The Two Million Minutes Blog

Indian Private Schools Fill Void From Government Education Failure

Parents and students in urban India have perhaps the greatest array of school choice in the world. Nearly half of all students in the major Indian cities like Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai attend private for-pay schools in preparation for college and careers.

By contrast, average American students have almost no choice of their schools. Out of 100,000 schools in the U.S. less than 3% are non-government schools. The local public school and one or two private schools generally are the extent of "School Choice" for middle class families. For the poor - there is no choice, even if they are frugal and want to put education above other expenses.

The expansive school opportunities Indian's enjoy comes from a free-market system of education in India. The Government knows its schools are generally horrendous and so they permit private schools (profit and not-for-profit) to open and attract students and flourish or fail in the open market.

Getting into these private schools is a challenge - acceptance, for the most part, is based on academic merit. The reason: schools attract students and set tuition based upon the academic performance of their students. Scores on National Exams are published for the public and so parents can more easily assess which schools deliver the education top colleges desire.

In most Indian middle class families, education is the second largest budget item after housing. Sacrifice, effort and choice add up to tens of millions of Indian children getting a world class education.

To compete, Americans need these same attributes - and we must add our own cultural advantages for a competitive edge. But with a unionized, mediocre, monopoly school system U.S. children already start life behind their global peers. And in the 21st Century we'll see very few "come from behind" victories.

Learn more about the Indian education system from Associated Press reporter Ravi Nessman HERE

“When school children start paying union dues, that 's when I'll start representing the interests of school children.”

That notorious quote was from Albert Shanker, President of the Teachers Union (United Federation of Teachers) from 1964 to 1984 as well as President of the Teachers Union (American Federation of Teachers) from 1974 to 1997.

I was reminded of Albert's poignant quote today when reading the Wall Street Journal's Op/Ed piece "Unions vs. Race to the Top". The article is worth reading in full, but here are some key points:

"Is the Obama Administration going to side with school reformers, or will it reward state and local teachers union affiliates that defend the status quo?"

"Teachers unions in Minnesota and Florida are currently threatening to withhold support for their state Race to the Top applications, which are due later this month. So is the school boards association in Louisiana."

"Unions are mainly opposed to teacher accountability reforms."

"Collective-bargaining agreements that protect bad teachers also harm children. Unions, which put the interests of their members above those of students, aren't bothered by this."

And don't forget the words of Bob Chanin, from the NEA Teachers Union:

Indiana Makes Bold Move in Teacher Certification and Licensing

New Rules Will Give Indiana Students

More Knowledgeable Teachers

Subject-Experts from Outside Education Welcome   

 

The state board overseeing teacher licensing and preparation voted today to advance new teacher licensing regulations that ensure all new teachers will be experts in the subjects they teach and allow adults from other careers to more easily enter the teaching profession. These new regulations—called the Rules for Educator Preparation and Accountability or the REPA—aim to improve student achievement through better classroom instruction.

 

“We crafted these changes with the belief that students’ academic success is determined, in large part, by the quality of their teachers,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Tony Bennett said. “These new rules for licensing go further than ever before to make sure all Indiana’s school children receive the high-quality instruction they deserve.”

In addition to passing exams that test their knowledge, the new rules require those who teach grades 5-12 to earn baccalaureate degrees in the subjects they teach.  This creates a better balance in teacher preparatory programs between coursework on how to teach and subject-specific training on what they will teach.

 

Dr. James Fraser, senior vice president for programs for the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and professor of History and Education at New York University, said, “The proposal to require every future secondary school teacher in Indiana to complete a full discipline-specific arts and sciences major makes very good sense.  A solid major in the discipline to be taught is an essential minimum to truly knowing the content one aspires to teach.”

 

Equally important, the rules take steps to address future teacher shortages and bring more knowledgeable adults into Indiana schools. The advisory board will have the authority to approve online and non-traditional teacher preparation programs in the future.  Without these alternative licensing programs, it’s unduly difficult for successful adults in other careers to enter the teaching profession.  These new regulations allow for new pipelines to bring real world experts into Indiana classrooms.

 

Ariela Rozman from The New Teacher Project said, “We commend the IDOE for taking important steps to increase teacher and administrator quality—through an expansion of teacher and administrator pipelines, a focus on content knowledge which has been linked to student achievement, a requirement to measure the effectiveness of teacher preparation programs and a commitment to school-based professional development.”

 

The new regulations go even further to improve teacher support and provide greater flexibility. Incoming teachers will work closely with school-level administrators to create targeted professional development plans to benefit student instruction.  Current and future teachers will have more options to renew their licenses—options that won’t require them to pay for college coursework. The new rules also make it easier for teachers to make their licenses more marketable; they can add subjects to their licenses by passing exams that test their knowledge.
 

The REPA regulations go into effect July 31, 2010. Students currently enrolled in teacher preparation programs will be transitioned into these new rules between now and August 31, 2013.  

 

For more details on REPA and to view an updated summary of the rule, visit www.doe.in.gov/news/2009/07-July/REPA.html.

Using 2 Million Minutes in the High School Classroom - An Educator's Perspective

An email from Ms. Priscilla Biddle, International Baccalaureate Coordinator, Henrico High School, Richmond, VA:

"Dear Bob,

We show your documentary - Two Million Minutes - as part of a weekly seminar to stimulate students to think about what education is, what it should be, and how their IB education does or does not fulfill those needs.

We are an IB program in a large suburban/urban high school. Our population is very diverse with quite a few students from both China and India. Our discussion this year was very interesting, echoing many of the cultural family concerns expressed in your film.

Interestingly, the discussion we had following viewing this year separated along two lines. Students were very keenly aware, especially in our current grim economy, that education serves an economic need in fueling certain professions that will make us more competitive – engineers, economists, scientists, business people. 

Yet, they also questioned (and I found this insightful for those so young) pursuing a career solely for the sake of earning a living. Many are concerned about quality of life and want to pursue personal passions in order to find that special way in which they can make a difference. It was a very lively and interesting conversation.

While the lives of my students in our IB program more closely resemble the students in China or India, they are in direct competition with students in regular comprehensive high schools for spots in top universities.

Many question why they are taking on such rigor, risking making lower grades, when many of their peers are doing less and getting better grades. All but a few realize that they benefit in the long run in our program such as ours, but it is a constant pressure on them – and thus on the program to justify its rigor to an American public.

Thanks for your documentary!"