\doc\web\99\17\bigcon.txt forwarded by Leon Todd The Mystique of Math and Science in American Education and The Big Con in Education By Dennis W. Redovich What is the rationale for high stakes testing in mathematics and science for promotion and graduation in public elementary and secondary schools? I have asked this question of Governor Bush of Texas, Governor Thompson of Wisconsin, IBM CEO Louis Gerstner, U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, who advocate high stakes testing and elimination of social promotion in "public" schools, and Supt. Spence Korte and Board President Bruce Thompson of the Milwaukee Public Schools who have actually implemented high stakes testing in Milwaukee. (MPS with a minority enrollment of about 80% is unbelievably the only School District in Wisconsin that has implemented high stakes testing for graduation and promotion) I have asked this question of many educators, political leaders and others who support or oppose high stakes testing and eliminating social promotion and never get a definitive answer. President John Birkholz of the Milwaukee Area Technical College, one of many who received a copy of my letters mentioned above, (The letter to Bush etc was posted on EducationNews.org) replied, "Dennis- they will not answer the question, they don't know the answer." No one ever answers the question of rationale, not even those who strongly oppose high stakes testing and eliminating social promotion. The e-group discussions are a bunch of academic rhetoric on both sides of the issue, often-using bogus statistics or analysis of data. The arguments become one of philosophy of education between prima donnas of opposing views. Fortunately, one strong voice in the defense of public education that uses hard evidence, Gerald Bracey, exists. Unfortunately, an academically disadvantaged popular media is not interested in defending American education or even challenging its critics. The evidence to contradict the mystique of math and science in American education and the belief in the Big Con in American education will be presented later in this piece. I have heard the academic rhetoric about teaching math for almost 50 years, the arguments have not changed in 50 years and the math wars never end. Fortunately in the case of math, not reading, students are not seriously hurt in the math wars about teaching methods. However the high stakes testing in math for graduation and promotion are a catastrophe for many students. (See An Educational Catastrophe for Children, Higher Mathematics For All, EducationNews.org) The prima donna academics are accountable for nothing. Schools and teachers are accountable for everything including the countries social and economic problems. If you don't believe there is a crisis in American education just ask the media pundits, political leaders and too many educators of the left and right. But they are accountable for nothing in regards to education! It is outrageous! What is the rationale for requiring "all" students to achieve at high levels of math and science proficiency? Without any research or factual evidence, so-called experts have increasingly shouted that higher mathematical skills are absolutely essential for all to live (exist) in the high-tech world of the future. It is widely insinuated that higher math skills are necessary to be employed in the high-tech, high skill jobs of the future. Unbelievably, it is claimed that most jobs in the 21st Century (starting next year?) will require higher science and math skills. The mania for high stakes testing in math has gotten to the point where reasons are no longer necessary. An academically disadvantaged media has accepted the fabrications above as common knowledge and repeats them without challenge from any source and at any time. Currently in EducationNews.org there is a series of articles from the Boston Review. In a series of nine articles the question, "Do we need educational standards? " is discussed.by different authors. An article by Deborah Meier, "Educating a Democracy, Standards and the future of public education" is an excellent defense of public education and local community standards rather than those from the outside. The article agrees with the premise that there is not a crisis in American education. "Now fifteen years after analysts discovered the great crisis in of American education, the economy is soaring, the productivity