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A+ Coalition for Education ( A letter.... from John N. Todd III, M.D. ) Selected from the INTERNET BOOK: "The Doctor's Marvelous Medicine" ( http://www.terrific-tabs.com ) by John N. Todd III, M. D. (link)
Posted here 9/13/02; revised or supplemented 9/02; 10/02; 11/02; 1/03; 3/03; 7/03; 1/04; 6/05; 2/5/07 See related titles, in this website, linked below: What would SANTA CLAUS and ROBIN HOOD do about taxes? AND: Public Schools in Alabama AND: MORE Local TAX from productive citizens AND: RACISM, and anti-Racism AND: Taj Majal Public Schools AND: TRACKING in public schools And: Ebonics and Albonics AND: Mutual involvement foundation for education (MIFFED) AND: LABORATORY-public school, managed by a college AND: TAX: more and more TAX for more and more programs CLICK HERE to go to the "FRONT PAGE" of "The Doctor's Terrific Tablets" CLICK HERE for ALPHABETICAL INDEX of this entire WEBSITE CLICK HERE to EMAIL your thoughts to the author
Dear Chairman of "A+ Coalition for Education", Thank you for what "A+ Coalition for Education" is attempting to do for public education in Alabama. My wife and I heard you speak recently, when you addressed a meeting of the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Also, we read your recent detailed opinion-piece in the Tuscaloosa News. I assume the same essay was published in other Alabama newspapers. I am writing this letter in response to your comments. It is certainly not my place or my purpose to criticize what you and A+ are hoping to do for "education" in Alabama. However, I would like for you and A+ to be informed that many knowledgeable and "involved" citizens do not whole-heartedly agree with the essence of your proposals. In fact, there are those of us who would say that there is nothing either new or specific in the "14" points which your essay attempted to describe. And, although you have portrayed the A+ mission as being "grass roots", and "visionary".... some individuals have observed that you have simply re-cycled the "same ole" material with the "same ole" legislators, politicians, "educators", and "insiders" -- along with a $65,000 out-of-state "consultant".... so that your proposals come-across to many of us overtaxed citizens as a haughty assumption by the "A+ Coalition" that: "You outsiders and little-people just don't understand this 'education' thing -- so we inspired and informed big-people will have to tell you just what we have decided is best for y'all." I would say that there is a great difference in the condescending "idealism" that you and other members of your power-group propose.... as compared with the "realism" that those of us, who make up the vast majority of thinking citizens, know and understand about some of the actual problems in Alabama "education". For example, it may be true that a few individuals are willing to have more tax-money extracted from their paychecks, to "invest" in the public schools; but no productive tax-paying citizens -- those who actually pay income-tax and property-tax -- will willingly "invest" until they can be positively and honestly assured that their additional tax-dollars will not be irretrievably sucked into the existing un-reformed education-maelstrom. No plan of improving public education will be embraced by the "grass roots" until wasteful costs have been reduced; like, for example, the ridiculously-excessive administrative overhead at State, county, and local levels. I will come back to other points of "waste" and "cost" and "reform", later in this letter. But first, let me remind you of a few facts, and "numbers": 70% of the adults in our State do not have children of school age. Of the remaining 30%, many of the productive adults (probably about 1/3 of the 30%) have removed their children from the public schools, and are paying tuition for private (or home) schooling of their children. Of course, those who are paying tuition to private schools, must also continue to pay their tax-share for "public education" of the children of other parents. So, it may be a bit dreamy of your group to think that there will soon be a groundswell of support for greater "investment" (taxation) for "public education", particularly when one realizes that 80% of tax-paying individuals have no one attending public schools (leaving only 20% of adults with active "involvement" in the public schools.... and of that 20%, fully 1/2 are probably not in a socio-economic condition to "contribute" tax-dollars, significantly). My wife and I attended several sessions of the recent "Equity Funding Trial", in Montgomery. We learned the following: in the 20 years between 1967 and 1987, our State nearly tripled (adjusted for inflation) its funding for K-12 education, even though the actual number of K-12 students was less in 1987 (729,000), than in 1967 (864,000).... and even though kindergarten was not included in the 1967 student-count. Now, in 1992, there are even fewer students in public schools than in 1987.... but the amount allocated to Alabama's Special Education Trust Fund has grown to $2.6 billion this year [$4.2 billion in 2001].... which amounts to nearly 1/3 of the entire State budget. My question for you, and others who repeatedly demand "just give us more tax-money", is "How much is enough?" How much more "taxing" can be shoved down the wallets of the relatively few tax-payers in our "monetarily" poor State..... for "education". Remember.... the average annual income of Alabama-families is much lower than the national average. If tax-paying Alabamians were to be taxed an additional one billion dollars, each year, for education, will anyone be able to guarantee that our students will magically become more "teachable", and hence able to learn better, and faster; or that our teachers will spontaneously become better qualified, and more diligent and efficient? No, of course not! But, oh yes, I already know.... you tell us that, with additional "funding", we will have newer buses; and that all the classrooms will have fresh paint.... and there will be fewer portable classrooms.... and teacher salaries will rise to the national average. What you don't say, however, is that the State and county and city Boards of Education will become larger, and that there will be more social workers, and counsellors; and that there will be bigger bands, and better football teams. And, you tell us that "art" and music appreciation will be more widely taught (while English composition, and math and science are languishing). Naturally, too, you might have added that with greater taxation, the schools will be able to afford more policemen and monitors in the corridors, and more metal-detectors at the gates of the fences around our public-schools. Some of our other questions were also not addressed in you "opinion-piece". Will student-assessment ("achievement") scores improve when our taxes are increased? NO! Will race-relations