Yes, We Are Stupid in America!: A Former Principal’S Reality Check on Why Our Public Schools Are Failing

CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part I

History And Background Of The Us Education System

1 : A History Of Federal Education Reform Initiatives

Part II

State And Local Education

2 : Georgia Department Of Education (Gadoe)

3 : Local Boards Of Education In The State Of Georgia

Part III

Educators And The Community

4 : Local School Districts In The State Of Georgia— Superintendent, Central Office, And School Principals

5 : Local Cooperative Efforts Of Teachers, Parents, And Students—In Georgia And Everywhere

Conclusion

Endnotes

Resources

About The Author

To my three grandchildren, Clay, Matt, and Bree, who inspire me to do everything possible to guarantee that they receive the education they deserve.

PREFACE

Let me begin by explaining how I came to write Yes, We Are Stupid in America! I had never written a book before, but I started writing just to give voice to my frustration with our public education system. The writing provided a great catharsis for me. Through my research I learned a great deal, which enabled me to augment the knowledge I already had as an educator and administrator. As a result, I sought to share with others all that I’d learned. I realized that the best way to reach the widest audience would be to write a book—that way, I could share my views with fellow educators, as well as with parents and other citizens who care about public schools.

While I was putting the finishing touches on the manuscript in preparation for submitting it to the publisher, the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre occurred. Mere words cannot express the pain and grief that overwhelm us all—as educators, as parents, as human beings—in response to such unspeakable violence. We must do all we can to prevent future acts of this kind, so that our children are never again forced to endure a tragedy within the walls of their own school, a place that should be a safe haven for learning.

That said, please understand that our discussion will focus on education reform, not school violence, which is an entirely different topic beyond the scope of this book’s intent. The introduction details the contents of the book, so please read it before diving into the main sections.

Thank you for reading this book and for sharing my passion for education.

—VW

Dr. Vicky Wells is a retired middle school principal currently working to reform the public education system. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership, and worked as a middle and elementary school counselor, a prekindergarten director, a testing director, and an elementary school classroom teacher prior to her seven-year term as principal.

A southeast Georgia native raised in a traditional southern Christian home, Dr. Wells has been married for forty-one years (as of this writing), and has two grown children and three grandchildren. She and her husband still live in the same part of Georgia where she grew up.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book could not have been written without all the many blessings I receive from God, including being born to a wonderful, supportive family. I realize how fortunate I am to have grown up in a home with loving parents who taught me to stand up for what I believe in and to never compromise my integrity. This laid the foundation for writing this book.

I want to thank my daughter, Heather, for being my sounding board. A fellow educator, she is always open to discussing educational issues and possible solutions to problems within the education system.

I also want to thank my husband, Nicky, for supporting me throughout the writing process, and also for putting up with Heather’s and my discussing something other than football at every occasion. Although he very seldom participated in our conversations about education, he was the first to call me at work to inform me of anything new in the news on the subject. He and my son, Nicholas, encouraged me to not just discuss the situation, but actually do something about it. This book is a result of my family’s encouraging me to inform others as to why our current education system is not working effectively.

In addition, I want to thank the people at iUniverse who were invaluable in helping me organize and edit the book for publishing. In particular, Krista and Lisa provided key assistance, and I am grateful for their expertise.

Finally, thanks to Fox News for their efforts to be fair and balanced in their reporting, without fear of telling the real story. They constantly remind me of the importance of free speech and disseminating important information to others so that they can make informed decisions.

INTRODUCTION

Wake up, America! Wake up to the condition of education in the United States in 2013. According to the National Education Association (NEA) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), our students are falling far behind other nations in achievement.¹

• The United States trails top-performing nations in reading, mathematics, and science on international tests. (Asian countries lead the pack.)²

• Annual US expenditures per student are significantly higher than those of the top-performing nations. (US $10,600 per student, as compared to Japan $8,000 and South Korea $6,500; average annual spending in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries is $7,200 per student as of 2012.)³

• In 2011, a scant 34 percent of fourth- and eighth-graders scored at or above proficiency levels in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).⁴

• Only 40 percent of fourth-graders and 35 percent of eighth-graders scored at or above the proficiency level in mathematics on the NAEP in 2011.⁵

• According to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which is administered every three years, US fifteen-year-olds ranked 14 out of 34 for skills in reading, 17 (out of 34) for science, and 25 (out of 34) for mathematics.⁶

• US twelfth-graders scored below the international average and among the lowest of the twenty-one nations examined in the Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS).⁷

• Nationwide, about 75 percent of the 2005 incoming college freshman class graduated from public high schools on time in 2009.⁸

• Also nationwide, only about 33.3 percent of students who graduate from high school are ready for college.⁹

Statistics like these make it seem that John Stossell, host of Stossell on the Fox Business Network, was on to something when he hosted the documentary special Stupid in America.¹⁰ However, we must not let statistics mislead us into thinking that the students are the stupid ones. The stupid ones are not the students, but the educational leaders who are focused on the wrong things. Completely. It’s not particularly the teachers’ fault, the parents’ fault, or the students’ fault that they are lagging so far behind other countries in achievement—although they all play a part in it.

