A divided nation losing its American dream?

Lee Elliot Major on how political grid-lock is harming education in the US

Manhattan’s frenetic streets in New York have always been a thrilling, nerve jangling experience for visiting Brits. Perhaps I’m just getting less relaxed in my middle age, but last week during a Sutton Trust visit, I noticed that the traffic has become all but grid-locked on the famous mesh of streets and avenues that define the city. All road etiquette seems to have been abandoned, as the yellow taxis and black limos fight for every inch of space, with little respect for people crossing the road. I opted for the much easier mode of transport: travelling by foot.

This image stayed with me as I flew back to London – as it symbolised so perfectly America’s current troubles. As someone who had admired greatly the United States for its aspirational spirit, ‘can do’ culture and work ethic, I came away feeling like I’d left a deeply divided and dysfunctional country. I worry that this will damage the nation’s education prospects. And render the American dream a relic of a once golden past.

The problem is that Senators and Congressmen are aping the worst tactical games of our Members of Parliament in the UK. Personal or local considerations are being sacrificed for the greater interests of the political party as a whole. That sort of works in Westminster, where the ruling party enjoys a majority of votes in Parliament; but not in Washington. In contrast to the UK, the executive and legislature are separated in the US: even if President Obama wants to pass a Bill he doesn’t have the loyal foot-soldiers in the Senate and the House of Representatives to make it happen. And to make matters worse, the very concept of federal Government action is anathema to some Republicans.

Education is the helpless victim of this political impasse. US Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who oversees billions of dollars in federal education budgets, is all but powerless to enact some of the programmes he envisioned for his second term. One flagship policy was to fund pre-school education for all four year olds from low income homes – to narrow the stark education gaps that already exist when children start school. Instead he has had to oversee cuts to education spending as part of the recent compromise budget agreed by Republicans and Democrats.  Education, unlike a bad economy or a military action overseas, is by its nature a long term issue, unlikely to get the immediate political spotlight. It was conspicuous for its absence from the Presidential election debates last year.

From a London-centric UK, it has always been refreshing to experience the fierce independence of the different States in the US (which allocate around 90% of education funds).  But across the country bitter battles are being fought over education at state level as well.

On one side are reformers wanting to introduce more competition between schools, common test scores and teacher evaluations that distinguish genuinely between good and poor performers. On the other are the skeptics, backed by the powerful teacher unions, who argue that the focus on competition and test scores will hinder not help teaching and learning in the classroom.

The uncomfortable truth for the US is that progress is only likely if these two polarised camps can find some common ground. Nations that have performed well educationally on the global stage have one stand-out feature: a partnership between Government reformers and teacher leaders working together for the greater good.

The real victims in all this are of course America’s children. The most shocking divide is that between the education haves and have-nots – in this nation once the global beacon of social mobility. Just to quote one of many depressing statistics: seventy-five percent of students at the most selective colleges and universities in the US are from the top quarter of the income distribution; while only 3 percent are from the bottom quartile. The US is slowly but surely losing the global education talent race.

An educationalist respected on both sides of the Pond, Sir Michael Barber, recently posted a thought on twitter after visiting Silicon Valley: “Incredible entrepreneurship + the Common Core = US at forefront of global education reform. May be?”

I really hope his slightly guarded optimism is proved right. The impact of establishing common standards across States should not be underestimated. But right now I can only remember the cars jammed against each other amidst the fumes, stuck in New York’s streets, all sense of common purpose seemingly lost.

 

A British Take on the American Dream

James Turner reflects on the experience of the first US Sutton Trust summer school

As well as contending with the early UCAS deadline and the stresses and strains of A levels, hundreds of British youngsters are currently navigating the US university application process – particularly those hoping to make the 1st November early decision deadline.

The majority of these will be in fee-paying schools where applications to the US are becoming more common – along with dedicated advisers to help guide students through the morass.

But at least fifty of these young people won’t be from our top private schools. They are from state schools and low and middle income homes and are participants in the Sutton Trust’s first ever US summer school and advice programme, run in partnership with Fulbright.  They were recruited last winter from a pool of 700 applicants, and have enjoyed a programme centred on an unforgettable week in Yale in July.

I was lucky enough to accompany the students and witness their reactions as they saw not only Yale, but Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Trinity and Wesleyan too.  Their enjoyment and inspiration more than repaid the long hours which went into to developing the programme and numerous logistical headaches – I can testify that there is little more stressful than shepherding dozens of teenagers down a bustling Fifth Avenue.

From those heady summer days the students have really had to buckle down and put in some serious work.  In addition to the common application form, most US universities also require students to complete a supplement, which includes at least a couple of essays. Added to that, students need to prepare for the SAT or ACT admissions tests – and most colleges also want a couple of subject tests to boot. And then the youngsters need to start considering which of the hundreds of US universities are the right fit for them.

There’s also an interesting need to re-orientate from a British perspective. There is no room for English reserve in the three teacher references American universities require, for example – if the student is amongst the best a teacher has taught in their career, this needs to spelt out. And US universities are looking much more widely than academic achievement and who is going to get the best degree – they are also interested in extra-curriculars, leadership and, above all, context, context, context.   An application focussed solely on a love of physics is unlikely to cut the mustard.

The prize is certainly worth the effort, though. The fact that 50 of the 64 students we took to the US in the summer are still in the game is testament to that.  As our chairman has pointed out, if any of our students are lucky enough to get into one of the six institutions which offer a full ride to international students, everything will be free – tuition, living costs, travel. No debts on graduation and a qualification that sets you apart from the pack. Plus there are a couple of hundred of other US universities which offer generous aid, 50 or 75 percent of costs, to British students.

The programme is a classic Sutton Trust initiative, founded on the belief that if a great opportunity exists, it is fundamentally unfair – not to mention a shameful waste of talent – if it is being accessed only by a narrow section of society. Last year, 80% of the 4,500 Brits who chose the US for undergraduate study were from private schools. We need to expose US admissions staff to the great pool of talent in British schools beyond the usual suspects.

So, our US programme will expand in 2013, at Yale and elsewhere, acting as a beacon to other state school students harbouring an American dream.

Meanwhile, I am full of admiration for this year’s studentship.  The very best of luck to them all.