School Reform: Have We Reached The Boiling Point?
Parents continue to demand solutions to failing schools in Missouri. As an example, five Saint Louis firefighters recently sued three suburban school districts for failure to enroll their children under the Missouri Supreme Court’s Turner decision. One of the firefighters is spending $20,000 per year in Catholic school tuition just to avoid sending his children to Saint Louis public schools. This is in addition to taxes he has paid to fund the very school district that has failed him and his family. Like many families in similar situations, this family pays twice for securing the benefits of the “free public schools” that are guaranteed in our state constitution.
My post last week discussed a lawsuit between the Kansas City Public Schools and five suburban school districts regarding the implementation of the Turner decision. In a nutshell, Turner requires surrounding districts to enroll students who live in unaccredited (failing) school districts (i.e., the Saint Louis and Kansas City public schools and the Riverview Gardens School District). In effect, this is a limited school choice option under Missouri law.
Practically speaking, one issue is, how can the suburban districts in Kansas City and Saint Louis handle the potential influx of urban students? A recent survey estimates that approximately 13,500 students may flee Saint Louis schools for Saint Louis County under the Turner law. That is close to one quarter of school-age children in Saint Louis city. Pressure to abandon the Saint Louis public schools is apparently growing.
While it is easy to get caught up in the apparent chaos, why don’t we disengage for a second and reflect on the deeper issues; specifically, the failure of urban education in the Saint Louis and Kansas City public schools. Perhaps the Turner decision is a blessing of sorts, compelling both the legislature and the courts to address head-on comprehensive school reform, not only for our urban districts, but for all districts in Missouri.
Teacher tenure reform, collective bargaining, charter school expansion, school closure, and expanded school choice are on the table. The legislative session is just beginning to heat up. Perhaps Turner was merely the first act in an unfolding multi-act drama. If so, the script should promote an increase in accountability for teachers and school districts, and an expansion of school choice, including choice of private and parochial schools for students in failing public schools.
The failure of urban education has nothing to do with school reform; it has to do with the students. They are stupid; they are brought up in a culture that does not value education; they cause others to fail.
Comment by Archon — January 26, 2012 @ 6:26 a.m.
If you want to fix the schools, start by fixing the parents. Anything else is an exercise in futility. Nowhere did I see parent accountability on your list. The parents are failing their children. I challenge you to spend a week in any inner city school and then come back. I bet you will rewrite your arguemnt.
Comment by Tom Slawson — January 26, 2012 @ 12:00 p.m.
Robert Schneider had this to say on Facebook:
The issue of parents spending large amounts of money on private school tuition doesn’t just concern St. Louis city schools. I can tell you that in my real estate work, I see it going on in Ritenour, Normandy, U City and Ferguson/Florissant school districts. St. Louis County north of Clayton and east of 270 has a slow growing cancer that is killing it. That cancer is long term school district decline.
View the comment on Facebook here.
Comment by admin — January 26, 2012 @ 2:46 p.m.
Tom and Archon are both correct!!! The parents who believe that ou should send the kid to school and they will learn…. Like it teaching is just putting a card in a electronic device..
The students who think homework is something you can do if you want to.
The only way I see of changing this … if you don’t have a valid H.S. diploma and pass the GED Test as proof, then you are disqualified from
from the benefits of society.
Comment by Gene Hutchins — January 26, 2012 @ 10:05 p.m.
The federal government is broadly undermining local control and choice through (weak) Common Core Standards and Race to the Top but no one seems to care or even notice.
Missouri Education Watchdog reported on this week’s School Choice panel hosted by Americans for Prosperity.
http://www.missourieducationwatchdog.com/2012/01/dick-morris-and-school-choice-week.html
Comment by Lisa Jones — January 27, 2012 @ 6:43 a.m.
If you are “in the dark” or annoyed by concerns over Common Core Standards, IT IS BY DESIGN.
PLZ READ THIS>>
Rick Hess Nails National Standards on Their Stealth Strategy
http://jaypgreene.com/2011/09/06/rick-hess-nails-national-standards-on-their-stealth-strategy/
Comment by Lisa Jones — January 27, 2012 @ 7:14 a.m.
The solution to this mess is take PERSONAL RESPOSIBILITY to educate your own children and quit expecting the gov. to do the job as well as you could. Read “The Well Trained Mind”. Order the catalog from The Rainbow Resource Center (It’s as thick as the old Sears catalogs and has anything your school might have) Sign up for The Homeschool Legal Defense Fund and feel the marvelous FREEDOM to learn in stress free, bully free, union teacher free, environment. I was forced to homeschool due the S***** attitude of Ladue Public Schools but I have never been so glad! They gave me a glimpse of the learning I enjoyed 30 years ago! Thank you Ladue ;)
Comment by Trailgal — January 27, 2012 @ 1:01 p.m.
I’m an independent conservative teacher who is fine with ending tenure. Conservatives need to realize the threat to state sovereignty and local control in education are currently being undermined by this administration.
GOP needs to address this federal overreach, but can’t seem to see “the forest (burning) for the trees”
http://www.aei.org/article/carrots-sticks-and-the-bully-pulpit/
Comment by Lisa Jones — February 5, 2012 @ 8:26 a.m.