Working together to close the education gap (JI Op-Ed)
http://www.journalinquirer.com/articles/2010/02/19/eric_bailey/doc4b7d77e620bf5452063127.txt
By Eric Bailey
Published: Thursday, February 18, 2010 3:11 PM EST
Over the next quarter-century most of Connecticut’s future work force that will be driving the economy will be coming from Connecticut’s cities, where under former President Bush’s No Child Left Behind requirements, 185 schools are failing.
There are people pushing for changes and offering plans that would help overcome the obstacles our cities face when it comes to educating our future work force. At a press conference last week, the state Legislature’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus offered a 10-point plan supported by a coalition of organizations called Campaign LEARN (Leadership in Education, Achievement, and Reform Now) that they believe will help.
Their plan included a variety of ideas, including California’s recently passed “parent trigger” legislation. “Parent trigger” allows 51 percent of parents and/or guardians of children at a failing school to sign a petition and force that school to choose one of four options under Race To The Top. Those options include: closing the school permanently; closing it and reopening as a charter school; firing half of the teachers and the principal and hiring new people; and implementing professional development and evaluations for the teachers to improve education.
The “parent trigger,” it is claimed, will engage parents in the education process. Signing a petition to close a school does not engage parents in a dialogue or decision-making process. Minimizing responsibility for a school system to a simple majority signature campaign negates parental power and involvement. It also risks abuse and racial polarization where the intention behind a petition may be about more than improving education.
Another supporter of this legislation was ConnCAN (Coalition for Achievement Now), and it’s no wonder they like the “parent trigger.” Half of the options create more charter schools. ConnCAN is focusing their energy on opening more charter schools and pushing for the “money follows the child” approach, which would make a school district give their student funding to the charter school. What’s wrong with that? ConnCAN wants that amount to be based on the state average per pupil spending, approximately $10,000. A poorer school district that spends $6,000 per pupil would have to come up with an additional $4,000. Where would that money come from?
ConnCAN’s shortsightedness neglects the fact that that education money isn’t just invested one child at a time. It’s invested in all members of our future work force. Resource-strapped public schools lay off teachers, grow class sizes, and slice time and resources from kids who need the most help. That lowers test scores and fails more schools. It makes this more like a race to the bottom for everyone except for the few who get access to the good schools.
If the goal is to improve education and increase parental involvement, there are better ways to be more inclusive and reach more kids faster.
CommPACT Schools, created by legislation last year, integrate some of the good ideas that have risen from the education laboratories our charter schools were designed to be when they were first created. CommPACT Schools develop education-focused coalitions among students, parents, teachers, teacher unions and associations, school administrators, school superintendents, and school boards. Students and teachers have a strong voice in decision-making. Student ownership of learning is integral and founded in application-oriented opportunities. Teacher ownership of their evidence-based curriculum choices is equally fundamental to increasing collaboration. Teachers are empowered to choose the most appropriate strategies for their students.
To assist in this, field-based practitioners work with the schools to facilitate links to resources and researchers as needed by the individual site. With the support of the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education, CommPACT Schools have the resources to increase student learning in a collaborative environment. Furthermore, CommPACT Schools, unlike charter schools, are open to all students.
If we are going to close the education gap, it will take all vested parties, from parents to teachers, administrators to school boards, working together to ensure that every student succeeds.
Eric Bailey is the communications director for AFT Connecticut. He lives in Windsor.
Copyright © 2010 – Journal Inquirer
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