“We are not here because of our students or their families. We’re not here because of their backgrounds. We’re not here because our staff are not working hard. We’re not here because our staff are not skilled, and we are not here because our system isn’t trying or doesn’t care,” [Superintendent] Castañeda said. “I think that Oregon in general, but Salem-Keizer in particular, is here for a much more technical but systematic reason, which is that our approach to teaching reading has not adequately supported teachers in the task we asked of them and it has drifted from evidence-based practices that we know work.”
This is a masterful statement, somewhat true and perfectly shaded. But let’s walk through it:
Are students or their families to blame? Uh, yeah. Absenteeism is a huge problem and any teacher will tell you that many parents have all but abandoned their role.
Are the backgrounds of the students and families to blame? Uh, yeah. Salem-Keizer as an enormous number of English as a Second Language learners. You think English is hard? Try learning it as your second language—one that’s not spoken at home.
Is the staff not working hard? Well, some are. But a lot of them have given up trying because lack of administrative and district support has made their attempts at hold kids accountable (in academics or discipline) impossible.
Are we here because the Salem-Keizer staff is not skilled? Well, are some are. But some decidedly are not, and I couldn’t tell you the last time a teacher in Salem-Keizer was removed for being bad at the job. (Way more are removed for sexual impropriety.) Do you know any company or organization that bats a thousand with 4,000+ employees? Me neither, and statistically it’s incredibly improbable. There’s just no way realistic way to remove bad teachers after their probationary period, so there absolutely are some who are not skilled.
Is the system trying? Does it care? I’m not sure we should anthropomorphize the education system like this, but let’s go with it. The system is trying the wrong things. What should it do:
- Foundational literacy and numeracy
- Cultural and civilizational knowledge transmission
- Civic formation
- Workforce preparation (in the broad sense)
- Socialization and behavioral development
It has failed in these tasks, instead focusing huge efforts and money on social services, psychological counseling, idealogical instruction, and, to some degree, parenting substitution.
If the system cares, it cares about the wrong things.
Castañeda is correct that the approach to teaching reading “has drifted from evidence-based practices that we know work.” (This move to passive construction when assessing blame is where the elegance of her statement lies.) Translated, our elementary teachers have been teaching crap, the district hasn’t intervened until now, but we’re going to all get on the same page going forward.
As a statement for venturing into the future this is fine. On some level it does little good to spend time casting blame about however richly deserved it may be—the crucial element being that actual change has to actually take place, and we’re not likely to be able to determine that for a few years.
This is a good start, though.