Education in a Changing Society

...Like some of the strange liberals of our own day, too, he could attack with equal passion both the excesses of his country's colonial administrators in the West Indies and the passage of the 1867 Reform Bill at home...

...The inadequacies of the school system remained fundamentally unmet and unchanged...

...It is because of racism, it is because the dominant value judgments in this society are white, and it is because a consistently poor estimate has been placed on the quality and extent of Negro effort—for all these reasons the true story of the Negro in America is not told in our history books...

...But if we cannot sympathize with the politics of Arnold's judgment, neither can we ignore the quality of his anguish...

...In England Matthew Arnold, like John Dewey an educational theorist and man of letters, viewed the crisis of his old order as "a darkling plain, swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, where ignorant armies clash by night...

...and (4) it could make teachers more responsive to some of the special needs and special problems of certain communities...

...Nothing, really...

...It is time to give up that old rigid stance...

...I am reminded, for example, of mid-19th century Europe?its traditional certainties shattering in the face of revolutionary discoveries and ideologies in science, industry, religion, and politics...

...First, the proposal seems concerned more with political self-determination in education than with quality in education...

...For though he was considered a humanist and liberal thinker of his time, by the standards of our time he was a conservative...

...On the question of public education, the Report states: "We have cited the extent of racial isolation in our urban schools...

...What are some of these new objectives...

...of the courage to give up rigid postures which, though they might be comforting, are no longer attractive, creative or feasible...

...Where good texts are not in existence, teachers must bring in supplementary material to their classes...

...2) it promises to bring parents in closer touch with the process of education...

...The trade union movement was an indispensable part of the coalition that helped shape and achieve the New Deal?transforming this nation at an earlier period, and assuring the continued right of both blue and white collar workers to organize...

...In other words, get the demands written into their contracts...

...Just this: Make the issue of quality educational facilities one of the major bargaining points at contract negotiations...

...We need a $2 minimum wage, a guaranteed income, public works for socially urgent institutions, free medical care, destruction of slums, creation of new towns, increased Federal aid, and reorganization of the school system...

...they made notable contributions to scientific research...

...a tradition much closer to the egalitarian sentiments of John Dewey than to the qualified and genteel liberalism of Matthew Arnold...

...At those limits teachers unions must introduce certain revolutionary strategies in their collective bargaining arrangements in order to literally wrest concessions from the dead hands of the authorities...

...It is not enough to pay lip service to the idea of racial harmony and equality: The Negro must refuse any longer to accept the distorted view of his roots and his past in this country...

...Teachers are uniquely qualified to be part of this coalition, because they know the problems as well as any other group in our society, and better than most...

...While these problems arise out of the social and economic nature of the society, they are exacerbated by the sterile bureaucracy of Boards of Education as well as the refusal of the state and Federal governments to appropriate enough money, or provide adequate facilities, for the school systems...

...they helped plan and lay out some of our major American cities...

...It is only when these problems are solved—or begin to appear soluble—that teachers will be able to realize their full effectiveness and then-full potential as professionals...

...they developed the only indigenous form of American music...

...These are basic demands of the trade union movement, and no religious group, no business group)—in fact, no other group in the society—is as dedicated to this program...

...The curricula were still defective and inappropriate to the needs of thousands of Negro and Puerto Rican children...

...Organized teachers can play a major role in the effort to liberate American history books...

...Needless to say, I do not accept this...

...of the classes than to the dreadful problems of the masses...

...However comforting it may be to some, it is a delusion, and it is a violation of the right of all young minds to know the truth and to be free...

...It is indispensable that opportunities for interaction between races be expanded...

...It happens also to belong to the American labor movement, and therefore it becomes a part of that tradition in America which has historically been committed to the cause of social justice and equal economic opportunity...

...Teachers must become militant integrationists...

...This, then, is a new imperative: No effort should be spared to create a coalition between teachers, trade unions, and parent groups to make the educational authorities more accountable and responsive to the needs of students, the demands of parents, and the problems of teachers...

...His sympathies remained closer to the genteel agonies Bayard Rustin is the Director of the A. Philip Randolph Institute...

...Some of the positive aspects of the proposal to decentralize are: (1) it reflects a concern for the present state of education in our public schools...

...We are neither the first people nor the first generation to be so confronted—although it is the habit of most generations to see themselves in crisis, to imagine that their experience is without precedent in history...

...The miracle is that they did so much in the circumstances of their history...

...Thus no arm of the trade union movement, whether it be teachers or office workers, can disassociate itself from that tradition of social concern or from the activities being carried out to win new objectives...

...for he was a tireless experimenter, a man who was neither rigid in his determinations nor determined to be rigid...

...The chief task now, it seems to me, is for teachers and educationists to insure quality education, to foster the ideal of communication and compassion among all the young people of our society, and to view the teaching process as an integral part of the effort to bring about social change and social justice...

