Wild West practices in the US
AObcolleague Wouter van der Schaaf cycled from Chicago to New Orleans and immersed himself in American education. He paints a shocking picture of low wages, compulsion to perform, segregation and lack of union rights.
Picture: Nanne Meulendijks
In all the books that I prior to my more than two thousand kilometers edubike read, the political power play in American education was discussed. It is a power struggle between the different layers of American education: the federal government in Washington DC, the governments of the individual states and the local education authorities, represented by the Board of Education. The quality of education - let alone the interests of students and teachers - is never paramount in this power game.
The state tries to take over power, especially in urban areas, and thereby impose its own will. Democrats are strongly represented in urban areas. They have traditionally supported the publicschool. Republicans, who have the greatest influence in rural areas, have a strong ideological relationship with the privatization and commercialization of education.
In the southern states in particular, the struggle has led to 'vouchers' (the government gives an amount per student to the parents and then lets them shop with it) and to charter schools (free market schools with their own rules and working conditions). The business community has introduced a performance-oriented accounting culture into education.
Almost all teachers have a second job
My conversations on the spot have deepened the picture of power struggles and wastage of education. I found the working conditions of the employees in education shocking. Teachers all work full-time in order to qualify for social security benefits such as pensions, holiday pay and health insurance contributions. Almost all the teachers I spoke to had a second job. In restaurants I regularly encountered a teacher in the service, "so that I can pay all my expenses". Young teachers in particular will be stuck for years to pay off their study costs, which can easily amount to 60 dollars. A full-time job in education means 35 teaching hours for the classroom. Those who are unlucky enough to eat more than ten sick days a year will not receive a salary. It's chasing sick teachers into class - burnt out or not. Out of circulation for more than three months? No more job security.
Threatened
Everyone I spoke to is concerned about the future of the American Teaching Corps. "The number of registrations for teacher education has fallen by half," said Debbie Meaux of the Louisiana Association of Educators. "At the moment it is a job without status, without prospects, with a high risk of burnout and in this state for twelve years now, a salary on the zero line." In addition, in her state - and not only in Louisiana - the public schools are increasingly being replaced by charter schools, schools where a teacher training diploma is no longer a requirement and where salaries are freely entered. “It undeniably reduces the quality of our education,” says Meaux.
What do education unions have to counteract this, as advocates? Horribly little, it turns out. In the northern states there is still a strong collective representation of interests via collective agreements; in the southern states, the word "cao" is an exotic term. There is simply no collective bargaining agreement. Not in Mississippi, not in Kentucky, not in Louisiana. Had I cycled on for another month, I would have ended up in Georgia, Alabama and many more anti-union states. States in which the most fundamental trade union rights - the right to organize and the right to bargain - are effectively flouted. The power of employers is unparalleled.
In case of negative results, the teachers are accountable, with all the consequences that entails
Teachers feel threatened. More than ever, they are under pressure from the pressure to perform. The test scores of students are part of this. The reasoning is as simple as it is straightforward: if the children score well on the three core subjects - English, Science and Maths - then that is good for the school. But in case of negative results, the teachers are the first to be held accountable, accountable. With all the consequences, including salary and job security.
It is 'made-of-thick-wood-saw-planks-policy' where the teacher is permanently seen as the determining factor of success. What's special, and disturbing, is that both Republican President Bush Jr. are not No Child Left Behind if the Democrat Obama with his Race to the Top followed a similar course. "As much as Obama has done to healthcare through Obamacare, so little has he been to education," said former New Orleans rector and education analyst Raynar Sanders. “He has done too little to counter the Republican obsession with scoring and billing. And his Minister of Education, Arne Duncan, has contributed a lot to this. ”
This is a harsh judgment about Obama and his education policy. Maybe too hard, because education policy is ultimately not made in Washington DC, but in the states, by the governors, by the local governments. In addition, it is good to bear in mind that education is financed to a large extent from the local property tax. The higher the WOZ value, the more money for education. The greater the salary differences. The greater the inequality in the chances of the students. The federal government compensates for this to some extent, but certainly not completely.
Real problems
"The policy is permanent symptom management," said Debbie Meaux of the Louisiana Association of Educators. “We in America are good at tackling sub-topics. But the real problems are not being worked on. ”
The segregation between white and black pupils remains high
According to the teachers I meet, "the real problems" are the separation of race and social class in education. Education analyst Raynar Sanders: “The segregation between white and black students remains as high as ever. The disadvantage of black pupils and pupils from the socio-economically weakest groups is not decreasing, but increasing. The gap is widening. And it is the policy that ensures that. It is not a natural phenomenon. Only: there is no political urgency for education. ”
And so the unrest increases. In North Carolina and other states, teachers are taking action. They see tax relief for businesses and insufficient resources for education. "Teachers are leaving work to raise awareness of their plight and the threat to the quality of education," said Carol Caref of the Chicago Teachers Union.
Trailer
An Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, who is a staunch supporter of Trump's 'education' agenda, is not helping to address the real issues. On the contrary. “She has nothing to do with public education”, Say almost all interlocutors. She and her children attended expensive private schools. She has no educational background other than that she has spent millions promoting 'vouchers' and 'charter schools'. DeVos agrees with the policy of prioritizing for-profit Christian schools over public schools. Just as she advocates that schools that receive funding from the government should be allowed to select students. To date, it has not yet managed to make a decisive mark on policy. But the education unions hold their breath. Because everything DeVos advocates is at odds with what unions and teachers stand for.
