Education What's Wrong?

Too Many Cooks Spoil The Broth, at least according to an old bit of folk wisdom.

I have taken a preliminary look at bills introduced into the General Assembly that concern education.

A plethora of cooks!

I have been amazed for years at the steady stream of venom aimed at public schools, their teachers, and all who labor mightily at educating our children.

Our schools are failing! How do we know? Everyone says so.

When did everyone start saying that? As it happens, people started saying such things about 1970. Why? I'll save that for another post.

Since (we all know) the schools are failing, we have decided to give them more tasks, increase class size, and provide more direction by politicians.

How is that working out?

As it happens, we have the testimony of witnesses.

One such witness is Kenneth Bernstein, a recently retired high school teacher from Maryland. He has written a warning to college professors about the students about to enter their domain. His essay is definitely worth reading.

As is too often the case, actual experienced practitioners are keenly aware of problems in their area of expertise, but are powerless to do anything about it.

Bernstein makes it clear how much teachers resent the fact that their professionalism and dedication are not taken seriously.
 
IMHO, he has a point.

The late W. Edwards Deming, world renowned expert in quality control, observed in general that 85% of problems in quality are because of management. Mismanagement, if you will.

And teachers are workers, not management. In short, they are not to blame. Only those who make and run a system are responsible for the outcome. Increasingly that is meddling legislators and other elected officials.

Not long before he died, Deming completed a book titled The New Economics For Industry, Government, Education. Anyone interested in making a positive contribution to any of these three areas of human endeavor should read his book.