1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,120 Speaker 1: Three thousand and forty students are going to be repeating 2 00:00:02,160 --> 00:00:05,320 Speaker 1: third grade for not meeting reading proficiency standards. 3 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:08,080 Speaker 2: So the Indiana Capitol Chronicle has the article. Other people 4 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:11,360 Speaker 2: have put it out as well that yes, as you said, 5 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:15,680 Speaker 2: three thousand Indiana students are now required to repeat the 6 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:17,840 Speaker 2: third grade. And look, we're going to get into this 7 00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 2: with Niki Kelly coming up at ten point fifteen from 8 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 2: the Capitol Chronicle. But what is wild is that not 9 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 2: that long ago before this law was passed, there were 10 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:34,239 Speaker 2: thousands of kids who could not read, and they were 11 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:35,239 Speaker 2: just sending them to the. 12 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:38,200 Speaker 1: Fourth grade, right, just passing them on. But now there 13 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:40,839 Speaker 1: was legislation passed in twenty four tied to the I 14 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:43,919 Speaker 1: Read Exam that says no, if they aren't proficient, they 15 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: have to repeat third grade. And this is the first 16 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: enforcement of it. So here we are three thousand and 17 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:51,520 Speaker 1: forty students repeating third grade. 18 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, the what's wild is and this should give you 19 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 2: an idea of how many kids could not read just 20 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 2: a couple of years ago. According to the Capitol c article, 21 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 2: only four hundred and twelve kids were held back. So 22 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:08,120 Speaker 2: look are we what's still saying mountain out of a 23 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:11,480 Speaker 2: molehill type of thing, like, Okay, that number sounds like 24 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:14,119 Speaker 2: a lot, but in the context of how many actual 25 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 2: third graders there are in the state, is that really 26 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 2: that big of a deal. 27 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:22,680 Speaker 3: Do we need to have some perspective on this and say. 28 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:24,240 Speaker 2: Wow, you see that number and you go, oh, that's 29 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 2: stuff staggering number. But then you know, I don't know. 30 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 2: I eighty seven okay, So according to this article, this 31 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 2: is what I'm trying to get my my brain round 32 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:41,319 Speaker 2: eighty seven point. According to the article, eighty seven point three 33 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:45,919 Speaker 2: percent of third graders, about seventy three thousand, five hundred, 34 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 2: five hundred out of more than eighty four thousand students statewide, 35 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 2: demonstrated proficient reading skills in twenty four twenty five. Okay, 36 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 2: So as a society, are we willing to look at that? 37 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:03,880 Speaker 2: By the that is a five percentage point increase from 38 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 2: the previous school year, and that's the largest single year 39 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 2: over year jump since twenty thirteen since they went to 40 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 2: this IRI test. So are we willing as a society 41 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:22,880 Speaker 2: to say that we're accepting thirteen percent of our students 42 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:27,480 Speaker 2: in third grade can't meet this target? And if not, 43 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:30,440 Speaker 2: then I mean you can almost solve any problem if 44 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 2: you throw enough money at it. But how much money? 45 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:33,680 Speaker 2: Because they're hailing us, going, look, we did all these 46 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:37,240 Speaker 2: things and we but at what cost? Right, at what cost? 47 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:38,359 Speaker 3: Did we do this? Well? 48 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: No, I think as a society we're saying no, thirteen 49 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:41,919 Speaker 1: percent isn't good. 50 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 3: That's why these students. 51 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:44,640 Speaker 1: Are repeating third grade. 52 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:46,960 Speaker 3: And the question why they made the legislation. 53 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:50,119 Speaker 2: Well, the question then becomes why and how much can 54 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:51,440 Speaker 2: you actually do about it? 55 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:54,079 Speaker 3: You know, what do they call it? Low hanging fruit? 56 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 2: At some point you're going to reach sort of a 57 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:00,920 Speaker 2: critical mass in terms of who you can actually help 58 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 2: because a lot of this starts and ends in the home. 59 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,920 Speaker 2: Like I get that school is valuable. I'm not disputing 60 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:13,680 Speaker 2: that a good teacher can certainly help a student, but realistically, 61 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 2: kids progress, and some kids are smarter than others in 62 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 2: different brain functions and capacities. But kids progress based on 63 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:26,959 Speaker 2: how engaged their parents are at home. 64 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:30,079 Speaker 3: Okay, you bring that up. 65 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: And an interesting statistic from this is that there were 66 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 1: over ten thousand students who didn't meet the standard, but 67 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:41,839 Speaker 1: seven thousand of them received good cause exemptions. And I'm 68 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: not talking about a large portion of those students were 69 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 1: special education students, but then you had twenty four percent 70 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:51,680 Speaker 1: of them were learning English for the first time. 71 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 3: So we just let you go. 72 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 2: This is what I don't understand about this whatever, Like, Okay, 73 00:03:57,720 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 2: so if you can't speak English, then we just say 74 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 2: see you go on to the next grade. Yeah, sounds 75 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 2: like they're sounds like we're offering favorable treatment to people 76 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 2: who can't speak English. Shouldn't we be doing the exact 77 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:13,160 Speaker 2: opposite of that and saying eh, until your kid gets 78 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 2: affluency on this, because what you're basically doing with that 79 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 2: then is you're encouraging the parents in the home to 80 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:22,640 Speaker 2: not be speaking English. And if anything, you should have 81 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:27,280 Speaker 2: a higher onus on saying assimilating. 