Posted by
Waski_the_Squirrel on Monday, March 09, 2009 6:43:45 PM
To solve problems in education, too many seem to turn to a government solution. On the surface, it does seem to make sense. After all, most of our students attend government schools. However, what we seem to forget is that a government mandate does not change the success of the student. Allow me to illustrate.
Require Algebra I
California recently toyed with requiring all 8th grade students take Algebra I. At the moment, this requirement is in court, and it looks like the requirement will be dropped. Chicago implemented the Algebra I requirement for 9th grade.
Chicago's experience (and my own) is quite a good illustration.
The Chicago schools discovered that the Algebra I requirement did not increase math scores. Worse, more students earned failing grades. The reason is quite simple. Not all students are ready for or able to take Algebra I. The requirement of Algebra I sounds good until you run into this roadblock.
A school where I used to teach had the Algebra I requirement for 9th graders. The school quickly discovered the same thing as Chicago. The requirement increased the number of failing grades, did not increase math scores, and actually caused the Algebra I teacher to "dumb down" the course. All of this was contrary to the noble goals behind the mandate.
A new principal came along and decided that the solution was to break Algebra I up into a 2 year course for the slower students. I taught this class. We called it Algebra 1/2 and Algebra 1/2 part 2. (I tried for Algebra 2/2, but he didn't see the humor.) What I did, with questionable success, was to use a different curriculum. I chose Saxon because of its emphasis on basic skills and repetition.
The students were more successful with my choice. (Passing is nice!) However, with some students I still ran into the same roadblocks. Some lacked the basic skills they needed to succeed in Algebra. Others simply could not comprehend Algebra. It was too abstract.
For the first group, I suggest that they should have been caught while younger and helped with those basic skills. For the second group, I suggest that they be allowed more time. I tend to find that a certain amount of maturity is required to comprehend Algebra I, and not all students have it as freshmen in high school. Some might be better off with PreAlgebra. They would be successful as juniors or seniors.
The requirement of Algebra I looks good on paper, but a requirement doesn't mean it will improve education.
No Dropouts
Another popular reform is to eliminate the ability of students to drop out of school. I think that most people would agree that a high school education is a bare minimum to success in life (with the occasional exception -- I do know about the founder of Wendy's). It seems to follow that we should require everyone to get that high school diploma.
The trouble is that students who want to drop out have already dropped out. They have poor attendance, have quit working, or they may become behavior problems. Keeping these students in school doesn't help them and it can actually harm the education of the other students.
What we should do is offer some alternatives. For some the GED works well. Others hit the real world and realize that they need that high school education. For others, perhaps a different kind of school would be appropriate. Vocational schools, apprenticeships, and other types of alternative school have been quite successful with this kind of student.
A student should not drop out of school, but making this a law does not solve the problem. It's a quick fix that grabs headlines.
A Dose of Reality
The scary truth is that all kids are different. While it's almost impossible to do a truly individualized curriculum, we do need to provide options for the different kinds of students in our schools. Vocational training isn't a "second best." It should be a different option. The same holds true for other options.
Kids are unique in motivation, talent, and interest. Of these, motivation is the toughest to work with. However, just offering options will pick up the motivation in more students.