The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that a poll by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) shows “Americans are increasingly worried about the quality of elementary and secondary schools and students’ preparedness to compete in the global economy, and college faculty members are among the public-education system’s greatest critics.”
College professors tended to view the public schools more negatively than did Americans in general. Over all, 44 percent of Americans gave the nation’s schools a C grade, while 15 percent thought the schools deserved a D. But 49 percent of the professors gave the schools a C, and 23 percent gave them a D.
Similarly, only 11 percent of adults said they thought the schools had high expectations for students and significantly challenged them, but even fewer college professors (2 percent) thought students were significantly challenged.
The ETS poll concludes that there is widespread support for education reform.
There’s no doubt that public schools can and should be transformed, the big questions are who should the schools be accountable to and in what ways should they be transformed.
The “global competitveness” argument is corp-speak for making public schools serve the interests of big business as opposed to engaging students in developing meaningful understandings of their world.
The engine of NCLB-style reforms of public education in the US are standardized tests, so you draw you on conclusions about the relationship between the poll’s sponsor (one of the largest test-pushers in the world) and its findings.
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During the economic upswing of the 90’s I don’t seem to remember schools being given any credit for that boom. In fact, I NEVER recall schools being given their due when we have a huge economic upturn. Capitalisits are quick to criticize the schools when things are not going their way economically, but alas, when the economy is strong and the fat cats are making oceans of money, education and its contributiuon to the global economy couldn’t be further from their minds.
pmm