>>> PAY ATTENTION. SCHOOL IS IN SESSION.
THIS MORNING, THERE ARE NEW
STARK WARNING SIGNS THAT
AMERICA’S 4th AND 8th GRADERS
ARE LOSING GROUND WHEN IT COMES
TO READING AND MATH.
THE TEST WAS ADMINISTERED TO
MORE THAN 600,000 STUDENTS
ENROLLED IN PUBLIC AND CATHOLIC
SCHOOLS FROM EVERY SINGLE STATE.
THE FINDINGS ARE STARK.
SINCE 2017, THE READING SCORES
AMONG 8th GRADERS DROPPED OR
REMAINED THE SAME IN EVERY
STATE, WITH THE LONE EXCEPTION
OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
AND AMONG 4th GRADERS, ONLY
MISSISSIPPI SHOWED IMPROVEMENT.
MATH SCORES AMONG 8th GRADERS
HAVE REMAINED FLAT SINCE 2017
WITH AN INCREASE IN JUST THREE
STATES.
STATES. JOINING ME NOW TO DISCUSS, THE
CEO OF SUCCESS CHARTER NETWORKS,
A GROUP OF CHARTER SCHOOLS THAT
SERVE NEARLY 18,000 STUDENTS IN
THE NEW YORK AREA.
WHAT’S YOUR REACTION TO THE
REPORT CARD?
REPORT CARD? >> IT’S HEARTBREAKING, FIRST OF
ALL.
ALL. THERE ARE A FEW BRIGHT SPOTS,
DC, MISSISSIPPI.
DC, MISSISSIPPI. BUT OVERALL, THIS IS VERY BAD
NEWS FOR THE NATION’S CHILDREN
AND FAMILIES.
AND FAMILIES. >> THE REPORT CARD SHOWS THAT
STUDENTS AT THE BOTTOM ARE
GETTING EVEN WORSE.
SOME ATTRIBUTE SOME OF THIS TO
MONEY BEING TAKEN OUT OF THE
SYSTEM AND GOING TO NETWORKS
LIKE YOURS, CHARTER SCHOOLS.
WHAT’S YOUR REACTION TO THAT?
>> THAT’S RIDICULOUS.
PUBLIC EDUCATION IS PUBLIC
EDUCATION, WHETHER THEY’RE
SERVED IN A DISTRICT OR A PUBLIC
CHARTER, IT DOESN’T REALLY
MATTER.
MATTER. AND THAT CAN’T ACCOUNT FOR THESE
BAD RESULTS.
BAD RESULTS. I MEAN, I THINK THERE ARE A
NUMBER OF THINGS GOING ON, SOME
OF WHICH HAVE TO DO WITH
SCHOOLS.
SCHOOLS. BUT AS THE MOTHER, A MOTHER OF
THREE CHILDREN, THE HOME ALSO
HAS TO TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY,
FOR EXAMPLE, FOR READING.
IF KIDS ARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA SIX
HOURS A DAY, THEY’RE NOT GOING
TO BE GOOD READERS AND WE HAVE
TO CHANGE THAT.
>> BUT IS IT SOCIAL MEDIA?
MANY WOULD ARGUE -- FROM THE
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS,
THEY’VE SAID THE EVIDENCE ON
ACHIEVEMENT ON VOUCHER PROGRAMS
HAS NOT FOUND STATISTICALLY
POSITIVE
POSITIVE POSITIVE GAINS FOR STUDENTS
USING VOUCHERS AND MOST STUDIES
HAVE FOUND THAT STUDENTS
ACTUALLY SAW RELATIVELY LARGE
LEARNING LOSSES.
LEARNING LOSSES. THEY SAY BETSY DeVOS HAS PUT HER
FINGER ON THE SCALE AND THAT HAS
TAKEN MONEY FROM PUBLIC SCHOOLS,
WHERE YOU, YOURSELF, HAD TO TURN
AWAY THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS AND
YOU KNOW THOSE THOUSANDS OF
STUDENTS ARE GOING TO FAILING
SCHOOLS.
SCHOOLS. >> REALLY THERE’S NOTHING SADDER
THAN THE LOTTERY FOR US.
BUT WE ALSO KNOW WHEN OUR KIDS
GO TO SUCCESS ACADEMIES AND
OTHER HIGH-PERFORMING CHARTERS,
THEY ARE MASSIVELY OUTPERFORMING
THE DISTRICT.
THE DISTRICT. IF A CHILD DOESN’T LEARN TO READ
BY THIRD GRADE, THEIR CHANCES OF
ECONOMIC SUCCESS AND ACADEMIC
SUCCESS ARE SEVERELY LIMITED.
AND SO WE MUST AS A COUNTRY TURN
THIS AROUND.
THIS AROUND. AND THERE ARE VERY SIMPLE THINGS
WE COULD BE DOING.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE EVIDENCE
SUGGESTS THAT EVIDENCE-BASED
READING PROGRAMS WORK.
THAT’S CALLED PHONICS.
WHEN WE TOOK PHONICS OUT OF THE
SCHOOL SYSTEM, WE’RE SURPRISED
THAT KIDS AREN’T READING?
NO GOOD EDUCATOR IS SURPRISED,
BECAUSE EVERY CHILD NEEDS
PHONICS.
