| mySPIN |
 Have we lowered our standards?
by Tom Campbell
September 24, 2009
UNC President Erskine Bowles emerged from a recent meeting of the Education Cabinet and fired what should have been a warning shot regarding the state of education in North Carolina. Bowles said our standards are too low.
He’s right. We tolerate excuses and low expectations on all fronts in public education. It isn’t acceptable that parents are not more involved in their child’s education. Raising children is not a sideline activity. Making sure children do their homework, get sufficient rest and understand the value of education is part of the job, as is staying informed about their progress and urging them to excel. Yes, there are too many homes where having a roof over the head, food on the table and clothes to wear is a daily struggle, but can we allow parents a pass just because they have it hard? If we truly believe the only way up and out of poverty is education why are we so unwilling to speak up on the importance of increased parental involvement as an essential element of improving education? And if parents are trying to do their part, why aren’t we more willing to help them?
Student standards are obviously too low. It isn’t acceptable that a reported sixty percent of our high school graduates cannot read at grade level or that our state consistently ranks in the lower tier of states in achievement. Are we really willing to admit that our children aren’t as smart or as industrious as those in states ranked higher? There’s no wrong in expecting students to dress presentably, to treat adults respectfully and to behave responsibly in class. Can we agree that students cannot learn where there is disruption in the classroom, bullying in the halls and low expectations? Is there any reason why we should not expect every student to master core subject matter? Why do we tolerate less?
Neither is it acceptable that our curriculum isn’t rigorous enough to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. Instead of raising standards, it appears that we have “dumbed down” our curriculum and spend too much time teaching to the achievement tests. How does this help better our students?
While it is unfair to place too much blame on administrators, principals and educators we wonder why they are willing to accept mediocre or poor results. Instead of just demanding more money and better pay why aren’t education professionals sounding alarms, accepting more responsibility and changing traditional methods that obviously don’t work? Their silence sounds like acceptance or, worse still, resignation.
Just as our standards are too low for public education the same could be said for higher education. If we agree that the primary mission of our universities is to educate and prepare the next generation of leaders, shouldn’t an important part of that mission also include training more and better teachers and principals to teach those coming after them? Have we lowered our expectations for transparency, accountability and excellence in higher education?
We will never be better than our expectations for any aspect of society, and we can only be as strong as the weakest of us. Why do we tolerate less than excellence? Have we, as President Bowles warned, lowered our expectations, both for ourselves and others? The call is to set the bar higher. |
|
