Children, Charter Schools, and Change

I stumbled across this while doing some research today:

"The arrival of the 21st century was marked by a shift from shared social responsibility to support and create better opportunities for the poor, to an expectation that schools and teachers almost entirely alone should raise all students' achievement and narrow the gaps between them. What we need is a strong public investment not just in education, but also in housing, medica care, social services, and community development. The community should take back the playgrounds and the streets as part of the very fabric of democratic life" (Hargreaves & Shirley).

Very well said, I think. With the recent public interest in the charter school issue, I find this even more pertinent. Generally, the public (and I mean no offense) knows nothing about charter schools--how they began, why they began, how they work, etc. The documentary "Waiting for Superman" offers distorted information regarding public education and leads the public into believing that public education is a train wreck and that charter schools are the answer.

What the public fails to realize is that charter schools are schools that must comply with the same regulations as public schools. They must be staffed with the same licensed teachers and administrators, and the schools must offer the same prescribed curriculum as the states in which they reside.

What we as a public MUST do is invest in our children and in our communities. Allowing the private sector to fund public education is a huge mistake. A businessman or corporate investor who went to college and obtained a degree is NOT qualified to make decisions regarding our children's education. I went to college and obtained THREE degrees (and counting), and that does not qualify me to build a road, perform open-heart surgery, or design a house. It does, however, qualify me to teach children. Furthermore, it qualifies me to have an opinion regarding the education of all children.

Investing in our children and communities means that we support our schools, support our teachers, and support those in our communities who are unable to support themselves.

I have often heard that we should not be held responsible for those in our communities who may be unable to support themselves. Without an education, though, how are they ever expected to break the cycle and become contributing members of society?

Many of you know me well, and you know I have a very strong opinion concerning every child having the right to a quality education. The solution is simple (and I know that many of you will disagree). We should:

1. Ensure that all children have access to pediatric and dental care in school-based clinics...not in crowded, free clinics where the lines are long and the care may be sub-par;

2. Ensure that all families have a decent place to live...and yes I'm talking about rent-controlled and government subsidized housing;

3. Ensure that all schools provide higher quality early childhood care and education programs so that low-income children are not parked in front of televisions;

4. Increase the minimum wage so that families of low-wage workers have less strain and stress; and

5. Fund after-school programs so that low-income children spend fewer nonschool hours in dangerous environments and spend more time developing their cultural, artistic, and athletic potential.

Children don't ask to be born. How can we not give them all a fighting chance?

There. I've said my piece. I have plenty more to say regarding this subject, but I'll save it for another time.



**If you're as interested as I am in social justice in education, then check out the work of Richard Rothstein and Hargreaves & Shirley.