User:Sml9827

Public schooling is in need of reform, from standardized testing and tenure to unfair budget cuts. Children today are not getting a quality education according to statistics found in the "Waiting for Superman" documentary, a video for educators and those desiring knowledge on today's public school system. The video speaks at length of many issues within the school system, one being a program instated by President Bush called "No Child Left Behind". "No Child Left Behind", instated by Bush, required that all states evaluate every child, so that clarity could be found in relation to the learning levels of our students. Unfortunately, results have yielded that most children's proficiency fell under thirty percent in most states. Sadly enough tenure also contributes to the predicament, of low results/proficiency in our classrooms. What tenure does is allow teachers to settle back and get comfortable, providing them job-security to stay in their chosen profession for a lifetime. In other cases, it may provide job security for more valid reasons, which was the original intent. Tenure was created in the beginning to protect university professors from being fired over arbitrary political beliefs. Tenure guarantees your job for life, and very little can abolish you from the position afterwards; one example being sexually abusing a child and/or harassment. Unfortunately, the problem with tenure is that it not only guarantees our good apples their jobs, but also locks our lemons into the school system too. Conclusively, concerning the politics of education, an independently-run school system referred to as a charter schoolworks separate from the school system; something beneficial in contrast to the conflicting systems at play today. The two biggest "decision-makers" of education in the political world are the NEA and AFT teaching unions. Every political campaign held, about one-hundred fifty-five million dollars goes for education, and about ninety percent of that is handed to democrats. Yes, it does mean that children/teachers become a "special interest" group but in the teaching-world, the children are "worth fighting for" and it's a title that will be received under the wing of compassion, not power. Secondly, charter schools, are public schools funded by public money, and work independently from the mainstream. Charter schools were set-up by a man named, Geoffrey Canada, who was able to also establish "KIPP" schools all over the country. In his "KIPP" schools, over ninety percent were reported to go onto to a four year college. Mr.Canada, with a humble attitude, says that all that is needed to succeed as a school is to establish a good culture within the school, as well as to hire enthusiastic and professional educators.

Waiting for Superman. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Film. .