Friday, December 2, 2022

AV #254 - Dissatisfaction is nothing new. Maybe this is just how it is. What if we embraced it? (Third in a series – In what direction are we headed? Do we share common goals?)

 

              

 Two polls on K-12 education in Colorado, almost 30 years apart: 1993 & 2022

 

Educators get defensive. We want to blame the media, the tests, “the system.”

We doth protest too much. We need to say: We hear you. You expect much better. So do we.


After my fifth year of teaching—this was 40 years ago—I protested. I was proud of the Russian and Soviet Literature course I taught that year. I was thrilled with the way the 23 juniors and seniors in that high school class tackled the material. I felt compelled to speak up.

 

‘’News about a class that succeeds and is a joy will not be found in the overheated diatribes about the decline of American education. Such good news will not suit the voices of doom who cover Newsweek (“Why Public Schools Are Flunking”) and Time (“Why Teachers Can’t Teach”) with images that frustrate those of us aware of teachers, students, and schools that do succeed. And many of us have felt such success. We have known such enormous pleasure in teaching a particular class that, whatever the prevailing winds, we want to shout out the good news.”

(English Journal, “My Russian Literature Class – The Good News,” January 1983)

“Voices of doom”? Better to call it sharp criticism. In my lifetime, it began back in 1955 with the best seller, Why Johnny Can’t Read, by Robert Flesch. It has never stopped. One survey last spring asked specifically about "what children are being taught." "Two thirds of Americans say public schools are on the wrong track, new Grinnell poll finds."[i] (64% on wrong track; 24% on right track. 12%. Not sure.) The 2022 Gallup poll found the percentage of Americans dissatisfied with the quality of K-12 education has again exceeded 50%.[ii] (Completely or somewhat satisfied: 42%. Completely or somewhat dissatisfied: 55%.)

 


In Colorado, an education poll by Magellan Strategies revealed a similar pessimism. The Colorado Chalkbeat headline read: “More Colorado voters think schools are on the wrong track” (May 27, 2022).[iii] 44% on wrong track; 28% on right track.

But this dissatisfaction is nothing new. Compare a poll on K-12 education in Colorado conducted in 1993 (part of Agenda 21, funded by the Gates Family Foundation[iv]) with the 2022 survey. (See below.) Different questions, different conclusions, but overall, a common discontent. “Schools on wrong course” (1993).

Maybe this is just the way it is. Maybe this is the reality of how public education is seen. My takeaway: maybe, rather than fight it, we—all of us in education—would do well to accept what the public keeps telling us. Our current stance seems to be: We’re doing better than you think! This is both defensive and tone deaf. A humbler motto might serve us well. Such as, Let’s do better.

A colleague once posted this sign in her classroom: NO WHINING. A good message for K-12 education too.

December 1993

Colorado Looks at K-12 Education

May 2022

Colorado Public Education Opinion Survey

Headline:

“Schools on wrong course, poll says”

From page one“A whopping 65 percent of Coloradans think the state’s public education system is on the wrong track.” [On “right direction” – 27%]

Rocky Mountain News, Dec. 11, 1993

 Talmey-Drake interviewed 406 Coloradans. (Colorado population then - roughly 3.5 million.) The poll was done for the Denver-based Education Commission of the States. 

Poll Results  

Quotes from The Denver Post, Dec. 11, 1993

Talmey-Drake Research Strategies conducted the poll. “Right now, Talmey warned, education experts and parents view the problems from vastly different perspectives. One group is on Mars, he said, and the other Venus. ‘There’s a split … and it’s real.’”                      

"'I don’t think the Colorado public has one clear sense of what the Colorado schools ought to look like,' said Talmey. Schools face a 'fragmented discontent,' he said, 'which is harder to deal with … the individual values are all over the place.'"    

“Talmey warned the level of dissatisfaction about public schools appears to be so severe that voters could prove impatient about giving the system time to fix itself.” 

“‘People are saying it is my money, my kids,’ at stake, said Talmey. He predicted ‘vouchers within the decade’ unless the base of public education is ‘rebuilt.’” 

“The poll reveals no clear agreement among respondents about what direction to head…. 39% agreed that schools should ‘pretty much stick to factual subject matter,’ while 55 % agreed that schools ‘have a responsibility to teach values – what is right and wrong and what is good and bad.’” 

