Stupid In America Documentary Part 1.flv
Summary
TLDRThe video "Stupid in America" hosted by John Stossell critiques the state of America's public education system, highlighting several key issues such as poor student performance compared to international peers, particularly by high school, and the ineffectiveness of simply increasing funding to improve education. The documentary accuses teachers' unions of protecting underperforming teachers and hindering changes necessary for improvement. It posits that introducing competition through school choice and vouchers might spur innovation and elevate educational standards. Additionally, the video emphasizes frustration among parents concerning the subpar education in public schools and suggests that despite smaller budgets, some private and charter schools manage substantially better outcomes. Overall, the documentary makes a case for a fundamental restructuring of how educational choices are offered in America to leverage competition and improve outcomes.
Takeaways
- 🔍 America's education system shows significant shortcomings.
- 🌍 U.S. students lag behind internationally, especially in higher grades.
- 💰 More money doesn't equate to better education outcomes.
- 🛡️ Teachers' unions protect underperforming teachers, complicating reform.
- 🔧 School choice and competition could drive improvements.
- 🏫 Private and charter schools outperform despite lower funding.
- 👩👦 Many parents are disillusioned with current public schools.
- 🇧🇪 Comparison to Belgian system highlights the benefits of school choice.
- 🚫 Difficulty in firing bad teachers hinders progress.
- 💡 Introducing vouchers could foster educational innovation.
Timeline
- 00:00:00 - 00:05:00
American schools are failing students, who aren't learning effectively. Public perception that schools in suburbs are excellent is misleading. Issues include boring teachers, lack of control, and inadequate reading abilities.
- 00:05:00 - 00:10:00
Compared to international standards, American students are falling behind, with lower performance in global tests. The problem isn't with the students but with the educational system, which fails to maintain progress as students advance in grades.
- 00:10:00 - 00:15:00
Increased spending on schools has not translated to better student performance. Despite significant funds invested in facilities like Olympic-size pools, educational achievement remains stagnant, suggesting that more money isn't the solution.
- 00:15:00 - 00:20:00
Alternative schools demonstrate success with less spending by focusing on essential teaching and involving school leaders in direct education. These schools often outperform public schools despite lower budgets.
- 00:20:00 - 00:25:00
Parental choice and school competition improve educational outcomes. In Belgium, where school funding follows the student, schools are incentivized to perform better or risk closure, unlike the limited choice system in the U.S.
- 00:25:00 - 00:30:00
The lack of school choice in America traps students in underperforming schools based on their geographical zone. The wealthy can escape to better schools, but most students suffer from unchangeable assignments to schools.
- 00:30:00 - 00:35:00
Union rules protect even incompetent teachers, making it nearly impossible to dismiss them. This protection hinders the removal of poor educational performers, adversely affecting the quality of education.
- 00:35:00 - 00:40:46
Charter schools, free from many traditional regulations, show improved performance and student engagement by holding teachers accountable, rewarding excellence, and innovating educational approaches.
Mind Map
Video Q&A
What is the main issue discussed in the video?
The video discusses the failures and issues within America's public education system.
Are American students performing well internationally?
No, American students often fall behind peers in other countries, especially by high school.
Does more funding improve school performance?
The video suggests that simply increasing funding does not improve student performance.
What role do teachers' unions play in school performance?
Teachers' unions are shown as protecting underperforming teachers, making it difficult to improve education quality.
What is one suggested solution to improve education?
Introducing competition through vouchers and school choice is suggested as a way to improve education.
Are private schools performing better than public schools?
Some private and charter schools are shown to perform better despite receiving less funding per student.
How do parents feel about the current public schools?
Many parents feel frustrated and disappointed with the public education system's performance.
What comparison is made between U.S. and other countries' education systems?
Countries like Belgium are mentioned as offering more choice to parents, which improves performance.
How are bad teachers dealt with in public schools?
It is often very difficult to fire incompetent teachers due to union contracts and lengthy processes.
What is the impact of school choice on education?
School choice is seen as a potential driver for innovation and improvement in education.
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SISCOVID
- 00:00:00stel
- 00:00:01special what's going on in America's
- 00:00:04Schools they're not learning anything
- 00:00:07it's insane kids fail to make the grade
- 00:00:09because their schools fail them my son
- 00:00:13is now 18 and he is not reading tonight
- 00:00:17stop kidding yourself about your child's
- 00:00:19School the people in the suburbs say our
- 00:00:22schools are great but they're not so
- 00:00:24what do schools really need we just need
- 00:00:27a little more money that is the biggest
- 00:00:29lie in America is the real problem Bad
- 00:00:32Teachers you prove I'm a bad teacher and
- 00:00:35you can't prove it don't try it and we
- 00:00:38hate to compare but why can't kids here
- 00:00:41keep up with students over there if the
- 00:00:43kids in America couldn't do this they're
- 00:00:45really students the failures the
- 00:00:48successes learning should be
- 00:00:51fun we'll teach you a thing or two about
- 00:00:54being stupid in America how we cheat our
- 00:00:57kids now John stel good evening
- 00:01:02Elizabeth Vargas is off tonight stupid
- 00:01:05in America that's a nasty title but some
- 00:01:08nasty things are going on in America's
- 00:01:10public schools and it's about time we
- 00:01:12face up to
- 00:01:14them we see so many movies showing us