of our workers is probably tops in the world, and our system of advanced education is the envy of the world." "If the earlier argument was right and economic prowess requires good schooling, then teachers in America ought to be congratulated, and someone should be embarrassed by the false alarm." Instead, the idea that schools are a disaster, and that fixing them fast is vital to our economy, has something of a truism. It remains the excuse for all reform efforts, and for carrying them out on the scale and pace proposed." Another Boston Review article by Richard J. Murnane, "The Case for Standards" uses the economy and jobs as the reason for standards-based educational reforms. He also claims that reforms are "critical to reducing educational inequalities that have left many American families with insufficient earnings to support their children." Incredibly he blames schools for the plight of poor workers and minorities. "Black males have suffered particularly much as a result of changes in the economy. In 1990, thirty-year-old black males earned, on average, less than 80 percent of what white males of the same age earned. More than two-thirds of this gap can be explained by the difference in the measured cognitive skills of the two groups." "This is a legacy of the low quality schools so many black American children attend, schools where standards for what children are expected to learn are much lower than standards that typically prevail in suburban schools." No evidence for how standards and school reforms can possibly solve the plight of poor workers are given in three pages of useless rhetoric. . The rationale for school reform, standards, emphasis on math and science, high stakes testing and eliminating social promotion are obviously based on economics and the fabricated need to prepare "all" students for the so-called high-tech, high skill and high pay jobs of the future. It is a hoax! What are the jobs of the future? They are same jobs we have had for many years. The difference is that new tools and technology have made these jobs easier not more difficult. I have been analyzing employment trends and projections since the 1960's as a part of my job responsibilities at the Milwaukee Area Technical College. Before retirement in 1991 I used to call the high-tech, high skill and high pay jobs of the future myths. Because of computers I have become more productive in doing educational research than I was with a competent staff of six in the MATC Research and Planning Department. Computer skills can be learned without any need for formal instruction, But of course my techniques are not as formally correct as my elementary school grandchildren who attend so-called failing public schools. Since July 1995 I written at least one Center for the Study of Jobs and Education in Wisconsin report each month. It is easy to do now because in many cases it is simply updating reports on employment and education that I have doing for many years, when new data is available. I have presented what I call my Big Con presentation (Often under different titles) in Wisconsin and outside of Wisconsin such as in Jerusalem, Helsinki, Beijing and New Orleans. I am going to use data from two of my Big Con pieces. "The Big Con in Education in the U.S. and Wisconsin' and the "Big Con in Education in Texas" to illustrate why I believe that the use of schools and workers as scapegoats for our nations social and economic problems is the big con. Further evidence is available in numerous Center reports. A review of the excellently done Texas Employment Projections, Industry & Occupation Employment Projections 1996 to 2006, April 1999, prepared by the Texas Workforce Commission and the Wisconsin Projections 1996-2006, July 1998 prepared by the Wisconsin DWD shows the following. Percent of Job Openings for Texas & Wisconsin Education/Training Categories Education & Training Typically Required Texas Wisconsin Short Term On The Job Training (ST OJT) 44.4% 44% Moderate Term (MT OJT) 9.9% 9% Long Term (LT OJT) 8.9% 5% Work Experience (Work Exp) 6.9% 5% Post-Secondary Vocational Training (Voc) 4.7% 10% Associate Degree (AA\AS) 3.4% 3% Bachelor's Degree BA\BS) 12.7% 14% Master's Degree (MA\MS) 1.4% 1% Doctoral Degree (PHD) 0.6% 1% 1st Professional Degree 0.8% 1% Work Experience Plus BS or Higher* 6.3% 6% * General Managers and Top Executive Classification jobs may not all require a