FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

May 12

Would Canadian Universities Be Susceptible To Trump-Like Attacks?

by bcurry

Back in April, the New York Times reported that two groups representing Harvard professors sued the Trump administration claiming that its threat to cut billions in federal funding for the university violates free speech and other First Amendment rights.  The group’s lawsuit by the American Association of University Professors and the Harvard faculty chapter follows the Trump administration’s announcement that it was reviewing about $9 billion in federal funding that Harvard receives.  Earlier in March, the administration admitted that investigators from a branch of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), typically focusing on human traffickers and drug smugglers, had begun scouring the internet for social media posts and videos that the administration could argue showed sympathy toward Hamas.  Subsequently, several students were illegally arrested and detained by ICE.  Numerous American universities are now under the gun.  The result has also been hundreds of protests, including those by students, professors and members of the community at large, against the Trump administration’s threat to further cut funding for universities.

In Canada, the situation is very different.  There have also been protests over the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, including temporary encampments on campuses.  However, the majority were settled peacefully and without most students being expelled or detained.  Yes, there is no doubt that some anti-semitism and anti-Islamic activities have occurred on campuses.  Moreover, such activities are normally dealt with by the university administrations without needless inference by the authorities.  Canadian universities have long professed the need for academic freedom and freedom of speech as fundamental principles for places of higher learning.  Most have clear guidelines dealing with on-campus hate messaging, harassment or any form of violence.  Should such outcomes occur, it is only then that the authorities would be brought in to determine if any crimes had been committed.  So far, this approach appears to have worked well.

Imagine a government sending a school a list of demands that it must meet if it wants to keep receiving funding support!  As in the case of the Trump administration, such a list would require the university to examine how teaching staff are hired, the background of potential recruits related particularly to certain types of political activity or views, any suspected possible plagiarism regarding previous papers or dissertations, etc., etc.  This would also include current academic staff and administrators.  Such interference by governments in Canada would never be tolerated.  One would certainly have to deal with many cases of unjust dismissals and discriminatory practices.  I very much doubt that any Canadian university would bend to such government pressures, declaring such interference as an attack on academic freedom and their very independence. 

The attacks on American universities and blockage of government funding support for scientific and medical research may actually benefit Canadian universities in the long run.  This has already happened in a reported case whereby three Yale professors have decided to accept positions at the University of Toronto.  One can only speculate that as more R&D projects are halted due to the loss of funding, researchers, including Masters and PHD students, may seek to potentially check out opportunities in Canada and elsewhere.  The current leadership of the U.S. in scientific research is now being greatly threatened by such policies. 

All in all, no matter the results of the above noted litigation, extensive damage has already been done.  The reputations of numerous American universities and their academic freedom have suffered.  Fortunately, to date there is no evidence that Canadian governments would want to go down the same road.  Canada is very fortunate to have a strong and vital education system, most of which is largely publicly funded and readily accessible to both domestic and international students.  Would Canadian universities be susceptible to Trump-like attacks?  I believe that the answer is a clear and emphatic “No”.  

Canada Civil Liberties Donald Trump Education Education in U.S. Extremism Free Speech Scientific Research US US Politics

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Mar 30

U.S. Increasingly Moving Towards Police State

by bcurry

President Trump is obviously clamping down broadly on dissent using the tools of the federal government.  Now, the administration has put the pressure on universities themselves to crack down on student protesters.  Increasingly, for example, one is seeing that colleges are using surveillance videos and search warrants to investigate students involved in pro-Palestinian protests.  Some experts believe that it’s this new frontier in campus security that could threaten civil liberties.

In addition, it has been pointed out in the media that some colleges, such as the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, George Mason University, University of California, Indiana University Bloomington, and University of North Carolina to name a few, have had the university police obtain warrants to search personal property such as a student’s car, laptop or cellphone.  In most cases, no actual crime has been committed by the affected student.

