TOW #29 - Waiting For "Superman" by David Guggenheim Argument

Imagine yourself running as fast you can just to see yourself getting further and further from your goal. This is one of many problems with the American public education system.

            When the educational reformer and the founder of Harlem Children's Zone Geoffrey Canada was in fourth grade, he was devastated to find out that Superman did not exist. No, he did not cry because it was like Santa Clause is not real, but because he realized that there isn't "anyone to save us" from poverty. Indeed, there is no such thing as a Superman who can make the lives of millions better, but there is such thing as education that grants younger generations the knowledge they need in order to survive in the world. However, the education that is renowned as the "ticket out of poverty" has not been doing such a great job lately as seen in Guggenheim's Waiting for "Superman". Generally speaking, the American public education system is failing due to improper use of the tenure system guaranteed by union contract and the outdated system of "tracking".

            Having a good teacher versus a bad teacher can make a world of a difference to the students. According to Guggenheim, students who learn from a high performing teacher is able to progress three times as fast as those who learn from a low performing teacher. While a bad teacher is able to cover only 50 percent of the required curriculum, a good teacher is able to cover 150%. At the end, however, no matter how great the difference of the impact the two teachers have on their students, they are both paid relatively the same and are given the same kind of privileges. In order for the American public education system to run more smoothly, it is necessary to have schools with mostly good teachers, but this is deterred by the current tenure system. Research shows that in Illinois, one in 57 doctors loses his medical license and one in 97 lawyers loses his law license, but only one in 2,500 teachers loses his credentials because of the tenure system that is defended by the teachers' union. Because the union contract prevents the bad teachers, also known as the "lemons", from being fired, the best that the principals can do is to exchange their lemons with other lemons at the end of the school year. This cynical shuffle is known as "the dance of the lemons", "passing the trash", or "the turkey trot", and it sums up the unbreakable negative cycle of the American public education system today. Because of the teachers' poor performance, the principals want to fire them. Due to the tenure system, however, the principals have to continue paying the teachers even if the outcomes are small. Then the principals exchange these teachers in hopes of getting better teachers, just to repeat the cycle for an another year. However, if the tenure system is removed, the schools can get rid of the bad teachers to make room for the good ones, and then the overall level of the school can be boosted.

            Another detrimental factor in American public education system is the concept of "tracking", or dividing students by their individual test results, neatness, politeness, and obedience to authority. The students on the upper track reap all the benefits while the students on the lower track have lower expectations and often worse teachers (sound familiar?). This means that even if the students on the lower track run faster, they are constantly falling behind, and it becomes increasingly difficult for them to catch up to the students on the upper track. As harsh as this sounds, the tracking system is specifically designed so that the students' academic careers are practically determined by the officials. This system worked great 50 years ago when America needed useful workforce. About 20% of the people would become doctors, lawyers, and CEOs, about 20% would become accountants, managers and bureaucrats, while the bottom 60% would become farmers and factory workers. The only problem with this today is the fact that there are not enough people to fill in for the jobs in high tech industries, meaning that the U.S. would not be able to compete in the global economy effectively in the future. It's clear that there are many problems with schools that have tracking systems, but how about the schools that does not have any? Guggenheim use Woodside, a school with a tracking system, and Summit Prep, a school that do not have one,  as an example of the unbelievable difference in academic performances. Out of 100 students, 62 students graduate, and only 32 students are prepared for four year colleges in Woodside. In Summit Prep, however, 96 students out of 100 graduate and are prepared for four year colleges. If schools abandon the tracking system and offer high level academic courses to all students, more students would be able to grow up to take highly skilled and highly paid jobs, and America would have a better chance of competing in the global economy.

            In a world where there is no Superman to save the day, people must rely on education to improve their lives and their country. However, due to improper use of tenures and the system of tracking, American public education system has been taking its toll on the American students and America itself as well. If these two problems are fixed, America would have schools in which all students have the equal opportunity to learn high level materials from a high performing teachers, and there would be no need to wait for Superman.