...It was one of the vital elements of the civil rights coalition of the early 1960s, the most vigorous lobbyist in behalf of civil rights and voting rights legislation...

...Teachers must stand firmly on the principle that America is a democratic pluralist society...

...It may be true that most blacks came here as slaves, but the first of them were here as free men, and gave their lives in the struggle to win independence for this nation...

...Subsequently, the naacp, core and other civil rights organizations sponsored a march on City Hall in which, once again, the demand was for quality integrated education...

...Fourth, after all the years of our struggle, we are now being asked to accept the idea that segregated education is in fact a perfectly respectable, perfectly desirable, and perfectly viable way of life in a democratic society...

...Public protest alone would not get us anywhere...

...It is at this point, however, that the second kind of courage I spoke of comes into play: the courage to remain faithful to those ideals which are good, and which are indispensable to the kind of society we want to create...

...Teachers must reject all forms of educational separatism and elitism...

...The second great demand now being made by both white and black extremists is that we surrender our time-honored dedication to the idea of integration and substitute various forms of separation...

...classes are too large...

...But far more important, these are times that test the seriousness of our attachment to those values which are indispensable to the survival of a civilized and democratic tradition...

...And even now it is the only mass institution in our society that is making the social and economic demands which, if enacted, will eradicate poverty...

...In other words: Integration Within Decentralization...

...It will not easily be overcome...

...They fought as well as anyone else during the Civil War...

...The problems of this society will not be solved unless and until our children are brought into a common encounter and encouraged to forge a new and more viable design for life...

...Teachers have no choice but to organize and join the coalition of forces necessary to get programs and money out of Congress...

...Nevertheless, it has made outstanding contributions to the economic advancement of millions of blacks and whites in this country...

...they played their part in the opening of the American West...

...If political control is not complemented by financial control, it may ultimately lead merely to an increase in community frustrations...

...Second, it is meaningless to promise communities control without also promising them the funds to make this control effective...

...To the extent that the uft holds similar views, it will come in for similar criticism...

...At the same time, I spoke of the courage to defend and maintain those principles which are indispensable to the survival of civility and a democratic texture in our relationships...

...Today we can afford to hold Arnold's poetry in higher regard than his "aristocratic" premonitions of doom...

...The education of children is much too important to be subverted to such interests...

...This is by no means all, but then I am by no means an historian...

...I do not have to detail the reasons for this demand: It is being made in the name of community participation, in the name of community control, in the name of quality education, and in the name of several other interests...

...The connection he felt to values of his time was perhaps as close as the connection we feel to some of ours...

...In spite of vestiges of injustice, the trade union movement is more integrated than our schools, our churches, and American industry...

...In conclusion, let me quote from the Report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, one of the most serious pronouncements ever made on the state of American society...

...Finally, if they have faith in the ability of children to learn, then those children, whatever their background and circumstance, will in fact learn...

...This means that teachers must play something other than a 9:00-3:00 role: They must have empathy with the problems and conditions of the communities in which they serve...

...Moreover, there is a direct relationship between our social and economic problems and the inability of our teachers to teach or to achieve the best results...

...Nor can we share the distress Arnold felt at the advance of new styles of thought and belief upon his tradition-bound society...

...In any case, the question is not whether they should have done more...

...the educational bureaucracy is cumbersome...

...It asks recognition of the fact that Negro children in this society—and white children also—are being taught biased, edited, and ultimately racist versions of American history and culture...

...They themselves can make studies of Negro history and culture...

...3) it could foster closer unity between teachers and parents in some communities, and enable them together to affect educational programs and policies...

...Let me try to illustrate...

...parents are complaining...

...a tradition which, though imperfect, we cannot afford to scrap...

...This calls for the willingness to be compassionate, to innovate, to experiment, and to be imaginative...

...Teachers were still overburdened and, in many instances, untrained and unprepared...

...Yet they are precisely the ones who should form a powerful coalition against the educational bureaucracy to demand the facilities they need...

...We needed a silent partner in this effort—the teachers union...

...and their teachers are being reduced to clerks, baby sitters and cops...

...What would the union do...

...The problems in our schools and the problems in our society will ultimately be solved through political action...

...They can join those who are making an effort to bring truth into the schools through a total revision of the textbooks...

...In 1964, a coalition of Negro and Puerto Rican parents, along with a number of liberal groups, made a strong and bold demand for quality integrated education for their children...

...He would certainly have collapsed at the thought of a trade union movement existing in England...

...Classes were still overcrowded...

...We have seen in this last summer's disorders the consequences of racial isolation, at all levels, and of attitudes toward race, on both sides, produced by three centuries of myth, ignorance and bias...

...The lessons—at least, to me—were clear...

...Yet we can seek and perhaps find guidance in his example...

...Indeed, they now merely hinder rather than advance progress...

...and it reinforces in black children the notion that they are inferior and have made no contributions...

