Quality Education

Standard disclaimer: My opinions, not necessarily those of any other person or organization.

There is a phrase that is attributed to Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart who was referring to a subject that he felt was difficult to define or describe. The phrase has been used by many people to define “hard-to-describe” things. That phrase is “I know it when I see it…" Think about “quality education” for a minute. What things contribute to “quality education?” How would you describe “quality education?" Can you describe it or will you “know it when you see it?”

Do you think money contributes to quality education? This is a favorite topic for fiscal liberals and conservatives alike, but let’s be neutral observers for a while. In general, education researchers seem to have reached agreement that just “spending more money” doesn’t necessarily lead to better results. A typical school in the Northeast United States attended by mostly non-minority, middle-class/upper-middle-class students in a suburban school system (sound familiar...?) will not improve educational performance just from “spending more money” doing what they already do. That’s the general “30,000 foot view.”

Let’s drop down to the “300 foot view” and look at something specific where “spending more money” to improve education might be a worthwhile idea. Would spending money to provide appropriate new teaching space, rather than using existing closets and hallways, for academically disadvantaged students improve their test scores? It seems reasonable that a quiet room where attention-challenged, hearing challenged or reading challenged students could focus on their teacher’s instruction might help them concentrate, learn more easily and raise their test scores.

Maybe this is a case where “spending more money” could improve their education. Maybe improving the education of these students would help the whole school system achieve standards. Unfortunately, we know only that not providing these spaces will mean nothing is changed; and if nothing is changed, nothing will change and we’ll get the same results. The right amount of money provided in the right places for the right things may improve education quality.

What about parent involvement? Education researchers generally agree that parent involvement improves education results. When parents believe education is important and demonstrate that belief to their students, their students recognize it, know the expectations and respond. One researcher claimed that high schools with nice student cars in the parking lot usually had better test scores. The researcher went on to explain that buying nice cars doesn’t increase student achievement, but parents who can afford nice cars are usually well educated, value the results of being well educated and have passed that value on to their students. (Correlation is different than cause.)

The good news is that it doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money to show your student that you value education. Talk to your student about school and how they’re doing. Check their academic progress using Infinite Campus and talk about what you see. Just these two actions show you value education.

Charter schools are often cited as a means to quality education and they produce remarkable results in some cases. Those cases are usually in large cities that have troubled school systems. In those cases, charter schools can certainly provide a better education than public schools. Students in those charter schools are usually selected by lottery. Parents take an active role in making sure students apply for the lottery and that the students work hard if they are selected. They make sure students know how important a good education is to their future, which is really parent involvement at work.

Will a charter school in a non-minority, middle-class/upper-middle-class suburban area produce results superior to public schools? Most education researchers say, not necessarily and not even usually. Charter schools and private schools in these communities do have characteristics that some parents value. If the economic utility is there for them, then private and charter schools serve their purpose, but a better education isn’t necessarily that purpose.

What about teacher quality? The good news is that most research shows that high teacher quality has a direct effect on student success. I would expect most of us would find that to be a pretty obvious conclusion. The bad news is that teacher quality, for the most part, is a really “I know it when I see it …" characteristic.

Most measurable characteristics of teacher quality are inferential. Certification, degree attainment, and years of experience can be inferred to indicate high quality, but do not actually measure classroom performance or results. Experienced teachers and teachers with advanced degrees in their subject area, especially if the subject area is math or science, tend to be effective. However, you won’t know for sure that a teacher will be effective until you see that teacher perform in the classroom.

Teacher observation is one important way to see and improve teacher performance. That’s why teachers in Salem participate in a formal observation and assessment program. The district can evaluate a teacher and know the quality is there, because it’s been seen. Professional development also increases teacher quality. New Hampshire teachers are required to develop and complete professional development plans every three years. These plans are detailed documents that describe what the teacher will do to ensure they can continue to deliver quality education to our students.

Researchers suggest that teacher quality may account for up to 20 percent of student performance. That’s a sizable percentage, but that also means that there are a lot of other characteristics, like parent involvement, environment, proper facilities, and good curriculum that contribute to the other 80 percent of education quality. There doesn’t seem to be one single solution to obtaining education quality. Many things combined together result in quality education.

Attention to the multitude of things that matter is important to providing a quality education system. I think if you take an objective look, you’ll see that Salem has a pretty high quality system. Now, we just have to keep maintaining and improving our education system. It may be difficult to measure, but you’ll “know it when you see it.”

Want to comment or ask a question? Please email comments or
questions to pmorgan@sau57.org.