9486 in the collection
Public schools get bad marks: Poll finds Tennesseans prefer almost any other option
Donna Metler Comment:
I have to ask one question about Friday's article, "Public schools get bad marks." Is ANYONE surprised?
For the last few years, all we've heard is how bad public schools are. How they're failing academically, how they're unsafe, how wonderful charters are, and so on. On the same day this article ran, on the front page, there was an article about mathematics education, and about Margaret Spellings' call for a National Mathematics Panel.
I am a product of public education through graduate school, as is my husband. Until I left to raise my daughter, I was a proud Memphis City Schools teacher. And I can tell you that I would happily entrust my daughter's education when she starts kindergarten to the teachers at the schools I taught at.
But I also know what they're being asked to do. I know that Kindergarteners are being hit by repeated testing and expectations which really aren't appropriate for that age, and are being deemed "failures" if they don't develop in the same way at the same time. I know that in many schools, recess doesn't happen until after TCAP is over in April. I know that teaching the students you have and meeting their needs has been largely replaced by scripted curricula which don't offer a lot of flexibility. I know that, despite state mandates on time for various classes, in most schools everything that's not on the test gets short shrift, at best.
And I know that my 3 yr old, who loves "Miss Bindergarten" and is eager to go to "Kidnergarten" won't thrive in that environment, because the teachers aren't allowed to be "Miss Bindergarten". In fact, many of them have trouble even being "Miss Viola Swamp" due to various mandates.
For that reason, I don't expect my little girl, at age 5, to be stepping through the doors of a public school. Because she's a child. Not a future worker, not a future consumer, and not a test score.
Start teaching CHILDREN again, and we'll talk.
By Jacinthia Jones
More than half of Tennesseans are dissatisfied with public education in the state and support more options, according to a new public opinion poll on K-12 education issues.
The poll, commissioned by the Indianapolis-based Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, which promotes school choice reforms, found that 52 percent of Tennesseans graded the state's public school systems as "poor" or "fair."
Only 15 percent of Tennesseans say a regular public school is their first choice for their child's education. More favored private schools (37 percent), charter schools (28 percent) and homeschooling (18 percent).
Just over half of respondents said they favored school vouchers, special-needs scholarships and other education choices.
"Less than two out of 10 people would choose a regular public school over other options. That's pretty shocking," said Paul DiPerna, director of partner services at Friedman who helped craft the poll questions.
Pollsters found that attitudes toward public education declined in the age group when most appear to be the most involved or involved longer in education. For example, the percentage of Tennesseans rating the public school system as "excellent" or "good" dropped from 32 percent among 26-to 35-year-olds to 23 percent for 36- to 45-year-olds.
After jobs and economic growth, respondents said K-12 education was the most important issue facing the state of Tennessee.
The poll's co-sponsors include the conservative watchdog group Tennessee Center for Policy Research and the anti-tax group Tennessee Tax Revolt.
DiPerna said the support of those groups and others have been "transparent." He said that the poll was scientific and described it as a "fact-finding mission" with no preconceived notions.
Others jointly releasing the poll include Agudath Israel of America, American Legislative Council, Black Alliance for Education Options, Hispanic Council for Reform and Education Options and Memphis Opportunity Scholarship Trust.
The telephone poll, with a 3 percentage point margin of error, was conducted in January by the research firm Strategic Vision in from a random sample of 1,200 registered Tennessee voters. Poll results are available at www.tennesseepolicy.org.
- Jacinthia Jones: 529-2780
Tenn. school survey
55 percent of poll respondents say public schools are fair or poor.
46 percent favor charter schools.
45 percent favor school vouchers.
51 percent believe public school funding level in Tenn. is "about right."
56 percent belive average salary of school teachers here is "about right."
— Jacinthia Jones
Commercial Appeal
2008-03-14
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
Pages: 380
[1] 2 3 4 5 6 Next >> Last >>