...Half a million children stayed home, shutting down the New York City school system...

...More concretely, I would like to touch upon a few realities and strategies that must be of serious concern to teachers and teachers unions if they are to help keep Arnold's "ignorant armies" apart, and if they are to be more responsive and relevant to the complex demands of our society at the present time...

...I know that taking such a position leaves me open to harsh criticism from segregationists, both black and white...

...It is great and it is growing...

...We were, in fact, no closer to quality integrated education than we were when the great civil rights effort began...

...A few months later, the Reverend Galamison led another boycott, and some 40 per cent of the children stayed out of school...

...Third, there is a real danger of community school boards being taken over by extremist groups—black and white, on the Right and on the Left —who are less interested in education than in racial and community politics...

...The first dramatic expression of that demand came in the form of the 1964 school boycott, which the Reverend Milton Galamison and I organized...

...BAYARD RUSTIN 2. Across this nation, in every city and state, teachers are underpaid...

...they are to be found in the growth and development of the American musical and dramatic stage...

...Nonetheless, we believe school integration to be vital to the well-being of this country...

...All of this illustrates how adept the educational bureaucracy is at applying the strategy of "divide and rule...

...In addition, we also got spectacular sounding proposals for bussing, pairing, 4-4-4, etc...

...All teachers unions should now move to incorporate demands for quality educational facilities into their basic negotiating strategies...

...The visions he entertained of "ignorant armies clashing by night," are precisely the fears that are racking our society today...

...and the best of their writing ranks with the best that has been done in America...

...This can be done only when the educational community is prepared, like Dewey, to innovate, to be flexible, to be imaginative in the application of educational philosophy...

...Well, what did we get...

...And I cannot overestimate the seriousness of the challenge now faced by our schools not only to preserve democratic education, but also to fertilize the growth of democratic citizenship among all Americans...

...I think, however, that our fears are more real and more justified—because the values for whose survival we are now concerned spring from a more democratic tradition...

...But ultimately, whether the groups mean it or not, the demand is being made in the name of segregation...

...This article has been adapted from his speech in acceptance of the 1968 John Dewey Award, presented to him by the United Federation of Teachers...

...4.1 spoke earlier of the need for flexibility and imagination...

...I would be the first to admit that, as in every American institution, discrimination continues to exist in the trade union movement...

...Leaving aside those differences, one thing both Arnold and Dewey would agree upon is the importance of the role teachers play in insuring the survival of the more attractive traditions of their society...

...1. The teachers union is more than simply an instrument for seeking and obtaining redress of professional grievances...

...I will try to deal with just two of these demands...

...The first one is flexibility...

...It is a challenge that arises out of racial, political, technological, economic, and social demands more serious than any Dewey was ever asked to contemplate...

...As taught in our textbooks, this history reinforces in white children the notion that they are superior and the only creators of this country...

...In a situation where children are not learning, parents and teachers enter into a very unfortunate vendetta...

...And the teachers union's role in that partnership would be of mutual benefit to parents, children, and the teachers themselves...

...While I am prepared to recognize that some measure of decentralization is feasible and perhaps desirable, I would proceed very carefully, because we may end up creating and worsening more problems than we solve...

...But there are also some real dangers...

...It is a willingness that John Dewey, were he among us today, would have welcomed as an endorsement and an enlargement of the pragmatic and democratic educational philosophy he espoused...

...I made exactly that point in 1966 when I addressed the annual convention of the American Federation of Teachers, so I was glad when the United Federation of Teachers, the largest affiliate of the aft, achieved a significant measure of success in this direction during their negotiations with the New York Board of Education last year...

...But all of this did nothing...

...Regardless of some of the good arguments in favor of decentralization, that concept cannot be discussed independently of the implications it has for institutionalizing one of the worst evils in the history of this society?segregation...

...Therefore, I support a measure of decentralization in which the school districts would be sufficiently broad to include as wide a degree of quality integrated education as possible...

...children are not learning as well as they should...

...THINKING ALOUD Education in a Changing Society By Bayard Rustin We find ourselves in perilous and rapidly changing times, which demand that we re-examine and even give up some of our old, obsolete rigidities...

...There are a number of demands being made on teachers today that challenge both their courage to be flexible and their courage to remain faithful to high ideals...

...Therefore, teachers cannot avoid the struggle to establish more decent communities, better housing, full employment, a higher minimum wage, and a generally more humane environment...

...3.1 am aware, of course, that there are limits to what coalitions can do in the struggle to bring about integrated education and a better school system...

...For many of those ideological innovations have since nourished the growth of a radical humanism and made possible a greater measure of social justice and progress in our own time...

...And for all these reasons historians continue to tell lies, continue to avert their eyes, continue to retard the progress of civility, decency, and human dignity in our society...

...Only a series of meaningless plans and statements from the Board of Education aimed simply at catching and deceiving public attention...