Dreaming of a Stellar System of Education for America

According to Bob Herbert of the New York Times, the Harvard University Graduate School of Education is launching a new three-year program to develop educational leaders.  The goal is to transform American education from its current losing position among developed nations.  So critical does Harvard consider this task, it is providing the new program tuition-free with a huge grant from the Wallace Foundation.
    And not a minute too soon.  In fact, for millions of Americans, it’s already way too late; and it may be too late for the U.S. as a whole.  Too late to catch back up with its earlier glory or with present-day Europe and Asia.  A little Googling reveals American students who are behind in math and science: a workforce that’s behind in reading, math, and science: and a declining professionalism in higher education.
    I hope these new educational leaders will figure out everything that is wrong in U.S. education.  Above all, I hope the Federal Government, state governments, and local governments will listen to them.  I hope the populace will demand change.  But I already know that the problems the new leaders are going to find will cost long-term commitment and long-term money to fix.
    One tremendous problem has to do with the quality of school teaching and curriculum.  Decades ago, when the only jobs available to educated women were teaching and nursing, American schools could count on brilliant, dedicated teachers, with innately high standards for their students.  Then, in the late sixties, the women’s movement began stealing away those high-quality teachers.  Young women in college could begin dreaming of careers in law, medicine, and business; or if they still wanted to teach, they could do so at the university level.  Such formerly “male” careers carried prestige, high salaries, independence.
    At the time, schools of education were notoriously “Micky Mouse,” teaching virtually useless material to students who often already had degrees in academic subjects, and who needed just the credits necessary for a teaching license.  Teacher education, teacher salaries, and esteem for school teaching needed to improve a great deal, if the profession was going to compete with other careers embraced by the women’s movement.  Alas, they did not.  So here is one reason we’re in an educational decline.  And this one is going to be a hard ship to turn around.

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