Could it Really be that Simple?

I was listening to a podcast at Learning Matters. John Merrow was interview Diane Ravitch. This was a few years ago when she had just published her book, Left Behind: A Century of Failed School Reform.

Merrow was asking Ravitch one reason American public education has fallen behind other countries. She gave an interesting response.

Ravitch noted how when she studied schools and how families look at education, she found that in Asia, it all comes down to effort. How hard are you willing to work?

When she studied American schools and how families look at education, she found that it all comes down to ability. How much ability do you have?

I think this is right on.

Look at grades. If a kid today brings home a C, there's holy hell to pay. "My child is NOT average," is what one parent told a colleague.

The parent has that all wrong. A grade does not necessarily relate to your child's ability. Rather, it relates more to their work ethic.

Sure, we all have the rare few who don't need to crack a book and can get by on sheer ability with an A.

The problem lies when others - without the ability or work ethic - try that.

I think this is one reason so many students coast through college partying and working, rather than studying.

Merrow has a great documentary called Declining by Degrees. He visits Western Kentucky. There he meets a large number of kids who quite literally party their way through school without every really studying.

The message here seems to be, we're doing as little as possible and just skating by on pure ability or intelligence or talent or genius or whatever it is you want to call it.
But the effort is legligable.

I'd like to see more parents - as my parents did - take ability out of the equation. Well, mostly out of the equation.

My mom new I had little 'ability' or 'aptitude' in math. But that didn't stop her from grilling me over anything below a C on an assignment. I worked my tail off to get a B in Mr. Thygeson's math class, and my mom was so proud. She bragged to me after conferences that one former math teacher of mine confided in her, "That's a really tough class. For Kurt to earn a B in there, that's like him earning an A in most classes."

Was she angry that I had not earned an A? No. She was proud of my effort that absolutely got the most out of my ability.

I mean what would happen if the private sector worked on the principal of ability?

What would you say to a doctor who has the ability to pull off a surgery but doesn't really feel like putting in his best effort?

Same goes for lawyers or accountants.

It's unimaginable. Yet, we chalk it up to the status quo in public education.

Here it seems to me is where athletics can really solve this problem. Or at least pull it out into the spot light.

How many coaches tolerate their kids getting by on ability without the work ethic? Or parents for that matter? If a parent put in the time and commitment to Composition or math or science that they do for say, your typical Pee Wee hockey season (or if the public education system allowed for parents to do it), we'd have quite a different public education result than we have today.