82 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:30,800 Speaker 3: Yes, I mean, you're basically a rewarding or. 83 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 2: Incentivizing these parents not to have to get their act 84 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:36,160 Speaker 2: together and. 85 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:38,279 Speaker 3: Be able to speak English and make their kids speak English. 86 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:41,160 Speaker 1: Right, that's right to if they want to be here 87 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 1: and they want to assimilate to this culture, part of 88 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:46,040 Speaker 1: that is learning to speak English. 89 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:50,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, So anyway and read it, I think there's you 90 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:53,080 Speaker 2: like we're under some sort of delusion. And by the way, 91 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,039 Speaker 2: Indiana has tried everything with public education, and it's all 92 00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 2: it almost always seems to be getting worse than better. 93 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 2: But you reach a point where until we're willing to 94 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:07,240 Speaker 2: recognize and say out loud that a big problem. Not 95 00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 2: just with kids. I'm not talking about kids being able 96 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:11,839 Speaker 2: to read. I'm talking about our society as a collective. 97 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:15,200 Speaker 2: Starts and ends in the home. And until you're willing 98 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 2: to have nuclear families that stay engaged and fathers that 99 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:24,240 Speaker 2: stay engaged and to round their kids and see themselves 100 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 2: as something other than a sperm bank, actually see them 101 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:28,599 Speaker 2: as dads and are willing to read to these kids 102 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:30,839 Speaker 2: at home, are willing to do, you know, watch videos 103 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:32,480 Speaker 2: with them at home, willing to you know, play with 104 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:36,200 Speaker 2: them at home. You're just going to have some children, unfortunately, 105 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:38,160 Speaker 2: that you're not ever you can hold them back and 106 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 2: hold them back, hold them back. It's just not going 107 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:40,840 Speaker 2: to work. 108 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:44,400 Speaker 1: The onus goes on them, right, Yeah, not just the school. Sure, 109 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:46,560 Speaker 1: So the Department of Education is going to launch an 110 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:51,480 Speaker 1: online dashboard with ire results by district and by school, 111 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:54,400 Speaker 1: so you can see those results where you live. 112 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:58,440 Speaker 2: One of the things too that we have done, and 113 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:01,119 Speaker 2: I am very critical of the public education system, of course, 114 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:05,720 Speaker 2: but a big part of this rests with our lawmakers, 115 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 2: in which they have gutted and de incentivized teachers ability 116 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:16,279 Speaker 2: to teach so much of this and this stuff full disclosure, 117 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 2: not disclosure, but full you know, if we're being transparent 118 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:21,599 Speaker 2: and honest with our audience. A lot of this started 119 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 2: under Mitch Daniels. This emphasis on standardized testing started and 120 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:30,480 Speaker 2: began under Mitch Daniels and the Tony Bennett administration, as 121 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:33,279 Speaker 2: it did nationally as well with the federal government. And 122 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 2: in order to get money, you got to have kids 123 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:37,599 Speaker 2: doing such and such in a blah blah blah. But 124 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 2: we don't because everything is so taught to the test, 125 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:44,760 Speaker 2: because the test is the funding and the test and 126 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:47,960 Speaker 2: the scores came out and this is the number one 127 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:50,719 Speaker 2: school system, or these are the best at this, or 128 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 2: that you have these teachers who then get judged based 129 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 2: on how the kids do the test, and you have 130 00:06:55,520 --> 00:07:01,839 Speaker 2: stopped having these The independence of the educator there always 131 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:04,160 Speaker 2: used to be like, I'm sure this this way when 132 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:04,920 Speaker 2: you were growing up. 133 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:06,640 Speaker 3: I mean, I don't know how it was. 134 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:11,080 Speaker 2: In the fifties, but I'm just guessing that in elementary 135 00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:13,280 Speaker 2: school everybody knew who the great teacher was like, if 136 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 2: you went into such and such grade, oh you really 137 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 2: wanted so and so, and that was a big deal 138 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:19,560 Speaker 2: to find out who your teacher was. Or even in 139 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:21,840 Speaker 2: you know, junior higher high school, if you had math, 140 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:24,119 Speaker 2: or you at English or whatever, you wanted this person 141 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 2: because they were a great teacher. 142 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:26,520 Speaker 3: They were fun in. 143 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 2: The classroom, they had creative ways of learning. I think 144 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 2: a lot of that has gone away because these teachers 145 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 2: get judged based on what these discourses say. 146 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:38,119 Speaker 1: Right, so, you've got teachers that are teaching to pass 147 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:40,160 Speaker 1: the test, but how else are you going to hold 148 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 1: them accountable? They're asking for money constantly, as we talked 149 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:47,600 Speaker 1: about with the referendums that are coming, they want more 150 00:07:47,640 --> 00:07:50,240 Speaker 1: teacher pay. Okay, are you worth it? 151 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:53,640 Speaker 3: How do you how do you judge that? That's a 152 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 3: great question. 153 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 2: So why I'm not a lawmaker, I'm here to complain, 154 00:07:56,680 --> 00:07:57,720 Speaker 2: but solved the problems. 155 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:00,480 Speaker 1: The lawmaker said, this is one way we're going to 156 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 1: judge it. 157 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:02,520 Speaker 3: You're worth the money.