improve? Will discipline return to the classroom? NO! Will God and prayer be brought back? Will juvenile pregnancy disappear? Please have A+ answer these questions for us.... Mr. Chairman of A+ Coalition. Your essay in the Tuscaloosa News of 11-22-92, said tracking (link) runs "counter to your principles". And yet, the next paragraph says, "Not all students learn at the same pace; thus, time, not achievement, should be the variable." (Gee Whiz ! !) So what do you propose concerning "time" for the fast-learning students, while those slow-learners are being brought-along. Will the "fast" (bright) students be "tracked" into advanced courses, or will they be allowed to languish.... just sitting, and waiting, and getting bored.... and thus falling from their fast-learning "curve" down to the lowest common denominator of their classroom group? Remember idle-hands/idle-minds.... and the "devil's workshop". And, under A+'s "plan", will fast-learning students be encouraged to attend classes on Saturdays and during the summer, and thus accelerate their skills; or will only the slow students be "tracked" into extra classes, and thus identified, and sequestered? Your statements are incongruous on this point of "tracking". Concerning "tracking": if a student cannot hand-write a sentence, he does not need to be in the class with those who are learning to use a "word-processor". If a student masters computer-games, that does not generate in him the ability to understand and utilize a computer. If a student cannot learn to add and subtract.... why waste time trying to teach him algebra and geometry? If a student cannot read at a satisfactory level, why attempt to impose "History" on him. If a student cannot diagram a sentence, why force him to waste time on "English Literature"? Why get hung-up on teaching "technology" to those who cannot add the prices on a grocery list? You may not choose to call it "tracking", but the concept of intellectual (and psychological and behavioral) separation must and will, inevitably, be included in any realistic plan to improve our educational processes. You say, in your "essay": "The school must find an alternative advocate" for a student, if the parents do not function satisfactorily in that capacity. Should students be taken away from their parents? Who would decide? Should "kindergarten" begin at age 6 months, or 1 year, or at age two? Just how far back in a child's development should the public school system impose itself, in order to provide for students who are (in someone's opinion) "deprived"? You referred to A+'s plan for eliminating "health and social barriers" in the schools. Would it really help to eliminate those "barriers" for the students only? Would the "Coalition for Education" say that in order to really help the educational process, those "barriers" should also be "eliminated" from the parents at home? What about intellectual inadequacy, and pyschological and behavioral disturbances, of students and parents? Should all of these problems be funded by the education budget? Where would the "Coalition" draw the line? How many of our nation's societal problems should be dumped at the feet of "public education"? You said that "hungry and abused and homeless" children should be dealt with by the public education system. Should their parents be included? What about problems of alcoholism and drugs, at school, and at home? What about illiteracy of parents? Should parents be forced back into the public school system? What about unemployment of the parents? Should the public education system guarantee a "good job" -- with a "livable-wage" -- for a "single-mom" who has children in the public schools? Can we charge all this to the education budget? If so, where does the money come from? I think I know. I think I understand your position, and the position of the politicians and the educators.... "Just get us more money from the taxpayers.... and we'll get everything fixed". Gee.... how long have we taxpayers been hearing that ! ! ! Your newspaper article said: "The ways students are assessed must be as rich as the outcomes projected for them". I have not been able to decipher that statement. I suppose that you are saying that you would not be satisfied with a "standardized" test. Perhaps you are proposing a test designed for each student, regardless of his intrinsic intellect and educability, a test that each student is guaranteed to pass, with a 95% grade. I regret to inform you that in real life, real "tests" are given, repeatedly, throughout everyone's entire adult career.... tests that measure not simply what a home-made basic-achievement-test at school might have frivolously measured, but "tests" that evaluate what one truly knows and understands.... as determined by comparison with "real-life" assessment of educated people.... not only in Alabama, but throughout the country. Concerning "broad and deep staff development", perhaps a good way to start would be an honest teacher-assessment program, for evaluating teachers already in the "system", and for eliminating inadequate teachers. (It's virtually "impossible", now, to "eliminate" them.... because of the power of "teacher-unions".) Does the "A+ Coalition" have a position on "exit-testing" of new graduates of teacher-colleges. If teachers are considered, by some, to be "professionals"; why should they not be required to be "certified" professionally, as in other professions? And perhaps your proposed "staff development" should include a mechanism for eliminating dead-weight not only in the teaching "staff", but also in the administrative "staffs". Now, let me just list a few other areas where "reform" (hence savings) can be achieved, if the educator/legislator/politician/big-men can miraculously and suddenly transform into realistic "statesmen". Here is a partial list of my suggestions.... begin accepting and utilizing volunteer teachers and assistants (paid and unpaid) in classrooms, regardless of their "certification" by the Alabama Education Association; permit student attendance at neighborhood schools; allow parental choice of schools; revise (reduce) cross-town busing system; de-fund redundant and useless "junior colleges"; eliminate some of Alabama's 78 superfluous college "branch" campuses; develop endowed and earmarked personal and corporate contributions to "foundations" for the benefit of public schools (controlled by contributors); initiate partial "privatizing" (independent management) of certain aspects of public-school control (see link Laboratory Public Schools); develop honest and realistic and variable academic curricula; reduce "top-down" mandates and edicts; remove useless teachers, and un-taught class "aides"; accept and utilize advice from the front-line teachers; and on and on. Thanks for listening, Mr. Chairman. Keep working on public education. I know that you and we are indeed really on the same side.
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