PHONICS. WE ALSO NEED CORE KNOWLEDGE.
I THINK PEOPLE HAVE
UNDERESTIMATED HOW IMPORTANT IT
IS TO HAVE FOUNDATIONAL
KNOWLEDGE IN ORDER TO READ.
YOU HAVE TO KNOW SOMETHING TO
LEARN SOMETHING.
LEARN SOMETHING. AND IF YOU TAKE OUT HISTORY AND
SCIENCE OUT OF THE SCHOOL
SYSTEM, YOU’RE GOING TO
DISADVANTAGE KIDS.
DISADVANTAGE KIDS. >> BUT YOU’RE ALSO TAKING THE
BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST, THOSE
WHO YOU DON’T TAKE, THOSE WHO
ARE AT THE BOTTOM, WHAT ARE THEY
LEFT WITH?
LEFT WITH? BECAUSE THEY’RE SPENDING
TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON
EDUCATION IN THIS COUNTRY AND
STILL WE’RE FAILING SO MANY
KIDS.
KIDS. >> WE SPEND MORE MONEY IN THIS
COUNTRY ON EDUCATION THAN ANY
COUNTRY AROUND THE GLOBE.
AND YET OUR RESULTS ARE THE
REPORT CARD.
REPORT CARD. AND SO IT’S NOT MONEY HELPS, BUT
IT WON’T GUARANTEE YOU
EXCELLENCE.
EXCELLENCE. WE HAVE TO DO THINGS
DIFFERENTLY.
DIFFERENTLY. WE HAVE TO TRAIN TEACHERS
DIFFERENTLY.
DIFFERENTLY. WE HAVE TO USE BETTER
CURRICULUM, BETTER MATH
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS. AND WE HAVE TO BE INVESTED.
WE HAVE TO HAVE THE POLITICAL
WILL TO SOLVE THIS CRISIS.
IT IS THE LARGEST DOMESTIC
CRISIS WE HAVE.
>> DO WE NOT HAVE THE POLITICAL
WILL?
WILL? >> LOOK AT THE CANDIDATES.
IS ANYONE TALKING ABOUT
EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION?
I DON’T HEAR REPUBLICANS OR
DEMOCRATS TALKING ABOUT WHAT --
>> YEAH, KAMALA HARRIS STARTED
HER CAMPAIGN TALKING EDUCATION.
KAMALA HARRIS SAID IN HER FIRST
100 DAYS SHE WOULD GIVE TEACHERS
A RAISE.
A RAISE. ONE OUT OF SIX TEACHERS IN THIS
COUNTRY HAS TO HAVE A SECOND
JOB.
JOB. >> I SUPPORT TEACHERS AND HIGHER
SALARIES, BUT THAT IS NOT GOING
TO CHANGE THE OUTCOMES FOR KIDS.
WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO REDESIGN
SCHOOLS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM TO
MAKE SURE THAT KIDS ARE GETTING
WHAT THEY NEED.
>> IS BETSY DeVOS AS THE
EDUCATION SECRETARY MAKING THAT
HAPPEN?
HAPPEN? IS SHE MAKING THINGS BETTER FOR
STUDENTS?
STUDENTS? THESE BAD REPORT CARD RESULTS,
THEY’RE BAD TODAY BUT WE’VE BEEN
ON A NEGATIVE TRAJECTORY FOR
YEARS.
YEARS. >> THAT IS TRUE, BUT EDUCATION
IN AMERICA IS LARGELY A LOCAL
AND STATE MATTER.
IT HAPPENS LOCALLY AND IN THE
STATE CAPITOLS.
STATE CAPITOLS. THAT’S WHERE THE PUBLIC POLICIES
NEED TO CHANGE.
>> THEN IS THE ISSUE WHEN YOU
LOOK AT LOCAL BUDGETS, YOU SEE
VOTERS VOTE YES FOR RAISES FOR
FIREFIGHTERS AND POLICE
OFFICERS, BECAUSE EVERYBODY
NEEDS THEM.
NEEDS THEM. BUT UNLESS YOU LIVE IN A SCHOOL
DISTRICT WHERE YOUR KIDS GO TO
THOSE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, YOU DON’T
VOTE YES ON THOSE BUDGETS.
>> WELL, THAT IS TRUE, BUT I CAN
TELL YOU IN NEW YORK CITY WE’RE
SPENDING $34 BILLION EVERY YEAR
TO MIS-EDUCATE THE VAST MAJORITY
OF CHILDREN.
OF CHILDREN. AND SO MONEY IS NOT THE SOLE
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. >> DO YOU THINK WE’RE
INTENTIONALLY MIS-EDUCATING
INTENTIONALLY MIS-EDUCATING THEM?
THEM? >> NOT INTENTIONALLY.
I THINK TEACHERS HAVE THE BEST
OF INTENTIONS, EDUCATORS,
POLITICIANS.
POLITICIANS. BUT I DON’T THINK WE ARE
PROVIDING KIDS WITH THE
NECESSARY LEVEL OF RIGGER THAT
WE NEED TO EDUCATE KIDS WELL.
>> BETSY MAKING IT BETTER OR
WORSE?
WORSE? >> I DON’T THINK SHE HAS MUCH TO
DO.
DO. >> DOESN’T THAT SOUND CRAZY?
SHE’S THE EDUCATION SECRETARY.