degree. There are numerous high school and college dropouts employed in this category. Microsoft President Bill Gates would be a good example. These are percentages of annual job openings. Short Term OJT jobs represent a majority of existing jobs in Texas and Wisconsin as shown in next table. Politicians, so-called workforce experts, business people selling equipment, materials and standardized tests often say that 70 to 80% of new jobs require "technical" training beyond high school. With the advent of computers the word vocational became subservient to the word technical. Retail clerks, office clerks, food service workers, nursing and home care aides, child care workers, janitors and cleaners, cashiers, security guards, receptionists, truck drivers, waiters and waitresses, hand packers, cooks, now all require technical education. Top 30 Job Titles in Texas and Wisconsin in Rank order by Employment in 2006 Rank Texas 2006 Employment Training/ WI 2006 Employment Training/ Order Experience Experience 1 Salesperson Retail 335,900 Short Term Salesperson Retail 82,230 Short Term 2 Cashiers 303,150 Short Term Cashiers 79,050 Short Term 3 Gen. Office Clerks 266,100 Short Term Gen. Office Clerks 66,700 Short Term 4 Sec. Not Med./Legal 210,250 Moderate Janitors & Cleaners 58,190 Short Term 5 Marketing & Sales Sup. 180,150 Exp. Related Truck Driver Heavy 54,700 Short Term 6 Waiters & Waitresses 159,650 Short Term Waiters/Waitresses 50310 Short Term 7 Janitors & Cleaners 154,550 Short Term Sec. Not Med./Legal 49,450 Moderate 8 Truck Driver Heavy 150,800 Short Term Registered Nurses 46,540 AS.Deg 9 Child Care Workers 145,500 Short Term Market/Sales Sup 41,980 Exp Related 10 Bookkeeping Clerks 144,100 Moderate Nurse Aides/Ord 41,960 Short Term 11 Helpers/Laborers NEC 141,400 Short Term Bookkeeping Clerks 41,040 Moderate 12 Registered Nurse 138,950 Associate Deg Teachers Elem. 40,840 BS Deg 13 Teachers Elementary 135,550 BS Degree Teachers Sec. 36,630 BS Deg 14 Teachers Secondary 133,050 BS Degree Food Prep Workers 35,890 Short Term 15 Clerical Sup Clerks 126,000 Exp Related Maint/Repair Gen. 34,420 Short Term 16 Sales Reps NEC 118,600 Exp. Related Hand Packers 31,880 Short Term 17 Comb. Food Prep/Ser 115,900 Short Term Truck Driver. Light 26,220 Short Term 18 Food Prep Workers 115,450 Short Term Traf/Ship/Rec Clerk 25,860 Short Term 19 Maint/Repair Gen. 109,350 Short Term Carpenters 25, 850 Moderate 20 Guards 95,750 Short Term Stock Cl./Sales Fl. 25,740 Short Term 21 Nursing Aides/Ord 94,600 Short Term Rec/Inf Clerk 24,230 Short Term 22 Truck Driver Light 91,600 Short Term Child Care Workers 24,750 Short Term 23 Teachers/Instruct. NEC 87,600 BS/ or Long Maids/Cleaners 24,680 Short Term 24 Receptionist/Inf Clerk 84,850 Short Term Clerical Sup. 24,580 Exp Related 25 Accountants/Auditors 82,150 BS Degree Bartenders 22,450 Short Term 26 Hand Packers 76,900 Short term Accountant/Audit 21,930 BS Deg 27 Traffic/Ship./Rec Clerk 75,100 Short term Cooks Restaurant 20,310 Short Term 28 Cooks Restaurant 57,500 Short Term Pack/Filling Mach 19,600 Short Term 29 Home Care Aides 74,000 Short term Financial Mgrs 19,090 BS Deg 30 Lic. Practical Nurse 72,150 Moderate Auto Mechanics 18,750 Moderate Totals 2006 Texas 4,093,050 96- 3,396,150 2006 WI 1,115,850 1996 987,090 Top 30 Occupations 41% 41% Wisconsin 39% Total Wage & Salary 10,071,400 8,288,350 2006 3,185,500 1996 2,797,470 The table above compiled from data in the Texas Employment Projections, Industry & Occupation Employment Projections 1996 to 2006 and the Wisconsin Projections, 1996-2006 shows a majority (19) of the top 30 job titles in Texas and Wisconsin require only short-term on the job training. These 19 represent 65% of employment in the top 30 job titles in Texas and 67% in Wisconsin.projected to 2006. The top 30 occupational titles represent 41% of all employment in Texas in 1996 and 2006 and 39% in Wisconsin There are more than 700 job titles listed for Texas and Wisconsin workers. There is a nation-wide mania for "all" students to master algebra and higher math and science skills. It is said by politicians, so-called experts from business and education and government bureaucrats that the U.S. has a crisis in math and science instruction. Are higher math and science skills necessary for a majority of the jobs of the future? No! As shown in the table below of data taken from the Texas 2006 projections, only 4 to 5% of all jobs