President must "RAISE THE BAR" for educational standards to compete with the world!

[offie wortham]

                              Mr. President, Raise The Bar! 

     Dear President Obama, with your captive audience of millions, you have the opportunity to positively influence parents, teachers, and children to RAISE THE BAR on their expectations and goals. 
    

      Research has shown that students in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America are no more intelligent than American youth – They are just more motivated and disciplined! The primary difference between their cultures and ours begins in a home where an “A” or a “B” is the only acceptable grade, and a home in our society where the parent simply asks, “Did you pass?” Passing is a “D.” We get what we ask for. All American children must be given the hope, the belief, and the dream that they too can be whatever they have the potential to be. 
    

     As long as many in the United States have low expectations for our youth, and ourselves, we will continue, as a nation, to fall further and further behind the billions worldwide who have set higher standards for themselves, and their country.

Offie Wortham
Johnson, Vermont

[Penguin Board of Directors]

Offie,

 

That is one heck of a Pandora box to pry open. Thanks for doing it anyway; it is a worthwhile discourse. Raising the standard is certainly one step forward. However, talking about this is much easier than actually getting it done. Before we can begin to address raising standards, we need a realistic stock-taking. We need to know our current placement and how we got there in the first place. 

 

We have High School and College graduates who cannot write simple essays without red ink all over the pages for inconceivable grammatical blunders. Some demonstrate a striking incapacity to communicate intelligently. Others cannot work their ways through Basic Algebra in their Freshman year even in some Ivy League schools. Some professors are familiar with administrators' tendency to 'intervene' when there is mass failure in some classes. Such intervention may mean transitioning failing students to passing grades while their professors struggle to stay employed. Yet, America used to be an educational model for the rest of the world a few short years back. Today, we have many with tertiary degrees who cannot pass the equivalent of High School examinations in some other parts of the world. The problem is hydra-headed and mind-boggling. Worse still, until recently when government officials started to confirm our relatively weak educational placement at certain levels internationally, many folks stuck to denial and misguided nationalism. Realizing that there is a problem is the beginning of serious effort at improving. 

 

Serious educationists know for a fact that America has a lot of homework to do to catch up with the rest of the world on quality education on multiple levels. We have the facilities, but we lack the social and institutional frameworks for motivating students to match the infrastructure. Education has to form part of the national debate for where we go from here. To genuinely out-compete, out-educate and out-innovate other nations (as the Obama administration has boldly declared), we need more than rhetoric. 

 

[offie wortham]

Thank you for taking the time to give such a thoughtful response. As you can see, there seemed to be very little interest in my piece.

 

Am I (a person-of-color) being racist to say standards are too low in many Black and Brown homes? I hope not. Let us continue to try to get this important message out.

[Penguin Board of Directors]

Thanks Offie (and other forum members).

My message to the black community or any community for that matter is to start from wherever you are and work your way up to where you need to be. Reorder your priorities, strategize and network for concrete results. Plan your work; then, work your plan. Stop wasting valuable energy complaining, if you are not going to act to change your situation.

One of the few men who saw tomorrow and acted on it was Dr. Frederick D. Patterson (FDP). In 1943, FDP, President of the then Tuskegee Institute, wrote to a number of his colleagues who were presidents of other private black colleges to "pool their small monies and make a united appeal to the national conscience" for the benefit of generations of black students, including those yet unborn (United Negro College Fund, n. d., para. 2). Today, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) remains a living legacy and testimony to that one man's foresightedness, selflessness, and iron-clad courage and the responsiveness and sense of decency of those his colleagues to whom he addressed his appeal. This is only one piece in the armory of legacies from which blacks can draw. Dr. Patterson did not have to do it. He was very comfortable as President of a thriving, world-class center of excellence that Tuskegee was, and still is. His family was secure. But Dr. Patterson reasoned that his comfort and security and those of his family meant little without extending such to millions of his vulnerable and disadvantaged compatriots. When you look at the man (or woman) in the mirror, do you see a Patterson staring back at you?    