Zach Greenberg, a First Amendment lawyer at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a free speech group, reportedly notes that university police have sometimes even cited social media posts to justify warrant requests.  But as he states, such posts are constitutionally protected speech, and he goes on further to stipulate that such campus police tactics could very likely chill free expression.  Furthermore, lawyers representing affected students argue that a college seeking a search warrant against one of its own students is not because that student committed a crime, but purely because in many cases a student attended a protest and was filmed at the protest.  In most cases so far, few students end up not even being charged.  In some cases, the university may simply threaten them with possible suspensions should they continue to participate in protests, including those that are peaceful.

In addition, for months now, President Trump has been threatening to deport foreign students who took part in last year’s campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war.  Apparently, investigators from a branch of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have begun scouring the internet for social media posts and videos that the Trump administration could argue showed sympathy toward Hamas.  Curious indeed since ICE typically focuses on human traffickers and drug smugglers for possible deportation.  As in the recent arrest by ICE of Mahmoud Khalil, a young U. of Columbia graduate student with a green card living in New York, the government is using an old provision in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 to argue that his actions during protests at Columbia University harmed U.S. foreign policy interests by fomenting anti-Semitism.  As of yet he has not been charged with an actual crime.  The Act was passed in the context of Cold War-era fears and suspicions of infiltrating Soviet and communist spies and sympathizers within American institutions and federal government.  Anticommunist sentiment was associated at the time with McCarthyism in the U.S., led by an administration aiming to push for selective immigration to preserve national security.  Since then, there have been very few cases where similar powers were cited in deportation proceedings under the Act.  Its current use would certainly be difficult to defend in the courts.

While some search warrants may be related to an ongoing campus vandalism investigation, few of the campus police seizures have actually resulted in charges being laid.  Indeed, without just cause I would argue that such search and seizure practices by campus police endanger free speech and the civil liberties of those affected university students.  As was the case in the 1930s Nazi Germany, today it’s students, but tomorrow it could be anyone; including those living, studying and working legally in the U.S.  This new reality certainly meets the definition of a police state.

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Aug 22

American Public Schools Are Failing Minority Students

by bcurry

A recent study out of Stanford University addressed the question of alternatives to affirmative action programs in colleges which were banned by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 2023.  The study found that a total of only about 13 percent of students in the admitted class at a group of colleges studied were Black or Hispanic.  For context, Americans of high-school-graduation age today are about 38 percent Black or Hispanic.  In addition they noted that SAT scores often continued to be used as a simplified measure of academic merit.  This was despite the fact that test scores fell out of favour with many colleges during the pandemic.  However, several of the most selective schools, such as M.I.T. have recently returned to them.  Of course, higher income families can afford to have their children tutored in how to pass a SAT itself.

Let’s face it, low-income Black and Hispanic students are more likely than low-income white and Asian students to live in high-poverty neighbourhoods and attend high-poverty schools.  College admissions officials know that Black and Hispanic students are less likely to attend high schools where subjects like calculus, physics and computer science are taught.  Thus, limiting their ability and chances to be admitted into important disciplines such as science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Now we are seeing the impact of the loss of affirmative programs, which no doubt previously benefited Black and Hispanic students.  The Washington Post reported in July 2024 that many universities are abandoning race-conscious scholarships worth millions.  As a result of the Supreme Court’s decision, they are forced to consider possible legal consequences in favouring any particular racial group.  Instead, college administrations are looking at possible alternatives to insure greater diversity on their campuses and provide some forms of income support to minorities.