- 00:01:17wild kids kids arriving at school doped
- 00:01:21up who was Jonah Arc the movies tell us
- 00:01:25the kids are stupid Noah his
- 00:01:28wife the Republican controlled House of
- 00:01:31Representatives in an effort to
- 00:01:32alleviate and the teachers boring anyone
- 00:01:35anyone are real teachers that doll
- 00:01:38students told us yes some teachers are
- 00:01:40very boring so everybody falls asleep
- 00:01:42and is school as bad as the movies
- 00:01:44suggest you see kids all the time
- 00:01:46walking in the school smoking weed you
- 00:01:48know it's it's a normal thing here
- 00:01:50normal kids say here at Abraham Lincoln
- 00:01:53High in New York four years have been
- 00:01:54miserable in this school it's like a
- 00:01:56hell hole a hell hole really it makes me
- 00:01:59want want to know more but it's hard to
- 00:02:01get our cameras into schools New York
- 00:02:03City School District wouldn't allow us
- 00:02:05in at
- 00:02:06all Washington DC's District steered us
- 00:02:09to the best classrooms like this one
- 00:02:11taught by Jason Camas the national
- 00:02:13teacher of the year 24 positives and 10
- 00:02:16negatives draw it
- 00:02:18out this is nice and there are many
- 00:02:21outstanding teachers but we wanted to
- 00:02:23tape typical classrooms we were turned
- 00:02:25down in state after State finally
- 00:02:28Washington DC did allow us to give
- 00:02:30cameras to a few students they
- 00:02:32handpicked at two schools they
- 00:02:34handpicked one was this one woodro
- 00:02:37Wilson ha Newsweek says it's one of the
- 00:02:39best schools in America hit what the
- 00:02:41students taped wasn't confidence
- 00:02:44inspiring this is Wilson High School we
- 00:02:49dance note that the teacher is in the
- 00:02:51class when he does this you would say
- 00:02:54well it's a game on that day this
- 00:02:56teacher had his world geography class
- 00:02:58playing Monopoly right now we're going
- 00:02:59to ask Mr grer What Monopoly has to do
- 00:03:03with World Geography like Monopoly we
- 00:03:05have countries that do better than
- 00:03:07others based on where you live it was
- 00:03:10after finals and I don't know if
- 00:03:12Monopoly can help teach geography but I
- 00:03:14do know that this teacher didn't have
- 00:03:16much control over his class Phil get off
- 00:03:19the desk and sit in your seat ladies and
- 00:03:22gentlemen listen up look Mr grer raise
- 00:03:26your hand it's hard to believe you can
- 00:03:28learn much while this is going on guys
- 00:03:30who are talking stop please Hey listen
- 00:03:34and this is one of America's best public
- 00:03:35schools put the dice away now you may be
- 00:03:39thinking these things don't happen at my
- 00:03:41kids school 57% of American parents give
- 00:03:44an A or B grade to their kids Public
- 00:03:46School the people in the suburbs say our
- 00:03:49schools are great but they're not that's
- 00:03:51the thing and the test scores show that
- 00:03:54education reformer Kevin Chavis says
- 00:03:56American schools on the whole just
- 00:03:58aren't that good America isn't going to
- 00:04:00buy that America's not going to buy that
- 00:04:02America's been buying because America
- 00:04:03doesn't know what it doesn't know right
- 00:04:05most Americans don't know what stupid
- 00:04:08schools are doing to American kids we
- 00:04:10gave parts of an international test to
- 00:04:12some high school students in Belgium and
- 00:04:14in New Jersey answer the questions to
- 00:04:16the best of your ability what the
- 00:04:18Belgian kids think considering the test
- 00:04:20we usually get here um this was kind of
- 00:04:23piece of cake it's very easy the New
- 00:04:26Jersey kids were also confident how was
- 00:04:28the test easy hard it was actually
- 00:04:31pretty easy I think I did good they have
- 00:04:33reason to be confident New Jersey
- 00:04:35students in general test above average
- 00:04:37and these kids attend an above average
- 00:04:39New Jersey school but the Belgian kids
- 00:04:42cleaned their clocks they got 76%
- 00:04:46correct you got 47% correct I'm
- 00:04:51shocked cuz it just shows how much
- 00:04:53Advanced there compared to us this boy
- 00:04:55got the highest score among the
- 00:04:57Americans but didn't come close to the
- 00:04:59top scoring belgians the test was so
- 00:05:01easy I think that if the kids in America
- 00:05:03couldn't do this they're really stupid
- 00:05:06stupid really Jay Leno's routines make
- 00:05:09you think it's true what state holds the
- 00:05:11Kentucky Derby every year think about it
- 00:05:14the Tonight Show says these are not
- 00:05:15stake these are their real answers
- 00:05:18Kansas finish name of this book War
- 00:05:22and the big sex war and sex what is the
- 00:05:26Bill of
- 00:05:28Rights you're going to law the Bill of
- 00:05:31Rights okay what's the purpose of the
- 00:05:32Bill of Rights
- 00:05:35um I don't know what was the major cause
- 00:05:38of the Civil
- 00:05:41War I don't
- 00:05:43know American High School kids are
- 00:05:45beaten on the international tests not
- 00:05:47just by kids from Belgium but by kids
- 00:05:49from most countries even poorer ones
- 00:05:51like Poland the Czech Republic South
- 00:05:54Korea so are American students stupid no
- 00:05:57we're not stupid but we just we could do
- 00:05:59better I think it has to be something
- 00:06:01with this this
- 00:06:04school because I don't think we're
- 00:06:05stuper or lower than down right
- 00:06:09something with the school because the
- 00:06:11longer kids spend in American schools
- 00:06:13the worse they do fourth graders take
- 00:06:16International tests and at that age
- 00:06:18American kids do well above average but
- 00:06:20by High School they've fallen way behind
- 00:06:23are the kids stupid the kids are not
- 00:06:24stupid the system is stupid these
- 00:06:27parents and grandparents are furious at
- 00:06:29what they learned about their kids
- 00:06:30Public Schools it's a joke it's insane
- 00:06:33they're not learning anything Pam Von
- 00:06:36Goran who used to be a teacher was
- 00:06:37appalled when her granddaughter came to
- 00:06:39stay with her she can barely add and
- 00:06:41subtract numerals one through five she
- 00:06:44was with me for a week she's reading
- 00:06:46fluently when she goes back and she
- 00:06:47knows her math facts 1 through 20 in one
- 00:06:50week you taught her what the school
- 00:06:51couldn't teach her in months what's
