My Point of View by Peggy Bennett

As an elementary school teacher, now poised to be District 27A’s next state legislator, I am obviously very excited about teaming with local parents and educators, along with other state legislators, to make a positive impact in the education of our children. I have learned a lot about education in my 33 years of teaching, and I look forward to bringing that hands-on experience to the state level as I serve on both the Education Finance and Education Innovation Policy committees.

It is no secret that education is in need of reform. According to an August 2014 Pioneer Press article, about 61 percent of Minnesota students proved proficient in math statewide this year and 59 percent in reading. Minority students fared much worse, with only 40 percent proficient in math and a dismal 38 percent in overall reading proficiency.

Our children’s academic performance is of great concern. In reality, no matter what our state and local school districts have tried, Minnesota test scores have not changed significantly in the past number of years. This has been frustrating for parents, teachers, administrators and students alike.

Like a fork, there are three critical “prongs” in educating a child. Even the best paved learning experiences for our youth will never reach full potential without all three: the teacher, the student and the parent. Engaging that threefold team is what turns a mediocre educational system into a great one.

The teacher is critical to a successful learning experience for children. A top-notch teacher loves to teach and will involve parents. That teacher will also work to motivate students, engaging them at the highest level. However, just like a one-pronged fork, even the best teacher cannot do it alone.

Parents are equally important in their child’s education. Studies show that it is not the parent’s income level that determines their child’s academic success, but their own involvement that makes all the difference. The importance of parents being good educational role models, spending time talking to their children about school and homework, reading to them, etc. cannot be overestimated.

An engaged student is also vital in a child’s education. Teachers and parents need to help children understand that intelligence is not fixed and that hard work and effort are what make people smart and successful. Children need to know that it is their effort and personal ownership in their education that will ultimately bring them success.

Real education reform will focus on all three of these components. For teachers, we not only need to focus on obtaining and keeping excellent teachers, but also on getting out of the way of those teachers. A survey of special education teachers and paraprofessionals by Education Minnesota found that 98.4 percent were “moderately to extremely frustrated” with paperwork, and almost 80 percent said the most aggravating part of the paperwork is that it takes time away from their students.

Regular education teachers are equally frustrated with the time paperwork takes away from their students. We have got to find a way to reduce the paperwork mandates on educators so they have time to teach our children.

For parents and students, it means bringing back control of our children’s education to the local level where parents, educators and students can take ownership and find innovative ways to re-engage more students and parents into the education system. We need to stop piling on burdensome state mandates, many of them unfunded, that only serve to remove ownership and disengage local entities, and also steal away precious time and dollars from our schools.

One example of such a mandate, the new school bully bill, has not only added another layer of paperwork for administrators and teachers, but will also cost Minnesota schools an estimated $20 million extra every year. We need to bring back local control for important issues like bullying so that parents, educators and students can take ownership of these concerns and work together to solve them, not to mention the amount of education dollars and time that would be freed up for our local schools.

Academic achievement will continue to stagnate unless all three educational prongs — teachers, students and parents — are re-engaged. This topic merits considerable discussion at all levels, from the classroom to the state. With an active connection between these three main stakeholders, educational achievement will know no bounds.

I look forward to hearing from people on this topic and more as we work together to find real education reform!

 

Peggy Bennett, R-Albert Lea, is the representative-elect for House District 27A.