The negative impact has been substantial.  For example, the New York Times reported in August that at M.I.T., Black, Hispanic, Native American and Pacific Islander student enrollment for the incoming class of 2028 dropped sharply after the affirmative action ban.  Their enrollment represented 16 percent of all M.I.T. students compared with a baseline of about 25 percent of undergraduate students in recent years. The comparison to the class of 2027 was also dramatic. The percentage of Black students enrolled dropped to 5 percent from 15 percent, and the percentage of Hispanic and Latino students dropped to 11 percent from 16 percent.  White students made up 37 percent of the new class, compared with 38 percent last year.  On the other hand, the percentage of Asian American students in the class jumped to 47 percent from 40 percent.  This is very likely the result of Asian American students having better access to STEM programs in secondary schools.  As well, Asian American students score higher on SAT
tests than other minority groups, especially Black students who tend on average to score much lower on standardized tests.  These results are not happening just at M.I.T., but also at other universities where they banned affirmative action initiatives as far back as the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1996 and the University of Michigan in 2006.  Both saw significant drops in Black student admissions even as the number of college-age Black residents rose in their states.

The inability of minority groups to access higher education without some form of affirmative initiatives has become quite evident.  Much of the problem lies with the poor quality of primary and secondary education available to low-income neighbourhoods, often populated by minority families.  The way in which schools are locally and state funded has to change in order to offer more standardized and equitable education opportunities.  In the above noted New York Times article, Justin Driver, a professor at Yale Law School, was quoted as saying that the decline in Black enrolment was “as depressing as it is predictable,” with far-reaching consequences. “A paucity of Black students at the nation’s foremost colleges will ultimately have effects on the nation itself,” he said, adding, “What begins on college campuses will ultimately affect the nation as a whole, in every sector of the nation, from governmental leaders to academic leaders to business leaders.”

Affirmative Action Education in U.S. US

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Mar 11

Why are Affirmative Action Initiatives Under Attack in the U.S.?

by bcurry

It all started in June 2023 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that race-conscious college admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina are unconstitutional, causing colleges and universities to shift to race-neutral policies.  This decision upended decades of legal precedent when it came to affirmative action policies among post-secondary institutions.  Since then, several lawsuits have been launched representing the latest front in a conservative campaign to roll back affirmative action programs in government and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the corporate world.  Affirmative action programs are ripe targets, legal experts say, in part because nearly every state and locality has one or more that benefit women, minorities and other underrepresented groups.  Conservative activists have filed dozens of complaints against Fortune 500 companies alleging discrimination against White people.  Long-standing federal programs created to benefit minority-owned businesses now find themselves on shaky ground.  In the past, courts typically have upheld government affirmative action programs on the grounds that society has an interest in remedying past and ongoing discrimination.  All that is starting to change, largely because of recent court decisions.

One of the programs under attack is the federal Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program for minority government contractors.  The SBA had to overhaul its application process last year after a court ruled that the SBA could not automatically assume that Black, Hispanic, Asian or Native American business owners qualify as socially disadvantaged – a prior key requirement.  The Minority Business Development Agency was similarly blocked from using racial categories to determine applicant eligibility.

The Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative public interest law firm representing many of the plaintiffs, noted that the vast majority of race-based government programs are operated by states and cities.  Fifteen states have race- and sex-based mandates that apply to most public boards, according to a survey released in 2023 by the Foundation.  In 14 states, the survey found similar requirements for 63 professional licensing boards responsible for social work, dentistry, pharmacy and medical examination.  All told, the Foundation reported that at least 25 states have such requirements in some form.  Generally, it is argued that preference for minority applicants allegedly violates the 14th Amendment right to receive equal treatment under the law.

Historically, African Americans were largely locked out of the skilled workforce.  A 1960 report by the Department of Labor found that Black workers make 60 percent less on average than Whites.  Meanwhile, the modern civil rights movement began challenging segregation in the South, and the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case led to the desegregation of public schools.  Responding to growing demands for racial equality, President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order in 1961 requiring federal contractors to “take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.”  This was the birth of affirmative action initiatives in the U.S.