Empowerment is hardly ever handed over to any one or group on a platter of gold. You sweat for it if you really desire it. You wrest it away, if you must. The Pilgrims did not land in the New World to negotiate with Native Americans on how the latter could part peacefully with their land. They forcibly dispossessed Native Americans. This was long after the Native Americans accommodated their European arrivals and even showed them the ropes to facilitate their adjusting to the challenges of the New World. The issue here is not about passing on the morality or otherwise of the land seizure (whatever side of the aisle people belong depends on their individual situatedness), the historical fact remains that pilgrims did not sit down at a conference table and amicably negotiate taking Native American land. They simply took it.

Not even democracy, a universal American prescription for world governance, is totally free of violence. Substitute struggle for violence and you get the right perspective. Revisit the 2000 Bush/Gore (Florida) chad-infested presidential elections and the Supreme Court ruling that 'rested' the violence arguably visited on the people's franchise.

Here is another instance. America needed cheap and capable labor to work the cotton fields, among others (simple economics). Reportedly, the early batches of laborers secured lacked the rugged and enduring qualities needed to cope with the rigors of the work. They simply collapsed and died in droves. America looked elsewhere. Now, you know where (historical no-brainer). Unlike in the 21st century, the new 'hires' were not flown in wearing suits and sitting comfortably in first-class or business-class cabins. They came in heavy chains, enduring endless months of rough sailing in ragged, rodent-infested ships. The rest is history. As painful as memory remains for a section of humanity, and understandably so, what will be more painful and doubly pathetic is for current generations to lose sight of the derivable morals. No person or group is going to hand over empowerment to another on a platter of gold. You hunger for it, you sweat for it. Period. When you read Matthew 11: 12 (KJV), you get the same striking message "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." I am aware that interpreting this ecclesiastic piece can engage the whole of Smiley and West for another year. Regardless of how the construction shapes out, however, the passage clearly communicates to me that entering the Kingdom of Heaven is not a walk in the park. It takes the faithful, the diligent, the earnest, and the determined. Grace is unmerited favor from God, but God will not force man to accept His favor. Did I hear the people of the Lord say 'Amen'? Any persons or groups of people, including blacks, must work for whatever they badly desire, if they are to stand a chance of getting it. 

[Mary Etta Felton, EdS]

It is my belief the answer to this issue is to begin with the end in mind.  The end: when children graduate from high school they are career and college ready. How school systems  prepare the children is another issue. 

First, all children should be assessed to identify learning style and academic deficiencies.  Next, the data should be analyzed and instructional plans for each child should be developed, implemented and monitored.  If children are not mastering objectives, immediately a response to intervention  should be implemented to address the academic needs of the children.  We have so many available resources to address the needs of the students but these FREE resources are not effectively utilized to ensure our children are ready to compete in the 21st Century. For example,  www.khanacademy.org/ has been credited for helping many students,  wwwstarfall.com, www.coolmath.com,  www.dictionary.com,  www.vocabulary.com,  and I could go on and on identifying  free instructional resources that are engaging and appropriate to help struggling students be succeed.  Addressing the individual need of the students is the answer.  Making informed decisions is the key.  It does not take a rocky scientist to figure out how to help the children succeed.  The question is who is going to hold school boards accountable for not ensuring the success of the, that's the question?  

There needs to be an accountability model and an oversight agency to ensure local school boards are ensuing children who attend high-poverty school  are provided an adequate education that prepares them to compete in a global society and live the American dream.

Feedback is welcomed.

[offie wortham]

I agree with you 100%.

Penguin Board of Directors said:

Thanks Offie (and other forum members).

My message to the black community or any community for that matter is to start from wherever you are and work your way up to where you need to be. Reorder your priorities, strategize and network for concrete results. Plan your work; then, work your plan. Stop wasting valuable energy complaining, if you are not going to act to change your situation.

