(Cross-posted on Kos)
NY-26: As I'm following Jon Powers in my car on this rain-drenched day in the 26th District, passing picturesque red barns and rolling green fields, I am reminded of the importance of agriculture in this community. Hand painted road signs advertising blackberries, honey and sweet corn dot the roads ribboning out in front of us. The occasional "Powers for Congress" sign is a nice touch, almost as if they knew Powers would be traveling through. But the easy-going bucolic scenery belies the economic hardship that affects many folks in upstate New York.
Powers is seeking to address one of the root causes of such hardship: problems with our education system. To that end, Powers hosted a teachers' round table in Lockport Thursday for this purpose at The Daily Grind coffee shop.
The disappointing graduation rate was the first thing one teacher mentioned, noting that the funding is not the problem, the graduation rate is the problem. On the topic of testing, one teacher stated "If you're teaching the material, it doesn't matter if the test is changed or not."
When the topic of high school rankings by magazines such as Newsweek came up, it was noted that the number of students now taking AP courses has drastically risen and some students are being pushed into AP when they are not prepared for it. One teacher said that "By the time they get to high school, they are tested out."
Powers pointed out that the concept of "discovery learning" is dying out and that some are saying there will be no Einsteins in the future because of it. This points to the "teach to the test" ideology running rampant in our schools and threatening to erode love for learning while promoting rote memorization. Thinking outside the box and using one's imagination are key components to innovation and subsequently a robust economy. It's all tied together, education and the economy, and Powers gets that.
Sue Powers, a retired reading teacher and the candidate's mother, pointed out that no one has been tracking success of these various programs adopted by schools. Another teacher agreed and said "No one is polling graduates to see how they're doing." Jon Powers agreed and said "Schools have very little follow up in alumni." A third teacher concurred and asked "How can we say we're creating lifelong learners if we don't know?"
One thing is for certain, Powers has an education plan and he's going all around the 26th District asking our area's teachers what their thoughts are so we can know. |