Many American businesses were confused about how to comply with the subsequent new laws, including President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Civil Rights Act of 1964, which encouraged businesses to diversify their workforces while prohibiting discrimination.  Critics argued that they would result in preferential treatment of Black Americans, claims that have persisted for decades.  Affirmative programs appear to have had a positive effect.  According to one 1973 study, the average income in 1969 of “non-White” young, college-educated men was 98 percent of the average of U.S. workers, up from just 80 percent a decade earlier.  Such programs are seen as attributing to helping to reduce traditional discriminatory patterns in the labor market.  In addition, the wage gains coincide with an explosion in the number of Black people enrolling in colleges, particularly in elite colleges — 417,000 in 1970, up 83 percent from a decade earlier. 

There is little doubt that affirmative action programs, no matter how effective they are, will continue to be under attack by conservative groups, whether in the courts and in local and state governments.

Affirmative Action Education in U.S. Racism US US Politics

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Nov 5

What Is The Value Of Teaching “Humanities” In Our Universities?

by bcurry

For the last two decades there has been a lot written about the value of a post-secondary degree in the “humanities”.  Now, the debate has once again risen in the U.S. and Canada as a number of universities, facing budgetary declines, appear to have taken steps of cutting back or even eliminating certain humanities programs.  Part of the reason is that students increasingly are fleeing to majors more closely aligned to employment, with degrees in business and commerce being the most popular.  Let’s face it, most universities love to market career oriented disciplines.  The humanities on the other hand normally covers such programs as French, Spanish and German, American or Canadian studies, art history, classical studies, philosophy and religious studies.  In the past, such disciplines had been the bread and butter for so-called “liberal arts” colleges.

There have been plenty of arguments given for maintaining humanities programs, particularly when it comes to their ability to evoke critical thinking.  Some would argue that if you want simply to work towards a career, go to MIT or a community college specializing in employment-oriented foundations.  Camille Paglia, a social critic and professor of Humanities and Media Studies at University of the Arts in Philadelphia, was quoted in 2010 as to the value of the contemporary social science course.  Paglia argued at the time that the current trend toward hyper-focused humanities courses (Women’s Studies, African-American Studies, etc.) has eroded the overall purpose of higher education, which she noted is to provide a “broad overview and foundation for overall learning.”

In addition, it’s no secret that most universities tend to lean left, especially when it comes to teaching the humanities and social sciences.  For this reason, there has been a backlash against any form of suspected “ideology” driven teaching.  Such concerns of course don’t normally exist among business and law faculties, considered as safe havens from “leftist” ideologies as they tend to stress support for the “status quo”. 

There is little doubt that in today’s economy and labour market, students are increasingly considering more career-oriented programs in both Canada and the U.S.  After all, the high cost incurred toward certain degrees is perceived as eventually leading to good-paying jobs. Two decades ago, scholars were still confident that the availability of liberal arts would still be there in the future.  Now there are those who believe that the liberal arts, once fairly robust, are seeing a more imminent decline.  The situation certainly leads one to question the role of universities as institutions of higher learning and preserving our society’s historical, cultural and linguistic attributes.

In studying the humanities, one is given an opportunity to reflect on the evolution of a society and where it may or may not be going.  There is a real need to question so many aspects of modern society as it has evolved.  For this reason, the sheer joy of learning has to be instilled in tomorrow’s leaders, keeping an open mind to all the possibilities.  One key is the ability to quickly react to changing times and to be flexible in accepting the possibility of multiple answers and thinking outside the box.  Governments and corporations need to have people equipped in critical thinking so as to provide different ways of thinking about the issues of the day, be they related to climate change or social-economic policies.  It also helps to know how we got here!

Where are the writers and thinkers of the future coming from, if not from universities and the humanities?  Can we really simply leave our future to the engineers, programmers, lawyers and business leaders?  Back in 2010, University of Chicago philosopher Martha Nussbaum released her book Not for profit: Why Democracy needs the Humanities.  I would suggest that anyone interested in this issue take the time to read her book, especially since our democracies appear to be constantly under attack by oligarchs and promoters of authoritarian rule. 

