Focus on 2 R’s Cuts Time for the Rest, Report Says – “Almost half the nation’s school districts have significantly decreased the daily class time spent on subjects like science, art and history as a result of the federal No Child Left Behind law’s focus on annual tests in reading and math, according to a new report released yesterday.” New York Times
Education Dept. Criticized Over Special Ed. Checks – “The state Education Department is coming under fire from attorneys from both inside and outside the agency who say it illegally denies educational services to hundreds of disabled children. Lawyers representing parents of disabled children are meeting today to discuss plans to file a civil rights lawsuit against the agency at the center of the conflict, the Office of State Review.” New York Sun
Special-Ed Woe – “Special education in public schools is in a ’state of dysfunction,’ says a scathing audit to be released today by city Comptroller Bill Thompson.” New York Post, more in the New York Daily News (fifth item down)
1 Comment:
1 phyllis c. murray
· Jul 25, 2007 at 9:42 pm
There is a CRISIS in EDUCATION . This state of crisis in the schools is not new. The minority populations have felt this for a very long time. In 1964 Martin Luther King stated that a partial education would mean huge masses would be left handicapped in the shadows of ignorance and submerged in second class status. In 1972 I began to chronicle the events in the school as parent involvement began to become an issue. And now in retrospect, I can see that the idea of public education as big business and the failure of public schools to produce a marketable product is not new; nor is the inability of our students to pick up the ladder of social and economic mobility which rests horizontally at the base of all walls that surround the inner-city.
And so the crisis continues today:
“We are told of one stunning educational success after another with ever more children passing the standardized tests. But in reality, the city’s public school students, particularly those students of color in inner city neighborhoods, are receiving a less than quality education.’ EDUCATION PLANNING COUNCIL OF HARLEM/NY July 2006
“The system still fails to educate its African American and Latino students – to the degree that they are ill-equipped to compete, academically and intellectually, with children of other racial and ethnic groups, attending schools in other neighborhoods. Our children are graduating – at too low a percentage, we can also say – poorly prepared for the challenges of higher education and fulfilling, lucrative new millennium careers.”EDUCATION PLANNING COUNCIL OF HARLEM/NY July 2006
These statements are not new. Our youth are in crisis. And the educational system is crisis. This means that we need to look for ways to end the cycle of failure which is systemic throughout the impoverished inner city communities. Everyone should be involved in the process of ameliorating this situation. If not, that is the problem.
Since one size does not fit all, we should certainly try to look at exemplary programs for our schools which will work. Of course there are success stories whenever these programs work and enable students to reach their academic potential. Nevertheless, we are constantly assessing the progress of students and tailoring instruction to meet their needs. The hours spent by effective teachers are incalculable. But at least as educators we try because we are dealing with human lives. We try because the alternative of not trying is too costly as prisons await those children who have failed to become productive citizens. The school to prison pipeline to a reality for far too many of our students as police in our schools takeover the role once reserved for teachers and administrators.
Educators in NYC public schools, know that smaller class size is a priority; adequate resources are a priority; staff development is a priority; and parent participation is a necessity. We know that we need highly qualified teachers, para professionals, social workers, guidance counselors, psychologists,mentors, administrators, and union leaders. And the schools that have the aforementioned cadre of professionals are fortunate.
However, it is unfortunate that NYC has left parents and teachers out of the decision making process for too long. Yet, because of the UFT, parents and teachers have ever stopped advocating for children in City Hall, in Albany and in Washington, DC. Therefore, I applaud any positive effort that is being made on behalf of children in NYC. Certainly, we have a long way to go. But we must pull out all stops to make this broken system work. NYC Public Schools was once a viable force for its earliest immigrants, like Henry Kissinger, who attended George Washington High School at night and worked in a shaving-brush factory during the day. Today, the NYC Public Schools must work for all of its students, again. Arthur Eisenberg is right: “The state must seek to break the cycle of discrimination and disadvantage”. Certainly, the future of America,as a strong nation, depends on it.
Phyllis C. Murray
District 8
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