One of the few men who saw tomorrow and acted on it was Dr. Frederick D. Patterson (FDP). In 1943, FDP, President of the then Tuskegee Institute, wrote to a number of his colleagues who were presidents of other private black colleges to "pool their small monies and make a united appeal to the national conscience" for the benefit of generations of black students, including those yet unborn (United Negro College Fund, n. d., para. 2). Today, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) remains a living legacy and testimony to that one man's foresightedness, selflessness, and iron-clad courage and the responsiveness and sense of decency of those his colleagues to whom he addressed his appeal. This is only one piece in the armory of legacies from which blacks can draw. Dr. Patterson did not have to do it. He was very comfortable as President of a thriving, world-class center of excellence that Tuskegee was, and still is. His family was secure. But Dr. Patterson reasoned that his comfort and security and those of his family meant little without extending such to millions of his vulnerable and disadvantaged compatriots. When you look at the man (or woman) in the mirror, do you see a Patterson staring back at you?    

Empowerment is hardly ever handed over to any one or group on a platter of gold. You sweat for it if you really desire it. You wrest it away, if you must. The Pilgrims did not land in the New World to negotiate with Native Americans on how the latter could part peacefully with their land. They forcibly dispossessed Native Americans. This was long after the Native Americans accommodated their European arrivals and even showed them the ropes to facilitate their adjusting to the challenges of the New World. The issue here is not about passing on the morality or otherwise of the land seizure (whatever side of the aisle people belong depends on their individual situatedness), the historical fact remains that pilgrims did not sit down at a conference table and amicably negotiate taking Native American land. They simply took it.

Not even democracy, a universal American prescription for world governance, is totally free of violence. Substitute struggle for violence and you get the right perspective. Revisit the 2000 Bush/Gore (Florida) chad-infested presidential elections and the Supreme Court ruling that 'rested' the violence arguably visited on the people's franchise.

Here is another instance. America needed cheap and capable labor to work the cotton fields, among others (simple economics). Reportedly, the early batches of laborers secured lacked the rugged and enduring qualities needed to cope with the rigors of the work. They simply collapsed and died in droves. America looked elsewhere. Now, you know where (historical no-brainer). Unlike in the 21st century, the new 'hires' were not flown in wearing suits and sitting comfortably in first-class or business-class cabins. They came in heavy chains, enduring endless months of rough sailing in ragged, rodent-infested ships. The rest is history. As painful as memory remains for a section of humanity, and understandably so, what will be more painful and doubly pathetic is for current generations to lose sight of the derivable morals. No person or group is going to hand over empowerment to another on a platter of gold. You hunger for it, you sweat for it. Period. When you read Matthew 11: 12 (KJV), you get the same striking message "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." I am aware that interpreting this ecclesiastic piece can engage the whole of Smiley and West for another year. Regardless of how the construction shapes out, however, the passage clearly communicates to me that entering the Kingdom of Heaven is not a walk in the park. It takes the faithful, the diligent, the earnest, and the determined. Grace is unmerited favor from God, but God will not force man to accept His favor. Did I hear the people of the Lord say 'Amen'? Any persons or groups of people, including blacks, must work for whatever they badly desire, if they are to stand a chance of getting it. 

[offie wortham]

Mary,

It is great to know that there are people like you out here who have not given up.

Mary Etta Felton said:

It is my belief the answer to this issue is to begin with the end in mind.  The end: when children graduate from high school they are career and college ready. How school systems  prepare the children is another issue. 

First, all children should be assessed to identify learning style and academic deficiencies.  Next, the data should be analyzed and instructional plans for each child should be developed, implemented and monitored.  If children are not mastering objectives, immediately a response to intervention  should be implemented to address the academic needs of the children.  We have so many available resources to address the needs of the students but these FREE resources are not effectively utilized to ensure our children are ready to compete in the 21st Century. For example,  www.khanacademy.org/ has been credited for helping many students,  wwwstarfall.com, www.coolmath.com,  www.dictionary.com,  www.vocabulary.com,  and I could go on and on identifying  free instructional resources that are engaging and appropriate to help struggling students be succeed.  Addressing the individual need of the students is the answer.  Making informed decisions is the key.  It does not take a rocky scientist to figure out how to help the children succeed.  The question is who is going to hold school boards accountable for not ensuring the success of the, that's the question?  