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Jan 14

Is Banning Books in American Schools Discrimination Under Civil Rights Legislation?

by bcurry

Back in March of last year I posted a blog on https://froliticks.ca entitled: book-banning-in-american-schools-continues-to-grow-what-next-burning-books/.  In that blog, I outlined the continuing issue of American schools nationwide quietly removing books from their libraries, particularly books dealing with discussions of race, gender, sex, the Holocaust and LGBTQ identities.  Now, the U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights has opened an investigation into a Texas school district over its alleged removal of books featuring LGBTQ characters — marking the first test of a new legal argument that failing to represent students in school books can constitute discrimination.  The federal government agency is investigating the Granbury Independent School District as the result of a complaint of discrimination lodged last summer by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas.  Experts suggest that if the federal government finds in the ACLU’s favour, the determination could have implications for schools nationwide, forcing libraries to stock more books about LGBTQ individuals and requiring administrators, amid a rising tide of book challenges and bans, to develop procedures ensuring student access to books that some Americans, especially right-leaning parents, deem unacceptable.

President Biden’s administration recently interpreted Title IX, the federal law that prohibits discrimination in public schools on the basis of sex, as forbidding discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity – a finding that is key to the ACLU chapter’s argument.  It is predicted that the proposed federal probe is likely to proceed slowly, taking one to two years, and, if successful, could generate penalties for the school district ranging from nothing to a reduction in federal funding to government-mandated training on inclusivity.  In addition, it has been reported that library and free speech advocates are taking notice.  John Chrastka, who heads the national political action committee EveryLibrary, said he was thrilled when he realized the scope and implications of the Texas ACLU’s argument that book banning could violate federal anti-discrimination laws.  This year, Mr. Chrastka said, EveryLibrary plans to repeat that contention in amicus briefs it will file in lawsuits against school book banning.

Unfortunately, proceeding with various forms of litigation takes time and also can result in other consequences when judgements are rendered.  Decisions rendered can open up other cans of worms, including greater availability of and accessibility to teaching of school materials on religion.  However, one must weigh the benefits of having freedom of thought in an open and democratic society, suggesting that any kind of indiscriminate book bans can lead to thought control and authoritarian measures.  Any decision will likely be contested by Texas as a possible infringement of its jurisdiction over education within school districts in the state.  The matter may even eventually end up going to the Supreme Court, which again would further delay any move to eliminate discriminatory and arbitrary book banning in their libraries by School Boards.

In the above noted blog, I claimed that “throughout formal education today, children will be faced with information and discussion about a number of difficult topics — where better than in schools.  People need to place more trust in educators, who after all have extensively studied and researched many of these topics in compiling their curriculum.  Misinformed and indiscriminate censorship doesn’t have any place in these processes, especially where educators and librarians unfortunately can end up facing daily harassment by fringe groups.  Freedom of thought and practice should be the foundation of a public school education, while respecting the rights of all parents and not just a few.”

Civil Rights Education in U.S. US

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Dec 11

Issues Raised Over Military’s Junior R.O.C.T. Programs in American High Schools

by bcurry

Recently, I read an article in the New York Times (Times) which highlighted the apparent mandatory participation of high school students in the military’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (J.R.O.C.T.) program.  The article points out that J.R.O.T.C. programs, taught by military veterans at some 3,500 high schools across the country, are supposed to be elective, and the Pentagon has said that requiring students to take them goes against its guidelines.

In Canada, over 57 000 youth, aged 12-18 participate in the after school and summer Cadet program: supervised and led by over 9000 military and civilian members; supported by their communities, sponsors, the Canadian Armed Forces, and the Navy, Army Cadet and Air Cadet Leagues of Canada.  Cadets generally run activities one night per week, and one weekend per month, with additional opportunities for unique experiences during the summer and throughout the year.  As in the case of the J.R.O.C.T. program, the cadet program markets once in a lifetime opportunities that develop leadership, citizenship, and self-confidence.  However, unlike the J.R.O.C.T. program, it is completely voluntary.