- 00:06:53going on so what is going on well the
- 00:06:56schools say they need more money do they
- 00:07:01when 2020 returns we'll follow the money
- 00:07:04to a city that spent billions on first
- 00:07:06class school
- 00:07:07facilities are the kids doing better
- 00:07:16next what's the biggest problem facing
- 00:07:19Public Schools money that's what
- 00:07:21everyone says lack of
- 00:07:24[Applause]
- 00:07:27money at this California round teachers
- 00:07:30told us schools need much more money
- 00:07:32there's nothing that money can't fix in
- 00:07:35Massachusetts parents bake cookies and
- 00:07:37sold all sorts of things to raise money
- 00:07:39for a school system that is desperately
- 00:07:41trying to make ends meet more money
- 00:07:43please say the South Carolina school
- 00:07:45officials how much money would be right
- 00:07:49how much
- 00:07:51oo millions and it would really make it
- 00:07:54right they're spending 10 thou per kid
- 00:07:56now 15 thou 20 thou
- 00:07:5925 30 the more the better the more the
- 00:08:03better that was the thinking years ago
- 00:08:05when a judge ordered more must be spent
- 00:08:07on Kansas City schools so they did $2
- 00:08:11billion
- 00:08:13more Kansas City built this olympic size
- 00:08:16swimming pool state-of-the-art gyms with
- 00:08:18indoor tracks these computer labs and
- 00:08:21more they had so much money that when
- 00:08:23they wanted to bring in more white kids
- 00:08:25they didn't just bust them the Kansas
- 00:08:27City District used about 120 taxes but
- 00:08:30the result of all this spending on
- 00:08:32student achievement it got worse by
- 00:08:352,000 Kansas City schools failed to meet
- 00:08:37any of the state's standards and they
- 00:08:39lost their accreditation if money were
- 00:08:42the solution the problem would already
- 00:08:43be solved Jay green is the author of
- 00:08:46Education myths we've doubled per pupil
- 00:08:49spending adjusting for inflation over
- 00:08:51the last 30 years and yet schools aren't
- 00:08:53better adjusted for inflation adjusted
- 00:08:55for inflation we now spend more than
- 00:08:57$10,000 per pupil per year here's a
- 00:09:01graph of the increased spending the line
- 00:09:03goes straight up but student achievement
- 00:09:06flat graduation rates flat the extra
- 00:09:09money didn't help the kids how can that
- 00:09:12be more money but no results it's a lot
- 00:09:15of money think about it
- 00:09:17$10,000 per student for a classroom of
- 00:09:2025 that would be
- 00:09:22$250,000 per year where does the money
- 00:09:25go it certainly isn't all going to teach
- 00:09:27the
- 00:09:28kids in Orange County California
- 00:09:30Jennifer Beal's kids have been learning
- 00:09:32in Portable Buildings like this while
- 00:09:34her school district spending $35 million
- 00:09:37to build a new building not for the kids
- 00:09:39it's for administrators it's insane we
- 00:09:42call it the Taj Mah halt it's so
- 00:09:44enormous and overwhelming you can give
- 00:09:47Public Schools all the money in America
- 00:09:49and it will not be enough everyone has
- 00:09:52been conned I'm not doing it today okay
- 00:09:55Ben Javis is a former public school
- 00:09:56principal who now runs this alternative
- 00:09:59school that spends thousands of dollars
- 00:10:01less per student he laughs at the public
- 00:10:03school's complaints about money they all
- 00:10:05say it's the answer no it's not we just
- 00:10:07need a little more money that is the
- 00:10:09biggest lie in America they waste money
- 00:10:12to save Chavis asked the students to do
- 00:10:14things like keeping the grounds picked
- 00:10:16up and setting up for lunch we don't
- 00:10:18have fulltime janitor um we don't have
- 00:10:21security guards we don't have computers
- 00:10:24we don't have a cafeteria staff thanks
- 00:10:27Doan there's no pool or world class gym
- 00:10:30on your mark get set go for gym class
- 00:10:35his students often just run laps around
- 00:10:37the block if you come to school you're
- 00:10:39going to have the advantage over
- 00:10:40everyone else when it means there's more
- 00:10:42money left over for teaching is that a
- 00:10:45complete sentence or fragment even
- 00:10:47spending less money Pursuit Javis pays
- 00:10:49his teachers more than public school
- 00:10:51teachers get his school also thrives
- 00:10:54because the principal gets involved
- 00:10:56Javis shows up at every classroom and
- 00:10:58uses gimmick like small cash payments
- 00:11:00for perfect attendance do you come to
- 00:11:02school for the money or do you come to
- 00:11:04school to get an
- 00:11:06education and the
- 00:11:07money since he took over four years ago
- 00:11:10this school has gone from being among
- 00:11:12the worst in Oakland to being the best
- 00:11:15his middle school has the highest test
- 00:11:16scores in the city you've boosted the
- 00:11:18scores from where they were by spending
- 00:11:20less money it's not about the money but
- 00:11:22what about kids who've come from broken
- 00:11:23families poor families give me the poor
- 00:11:26kids and I will outperform the wealthy
- 00:11:29kids who live in the hills and we do it
- 00:11:32PR other spunky Independent Schools do
- 00:11:35well with less money like this one in
- 00:11:37South Carolina run by Teresa Middleton
- 00:11:39we saw that the kids here were
- 00:11:41enthusiastic about learning my children
- 00:11:43are so excited can we play this today
- 00:11:45can we do popcorn can we do relay math
- 00:11:47can we play Bingo can we play phonics
- 00:11:49around the
- 00:11:50world learning should be fun and fun
- 00:11:54seems to teach these first graders can
- 00:11:57read get ready to work
- 00:12:00I've had threeyear olds sounding Out
- 00:12:01words my below average child can go to
- 00:12:03public school and make the honor
- 00:12:06Ral yet she spends only $33,000 per
- 00:12:09child versus the $99,000 South
- 00:12:12Carolina's Public Schools spend and
- 00:12:14still fail to educate students like
- 00:12:16Dorian Kaine my son is now 18 and he is
- 00:12:21not reading he's on a fourth grade level
- 00:12:24and it's a huge problem you want to take
- 00:12:26a shot at that Dorian struggles to read
- 00:12:29just one sentence in this first grade
- 00:12:31book one day Uncle Jack came to visit he
- 00:12:35says he wants to learn to read you know
- 00:12:37there is a whole world that can open up
- 00:12:39to you if you are able to read yeah I
