What are We Talking About?
“It's an odd thing but when you tell someone the true facts of a mythical tale they are indignant not with the teller but with you. They don't wantto have their ideas upset. It rouses some vague uneasiness in them, I think, and they resent it. So they reject it and refuse to think about it. If they were merely indifferent it would be natural and understandable. But it is much stronger than that, much more positive. They are annoyed.
Very odd, isn't it.”
― Josephine Tey, The Daughter of Time
It's been an interesting one this week. Earlier in the week I toured Hume-Fogg with my daughter as an option for her high school years. For those who don't know, Hume-Fogg is the academic magnet option for Nashville students. It is routinely ranked at the top of the list for Tennessee's high schools. Critics, often point to it as being a beneficiary of academic segregation. Though that argument doesn't hold much sway with me, as admission is dependent upon a lottery system for which a student qualifies by maintaining an 80 GPA. Qualifications that I feel should be the expectation for all students, and too low for an academic magnet.
My daughter, and her friend who accompanied her, have an intense desire to attend Hume-Fogg. Both have a GPA in the high 90's. There are roughly 125 seats available through the lottery. Because entry is based on a combination of lottery and a guaranteed pathway, neither may get in. So much for the work hard and you'll reap what you sow motifs.
I'm routinely told of the shortcomings of the academic magnet school, and how a child can achieve just as much, and have the same opportunities, at a zoned school as they can at a magnet. It didn't take but 10 minutes of standing in the office at Hume-Fogg for me to think, we really have to stop lying to people.
I've been in enough schools that I can tell a difference. As my daughter said to me while walking the hallways, it would be nice to attend a school where the majority of students want to be there, instead of the opposite.
Her comment sparked a realization in me, Hume-Fogg is different because it's a school governed by policies aimed at supporting students who want to be there. Whereas the majority of zoned schools are governed by policies aimed at supporting students who don't want to be there. I understand that necessity, but in order to better serve all students, there needs to be a little more of the former and less of the latter.
Is Hume-Fogg a better school than others? For some students it is. I don't understand why recognizing that is an affront to every other school. For some, the zoned school is the best option. For others, it may be a local charter school. For others, it may be a private school.
Full disclosure, for my son, I'm beginning to undertake the search for a private school option. He'll likely attend his local zoned school, but I want to make sure that is the best option.
He's an athlete, and I don't know how far his skills will take him, but I want to make sure that the opportunities are available for him to reach his full potential. In other words, when his athletic pursuits come to an end, I want it to be his choice and not because his development was limited by his options. No different than what I wish academically for my daughter. Or what every other parent wishes for their child.
That brings me to the other part of my internal discussion - how do we define success?
There is an endless conversation about the pursuit of student success? Educational non-profits pay CEOs six-figure salaries to influence local districts in adopting policies that will purportedly increase student success. Politicians run campaigns rooted in a promise to promote student success. Teachers are retrained because they are teaching in a manner that supposedly limits student success. But what does that mean?
Does it mean being able to secure a high-paying job? I don't know about you but in my adult life, I've had both high-paying and low-paying jobs. Sometimes it was the high-paying one that made me feel bad about myself, while the low-paying option brought more self-fulfillment.
Does success mean a mythical happy life? Because I'm here to tell you that throughout my life, I've experienced both the highs and the lows, and the highs were higher because I was able to compare and contrast. Surviving life's challenges brings an immeasurable level of accomplishment to one's self-evaluation.
Is success the ability to pass a test on a certain day? A test that shows no alignment to future success. I raised the question this week with a Tennessee lawmaker, how do we talk about preparing students for life and career, and then measure them with a test that is unlike any they'll face during their adult life?
Every assessment taken in adulthood is centered on mastery. Whether it's your bar exam or your hairdresser license, the only consideration is whether you mastered the requirements or not? Nobody cares if you are in the top 90, 80, or even 60 percent of those who take the test. You either hit the threshold or you don't, and you are always given multiple opportunities.
So when I get a benchmark assessment that says my daughter is in the top 96% in 8th grade ELA, other than giving me something to brag to friends about, what is its real significance. (And yes, I am aware that I am bragging right now)
Now I will say that when the same assessment shows that she is in the top 90% districtwide for phonetic awareness but in the lower 60% nationally, we might want to rethink the effectiveness of our phonetics instruction district-wide. But that's another subject for another day.
Anecdotally we hear stories about struggling students who went on to achieve great success, and about those who never overcame the shortcomings in their childhood schooling. But even in those stories, the definition of success is varied.
Is serving 20 years in the military a successful life? Is starting your own business considered successful? How about being married for 20 years and raising a family? If it's financial security that serves as the yardstick, then we are all shit out of luck, because few of us will achieve and maintain that status throughout the course of our lives.
