Are Schools Failing or Parents?

Just read an article in Good Magazine by Gary Stager. The article discusses all of the current "solutions" in place, which are, by the way, not working. Some places in the country taut that their schools are highest in the standards and, therefore, are "good" schools. As a parent (and former teacher), I could care less about my school's test scores. The only people who seem to see that as a measure of learning are administrators and politicians. Teachers, I think, largely recognize that students' success must be bound to "standard" scores because it is legislated, but really assess students differently, recognizing that standardized tests are only an indicator for students who test well and read well. I traditionally taught a low math group, who routinely struggled on the Virginia SOL test because they were poor readers. Mind you, there is a "plain English version" with explicit instructions, but you must qualify for special education to get one of those. To me, this is ridiculous. Why wouldn't all MATH tests be in the plain English version? Isn't the test supposed be a measure of mathematical ability? Should you not be able to demonstrate adequately your math skills, because you are a poor reader? You have heard me say it before, but I will say it again. Standards only work for standard children.

I have attended the Virginia Policy Institute on turn around schools, which is a meeting of superintendents where discussions largely circle the great progress of "turn around schools" and the changes that were implemented to make those happen. These are a result of a collaboration between the UVA Curry School of Education and Darden School of Business. These "turn around" schools, like many charter schools, were given the funding and ability to make decisions for thier schools based on their individual school needs. The glaring question for me was, why weren't they given those resources before they "failed"? The business model is good in many respects, accept businesses don't have the government dictating who can be fired, hired, and what practices should go on. Herein lies the reason schools can never successfully be run on a business model. It leads to the sticky situation of children being customers, and customers never have to buy something. Apples and oranges.

All of this talk about why schools are failing irks me. There is an elephant in the room. The Oprah show that feartured Bill and Melinda Gates showed schools that were literally falling apart. What struck me the most about that program when a mother began to cry because she had no idea her daughter's school was in such disrepair because she had never been to her daughter's school. Uh, hello? Thank you Gary Strayer for addressing the elephant in the room and the bottom line. If parents do not get involved and demand excellence from their schools, well, I can pretty much guarantee that George Bush will not come to save them. Stager's article stated the following,

"But in order to achieve such equity of opportunity, parents need to be vigilant and take a stand. Parents can go to back-to-school night this fall. If the science lab contains no equipment, they should demand to know why and not wait patiently while the district hopes they forget. If their first grader was excited about going to school, but by the third day cries hysterically and says, “The teacher hates me,” his concerns should be taken seriously. If their kid’s school is test-obsessed, parents should let teachers and administrators know that they expect more of an education. If every parent was vocally fighting for the best public schools for their children—instead of some of the most involved and caring opting out in disgust—the government would be forced to listen."
Thank you Gary Stager for your thoughts and for not forgetting to include the address the elephant in the room.