- 00:12:42know that did they try to teach you to
- 00:12:46read from time to time test was je has
- 00:12:50been after Dorian schools for help for
- 00:12:52years you have to beg you know whatever
- 00:12:55you ask for you you're begging because
- 00:12:57they have the power now they've had
- 00:12:59meetings with you to talk about your son
- 00:13:01yes here is one of them good morning I'm
- 00:13:04Fred Stevens director of programs for
- 00:13:06exceptional children this is where some
- 00:13:08of the money goes to educational
- 00:13:10Specialists the director of programs for
- 00:13:13exceptional children the school
- 00:13:15principal a resource teacher a gym
- 00:13:17teacher the school counselor and the
- 00:13:19district's special ed coordinator but
- 00:13:22they hadn't done much for the boy who
- 00:13:23can't read have you had the opportunity
- 00:13:26to counsel with Dorne well first of all
- 00:13:28I really hadn't had the opportunity to
- 00:13:30really counsel with him I'll be frank
- 00:13:32with you the principal said Dorian was
- 00:13:34doing well I've seen great progress in
- 00:13:37so I don't have any concerns the meeting
- 00:13:41went on for 45 tedious minutes Dorian
- 00:13:44looked defeated his mother just kept
- 00:13:46raising the one issue that concerned her
- 00:13:48most me the only issue I have is his
- 00:13:50reading level and that's what's
- 00:13:52important to me all right come on have a
- 00:13:55seat so we decided we'd send Dorian to a
- 00:13:57private Learning Center
- 00:14:00could they teach Dorian to read when the
- 00:14:02South Carolina Public Schools hadn't all
- 00:14:04right click on okay for me you bet after
- 00:14:07just 72 hours of instruction using
- 00:14:09computers and workbooks dorian's reading
- 00:14:12was up more than two grade levels his
- 00:14:14mother loves the private program they're
- 00:14:17doing what they supposed to do they are
- 00:14:18on point but I can't say the same for
- 00:14:21the public schools no she can't South
- 00:14:24Carolina over 12 years spent nearly
- 00:14:26$100,000 on dorian's education but they
- 00:14:29left him
- 00:14:31behind when we continue what if schools
- 00:14:34had to get good results or flunk out of
- 00:14:38business so the fact that some schools
- 00:14:40fail and close that's that's the success
- 00:14:43that's a good thing that's a good thing
- 00:14:46that's
- 00:14:47[Music]
- 00:14:52next if you're a parent with money you
- 00:14:54have choices you can pay for a private
- 00:14:56school or buy into a neighborhood hood
- 00:14:59that has a better public school kids
- 00:15:02kids wait a real estate agency even runs
- 00:15:05commercials about it anyone know the
- 00:15:06student per teacher ratio in your
- 00:15:08classroom they show a mother to be
- 00:15:10desperate to find a good school is crazy
- 00:15:14no she's not in San Jose California
- 00:15:16parents want to get their kids into
- 00:15:18Fremont Union Schools they're so much
- 00:15:20better than neighboring schools that
- 00:15:22parents sometimes cheat to get their
- 00:15:24kids in what's cheating pretending to
- 00:15:26live in the district when you don't
- 00:15:29inspector John Lozano goes door too to
- 00:15:32check if kids really live where they say
- 00:15:34they live is uh here yeah really oh
- 00:15:39great nice to finally meet you how long
- 00:15:41you guys been here then Lozano says he
- 00:15:43still needs to look inside the house to
- 00:15:46make sure she really lives there I don't
- 00:15:48mean to embarrass you so he sounds nice
- 00:15:50but think about what he's doing the
- 00:15:52school district police go into your
- 00:15:54daughter's bedroom he even goes through
- 00:15:56drawers and closets if he has to well we
- 00:15:59have a computer we have some 17
- 00:16:01magazines we have pictures of the
- 00:16:03student and her friends on the wall this
- 00:16:05girl passes I was looking for but the
- 00:16:08grandmother who listed this address is
- 00:16:10caught people who answer the door say
- 00:16:12she doesn't live here she says that she
- 00:16:14lives here and that her grandson's going
- 00:16:15to live here with her that's so they can
- 00:16:17go to school at Homestead High School oh
- 00:16:18I have two yeah caught she's definitely
- 00:16:21caught and two days later I talked to
- 00:16:23the grandmother I was actually crying
- 00:16:26it's kind of creepy that they force you
- 00:16:28to go to the black market to get your
- 00:16:31kid a better education I was crying in
- 00:16:34front of this 14 years old why can't
- 00:16:36they just let parents get in the school
- 00:16:40of their choice why can't they changing
- 00:16:44schools can change a child's life Patty
- 00:16:46Bower's kids were stuck in a public
- 00:16:48school that wasn't teaching them but
- 00:16:50then they got McKay scholarships which
- 00:16:52let them attend this private school that
- 00:16:54works with kids who have special needs
- 00:16:56they would invite Joey has been brought
- 00:16:59up four grade levels in Reading Alan's
- 00:17:02gone from C's and D's to be an honoral
- 00:17:05student but last week a Florida Court
- 00:17:07killed a similar Choice program and
- 00:17:09Patty fears her kids will soon be forced
- 00:17:11back into public school if they take
- 00:17:13them Cas scholarship away I don't think
- 00:17:16I'm
- 00:17:17sorry I don't
- 00:17:19think Joey will finish
- 00:17:22school why can't she choose her child's
- 00:17:25School most countries that beat America
- 00:17:27on International test give parents that
- 00:17:29choice there were a few people who got
- 00:17:32very very high scores here in Belgium
- 00:17:34the government spends less than American
- 00:17:36schools do on each student but the
- 00:17:37money's attached to the kids so they can
- 00:17:40go wherever they want to a state run
- 00:17:42school or a Catholic school or a Muslim
- 00:17:46or monori school because of that choice
- 00:17:50it makes it a lot harder for schools
- 00:17:52because there's a lot of pressure Kate
- 00:17:55vanen Sao runs a state school in Belgium
- 00:17:57she says because the money is attached
- 00:17:59to the kids she has to please the
- 00:18:01parents and that makes a world of
- 00:18:04difference if we don't offer them what
- 00:18:06they want for their child they won't
- 00:18:08come to our school so she provides
- 00:18:11extras like cooking more sports program
- 00:18:15Furniture building Electronics is this
- 00:18:19what you like best yeah you think that
