American Education Week Letter-to-the-Editor
11/13/2014

 

The following letter-to-the-editor from President Meredith was submitted to statewide media for American Education Week. We hope that you will share it as well.

 

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This week our nation celebrates American Education Week. 

 

It’s an annual observation started nearly 100 years ago when the National Education Association and the American Legion collaborated to inform the public of both the accomplishments and the needs of public schools. Sounds simple enough. A way to recognize and commend the good things that happen in our schools, but so often headlines tell a different story of our Hoosier classrooms.    

 

First, let’s stop to look at some of the positive things that our public schools are doing for more than one million students in Indiana K-12 schools.

 

Public schools are color blind. Public schools accept children with disabilities. Public schools accept children whose first language is not English. And the teachers and education support staff in those public schools strive to improve student learning and help all children reach their maximum potential. And they do it every day. 

 

But let’s take a closer look. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, the four-year adjusted graduation rate in 2011 nationally was 79 percent. In Indiana it was 86 percent. In 2012 the U.S. average was 80 percent and Indiana topped that national average by six points. The public high school dropout rate for 2012 was 3.3 percent. Indiana’s rate was 2.1 percent.

 

Need another example? In 2013 the National Assessment of Educational Progress reported that the average score for Indiana fourth graders in reading was 225, higher than the average score of 221 for the nation. And that report for math was 249 for Hoosier students versus 241 across the nation. 

 

So perhaps this week as we try to celebrate our educators, students and Hoosier classrooms, maybe we need to shun the constant bashing of public ed because it might help to remember that those success stories occurred despite the fact that between 2002 and 2013 average salaries for teachers in Indiana declined by 12.3 percent.

 

Keeping kids in school and graduating above the national average occurred because of caring, qualified and committed educators. And these things happened despite the drastic cuts. They occurred despite the fact that almost 50 percent of the teachers new to the profession leave within five years.

 

I treasure the opportunity to celebrate our schools during American Education Week but a day does not go by that I don’t worry about students and educators. I worry about things like the number of students in our classrooms—Indiana ranks fifth largest in the country for the number of students per teacher. I worry about the fact that Indiana is one of only two states in the country where students must pay for their textbooks. I worry about state funding for our schools—Indiana places second from the bottom in average per-student-spending in the U.S. I worry about the amount of testing that our children are forced to endure today and how those results influence school staff, funding levels or even whether a neighborhood school will endure. 

 

Yes, it’s hard to imagine that our schools are doing so well with the odds stacked against them. Yet the data show that Hoosier teachers and students are getting the job done. And that gives me hope, gives me a reason to celebrate public education and gives me optimism that together we will make Indiana public education better.   

 

I am president of the largest association of education professionals in the state, but I am also a kindergarten teacher from Shelbyville. I have spent more than 22 years in the classroom working to make every student value and appreciate that kindergarten year which is part of a strong educational foundation. While the headlines condemn educators and criticize our schools, the numbers show that our teachers and students are working harder than ever. Indiana schools are not failing. Yes, we need to do better but we also have reason to be proud. Let’s recognize the good in our schools this week. Pat a teacher on the back. Tell students they are doing a great job. Smile at the driver who picks up your child at the curb. We do it for all students who walk through the door. Every day.   

 

That’s the promise of public education. And that’s reason to celebrate.

 

Teresa Meredith

President Indiana State Teachers Association