When you consider the variation in the definition of success, it becomes ludicrous to consider that there is only one pathway to its achievement.
Peter Greene, is one of my favorite writers, he's also an adamant opponent of school choice. As much as I admire him, I think his latest serves as a key illustration of the misconception held by combatants in the school choice war. They see school choice as an "us" vs "them" proposition. Those looking for choice are viewed as destroyers, racists, and other individuals with intentions fueled by ill intent. In short, they see school choice as a cultural war.
I wish I could say that I still believe that, but I can't. Sure there are malicious elements on both sides, but for every one of them, there is a parent whose child is not being served. A parent who is just looking to get their child what they perceive they need. In his analysis Greene offers:
"The culture warriors are not interested in choice or freedom; they are the embodiment of Wilhoit's definition of conservatism-- Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect."
I think it's an adage that can be applied to both sides of the coin. In that case, the battle is over who is considered the "in-group" and who falls into "out-group" consideration.
Is the argument really about what's best for kids, or rather is it about what aligns with adult ideology? Asking for a friend.
Reading Between the Lines
I'm chuckling over news coverage of State Senator Gardenhire's bill to expand vouchers to Chattanooga passing out of committee this week. Reports like to bring up past battles and try to compare the progress of this bill as if it is moving in a similar fashion. It's not. It's meeting very little resistance.
Sure, Democrats are offering a modicum of opposition. Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) was one of the few committee members to offer any comment on the committee floor this week.
“Our pilot program has already been put in place. I don’t think there’s been enough time to even see if it will be successful,” said Akbari, who also opposed the program’s establishment in Davidson and Shelby counties. Committee members shrugged and voted to pass the bill out of committee with a 6-2 vote. Akbari was joined by Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) in casting a nay vote. Senator Rusty Crowe R-Johnson City) abstained.
I didn't time it, but the whole process took less time than me running out to my mailbox and back. Somewhere right now former House Speaker Glen Casada is leaving his lawyer’s office, reading a news account, and thinking, "Damn! Why couldn't it have been this easy for me?"
More Third-Grade Hijinks
WPLN has a story about parents flooding a public meeting on the 3rd-grade retention law. Now I may be splitting hairs, but the accompanying photo looks like a well-attended meeting, but far from a flood. I maintain it is a little in the game to be expecting changes to the bill.
For what it is worth, here's my take. There will be lots of conversation around amendments, coupled with little action. In the House, there may be a bill passed, but remember Mark White (R-Memphis) still heads the House Education Committee. White carried this bill originally, and it wasn't an easy task. White is on record saying that he's open to amendments to making the bill better, but returning control to the locals is a non-sequitur. They had their chance they botched it.
White is an amicable fellow, but he's also the guy who'll tell you, "I'm very open to hearing what you have to say, but can you call me next week so we can give dates to my secretary so she can back to us with a date next month that works for us?" In other words, he's very good at running out the clock.
In the Senate, most education legislators I talk to are unhappy with how the bill is presented by critics. They don't feel that they are painting an accurate picture and that due to off-ramps they've embedded into the bill, there won't be near as many students retained as opponents claim. Their displeasure is of such a level, that I doubt they'll approve significant changes without a near of data.
At some point, we'll realize the value of hyperbole isn't near what we think and that vilifying people ain't exactly the best strategy either. But that won't be this year.
Quick Hits
Last Friday, the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) released its version of the annual Tennessee Educators Survey. In their accompanying press release, they touted that just over 39K educators had participated. I don't know if that is worth bragging about when you consider that last year's version had over 40K participants, or that prior to the pandemic nearly 45K participated. In fact, by scanning the survey results it becomes apparent that teacher dissatisfaction continues to grow in Tennessee.
It appears that tales of TDOE's Charlie Bufalino's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Despite several sources telling me that he was leaving, he's still holding court. I'm not sure what the hold-up is, maybe he's waiting for Mom to make an appearance so he can turn in his key.
I'd give you an update on the TDOE 360 Reading Summit, but Chief Academic Officer Lisa Coons has me blocked on Twitter - is that even legal - and I doubt she'd return a call, so you'll just have to take to social media yourself.
Metro Nashville Public School's board meets on Valentine's Day. A perusal of the agenda shows little opportunity to talk about charter schools, so I suspect it will be a short meeting.
My feelings on Teacher of the Year awards are well documented. Blogger Nancy Flanagan, a career educator, has her own take on the awards. It's a worthy read, and I agree with her take that, 'Teachers in America get so little in the way of acknowledgment and perks that every single teacher honored for their excellent work richly deserves the spotlight and whatever rewards come with it."
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