As an educator and former school administrator, I can see the problem. And so I must ask: If I can see the problem, why can’t our leaders see it? Why can’t they identify what the real problem is with education in America? This book offers suggestions for finding a workable solution to resolving that problem, and it also shares the knowledge acquired to reach the conclusions that gave birth to those suggestions.

Yes, I come from a very small, fairly isolated area in rural southeast Georgia, and a lot of readers may be thinking, What does she know? Well, here’s what I know. I know that what we are currently doing is not working. I also know that we are spending more money on our students than any other country, and yet our students are performing at significantly lower levels of achievement. And furthermore, I know that the problem is not specific to certain areas of America. The problem affects the entire United States, with the minimal exception of some of the more affluent areas.

No, Davis Guggenheim, director of the award-winning documentary Waiting for Superman,¹¹ we cannot wait for a fictional character to rescue our failing education system. It’s totally up to us to fix the problem, with or without charter schools. As promised above, I will attempt to convey in simple everyday language my view of what is happening with education in America, beginning with the bureaucratic leaders and ending with students, and then offer suggestions for what we can do to fix it.

To that end, the book is divided into three parts, corresponding to the background and history of education in America, the bureaucracy of education at the state and local levels, and the need for cooperation between educators (school boards, school principals, counselors, teachers, etc.) and the community (parents and students). Specifically, every chapter includes sections labeled reality check, which offer candid, no-nonsense assessments of the current education system and process, as well as ideas for improvements. All this comes from many years of hands-on experience as a teacher and principal, and it is presented with the goal of empowering educators and parents to work together to improve education for our children. We are all responsible for the future, and we each play a part in cooperating to create the best possible outcomes. Optimal education must be a community effort!

My mission is to enlighten educators (and interested noneducators, whether parents or not) as to what is really going on within our education system. My ultimate goal is to initiate discussion about what changes need to be made in order for American students to be able to compete with students from other nations. Generally, the focus in education is on urban America, or inner-city schools, but my emphasis will be on rural America, as that is my area of expertise. Plus, this will address a wider range of students. According to data from the Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey in Education Week, slightly more than 33 percent of regular elementary and secondary public schools nationwide were in locations classified as rural by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 2009. In fact, in about one-half of the states, students in rural areas made up a majority of the public elementary and secondary school population.¹²

Regardless of the educational setting—whether it is rural, urban, or suburban—we all share the same concern: lack of student achievement in America. Let me again emphasize my heartfelt belief that it is our duty and responsibility as parents, teachers, and concerned citizens to provide our children with the best possible education, so that they can eventually become productive citizens. My hope is that every child in our great nation experiences the American dream, and we all know that the best way to achieve that is by receiving a good education.

So let’s not hesitate a moment longer—let’s come together as a community, nationally and locally, and cooperate to figure out the most sensible way to make sure that every child in America receives the education he or she deserves.

PART I

HISTORY AND BACKGROUND OF THE US EDUCATION SYSTEM

1

A HISTORY OF FEDERAL EDUCATION REFORM INITIATIVES

OVERVIEW

In order to briefly review the federal government’s role in education, a concise summary of the history and background thereof follows, as described on the US Department of Education’s website, www.ed.org.¹ A federal Department of Education was created in 1867. Originally named the Office of Education, it was later renamed the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The Department of Education Organization Act became law in 1979. In 1980, Congress established the United States Department of Education (ED). Although the US Constitution leaves responsibility for the legislative process to the individual states,² the federal government provides assistance in order to supplement, not supplant, state support.³ The official mission of the ED, as described on its website, is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.⁴

[Author’s note: The material in part I is intended to offer a summary overview of the US education system and the US Department of Education (ED), particularly for readers unfamiliar with either or both. This material is essential for informed reading of the subsequent chapters. Because the workings and history of the ED are so familiar to me as a result of all my years as an educator and principal, the majority of the text in this chapter is based on experiential knowledge. However, I have used the ED website as my primary source for information.⁵ All aspects of the ED are beyond the scope of this book. To learn more, please visit the website directly: www.ed.gov.]

KEY FEDERAL EDUCATION LEGISLATION

This chapter will outline and describe key federal legislation (from 1965 to the present) related to education in the United States:

• Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

• No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)

• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, a.k.a., Race to the Top [RT3])

ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT (ESEA)

The primary source of federal K-12 support began in 1965 with the enactment of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which authorizes the following: grants to elementary and