“NO EXCUSES” vs. Facing the Poverty Crisis

 At the Save Our Schools march in DC, one of the best sound bites I heard came from John Kuhn, a Texas superintendent who proclaimed that poverty is not an excuse for many public school students’ struggles— it’s a diagnosis. (His whole speech is worth watching here.) He’s right.

“No excuses” has become an ingrained buzz phrase of the education establishment. Power-brokers have decided that the talking point “A good teacher is more important than anything else— no excuses!” and hammered it into conventional wisdom.

To me, no excuses means no discourse. No discussion. No alternate viewpoints. It implies, “Accept my absolutism or you’re among the soft bigots of low expectations.”

Schools are very important, but they can’t alone cancel out the suffocating effects for poverty millions of young people.

Poverty is worsening in America. The New York Times reported new census figures showing “[T]he number of Americans living below the official poverty line, 46.2 million people, was the highest number in the 52 years the bureau has been publishing figures on it.”

Some other sobering tidbits from the report:

• 22 percent of children are in poverty, the highest percentage since 1993.
• The suburban poverty rate, at 11.8 percent, appears to be the highest since 1967.
• [T]he number of uninsured Americans increased by 900,000 to 49.9 million.

 The ideology of “No excuses” for teachers did not create this horrible situation. But it does impede the will to implement comprehensive reforms to tackle the root problems. It cuts off the conversation we so badly need to have before it has even begun.

Public leaders need to jump on this report. Step up, Democrats!

Comments

[Gamal Sherif]

Thanks, Dan. You've picked up on the myth of excellence. It's the same ideology that produced "Waiting for Superman," as if teachers just worked hard enough, everything would change.

Although individual teacher excellence is important, we also should look at lateral relationships, or capacity, or what some call social capital. If our society can help cultivate each person's or community's social capital, then kids will show up at school well-rested, well-fed, feeling safe, curious and nurtured, and ready to learn.

Poverty diminishes social capital in that people have little influence over their environment/surroundings (i.e safe neighborhoods, stable networks, access to healthcare, libraries, food, etc). If you're a teacher, your social capital is diminished when policy decisions happen without you, when PD is done to you, and when your creativity and initiative are smothered by teacher-proof curricula.

It shouldn't be a crime to be poor in this country, but it is. And families and children (and teachers) are punished for their proximity to poverty.

[Dave Orphal]

Hi Dan,

Thank you for this important piece - I think "Poverty is no Excuse" is a new version of "Every child can learn."

While both statements are true - they are packed FULL of nuance that the policy-makers and ed-reformers seem to be shying away from.

Yes! Every child can learn and teachers help every child learn every day. This does not mean that every child will achieve every pre-determined state or national standard for a given year to an equal degree of excellence. The kids with well-employed parents who take their child to lots of extra learning-rich activities is going to learn a lot more this year than the child who is grieving the death of a parent.

Yes! Poverty is not an excuse for parents, teachers, students and EVERYONE ELSE who cares about education to stop trying and working our hardest. The children who are living in poverty are going to need a lot more support and help than those children who are not.

It just drives me crazy when the self-styled reformers toss out these un-packed and highly quotable bumper-sticker slogans and then demand that I and my colleagues go make that happen.

I guess I need to forgive those "reformers." As you and I know, if they talk about the problem long enough and loud enough - they'll get to feel like they are actually doing something about helping students learn!

[Bill Ferriter]

Dan wrote:
"To me, no excuses means no discourse. No discussion. No alternate viewpoints."

_______________________

Amen, Dan.

The "no excuses" approach to reform resonates with our "up by the bootstraps" mentality, but when you don't even have boots, it's useless.

Schools and teachers have been "doing more with less" for the better part of the decade.

At some point, it would be nice to see America address some of the other challenges that are holding our kids back.

#truth

[Cheap Asics Shoes]

they'll get to feel like they are actually doing something about helping students learn!It shouldn't be a crime to be poor in this country, but it is. And families and children (and teachers) are punished for their proximity to poverty.