State School Reform: ‘It’s the Teaching Stupid’
December 24, 2009
What follows are excerpts from an article appearing on December 23, 2009, in the San Jose Mercury News that was written by two San Jose State University professors, B. Kumaravadivelu and Revathi Krishnaswamy.
As the California legislative battle lines are drawn over school reform, and as attempts are being made to put the state on track to Race to the Top by seeking its share of the $4.3 billion federal fund, what seems to be sorely missing is any informed discussion on the strategy to improve teaching.
Our public school systems are blessed with well-conceived curricula, textbooks and constructed tests. The weakest link in this educational chain is classroom teaching.
Our conversation with teachers, parents and students associated with top public schools in the South Bay reveal a clear pattern: They are all concerned about what actually happens in the classroom.
Burdened with large classes, limited resources and loathsome paperwork, teachers are not able to give their full attention to teaching. They spend a substantial amount of class time conducting test, with little time left for giving students sufficient practice or feedback. They bitterly complain that in a system where only test scores matter, teaching takes a back seat.
If we are serious about improving instruction in our public schools, we need to devise an effective in-service program that will help teachers develop the knowledge and skill necessary to observe, analyze and evaluate their own teaching.
California can compete more effectively for top dollars by articulating a comprehensive strategy for teachers to improve their everyday practice of teaching. As legislators and negotiators wrangle over parental freedom, charger schools, accountability and other issues, they should remind themselves, “It’s the teaching, stupid.”
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