- 00:18:21America doesn't leave any child behind
- 00:18:24but um I think that we don't leave any
- 00:18:29child behind and that you guys have some
- 00:18:33kind of a problem with that I wouldn't
- 00:18:35send my child to an American public
- 00:18:37school not even for a million dollars
- 00:18:40her son lives in Belgium now but when he
- 00:18:41was six his family lived in America and
- 00:18:44his mom was upset when he was assigned
- 00:18:46to a school in America I sort of had to
- 00:18:49beg please please uh give me a good
- 00:18:51school for my child and here in Belgium
- 00:18:54they're all over the place that is if
- 00:18:58they're not good they're gone you shut
- 00:19:01down bad schools that's healthy because
- 00:19:03it says to people that that that
- 00:19:06incompetence won't work so the fact that
- 00:19:09some schools fail and close that's
- 00:19:12that's the success that's a good thing
- 00:19:14that's a good thing that's a real good
- 00:19:16thing what happens to those kids in
- 00:19:17those schools then they'll go to another
- 00:19:19school why should we keep them in a
- 00:19:20school that's not working that's what
- 00:19:22we've been doing for
- 00:19:23decades giving kids a choice forces
- 00:19:26schools to try harder
- 00:19:28you have to be Innovative all the time
- 00:19:31you have to look for new means of
- 00:19:33working new means of thinking
- 00:19:36on P and Sal so if we don't succeed we
- 00:19:40just run out of business I think it's a
- 00:19:42Pity that American children don't have
- 00:19:44the same opportunities and and same uh
- 00:19:47choices as we have but um if you're used
- 00:19:50to it maybe it's just normal no choice
- 00:19:53is just normal in
- 00:19:56America when 2020 inss kids are learning
- 00:19:59in school the question is what they were
- 00:20:03giving him the answer he said they're
- 00:20:05teaching me to cheat
- 00:20:10next stupid in America continues with
- 00:20:13John stel why are you watching us you
- 00:20:16don't have to you have choices but
- 00:20:19suppose you had only one channel and the
- 00:20:21government told you what you had to
- 00:20:22watch that's generally how it works for
- 00:20:27schools
- 00:20:29when the Sanford family moved from
- 00:20:30Charleston to Columbia South Carolina
- 00:20:32they had a big concern where would their
- 00:20:34kids go to school first thing I did was
- 00:20:37look up on the computer where are we
- 00:20:38zoned what schools would those be you
- 00:20:41have to go where you're zoned you go
- 00:20:42where you're zoned in South Carolina and
- 00:20:45most everywhere you must attend the
- 00:20:47public school in the zone where you live
- 00:20:49but the middle school near the Sanford's
- 00:20:51new home was rated below everage it
- 00:20:53turned out however this wasn't a problem
- 00:20:56for them cuz the reason they were moving
- 00:20:58to colia was that Mark had just been
- 00:21:00elected governor dly installed as
- 00:21:02governor of South Carolina so they were
- 00:21:04offered special options people from
- 00:21:06better school districts invited them to
- 00:21:08send their kids to those schools and I
- 00:21:11said but that's not fair because if I
- 00:21:13lived down the street here they wouldn't
- 00:21:14be allowed to do that would I be allowed
- 00:21:16to do that and they said no you would
- 00:21:17not he said but we're going to wave that
- 00:21:19requirement because you're the governor
- 00:21:20and and the I said that's not fair it's
- 00:21:23not fair but that's often how it works
- 00:21:25in America as we showed you the kids of
- 00:21:28the privileged can escape bad schools by
- 00:21:30moving to where the better schools are
- 00:21:32if you could buy a $250 or $300,000
- 00:21:35house you're going to get some great
- 00:21:36public education but most everyone else
- 00:21:39is stuck with what the government gives
- 00:21:40you been in a public school system no
- 00:21:42matter how much you complain about it no
- 00:21:44matter how much you you cry about what's
- 00:21:45going on with your children your
- 00:21:47children are stuck because of their zip
- 00:21:48code these South Carolina parents say
- 00:21:50their kids Public Schools were bad they
- 00:21:52not teaching the kids if you hadn't
- 00:21:54pulled them out of the public schools I
- 00:21:56think it would have ruined his life
- 00:21:59Dale's grandson said some of his Public
- 00:22:01School teachers helped him pass tests by
- 00:22:03telling him to cheat they were giving
- 00:22:05him the answers they were giving him the
- 00:22:07answers and he said they're teaching me
- 00:22:09to cheat so they could pass him on to
- 00:22:12the next grade the No Child Left Behind
- 00:22:16thing you know send him on up to the
- 00:22:18next class get him out of
- 00:22:21here they really did not care Lizzie
- 00:22:24Murphy's son was in kindergarten for a
- 00:22:26year without learning the basics of
- 00:22:28writing he just learned to write his
- 00:22:31name and that's through me telling him
- 00:22:34that an m is a hump hump a kindergarten
- 00:22:37could barely write his name what's going
- 00:22:39on what are you doing what are they
- 00:22:41doing if you compare SAT scores state by
- 00:22:44state South Carolina ranks last I want
- 00:22:47to tell you that if you look at every
- 00:22:49indicator for South Carolina schools
- 00:22:51South Carolina is not last HZ tenant
- 00:22:54bomb has been State superintendent for
- 00:22:56schools since 1998 we have been ranked
- 00:22:59as having some of the highest standards
- 00:23:01of learning in the entire country may
- 00:23:04you set high standards but the kids
- 00:23:05don't achieve them we are ranked number
- 00:23:07one in the country for improvement on
- 00:23:09Sat 32 you start start at the bottom
- 00:23:12it's easier to improve you've improved
- 00:23:15and you're still last sat is a uh an
- 00:23:18indicator that really shouldn't be used
- 00:23:20to judge any state we're making
- 00:23:21tremendous progress in South Carolina
- 00:23:23we're very proud why be proud half the
- 00:23:26kids who start high school in South
- 00:23:28Carolina don't graduate in 4 years and
- 00:23:30the state's first family was afraid to
- 00:23:32send their kids to the school they were
- 00:23:34zoned for it's too important to me to
- 00:23:36sacrifice their education I get one shot
- 00:23:38at it if I don't pay very close
- 00:23:40attention to how my boys get educated
