bureaucracy accountable, or lose your right to do it
June 10, 2012: School district budget forums showcase half-truths, contempt for the public
July 17, 2012: Several school leaders refuse to say why district is adopting unproven CCSS products on top of already failed products; board president points to the state
Nov. 5, 2012: In defense of direct instruction: Constant constructivism, group work, and arrogant attitudes are abusive to the children
Nov. 25, 2012: Political indoctrination replacing academics as the mission of K-12 public education
Jan. 23, 2013: Common Core leading districts to adopt unproved math programs and failed approaches
Jan. 24, 2013: Spokane school board attempting to undermine Public Records Act for everyone in Washington State
Feb. 16, 2013: Public Records Act: Speak up for your rights now, before they're gone
May 6, 2013: Legislature and lawsuit help public education go in exactly the wrong direction. Again.
May 24, 2013: How we could fix public education, and why it won't happen
June 6, 2013: Public education's "culture of power": Small minds, thin skins, fragile egos
Nov. 26, 2013: Secretary of Education displays arrogant, bigoted, anti-parent sentiment over the Common Core
December 9, 2013: District finally admits math curriculum problem, but - to align with the Common Core - adopts another unproved curriculum
March 25, 2014: Administrative plan for math is to fix the math program later
April 22, 2014: Professional development in math should focus on math, not on pedagogy or materials
May 27, 2014: School district scans driver's licenses and takes photos of visitors in new "sign-in" policy
September 25, 2014: Reframing the Common Core discussion: A battle for our freedom.