The 65% who said they felt “that things in the public school system … have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track in the past few years” were asked why they felt this way: 

Basics not taught                                             18%

Poor teachers                                                    12%

Students pass without being educated        11%

Poor education- general                                 11%

Teachers underpaid                                        10%

Budget cuts                                                        9%

Crime in schools                                               8% 

Very Serious Problems in Colorado's Public Schools

Guns & violence in the hallways and on school grounds.                                                                                             66% 

Drugs & liquor                                                                 62%

Parents who don’t care about their children’s education.                                                                                              49% 

Students not learning the basic subjects.                   49%

Lack of motivation among students to study hard and learn things.                                                                      43%

Students not learning to think and solve problems. 43%

Lack of classroom discipline.                                         37%

Students have so many problems at home that they are unable to study at school.                                               37%

Overcrowded classrooms.                                              32%

Teachers expecting too little from their students.    25%

Too many teachers who don’t care about teaching.  23%

Poor quality of instruction.                                            20% 

Grading the Public Schools

What grade would you give the public schools in Colorado?                                            B - 27%                                                                        C - 49%                                                                       D - 14%

What grade would you give the public schools in your school district?                 B – 29%                                                                     C – 39%                                                                      D – 14% 


This skill is _________  for all high school graduates to know. (Most chose from these two options:)                      

                    Very important           -    Very

        Somewhat important  -  Smwht

 

Very

Smwht

Speak and write English correctly and effectively.

91%

7%

Sound work habits such as self-discipline, promptness, and dedication to work.

87%

10%

Have self-esteem and self-confidence.

84%

11%

Have a good understanding of elementary science and arithmetic.

81%

18%

Fundamental values of American society such as freedom, democracy & voting.

78%

19%

Knowing how to work effectively with others.

78%

19%

Headline:

“44% of Colorado voters think schools are on the wrong track, poll reveals"  

Subheading:

“28% said they thought schools were on the right track, while 28% said they didn't know or didn't have an opinion” 

        Chalkbeat Colorado, May 27, 2022

 Magellan Strategies surveyed 882 Coloradans. (Colorado population today – approaching 6 million.) “The survey questions were developed in collaboration with Chalkbeat Colorado."  

Key Findings and Observations

From Parts 1 and 2 of report by Magellan Strategies.

“The survey included a follow-up, open-ended question asking respondents to describe the reasons why they believed public schools were headed in the right direction or off on the wrong track. The responses present a challenging environment for Colorado teachers and professional educators to navigate.”  

Among Democratic voters, there is a deep frustration with public schools being underfunded and that teachers are undervalued and underpaid…. these voters strongly believe conservative politicians are interfering with school administrations, firing superintendents, and pushing a political agenda. There is also a heightened concern among Democratic voters there is too much of a focus on standardized testing.” 

“Republican voters believe most public schools are indoctrinating students with liberal ideology, ‘wokeism,’ teaching Critical Race Theory, and radical social justice and environmental ideals. Furthermore, they are enraged about student sexual orientation and identification issues. [Also], Republicans do not believe public schools focus enough on teaching ‘the basics’ of reading, writing, math, and critical thinking." 

“Depending on their age or political leanings, unaffiliated voters echo the same concerns as Democratic and Republican voters.…  "


Local School District Job Approval

“Among all respondents, 40% approve and 42% disapprove of the job their local school district is doing educating students. One in five respondents did not have an opinion on this question.” 

Local Teacher Image Rating

“Among all respondents, 58% had a favorable opinion, and 22% had an unfavorable opinion of the teachers in their local school district. Among households with a student attending a public school, 74% have a favorable opinion of their local teachers. Among households without a student, the local teacher favorability rating is 54%.” 

Do Local School Districts Manage and Spend Taxpayer Money Wisely?

“Among all respondents, only 31% think their local school district spends taxpayer money wisely, 42% do not, and 27% did not have an opinion.”

Opinion of School Districts Having the Financial Resources to Provide a Good Education

“Forty-three percent of respondents think Colorado school districts have the financial resources needed to provide students with a good education, 49% do not, and 8% are undecided. Among respondents with a student in their household, 56% said school districts have the financial resources to provide a good education.”  From Part 1.[v]                                                                         **

Voters Overwhelmingly Support Broader Standards to Evaluate School Performance

“70% think the state should develop a broader set of standards and criteria to evaluate a school’s performance. Only 23% believe schools should continue to be judged primarily on standardized student test scores.”  

Voters are Evenly Split on Policy Allowing State to Intervene in Low-Performing Districts

“[44% of voters] support a policy that allows the state to intervene in low-performing school districts and have the legal right to close schools or convert them to charter schools. Forty percent oppose the policy, and 16% do not have an opinion. Among Hispanic voters, 50% support the policy, compared to just 31% of African Americans.” From Part 2.[vi]

 

The one constant in 1993 and in 2022: more voters dissatisfied with K-12 public education than not. This is not a fight we, as educators, can win. We have to own up to the results. Doing so will allow us to find common ground with the public. For we, too, must be dissatisfied. Not in our effort, but in the academic achievement of our students.


·     On the Colorado Measures of Academic Success, over half of our students in grades 3-8 are not performing at grade level in English Language Arts; two-thirds are not at grade level in Math.

·     Only 60% of our juniors meet expectations for the SAT Reading and Writing test; under 40% meet expectations in Math. (Evidence-see Addendum.) And yet we say 80% of our students graduate high school “college and career-ready.” We know this is nonsense.

I too felt defensive 40 years ago. I wanted to celebrate my time with “The Russian 23” (as my students anointed themselves). In that essay, I concluded: “It’s an experience that reminds me, and maybe others, of the good news that exists out here in the wilderness of the ‘alleged decline in American education,’ the good news that we so badly need to share.”

