Turn down the volume on education reform A4 Tuesday, December 17, 2013
OPINION
BY SHERRY ROBINSON ALL SHE WROTE
Ever wonder why we never make any headway in the education debate? Instead of rearguing the same points, maybe we should be looking at the language, the people, and the need to separate education from politics. The discussion tends to sound like this: “Our test scores are terrible. Our kids can’t read.” “Tests discriminate against New Mexico’s English-language learners and cultural groups, so the scores tell us nothing.” From the get-go, the parties to the discussion don’t accept a common measure of progress. It should be possible to design an acceptable test and agree to a frequency, but mistrust runs too high. We usually think of the state’s kids as being like the ones we
EDITORIAL
SHERRY ROBINSON
ALL SHE WROTE
know. Because local economies in the state vary wildly from flush to flushed, it’s hard for people who are comfortable to imagine kids who go to school hungry, kids who stay home to protect their moms from an abusive dad, kids who nod off in class because they’re working full-time to help support the family. When teachers try to make this point, it sounds like an excuse, and reformers respond by demanding “accountability.” But in this heated context, accountability sounds insulting and translates as punishment. The saddest part of this failure to communicate is that teach-
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ers are discouraged and demoralized, and they’re voting with their feet. An educators’ website, The Chalk Face, just reported a spike in job vacancies and early retirements across the state, which the writer blamed on Public Education Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera: “Even as she hawks the new teacher evaluation plan as a miracle for our students, teachers are realizing that the system is hurting their students and there’s nothing they can do about it. So they either choose to stay, knowing that they should do whatever they are able to protect those students (even though the evaluation process will ultimately call them “ineffective”), or they can leave now, while they still have some of their sanity and health intact.” I heard Skandera speak in November, and she still thinks her proposed teacher evaluation is a great plan and dismisses superin-
tendents’ pleas to slow it down. The old pass-fail plan was too subjective, she says. Nobody’s arguing that, but teachers do argue Skandera’s assertion that her plan will “bring together the art and science of teaching.” Skandera wants “research-driven strategies.” So do teachers. She believes the ways to measure teaching are testing, observation and student surveys. Teachers do too, but in different proportions. When Skandera came to New Mexico, I maintained for a while that we should give her a chance. Hearing her public support of teachers, I thought her heart was in the right place, and she was fresh from a successful reform movement in Florida. Three years later, I think she’s become a lightning rod and an obstacle to progress here. Teachers have never forgiven her for her lack of classroom experience, and what we’ve seen lately from Skandera is
an inflexibility that’s getting us nowhere. The governor needs to accept that her top-down approach isn’t working and appoint someone who can turn down the volume and find common ground with educators. As usual, the debate is tainted by politics. The left sees a plot to privatize public schools. The right fans those suspicions with inflammatory language like “government schools.” The left is wary of the involvement of business in reform, but as employers of these future graduates, business has a right to weigh in. The right blames unions for obstructing Skandera’s plan, but unions don’t operate in a vacuum. They represent teachers, who are individually and as a group quite vocal about testing and evaluations. Where is the leader who will calm the waters, bring the players together and foster a discussion that leads somewhere?
