Oct 26 2021 43 mins
ClassCast Podcast Ep.079 features host Ryan Tibbens talking about the correlation between centralized decision-making and the surge of superintendent and school board criticisms nationwide. Over the last few years, we've seen politicians, parents, and even teachers at school board meetings speak out, shout out, and even get thrown out. The complaints are as varied as Critical Race Theory, mask mandates, diverse reading lists, opening 5-days per week, gender/pronoun/bathroom policies, schools named after Confederate generals, social media use, and beyond. The one thing all these issues have in common is where the decisions are made -- at the top of the local (and sometimes state) public education hierarchy. As more and more decisions about curricular and pedagogical specifics are made at higher and higher levels, public concerns elevate, so what once would have been a quick meeting between a parent, teacher, and principal is now a loud diatribe in a public forum against bureaucrats who don't actually teach students. Too many teachers have lost autonomy in their work and faith in their systems. Here's one teacher's take on why centralized decision-making processes have partially caused the political debates over schools and why they hurt teachers and students.
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