There needs to be an accountability model and an oversight agency to ensure local school boards are ensuing children who attend high-poverty school  are provided an adequate education that prepares them to compete in a global society and live the American dream.

Feedback is welcomed.

[Patrick Haltiwanger]

I haven't been participating in the discussions lately, but please understand we do read what others post.

offie wortham said:

Thank you for taking the time to give such a thoughtful response. As you can see, there seemed to be very little interest in my piece.

 

Am I (a person-of-color) being racist to say standards are too low in many Black and Brown homes? I hope not. Let us continue to try to get this important message out.

[Mary Etta Felton, EdS]

I think the issue is holding the  local school boards accountable to ensure standards are taught.  If we raise the bar and the local school boards  are NOT held accountable, we continue to graduate students who are NOT college and career ready.   It has been stated that some high school graduated are unable to pass the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) exam to enter the military and many high school graduates who enter college drop out their freshman year or take remedial courses.  You see, the local school board select the superintendent who is responsible for hiring principals as the leader of the schools. The principals hire the teachers.  The teachers teach the students.  It all goes back to who the local school board selects as the superintendent.   I agree there needs to be some serious discussions regarding ensuring all students are prepared to compete globally. But, without an accountability model in place, how will we ensure the standards regardless of how high are being taught.  I look forward to continuing this discussion with you and others who want to see our children prepared for the 21st Century to allow them to become productive citizens.

[Penguin Board of Directors]

Mary,

I agree with you that accountability is a crucial part of the equation. As you very well know, there is quite a large chunk of our people allergic to that word. They hate it with passion, unless it is directed at parties other than themselves!

Secondly, I believe the problem with our education is multidimensional and the solution must follow the same prescription. I like a diagnostic approach. First, we take a step back into history and start our journey a few short years back when we used to be a model to the world in education. It is similar to what you do in trouble-shooting your computer. You sometimes have to revert to an earlier backup date when you operated trouble-free.

We still have the facilities here in America (superior to most anywhere); just that they are better utilized by foreigners coming here, leveraging them, and returning home to engineer tougher global competition. American children (add some 'adults') prefer to receive gifts of Nintendo as opposed to laptops to access websites to solve mathematical problems, take their grammar to the clinic, or get informed about the rest of the world. When they turn on the TV, most are on silly Reality Shows that are far from sane reality.  

Some teachers are so protective of their turf that, ironically, they turn unscholarly and insist on pointing accusing fingers at critics making sense. In their unwarranted noise-making, some of these teachers expose their flanks only to validate critics' claims that teacher quality is one of the major issues with education.

Policies that tie improvement in students' test cores to continued receipt of Federal funds succeed in encouraging schools to teach to the test, rather than educating students. To compound the situation, there are incredibly many cases of square pegs in round circles (try wholes without the 'w' as the software monitoring profanities on this site cannot distinguish one whole from the next). There is no respect for meritocracy; the system wants to hire skilled people and tuck them under some well-heeled, dressed-up buffoons in the hierarchy. That is a recipe for failure.

The bottom line remains that fixing the issue of dwindling education in America is hydra-headed and the solution must be equally multipronged. The funny thing is that it is easily doable; be ready to put round pegs where they belong and square ones in their habitat. America needs sufficient political, individual, and collective will to do the needful. For now, the verdict seems to be that we are not yet ready to tame the beast.

[Mary Etta Felton, EdS]

Are you familiar with the Common Core State Standards Initiative? Review it. It seems that over 40 states have agreed to this initiative.

[offie wortham]

What is the Penguin Board of Directors?

[Penguin Board of Directors]

Ha-ha-ha; Offie, you cannot be serious ... :)

A pen name, but one that I take very seriously. There is much behind the symbolism (also see the Penguins logo). By way of fair disclosure, the logo design was not original to me.     

offie wortham said:

What is the Penguin Board of Directors?