Education at a Standstill

The 2018 report on California’s educational rankings has just been released. Following the headline declaring: “California’s test scores nearly stagnant,” the byline states: “Disparities between disadvantaged students and their peers could persist for decades.” It appears this concern by the Department of Education over achievement gap between the various ethnic and economic groups of students takes precedence over their actual academic performance.

As Ted Lempert, president of Children Now, a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy group based in Oakland proclaims: “We must close gaps between vulnerable student populations and their peers.”

In case you’d care to know how California’s students are actually performing at their studies, the report is here to review. The overall proportion of the student population meeting satisfactory English language standards is just under 50 percent. As for mathematics, only 39 percent managed to make the grade. This is pathetic enough, but what appears to particularly dismay the educational establishment is when they view the performance records of select groups.

The proportion of Hispanic students meeting the minimum performance level in English is 39 percent; for mathematics it’s 26.6. Even more disillusioning is Afro-American achievement, with English at 32 percent and mathematics a dismal 19.7.

It’s at this point school officials begin to interpret the numbers so to draw the most favorable conclusions. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson defends the test results – now performed on electronic devices – when he says: “We’re encouraged by what we see, especially since these tests are more rigorous than previous paper and pencil tests. However, we need to make sure all students continue to make progress.” He then added, as if by reflex: “… the state must continue to make a priority of narrowing the achievement gap.”

The question then becomes: How shall the state narrow the achievement gap? The Department’s study concluded “California must increase school funding by nearly a third – $22 billion – and invest significantly in preschool and other early childhood program to make a meaningful difference.”

For those of you who systematically follow student performance, as I do, you may be wondering if the school system will ever get its act together. Perhaps an even more appropriate question is: Will the students ever get their acts together? The reason I pose this second question is because, as many of you who follow my articles are aware, it’s obvious the schools are not in the business of stuffing education into a person’s head. If test grades in a particular school system are abysmal, we may not automatically conclude the instructors are incapable.

I’ll offer a testimonial: As a onetime classroom instructor I regularly witnessed some of my students did well and some did poorly. Does this mean I performed competently with some and incompetently with others?  It isn’t very likely. What it really means is some pupils attending the school are either unable or unwilling to learn the subject matter. And when this is the case, there’s really not much an instructor can do. In short, learning is not something done to a student; it’s something done by a student.

There may be a reason why Hispanics don’t perform well in learning English. Over the years the magic words became English learner, which actually translates to non-learner. Currently nearly 25 percent of the total Californian K-12 enrollment is so categorized. This is partly due to the presence of very recent immigrants into the system. It can also be attributed to a certain number of pupils disinterested in education generally.

However, the major reason is the state’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), which provides supplemental federal funds to a school for each English learner. The funding ends after a student is reclassified as proficient. This built-in disincentive to reclassify students explains why students can be retained as English learners for countless years; many schools will do what they can to prevent the learning of the language, so to keep the money rolling in.

In the quest for equality, there’s another factor to consider. A California law enacted in 2010, titled the Open Enrollment Act, allows students to transfer out of poorly performing public schools and into those with higher rankings. The legislation provides that poor-performing schools are those bottom 1,000 statewide, based upon annual Academic Performance index test scores. The fact that, since its enactment, few students requested transfers is attributed by the law’s supporters to unawareness by parents as well as bureaucratic foot-dragging by the effected schools.

This resistance is understandable, for schools receive funding on an average daily attendance (ADA) basis; a transferring student means loss of money to the school district. I suppose, under some pretext, a student moving to a school with a higher grade point average can expect things will be better. However, I question the presumption a student’s performance will improve in a school with more proficient classmates.  Actually, the reverse seems more likely. It’s tougher when you’re outclassed by brighter peers.

When viewing inequality, there’s another factor to consider: special education students. They’re those with disabilities of all sorts, which can include autism, speech impairment, mental retardation, emotional disturbance and every other possible ailment. It’s understandable why many of these children cannot perform in any satisfactory manner. In an earlier time the public schools existed to provide basic education to those youngsters who exhibited the ability and willingness to adhere to a prescribed schedule of instruction. Those who did not or could not conform to the regimen were disenrolled. The nation’s schools operated economically, but arbitrarily, and performed their function admirably.

I’m no longer certain what the fundamental purpose of schooling is meant to be. If it’s designed to take the majority of readily educable pupils to a level of reasonable academic proficiency as quickly and economically as possible, this is one thing. If, however, its purpose is to transform, in some fashion, every single child in the nation, regardless of ability, into well-schooled individuals, it’s another matter all together. The undisputable fact is each of us has our limitations … as does each special education student. Forced schooling beyond a student’s ability does neither such student nor the school system any good whatever.

The public education labyrinth today, with its input of federal money and oversight, is certainly not an improvement. Not only is it unbelievably costly, but the fundamental emphasis on providing basic learning to the nation’s learnable students is diluted in countless ways. This politicization of education constitutes no improvement. Exactly how the collective “we” can close the achievement gap is beyond my understanding.

I’ll conclude on a positive note. Education in the United States is not as grim as reported. The focus on inequality distorts the picture. By definition, a school is failing if it’s in the bottom 5% of schools across the state based on combined English language arts and math scores. By mathematical necessity, five percent of the schools in every state must be designated as failing, and this is so regardless of the quality of teaching, the condition of the campus or a positive attitude of the students. If a school falls into this category because a large portion of the student body is not proficient in English, or perhaps not inherently scholastic by nature, or that many must work to help support their family, it will remain a failing school.

But despite the stigma assigned to a failing school, there’s no reason why highly-motivated pupils cannot do well in such a setting. Provided no actual hostility to education exists, a relatively bright and attentive student can both master the required subjects and maintain a high academic standing in the class.  The fact a school may be designated as failing need not rub off on those who attend.

A final though: If the media would concentrate on the ninety-five percent of schools which are not failing, we’d discover there are many fine institutions, a huge pool of dedicated instructors and a nation brimming with educated youngsters.

Al Jacobs, a professional investor for nearly a half-century, issues weekly financial articles in which he shares his financial knowledge and experience. You may view it on http://www.roadwaytoprosperity.com

al@beachcomber.news