The Times found the vast majority of the schools with those high enrollment numbers were attended by a large proportion of non-white students and those from low-income households.  The role of J.R.O.T.C. in U.S. high schools has been a point of debate since the program was founded more than a century ago.   What is disconcerting is that in many schools a student is automatically enrolled, and must put in a request in order to leave the program.  Some have described such a military program as a means to indoctrinate young people and a form of “brainwashing”.  Others, including civilian teachers, are uncomfortable with military posters and recruiters on campus and the curriculum taught in J.R.O.T.C. classes, especially as it pertains to U.S. history regarding foreign policy and military initiatives oversees (e.g. Vietnam).  Some high school freshmen are also in J.R.O.T.C. at the start of the school year in part because of a shortage of physical education teachers.

These types of military sponsored programs advertise their worth in terms of better attendance and graduation rates, and fewer discipline problems at school.  However, critics have long contended that the program’s militaristic discipline emphasizes obedience over independence and critical thinking. The Times found the program’s textbooks falsified or downplayed the failings of the U.S. government, suggesting the promotion of “fake history”.  It is asserted by some opponents that the program’s heavy concentration in schools with low-income and non-white students helps propel such students into the military instead of encouraging other routes to college or jobs in the civilian economy.  I am a firm believer that what is needed by young people is more in the line of developing “self-discipline” and “commitment” to their studies and communities.  After all, schools are expected to provide guidance and programs aimed at self-discipline and other behavioural issues.  Not all young people respond well to the forced adherence to disciplinary measures and regimentation. 

Yes, in both Canada and the U.S. without compulsory military service, there is a shortage of personnel in the professional military.  However, a mandatory J.R.O.C.T.-like program in high schools is not going to resolve the problem.  The requirements of the modern military today are totally different from years ago.  Recruiters today are looking more for better educated and more technically savvy candidates.  Indeed, they may be better off promoting military service at the post-secondary level, especially were STEP programs are available.  If eventual serving in the military subsidizes post-secondary tuitions and other expenses, then perhaps more young people would voluntarily consider such a program.  Simply having a high school diploma no longer cuts the mustard.  Governments will have to consider improving wages, working conditions and benefits just like employers in the private sector.  The concept of “patriotism” can go only so far in today’s competitive society.

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Sep 5

Shouldn’t We Pay Health Care and Education Workers More Because of the Valuable Work They Do?

by bcurry

If there’s one thing to take from the pandemic is that workers in the health care sector and in our schools merit more pay than they currently have.  What could be more important than ensuring that our health and the education of our children meet today’s standards as modern industrialized countries?  Yet, the pandemic and an aging population have resulted in tens of thousands of teachers and health care workers to leave or retire from their profession.  The numbers don’t lie.  Take for example in the U.S., where recent statistics highlight that there is a massive teacher shortage, particularly severe in several states and many localities.  In Canada, the Canadian Nurses Association in a 2009 report predicted that Canada could see a shortage of 60,000 full-time nurses by 2022.  The estimate is based on a number of factors, including retirement projections, but of course doesn’t account for the serious impacts of the pandemic.

What is more disconcerting is the fact that within the teacher shortage, there are certain disciplines which are critical to developing a new labour force in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.  Up until now, in both Canada and the U.S. immigrants continue to be a major source of STEM labour.  In Canada, adult immigrants accounted for 44% of all individuals aged 25 to 64 with a university degree in a STEM field in 2016, compared with 24% in the United States.  Can we continue to rely on immigrants to fill those job vacancies in high tech industries?  The teaching profession has grappled with a labour supply issue in STEM for years.  For example, according to a March 2022 report by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, over the last decade, the number of teaching degrees and certificates conferred fell 27 percent in science and mathematics education.