in Texas "might" require higher math and/or science skills. And the Wisconsin 2006 projections show that only 3 to 4% of Wisconsin jobs might require higher math and/or science skills. While this list does not include every conceivable job that might require higher skills in math and science, many of the job titles such as those in computers don't really involve higher math and science skills. Occupational Areas That May Require Higher Math or Science Skills Occupational Areas Texas 1996 Texas 2006 Number of WI 1996 WI 2006 Employment Employment Job Titles Employment Employment Engineers 133,800 180,350 18 23,950 31,550 Engr. Technicians 81,600 95,050 11 21,310 21,310 Physical Scientists 16,225 19,000 6 2,740 3,450 Life Scientists 7,550 9,250 5 3,230 3,860 Phy. & Life Techs 21,300 24,450 5 5,780 6,530 Computer Systems 81,350 127,100 7 20,860 32,270 Math/Science Res. 7,650 8250 6 1,500 1,180 Math/Science Inst. 25,000 30,050 9* 6,800 7,680 Totals 374,475** 493,500** 58 85,170** 109,840** % of Total Employment 4.5%** 4.9%** 3.0%** 3.5%** in Texas and Wisconsin *Includes Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Math & Science Teachers, Computer Science Teachers, Nursing and Health Specialty Teachers Source: Texas Employment Projections 1996 to 2006, Texas Workforce Commission, April 1999, Wisconsin Projections 1996-2006 Wisconsin DWD, July 1998 As shown in the table, 67 job titles related to math and science are projected to employ 493,500 workers in 2006 in Texas and 109,840 in Wisconsin. Two occupational titles, Salespersons Retail (Texas 335,900 WI 82,230) and Cashiers (Texas 303,150 WI 79,050) are projected to employ 639,050 workers in Texas and 161,280 in Wisconsin in 2006. Of course, retail clerks and cashiers should be required to take algebra and physics since they operate high-tech scanners and cash registers. Another reason given for "all" students taking algebra, higher math and science is that it develops problem solving skills and critical thinking that are essential for modern life. Nonsense, as a chemist and teacher of math and an educational researcher for 30 years I have never observed or seen any valid evidence for this belief. Gerald Bracey, internationally known educational researcher, psychologist and writer in a 1992 Washington Post article "Cut Out Algebra " said, "How about the argument that algebra and mathematics in general, makes for more logical, disciplined thinkers. In a pigs eye!" "Of course all of the studies psychologists have conducted to see if any disciple learned in algebra transfers to other situations have uniformly failed to find any transfer." Math and science are mystiques because many students and adults have difficulty with math and science courses like chemistry and physics. Mathematicians and scientists perpetuate the mystique by claiming super human powers for the skills they possess. Of course mathematicians may not be accurate in arithmetic and proficient in science or scientists proficient in higher math. But that is irrelevant because human beings may forget 90% of what they learn if they do not use it anyway. By the time a high school graduate enters college, perhaps a year or two since they have taken math or science, they may not pass an entrance test in useless algebra and have to take remedial math. This keeps math teachers employed and school bashers happy. I would be pleased to have all of the prima donna university people and distinguished educational think-tank phonies take their best shots at this piece. I would also like to have Bush, Thompson, Gerstner, Riley, Korte and Thompson answer the question, What is the rationale for high stakes testing in mathematics and science for promotion and graduation in public elementary and secondary schools? Dennis W. Redovich Center Director Center for the Study of Jobs & Education in Wisconsin 6438 Sycamore St. Greendale WI 53129 414-421-1120 redovich@execpc.com Dennis W. Redovich retired as Director of Research, Planning and Development from the Milwaukee Area Technical College in 1991 after 28 years of service. He has taught chemistry and math at three Wisconsin high schools and chemistry at MATC, UW-Milwaukee and Marquette University. Presently Dr. Redovich is an educational consultant, public speaker and Center Director of the Center for the Study of Jobs & Education in Wisconsin. Leon Todd Former MPS Board of School Director 1975-1981 & 1994-1999