Helping immigrants is humanitarian gesture
Some callously might say that providing emergency medical treatment on site for those crossing into our borders illegally is a waste of taxpayer dollars and resources. But we don’t see it that way. It’s a humanitarian cause and it’s the right thing to do. The Associated Press recently reported that faced with increased numbers of immigrants crossing into South Texas, the Border Patrol now has employed 100 emergency medical technicians in its nine stations in the Rio Grande sector. The EMTs are working three shifts a day, accompanying agents in helicopters via air support and on the ground. And they are saving lives. Take, for instance, the 11-year-old girl from El Salvador who had become lost in the brush about an hour’s drive north of the border. A Customs and Border Protection helicopter spotted the girl on Nov. 24 when temperatures here dipped suddenly into the mid40s. She was wet and shivering and after the crew landed near her, they administered aid. They likely saved her life and they did the right thing. They did what America is known for throughout the world. The Rio Grande Valley has become the busiest sector on the Southwest border. And, as we all know, it is full of dangerous terrain. It’s fraught with mesquite, soft, sinking sand pits, and baking 100-degree-plus afternoons. Having medical assistance ready for those suffering in these types of conditions will likely enable those immigrants to return to their homes healthy. We aren’t advocating for what they are doing. But we all know many who have done it. We’re saying that no one should die in our backyards while seeking a better life. For the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the Border Patrol made about 150,000 arrests in this sector, The Associated Press reported. That’s an increase of more than 50 percent from the previous year. So far, this fiscal year, the sector’s agents have already made a whopping 20,000 arrests — 60 percent more than at this time last year. Poor conditions and faltering economies drive thousands here to the United States, in search of better prospects. Last year, agents made more than 700 rescues in this sector, but also found more than 150 dead bodies. We hope this humanitarian assistance offered will drive those numbers down significantly this year. Guest Editorial The Monitor of McAllen
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Mandela’s crucial lesson for America BY JOE CONASON
Beyond the eulogies bestowed this week on the late and truly great Nelson Mandela — a visionary, revolutionary and peacemaker — there is much for Americans to lear n from the story of his vexed relationship with our country. We will forget the mistakes perpetrated in dealing with him at our own peril. To put it simply, the same Washington figures who so wrongly coddled Pretoria, South Africa’s apartheid regime three decades ago — people like Dick Cheney and
Doonesbury
DEAR DOCTOR K: I worry a lot. Should I be worried that I worry too much? DEAR READER: I’m a little worried that you’re worrying about worrying. But only a little. Anxiety (worry) can be a healthy response to uncertainty and danger. But constant worry and nervousness may be a sign of a condition called generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). GAD is characterized by debilitating worry and agitation about nothing in particular or anything at all. In contrast, other types of anxiety disorders, such as specific phobias, arise from particular situations. For example, some people become suddenly very
the neoconservatives — now tell us, wrongly again, that the United States should abandon negotiations with Iran and continue the embargo of Cuba. (And, of course, these are the same experts, politicians and pundits who promoted war against Iraq while assuring us the invasion would be a cheap cakewalk.) Back when the Reagan administration reversed former President Jimmy Carter’s policy of pressure on the white government of South Africa, the Republicans explained that the African National Congress was merely a group of Marxist terrorists. Besides,
ASK DR. K UNITED MEDIA SYNDICATE
worried if they see a spider — any spider, not just a black widow or a tarantula. People with GAD tend to worry about everyday matters. They can’t shake the feeling that something bad will happen and they will not be prepared. They may worry to excess about missing an appointment, losing a job or having an accident. Like you,
the white Afrikaners were friendly to the United States as a matter of geopolitics, if not democratic principle, and their mineral wealth argued for them even more loudly. Yet long before sanctions finally passed over Ronald Reagan’s veto and right-wing opposition, any serious analyst could see the white South African government, like all of the old colonial regimes in Africa, was inevitably doomed. In the eyes of the world, if not Washington, the ANC was no more “terrorist” than the perpetrators of the Sharpeville massacre, while the liberation ar my’s bombings had far
greater moral justification than apartheid’s murders, tortures and everyday oppression. Indeed, Mandela and his movement were seen as the legitimate voice of South Africa’s black majority by civilized governments on every continent, including many of our traditional allies. By the time the United States finally passed South African sanctions, similar boycotts had been legislated in dozens of other countries — which was why they ultimately worked. Without sanctions, the Rea-
some people worry about worrying too much. Physical symptoms are common in people with GAD. They can include a racing heart, dry mouth, upset stomach, muscle tension, sweating, trembling and irritability. Does this sound like you? If so, see your doctor. He or she will probably ask you to describe exactly what you mean when you say that you feel anxious. Are you worried much of the time? Do you become frightened in particular situations? Do you have physical sensations, such as sweating or palpitations, along with emotional symptoms? The answers to these questions will help your doctor determine whether you
have an anxiety disorder, and if so, which one. As part of the checkup, the doctor will evaluate whether you have depression. That’s because anxiety and depression often coexist. He or she may order tests to check whether your symptoms have a medical cause. Often a primary care physician will refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist for a final diagnosis and treatment. If you have GAD, therapy can help. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is particularly helpful. CBT helps people recognize when they are misinterpreting events, exaggerating difficulties and making
See CONASON, Page A5
See DR. K, Page A5