On top of which, there are places that serve economically disadvantaged students where they are more likely to have vacant positions.  In lower income communities and in rural areas, school boards have a hard time attracting teachers to their schools.  We know certain types of teachers are also hard to attract, in particular STEM teachers and special education teachers.  As for special education teachers, the demand outpaces the supply.  Parents with autistic children or those with learning disabilities have complained, and rightly so, for a number of years about the lack of special education support in schools.  While something has to be done to encourage students enrolled in teachers’ colleges to become special education teachers, better pay and working conditions need to be promoted and implemented.

One of the things the pandemic has really shown the public is the value that nurses particularly bring to the health system.  As a result, I would hope that people recognize the importance that nurses play in making sure we all have access to care.  Interestingly, the media coverage during the pandemic did highlight the courageous acts by and commitment of nurses.  As a result, nursing colleges have seen a recent increase in applications within both countries.  However, burnout, wage competition with other sectors and early retirement has contributed to the current nursing shortage in the short-term.  When compared to health care workers in general, nurses continue to be underpaid given the extensive degree of training and responsibilities they have.

As a modern society, one needs to take a close look at where our priorities lie.  Everyone is touched by how well our health care and education systems work or don’t work.  Following the consequences of the pandemic for our children and aging population, we need to get our priorities straight.  This takes political and societal will and commitment to resolve these current specific worker shortage issues.  This is not something that technology alone can resolve.  These are people issues, requiring people solutions.  Unfortunately, up until now, most jurisdictions have been unable or unwilling to adequately address these immediate and long-term challenges.  I predict that within the next year, one will see this issue becoming increasingly a concern in both countries.

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Jul 31

New World For Teachers in Parts of America?

by bcurry

Let’s just say that I’m a teacher in the great state of Florida, as an example.  Each and every day I enter the school, I’m faced with a slew of state rules and regulations as to what I can teach and which non-banned books my students can read.  By not adhering to these new requirements, I could be taken to court by parents with a complaint, suggesting that I’m now “grooming” my students — whatever that means?  Or I’d simply lose my job.

Let’s not talk about teaching sex education classes, especially given the severe restrictions imposed by the state with respect to any discussion of things like sexual orientation and gender identity.  Instead, I’m forced to tread very carefully in order to adhere to guidance on topics when considered “developmentally appropriate”, which in the context of the new law has yet to defined by the state’s Department of Education as to what it actually means.  This despite the fact that public opinion surveys show significant support for sexual education in the state.  According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), such support is particularly the result of reports which show that Florida has the third-highest rate of new HIV infections in the country and is ranked 23rd for teen pregnancies.

Unfortunately, there is also a teacher shortage in most schools, including the availability of substitute teachers.  According to the Florida Education Association, the state is already facing a dire teacher shortage, with 9,000 open teaching and staff positions unfilled as the new school year begins. The shortage is severe enough that Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed a law that allows military veterans to teach without the required teaching certificate or a four-year college degree.  Maybe, we should be saluting each other in the hallways?  After years of college and teaching courses, I’m beginning to feel a little overqualified.  On top of which, Florida’s new laws have made the profession less attractive for experienced teachers and new college graduates alike.

Oh, and now I may be expected to carry a gun.  After a gunman tragically killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018, a program was started to train school staff members to serve as armed guardians.  According to state officials, there are more than 1,300 such armed guardians in 45 school districts in Florida, out of 74 in the state.  As far as I know, studies on school employees carrying guns have been limited, and research so far has found little evidence that it is effective.  However, arming teachers is obviously an approach that aligns closely with an argument that has become a hall mark of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the gun lobby: “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”  I guess that a good guy in this case is a teacher.  I just hope that no one gets accidentally shot, especially one of our students or a colleague.