But, looking back, I would say: Hey, you fool, it’s not about you! You can’t see the forest for the trees!

To be sure, the job is well done in thousands of classrooms in Colorado. There is success. These stories deserve a wider audience. But public education, our system, gets a C grade—or lower. The public looks at the same data (again, Addendum) that we do. Our response? Blame the messenger. Ridicule the tests.  Insist no one understands how demanding the job can be (and there is some truth there). Blame “our current messaging strategy” and plead for “a new narrative”—where we stress the positive.

Sorry folks. The polls reflect the outcomes we report. Outcomes, not about one class or school or district, but about the K-12 system. They tell us: we are not meeting the goals we have set for our students.

 

Can we acknowledge this? We have made changes. It has been hard. Still, it has not been enough.

 

It is humbling to admit this. If we accept and even embrace this judgement, we might share a common goal with the public, which expects something better of K-12 education. So should we.

 



Addendum

 

1.      Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS)

     2022 State Achievement Results 

“… over half of our students in grades 3-8 are not performing at grade level

in English Language Arts; two-thirds are not at grade level in Math.”

 

English Language Arts/Literacy Overall 

 

Percent Met or Exceeded Expectations

 

2022

2021

2019

Grade 3 (English)*

40.7

39.1

41.3

Grade 4 (English)*

44.1

N/A

48.0

Grade 5

45.4

47.2

48.4

Grade 6

43.0

N/A

43.6

Grade 7

41.8

42.6

46.5

Grade 8

43.9

N/A

46.9

Average among 6 grades

43.2

 

 *Roughly 1,200 students in grade 3 and in grade 4 take the ELA test in Spanish

N/A – Not Available

Mathematics Overall 

 

Percent Met or Exceeded Expectations

 

2022

2021

2019

Grade 3

39.4

N/A

41.0

Grade 4

30.7

28.5

33.6

Grade 5

34.9

N/A

35.7

Grade 6

26.3

24.1

29.5

Grade 7

25.1

N/A

31.6

Grade 8

32.4

29.5

36.9

Average among 6 grades

32.5

 

Colorado Department of Education, CMAS, 2022 State Achievement Results

http://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/2022_cmas_ela_math_statesummaryachievementresults

 

2.      PSAT and SAT – 2022 State Achievement Results

 

“Only 60% of juniors meet expectations for the SAT Reading/Writing test;

under 40% meet expectations in Math.” 

 

Percent Met or Exceeded Expectations

 

2022

2021

2019

Evidence–Based Reading and Writing Overall

PSAT Grade 9

64.4

68.5

66.5

PSAT Grade 10

67.0

69.3

64.9

SAT Grade 11

57.5

60.0

58.5

Mathematics Overall

PSAT Grade 9

40.8

43.0

49.6

PSAT Grade 10

39.7

40.1

39.1

SAT Grade 11

34.6

36.4

39.0

Colorado Department of Education, 2022 PSAT and SAT State Achievement Results

http://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/2022_psat_sat_statesummaryachievementresults


Endnotes

[i] Two thirds of Americans say public schools are on the wrong track, new Grinnell poll finds,” Cleo Krejic, Des Moines Register, March 2, 2022. U.S adults were asked: ‘When you think about what children are being taught in public schools these days, do you think schools are headed in the right direction, or have they gotten off on the wrong track?’” https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/education/2022/03/23/americans-split-education-issues-public-schools-grinnell-poll/7126121001/

NOTE: Two other surveys also find recent declines.

1) “Pluralities of voters nationwide say their confidence in the public school system has decreased since the start of the pandemic (48%) and over the last year (47%).” “Across the Aisle: What Voters and Parents Want in Education,” The Hunt Institute’s 2022 Nationwide Voter & Parent Education Survey Results. https://hunt-institute.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/THI-2022-Nationwide-Survey-Results_10.21.2022.pdf

2) In 2022, “as the pandemic and its attendant challenges persist, the public’s perceptions of school quality have slipped below pre-pandemic levels. Today, 52% of Americans give their  local public school an A or a B grade, and 22% give all schools nationwide a similarly high mark.” “Partisan Rifts Widen, Perceptions of School Quality Decline,” Education Next, Winter 2023. https://www.educationnext.org/partisan-rifts-widen-perceptions-school-quality-decline-results-2022-education-next-survey-public-opinion/

[ii]  Gallup Poll, August 2022, https://news.gallup.com/poll/1612/education.aspx.

[iii] “Colorado Public Education Opinion Survey,” by Magellan Strategies, May 26, 2022. https://magellanstrategies.com/colorado-public-education-opinion-survey-part-1/

[iv] The Gates Family Foundation was the principal funder of Agenda 21, an effort led by the Education Commission of the States. Community meetings around the state and this Talmey-Drake poll were part of Agenda 21’s work. One of its goals: to gather opinions on where K-12 education in Colorado should be headed.

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