- 00:23:42then I've lost an opportunity to make
- 00:23:44them the best they can be in this world
- 00:23:46they decided to send their kids to
- 00:23:48private school and the governor then
- 00:23:50proposed giving every parent in South
- 00:23:52Carolina that kind of choice does one
- 00:23:55size ever fit
- 00:23:56all he said state tax credits should
- 00:23:59help parents pay for private schools
- 00:24:01then they would have a choice choice is
- 00:24:04external pressure the public has to know
- 00:24:06that there's an alternative there it's
- 00:24:07just like you know do you get a Sprint
- 00:24:09phone or an AT&T phone he's right when
- 00:24:13monopolies rule little gets done think
- 00:24:15about where we wait in line the longest
- 00:24:18at monopolies the Motor Vehicles
- 00:24:20Department the post office or the
- 00:24:22extreme example the former Soviet Union
- 00:24:25people waited in line an average 2 hours
- 00:24:28every day 5 years over a
- 00:24:31lifetime in this Moscow restaurant I
- 00:24:33waited endlessly while waiters sat or
- 00:24:35talk to each other because with no
- 00:24:37competition there's no incentive to wait
- 00:24:40on me in America the phone company was
- 00:24:42once a government supported Monopoly all
- 00:24:45the phones were black and all the calls
- 00:24:47expensive it was illegal to plug in an
- 00:24:49answering machine installing a foreign
- 00:24:52device the Monopoly called it so the
- 00:24:54next time you complain about your phone
- 00:24:56this clip from sat Saturday Night Live
- 00:24:58is a good description of Monopoly
- 00:25:00service we don't care we don't have to
- 00:25:02we're the phone company but take away
- 00:25:05Monopoly status and poof suddenly
- 00:25:08customers matter your choice of cool
- 00:25:10phones think about the choices
- 00:25:12competition gives you when you buy a
- 00:25:14cell phone can you hear me now there are
- 00:25:15dozens of plans to choose from based on
- 00:25:17how many minutes you want how big your
- 00:25:20family is and a million other thing
- 00:25:22great deal on a cool phone why can't
- 00:25:24kids benefit from similar competition in
- 00:25:26education people expect and demand
- 00:25:29choice in every other area of their life
- 00:25:32letting parents choose he said would
- 00:25:33encourage schools to compete and they'd
- 00:25:35quickly offer parents things
- 00:25:37like music schools schools with uniforms
- 00:25:41schools that open early or keep kids
- 00:25:42later virtual schools where kids learn
- 00:25:45on the Internet Sports schools then who
- 00:25:48knows what ideas might Bloom that
- 00:25:50empowers parents that'll openly improve
- 00:25:52education the governor announced his
- 00:25:54plan last year and thousands of parents
- 00:25:57cheered the idea
- 00:25:58but most public Educators and
- 00:26:00politicians didn't school boards
- 00:26:02objected teachers unions objected PT
- 00:26:05even sent kids home with a letter saying
- 00:26:07contact your legislator how could we
- 00:26:09spend State money on something that
- 00:26:11hasn't been proven it would decimate
- 00:26:13public education in South Carolina and
- 00:26:15it's just not good for us South
- 00:26:16Carolina's public schools are performing
- 00:26:18well the teachers union objects to any
- 00:26:20program that would use tax credits or
- 00:26:22vouchers to let Kids Escape Public
- 00:26:24Schools they paid for ads that argued
- 00:26:27schools are getting better discipline is
- 00:26:30improving legislators voted down the
- 00:26:32governor's plan 60 to 53
- 00:26:35Victory the superintendent of schools
- 00:26:38was relieved it was an unproven
- 00:26:40unaffordable and unaccountable plan well
- 00:26:43it's unpro it because politicians and
- 00:26:46unions won't let anyone try it I think
- 00:26:48if you look at every indicator you will
- 00:26:50see that South Carolina is going
- 00:26:51straight up in terms of academic
- 00:26:53achievement we are not in crisis we have
- 00:26:55a plan we need to stay the course and we
- 00:26:57will see remarkable success over the
- 00:26:59next few years I hope so but how much
- 00:27:02success can there be in a monopoly the
- 00:27:05Monopoly in my town couldn't just fire a
- 00:27:08teacher who sent sexual emails to his
- 00:27:1016-year-old
- 00:27:12student when we continue the worst
- 00:27:15teachers getting away with all kinds of
- 00:27:18things we've had sex cases acknowledge
- 00:27:21sex cases you can't fire them it takes
- 00:27:24Years Years next
- 00:27:27[Music]
- 00:27:32the school system isn't calcified just
- 00:27:34because it's a Government monopoly
- 00:27:36there's another stumbling block the
- 00:27:39teachers United will never be defeated
- 00:27:43it's a union dominated Monopoly the
- 00:27:46muscle and the Zeal that built our Union
- 00:27:50is still with
- 00:27:53us teachers unions in this country are
- 00:27:56very influential because they want to
- 00:27:58get something done or stopped they can
- 00:28:01assemble a crowd 20,000 people and
- 00:28:05thousands more wanted to be here Randy
- 00:28:09wein Garden heads New York City's
- 00:28:10teachers union she put out the word and
- 00:28:13thousands of teachers filled Madison
- 00:28:14Square Garden to demand the new contract
- 00:28:17with more money you are heroes some
- 00:28:21teachers are heroes but not all most of
- 00:28:24the teachers they like they they don't
- 00:28:26really care one of my teachers tells me
- 00:28:28he does this for the health benefits
- 00:28:30I've seen teachers come to school
- 00:28:33intoxicated this seems odd because
- 00:28:36teachers I know want to help kids learn
- 00:28:38many turn down better paying jobs to
- 00:28:40teach but in Union Schools there's a
- 00:28:43problem we tolerate mediocrity and
- 00:28:46people get paid the same whether they're
- 00:28:48outstanding or whether they're average
- 00:28:50or indeed whether they're way below
- 00:28:52average Joel Klein is chancellor of New
- 00:28:54York City Schools the biggest public
- 00:28:56school system in the country fourth
- 00:28:58grade like a very big year he says the
- 00:29:01teachers Union's rigid contract makes it
- 00:29:03very hard to fire Any teacher even
- 00:29:06dangerous on I mean we've had sex cases
- 00:29:09acknowledged sex cases one teacher sent
- 00:29:12sexual emails to cuy 101 his 16-year-old
- 00:29:16student this is the most unbelievable
- 00:29:19case to me because the email was there
- 00:29:22he admitted to it it was so thoroughly
