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Krinke mired in Dickensian past
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Wednesday, 05 December 2007
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Gene Janicke
Guest Columnist
Poor Phil Krinke! Ever since he became the mouthpiece of the Taxpayers League he’s sounding more and more like a Dickensian Mr. Bumble who harrumphs love-thy-neighbor aphorisms while serving his charges gruel. I imagine Oliver Twist would feel right at home sitting in one of Mr. Krinke’s classrooms with 120 other students singing for their educational suppers.
More likely, young Oliver would be standing in the aisle unable to find a seat while Mr. Krinke lectured on. “No questions please,” Mr. Bumble, er, I mean Mr. Krinke would say, “No time for that sort of foolishness!” At the risk of giving him an idea that he might actually like, a tape player would do just as well, at far less cost.
Mr. Krinke complains that education hasn’t changed much in the last 40 years and that the “over 50 crowd” would have a déjà-vu experience walking into one of today’s classrooms. As a certified member of the over 50 crowd – some would say over the hill - I can say that things have changed, and not necessarily for the better – unless you belong to the Taxpayers League.
I do not recall my 1960s era science or math classes being anywhere near the 40 students that are common today throughout Minnesota. At Johnson High School, science was challenging and fun, with just the right balance of lecture, discussion and lab, and plenty of time for Mr. Lindberg (physics) to answer individual’s questions.
Today’s students, who will be competing for world class tech and science jobs with their age mates from India and China, now have to compete just for elbow room with five other students in lab stations designed for two.
Krinke’s rather grim vision of an ideal primary classroom with “30 smallish desks facing the front of the room” sounds a bit like old Fagin’s creepy quarters crowded with the urchins society left behind. Phil forgot to suggest the sooty coal stove in the corner with a kettle of gruel on top since heating gas costs too much and the taxpayers kids don’t get a free lunch so why should the poor kids.
Thankfully Phil did get one thing right. The single most important factor affecting student performance is teacher quality. In fact, it’s just about the only thing that decades of studies indicate makes a difference. Forget uniforms or new and improved schedules or even bonus pay for quality teachers. None of these popular reforms have been shown to make much difference at all, especially when compared to quality teaching. Great teachers are great teachers because they love their work, regardless of pay.
If the Taxpayers League would like to shed their Scrooge-like reputation and actually make a difference in the lives of school children they should, for starters, give up their teacher bashing ways and start supporting high quality teacher training, both in the colleges that prepare future teachers and for teachers and principals already in the classroom. Notice I said principals, too. This is because the factor in second place when it comes to improving student performance is having a principal who is, first and foremost, an instructional leader. Under the old model, principals were seen as managers. In every one of today’s high performing schools, whether urban, suburban or rural, there is a principal who is an expert teacher and instructional coach.
Lastly, Mr. Krinke and friends should promote an accountability model that answers the question, “Accountable for what?” Too many current accountability programs are as fuzzy as last year’s mission statement. Effective accountability models must specify both content standards (what knowledge or skills are to be studied) and performance standards (exactly how one proves he knows the content or can perform the skill).There should be content and performance standards for both the students and the teachers (including administrators).
There are two ways to make such a program work. The first way is to hire a bunch of accountability police whose job it is to catch teachers and kids who are not studying the given texts, or who are not performing to the decreed level and then punish them. That’s how No Child Left Behind works.
The second, and preferred, way is to harness the problem solving creativity and professionalism of the people we already know and trust – our teachers and principals. Using a team responsibility approach – sometimes called a professional learning community – along with specific content and performance standards for both instructional practices and academic learning, our educators will hold themselves and their students accountable.
Of course this model will require dedicating time for teachers to meet as problem-solving teams, and support for the training necessary to implement the plan. And, sorry Phil, that means investing a few more tax dollars in our schools.
I can only hope that Mr. Krinke and the Taxpayers League stop shouting their “no-new-taxes” slogan long enough to team up with the rest of us and spend some quality time solving Minnesota’s education dilemma. Working together is the only way to keep our kids’ futures from being mired in the Dickensian past.
(Note: To read more about professional learning communities simply Google: Dufour professional learning communities.)
Gene Janicke recently retired after 36 years in public education - 34 in the St. Paul system. His career included stints as a paraprofessional, classroom teacher, school principal and assistant superintendent. He and his wife have lived in Forest Lake for more than 30 years.
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