Standards, Schmandards

“No child will ever be left behind on my watch!”

The Indiana House of Representatives has sent an education bill to the House Education Committee that is worth noting on this blog (if you have any concerns about me commenting on this bill, please refer to the “disclaimer” tab at the top of the page). If the bill passes committee, it will then be returned to the House for a second reading, where proposed amendments and changes will be offered. If still supported by a majority of House members, it will then be engrossed (put in its finished form) and receive a third and final reading in the House. If a majority of the members vote yes to the finished bill, it will pass the House and go through the whole process again in the Senate. So the bill has a long way to go, and it could change form again, but let’s take a look.

HB 1357 calls for a loosening of standards for school superintendents, i.e. the Big Dogs of school administration. The bill

So it appears that we’re looking to turn our schools into businesses! It would be one thing to run the “business” with trained professional educators, but we’re not even asking for that anymore. Donald Trump hasn’t taught in the classroom before, but he’s a good businessman, so he can run our schools. Wait, he doesn’t have any experience working with students ranging from k-12? He doesn’t know how kids think, study, or process information? He doesn’t know about current educational strategies used by professional teachers in the field today? That’s okay, he’ll hold the bottom line financially. . Sound familiar?

The proposed law is getting attention and some folks have already criticized the bill. For me, I’d like to refer you once again to Kenneth Bernstein’s article. To wit:

It appears as if some of us still believe that teachers should be seen, not heard.