John Mockler Takes on the "Schools Suck" Industry

John Mockler has a reputation for candor, clarity, and courage. After hearing so many critics deride the state of California's schools, he's had enough. He's taken on what he calls the "Schools Suck Industry" by assembling evidence of progress: more students taking more rigorous courses, and scoring at higher levels; the fastest rates of progress attained by black and Latino students; and climbing API growth scores for schools in every decile ranking.

He first presented this talk to appreciative audiences at the EdSource forums in April 2007. In February of 2008, he delivered this talk to a teleconference crowd, hosted by us at School Wise Press. Click here to see his Powerpoint slides.

John also documents the public's diminishing financial support of schools from an original perspective: the declining portion of personal income that Californians spend on education, looking back 30 years. And he gathers evidence of the consequences: fewer administrators left to lead; larger class sizes; over 500 high school students per counselor.