Merrow praises Chattanooga schools' efforts
Jouy Thomas
Issue date: 3/5/09 Section: News
|
Merrow's lecture entitled, "Public Education during an Economic Crisis: Will Chattanooga Be Left Behind?" focused on the growing issue of illiteracy, under trained teachers and the lack of strong administration in public school systems across America.
"Reading is what counts," Merrow said, " We set the bar so low and often the bar becomes a ceiling."
As an education correspondent of PBS' NewsHour, Merrow has traveled around the country to expose the weakness in public education in America. Merrow used observations from public schools in Washington, D.C., New Orleans and New York to show the audience the face of the country's educational crisis.
According to Merrow students who are poorly taught lose in every situation they may possibly face later in life.
"We make it easy to become a teacher and then we put [students] in sink or swim situations," Merrow said.
Merrow said he believes the key to educational reform is to clearly define the expectations.
Merrow offered a solution for the lack of highly trained teachers.
"Make it impossible for people to make a living by being mediocre. A swimming coach can't say he's done a good job if half the kids drown," Merrow said.
However, teachers are not graded based on students' performance. Merrow said out of the teachers he observed, the ones in which students excelled the most had the mind frame of "if the kids aren't learning I need to do something different."
Merrow gave high praises to Chattanooga's public school system. During Merrow's last visit to Chattanooga three years ago, nine of the states 20 under performing schools were in Chattanooga, but Merrow said that has been turned around.
According to Merrow, America's public school systems suffers when they do not care about attention deficit disorder and the kids that have it.
In order to raise the bar, Merrow said believes everybody stays or everybody changes. The school systems must end age segregation, enhance performance grouping, provide cross age tutoring, and increase parental involvement Merrow said.
Merrow began his career as an education reporter in 1974 for the National Public Radio, there he created a weekly series "Options in Education" which received more than two-dozen awards. Merrow attended Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1973.
He is also a frequent contributor for USA Today, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.
To view some of Merrow's work visit pbs.org/merrow.
