Friday Feb 10 2017
Betsy Squeaks By
Forget La La Land and Lego Batman, the big production abuzz in the media this past week was Education.
Democrats pulled an all-nighter Monday to filibuster for a full 24 hours on the Senate floor in an attempt to pressure Republicans to vote against DeVos. Republican senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkoswki of Alaska had already agreed to vote against her, bringing the vote to a tie. The Democrats proved unable to secure one more member from across the aisle to vote against DeVos, and Pence had to vote to break the tie—a historic first for a Cabinet secretary confirmation.
And yes, Senators did receive thousands of phone calls protesting De Vos selection, all from members of teacher unions whose dues are funneled to Democrat office holders. Cory Booker reversed his earlier position favoring school vouchers as did Elizabeth Warren. Their previous supportive comments were re-printed in this past week’s Wall Street Journal. And all 48 Democrats voted no, as did two Republican Senators, which really means voting yes for Teacher Union Campaign Cash. Booker and Warren are each kicking off their 2020 Presidential campaigns.
Across America legislatures are cutting back on Higher Education funding. That’s a hoot, given that they stood by letting schools raise their fixed costs. Fixed costs would include lavish buildings and 2.5 administrative positions for every full and part-time faculty position.
All of which is to say that Education is big business involving big money. Tens of thousands of individuals have found a home in this free wheeling government juggernaut called Education. Get yourself a Masters in Education or better yet an EdD, and a cushy job in administration awaits. And like most government projects, no need to worry about accountability.
Which brings me to my visit to a local Bar Be Que restaurant last evening. The chain advertises starting positions for $10 an hour, not bad for a ‘start out no experience job.’ But who does the chain get for that?
A young lady was at the register taking my order. The manager watched over her shoulder to make sure the ring up was correct. But I made it really tough, yep, I ordered 12 ounces of brisket to go. The reaction was one I have seen over and over in take out restaurants and delis, the clerk has no concept of weights and measures. Initially, she rang up a fraction of the order. The manager corrected her and brought the total to the 12 ounces ordered. But it was obvious by the look on the young lady’s face that she had no concept that 12 ounces is .75 lb. or three-fourths of one pound.
I suspect she was a high school graduate but she was certainly beyond junior high school when, at least when I was there, weights and measures are taught. And so for a starting salary of ten bucks an hour, the chain has someone who cannot enter an order. Yet in Texas we are paying about $10,000 per public school And in Texas, we don’t have public school unions.
Legislatures have demanded higher graduations rates. And as in the Atlanta public school scandal few years back, that is what we got, higher graduation rates rather than better graduates.
Someone needs to demand content mastery. Content mastery means learning a topic before one is moved to the next level. Indeed George Bush II got it exactly backwards. The best thing one could do for a child is to leave them, not behind, but in a situation where they might actually learn something rather than be promoted to meet universal graduation rates.
Like so many employers, I can imagine the restaurant hiring tutors, hoping to explains weights and measures to new employees. Otherwise cost control is out the window.
Counting enrollment is great for a fast food chain, no one goes to McDonalds to shop, they go to buy, so traffic count matters. But that is hardly the case for schools. Decades ago one could flunk seventh grade for not learning weights and measures. No more apparently. Quality always requires tough calls, quantity on the other hand is just a matter of shoving product out the door.
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