- 00:29:24offensive and he confesses he admits
- 00:29:26this I mean you have the email he admits
- 00:29:29that he did it you can't fire him it's
- 00:29:31almost impossible the school board says
- 00:29:33it's almost impossible to fire a teacher
- 00:29:36our Union has actually stepped up to the
- 00:29:38plate and said we'll police our own
- 00:29:40profession well I'd like to police my
- 00:29:43job too but that's not how it works in
- 00:29:45life bosses make these decisions if the
- 00:29:47cases are legitimate they should bring
- 00:29:49them there are procedures it's it's in
- 00:29:52the contract if teacher incompetent they
- 00:29:54can be let go it takes Years Years years
- 00:29:58these are the steps a principal must
- 00:29:59follow to fire a bad teacher look at
- 00:30:02this thing the teachers union got so
- 00:30:05many protections to make sure principles
- 00:30:07don't fire unfairly or play favorites
- 00:30:09that principles rarely even try to jump
- 00:30:11through all these hoops to fire a bad
- 00:30:13teacher in the last two years says
- 00:30:16kleene only two teachers out of 80,000
- 00:30:19have been fired for incompetence it
- 00:30:21makes no sense and you don't know other
- 00:30:23places where this goes on this is not
- 00:30:25like you can say they're doing do this
- 00:30:27at IBM or some other place right this is
- 00:30:30unique to our environment I'm not sure I
- 00:30:33understand how to manage a government
- 00:30:36Civil Service
- 00:30:37organization ge's Jack Welch was revered
- 00:30:40as a great manager he says if an
- 00:30:42organization is to stay vital it must
- 00:30:44reward its best workers and the bottom
- 00:30:4710% have to go we tell people in the
- 00:30:50bottom 10 look you got a year find
- 00:30:53yourself somewhere to go and they do by
- 00:30:56doing that he made GE unbelievably
- 00:30:59successful but what he did at GE is
- 00:31:01forbidden at most public schools we have
- 00:31:03a system in which we don't distinguish
- 00:31:06among people and as a result of that we
- 00:31:08don't reward Excellence why don't you
- 00:31:10reward Excellence because it's barred by
- 00:31:12the contract ah yes the Union contract
- 00:31:16here it is more than 200 pages of fine
- 00:31:19print Union monopolies often create
- 00:31:21documents like this it's not just 200
- 00:31:23Page contract you got all these addenda
- 00:31:26that are incorporated into a contract
- 00:31:27you're talking about hundreds and
- 00:31:29hundreds and hundreds of pages more so
- 00:31:31it is a
- 00:31:33regulatory nightmare so much so that he
- 00:31:36couldn't just fire that teacher who sent
- 00:31:38those sexual emails up down around
- 00:31:41everywhere we've paid him he hasn't
- 00:31:43taught but we have had to pay him
- 00:31:45because that's what's required under the
- 00:31:46contract paid him more than
- 00:31:49$300,000 only after six years of
- 00:31:51expensive litigation were they finally
- 00:31:53able to fire him hundreds of teachers
- 00:31:56who the city calls and in competent
- 00:31:58racist dangerous or guilty of sexual
- 00:32:00misconduct have been paid Millions you
- 00:32:03what do they do with those teachers well
- 00:32:05they put them in the rubber room it's
- 00:32:06what they call it it's not really made
- 00:32:08of rubber but it's a big empty room and
- 00:32:11this building and four other buildings
- 00:32:12around town cuz they don't want these
- 00:32:14teachers to get near the kids so they
- 00:32:17just come here and sit hang around read
- 00:32:20magazines waste time and waste your
- 00:32:22money they wouldn't allow us to take
- 00:32:24pictures inside while the teachers were
- 00:32:26there today the city pays $20 million a
- 00:32:29year to house teachers in rubber rooms
- 00:32:32you insane as that is at the union rally
- 00:32:35teachers told me they support the firing
- 00:32:37rules what if a principal says you're a
- 00:32:39lousy teacher I want to fire you that's
- 00:32:43you prove it you prove I'm a bad teacher
- 00:32:47and if you can't prove it don't try
- 00:32:50it everywhere unions resist the practice
- 00:32:53that made GE and other organizations
- 00:32:55successful weed out the bad there aren't
- 00:32:57really bad teachers the rules must stand
- 00:33:00say unions everywhere Wisconsin public
- 00:33:03schools are Great Schools test scores
- 00:33:06are up the teachers union spend Millions
- 00:33:08on ads saying the schools are great
- 00:33:11there's an explosion of excellence in
- 00:33:13New York Public
- 00:33:14Schools since the schools are excellent
- 00:33:17they say don't mess around with our
- 00:33:19rules and benefits permit members to
- 00:33:22retire without penalty at age 55 mhm
- 00:33:26teachers would work uniform 6 hours and
- 00:33:2940 minute days at all levels which is
- 00:33:31what normally happens in the private
- 00:33:33sector really she says her teachers
- 00:33:35should work regular hours but how many
- 00:33:37of you work a uniform 6-hour 40-minute
- 00:33:40day but the union is powerful and a few
- 00:33:43months after our interview weine Garten
- 00:33:45got a new contract this is a really good
- 00:33:49day look at the smiles in exchange for a
- 00:33:5315% raise the union made concessions for
- 00:33:56example they agreed to work 10 minutes a
- 00:33:58day longer they say it will be easier to
- 00:34:01get rid of sex offenders but it will
- 00:34:03still take all these steps to fire an
- 00:34:06incompetent teacher unionized monopolies
- 00:34:09like yours fail and this case it's the
- 00:34:12children who are who you are failing we
- 00:34:14are not a unionized monopoly and
- 00:34:16ultimately those folks who want to say
- 00:34:20this all the time they don't really care
- 00:34:22about kids those who criticize a
- 00:34:25monopoly don't care about kids nonsense
- 00:34:29and when we return we'll show you what
- 00:34:31parents have to do to escape the
- 00:34:34Monopoly when 2020 returns it's a
- 00:34:37lottery to win something more valuable
- 00:34:40than money a seed in a good school
- 00:34:43number
- 00:34:4511
- 00:34:47[Applause]
- 00:34:50[Music]
- 00:34:54next when Public Schools began in
- 00:34:56America most people worked on farms it's
- 00:34:59why there's no school in summer so kids
- 00:35:01could stay home and help with the
- 00:35:05crops today fewer than 2% of us work on
- 00:35:08farms and nearly everything in our
- 00:35:10society has changed dramatically so why