Needless-to-say, the vast majority of teachers are dissatisfied with the current situation.  In addition, a teacher’s current pay is nothing to brag about.  According to the Florida Education Association, as of 2022, Florida ranks in the bottom five nationally for teacher salaries and many of its education staff professionals are deemed to be earning poverty wages.  On top of which, there is little in the way of employment security given that most teaching contracts are only for one year and there are few provisions for tenure.  The so-called “culture wars” have led to teacher firings with qualified, experienced educators getting a “pink slip” every year.  It’s hard not to consider resigning given the lack of respect, overcrowded classrooms, poor pay and the constant villainizing of teachers by state officials and radicalized parent groups.

As a reference, I would refer one to the Web site of the Florida Education Association (Teacher and Staff Shortage | Florida Education Association (feaweb.org), and to excellent articles by Lori Rozsa of The Washington Post (July 31, 2022) entitled Florida teachers race to remake lessons as DeSantis laws take effect and by Serah Mervosh of The New York Times entitled Trained, armed and ready to teach.

Education in U.S. US

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Jun 18

American Public School Teachers Facing Several Challenges Depending On Where They Teach

by bcurry

For decades now, many American primary and secondary school teachers have faced low wages and poor working conditions.  When adjusted for inflation, the national average salary for teachers has only somewhat increased over the past decade, according to the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers’ union.  This is unlike in Canada where most teachers are members of strong provincial unions and are considered to be well paid and to have excellent benefit and retirement plans.  In many instances, there are long waiting lists for recent graduates from Canadian teachers’ colleges to become fulltime teachers.  In the U.S., several states are apparently loosing teachers for a number of reasons — low salaries being among the most important.

However, what has become more of a concern in American schools is the evident attempt within certain states, such as Florida, to inject politics into the state’s non-partisan school boards.  For example, under Governor Ron DeSantis, the Parental Rights Education Act was passed into law.  It has been dubbed by some critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill for its restrictions on what teachers can say about sexual orientation and gender identity.  Then in 2021, DeSantis signed an executive order banning school boards from enacting mask mandates during the pandemic and threatened to strip state funding from ones who did.  Such measures have encouraged some parents to replace school board trustees with more conservative members and to launch book bans within the school district.  Teachers perceived as teaching anything related to politics, race, history, gender identity and sexuality are often attacked and frequently forced to resign.  Teachers in some states believe that they are caught in the crosshairs of the current culture wars, and are increasingly being forced to leave their jobs at a time when good teachers are in short supply.

In recent years, administrators, teachers and school staff are facing increasing threats of violence to themselves and their students.  Mass school shootings, such as the most recent tragic one in Uvalde, Texas, appear to be on the increase.  Recent research by The Washington Post reveals that more than 300,000 children have experienced gun violence at school since the Columbine High School massacre of April 20, 1999.  They found that last year there were 42 school shooting incidents – more than in any year since 1999.  Already this year alone there have been 24 acts of gun violence on K-12 campuses during the school day.  Since Columbine, the total amount of children, educators and other people killed during such traumatic incidents stands at 185, with another 369 injured.  Disconcertingly, in some states, they are putting forward arguments that teachers should be armed to protect themselves and their students.

For years, many school boards and administrators supported racial equity programs in their school districts.  However, more recently, even such programs are being challenged by conservative factions to the point where plans to beef up recruitment of a diverse teaching staff, to address the implicit biases of teachers and to overhaul discipline practices are all now dead or in limbo.  The Washington Post reported that, across the U.S. last year, school board elections became the epicenter of a culture war over race.  Conservative victories led many boards to fire superintendents and curtail racial justice initiatives.  In some districts, white teachers continue to far outnumber black teachers disproportionately to the schools’ black populations.  Discussions of “systemic racism” are even no longer permitted within the school districts.

All in all, although several states have given wage hikes and signing bonuses to teachers, the ability and freedom to teach within the curriculum has been greatly restricted.  In this day and age, it is not easy being an American in the teaching profession.  They must feel that they are constantly under attack and their teaching methods questioned at every turn.  No wonder so many are contemplating leaving this worthy profession.  A sad commentary for sure!

Education Education in U.S. US

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