- 00:35:13has there been so little change in
- 00:35:15education we want to do what we want to
- 00:35:18do in classrooms as we've seen one
- 00:35:21reason is that unions fight to maintain
- 00:35:23the status quo but that status quo often
- 00:35:25doesn't serve the kids
- 00:35:27our students are basically just dying in
- 00:35:30their seats at school they're not
- 00:35:32getting the education they deserve and
- 00:35:35the union puts up a barrier for that
- 00:35:38these San Diego teachers fought to make
- 00:35:40their schools Charter Charter means
- 00:35:42there is still a public school but
- 00:35:43they're free of many of the rules set up
- 00:35:45by school boards and unions you got it K
- 00:35:48excellent okay now when a teacher's
- 00:35:49hired she knows if she doesn't do a good
- 00:35:51job she can be fired I'm a good teacher
- 00:35:54I don't need tenure to protect my job I
- 00:35:56need tenure to be be gone to protect my
- 00:35:58students the rule is given for each
- 00:36:00table since this school dropped the
- 00:36:02union rules there's now a waiting list
- 00:36:04to get in many charter schools are
- 00:36:07succeeding friendship charter high is
- 00:36:09located in the same dangerous part of
- 00:36:11Washington DC as baluha one of the
- 00:36:14city's poorest performing schools my
- 00:36:17money kill the student populations are
- 00:36:19similar mostly poor in minority I think
- 00:36:22he's a good friend but at the charter
- 00:36:24school there is order the kids are on
- 00:36:26tag ask and doing better 95% of the
- 00:36:29graduates get into college is this
- 00:36:31school better than the public high
- 00:36:33schools of course well why why of course
- 00:36:37the charter students recognize that
- 00:36:38their school is different the teachers
- 00:36:41they say they're happier to be here what
- 00:36:43does a hyperbola always have to have in
- 00:36:45it this teacher got ran Miller
- 00:36:47interested in math a subject she used to
- 00:36:49hate what she do differently she makes
- 00:36:51it fun she makes it fun thaniel making
- 00:36:55it fun could help them keep their job
- 00:36:57she's here because a third of the
- 00:36:58previous teachers were fired I love
- 00:37:00teaching here the best teachers make
- 00:37:03extra money we can give bonuses we can
- 00:37:05have Saturday school with pay we can do
- 00:37:08summer school and reward certain
- 00:37:10teachers the kids see the results and
- 00:37:13people here care more yes definitely
- 00:37:16good morning get the jacket off phone up
- 00:37:18friendship's principal knows if the
- 00:37:20school doesn't perform he'll be held
- 00:37:22accountable we can be closed we can't
- 00:37:24settle for just being good enough you
- 00:37:26need help this makes Charter Schools
- 00:37:28Innova and if a teammate asks for help
- 00:37:31what do we
- 00:37:31do this one keeps kids in school till
- 00:37:345:00 p.m. hello and teachers give kids
- 00:37:37their cell phone numbers hello hello
- 00:37:39Miss H and in the evening every teacher
- 00:37:42must be available to answer questions I
- 00:37:44had a question on the um the review
- 00:37:46sheet okay I get phone calls at all
- 00:37:49hours of the night hello teachers say
- 00:37:52the kids call constantly hey cryst
- 00:37:54what's up so many kids want to get into
- 00:37:57those schools the schools have to hold
- 00:37:59lotteries like this one
- 00:38:0135810 51 the suspense is unbearable I
- 00:38:05prayed that they going to pick on so
- 00:38:08much is at stake the winners get a shot
- 00:38:10at a better
- 00:38:11future they spin the drum number
- 00:38:1511 look at that
- 00:38:17smile look at her smile listen to her
- 00:38:20delighted
- 00:38:22scream but why do they have to win a
- 00:38:24lottery if School money were attached to
- 00:38:27the child in the form of a voucher every
- 00:38:30parent could take their child to new
- 00:38:31schools vouchers
- 00:38:34no vouchers no but lots of people hate
- 00:38:37vouchers no public money for private
- 00:38:40schools last week's Florida Court ruling
- 00:38:43against vouchers came after this teacher
- 00:38:45brought a suit to say that competition
- 00:38:47is going to improve
- 00:38:49education it's just it's just not going
- 00:38:51to work you know competition is not for
- 00:38:53children it's not for human beings it's
- 00:38:55not for publiced education it never has
- 00:38:58been it never will be why not would you
- 00:39:02keep going back to a restaurant that
- 00:39:03served you a bad meal or a barber that
- 00:39:06gave you a bad haircut competition makes
- 00:39:09everything
- 00:39:11better why would schools be different in
- 00:39:14the few places where vouchers have been
- 00:39:15allowed like Milwaukee the kids who used
- 00:39:18vouchers did better and the kids in
- 00:39:20nearby public schools did
- 00:39:23better they improved by Leaps and Bounds
- 00:39:26no one lost in Milwaukee everyone did
- 00:39:28better the kids at the regular public
- 00:39:29schools did better and the kids who went
- 00:39:31to the voucher schools did better Call
- 00:39:33of course they did that's what
- 00:39:35competition does choice to me is the
- 00:39:39only way I believe that we can force the
- 00:39:41system from an external vantage point to
- 00:39:45change itself it it will never change
- 00:39:47itself from within public education will
- 00:39:50never change all the reform these are
- 00:39:52well intended people who want to help
- 00:39:54kids all the well intended designs and
- 00:39:59programs toour unless there is some
- 00:40:02competition infused in the equation
- 00:40:04unless that occurs then then they know
- 00:40:07they have a captive Monopoly that they
- 00:40:09can continue to dominate hands
- 00:40:11please but if there were competition if
- 00:40:14parents had a choice the possibilities
- 00:40:17of what we could have are
- 00:40:20[Music]
- 00:40:23Limitless that's our program for tonight
- 00:40:25later on Nightline a man who's making
- 00:40:28lots of money selling books claiming you
- 00:40:30follow his advice you'll never get sick
- 00:40:33it's dubious advice thanks for watching
- 00:40:36our show on education we hope it starts
- 00:40:38a debate I'm John stasel Elizabeth
- 00:40:40Vargas and I will be back next Friday
- 00:40:42for all of us at 2020 good night
- Education
- Public Schools
- School Funding
- Teachers' Unions
- School Choice
- Vouchers
- International Performance
- Parental Frustration
- Charter Schools
- Innovation