As a life
long educator committed to our public schools, I have continued to
advocate certain practices and positions including my view of Charter
Schools. This book and the talk by the author has caused a 180
degree turnaround in my beliefs. I hope you will read to the end including the personal coda at the end of this (too) lengthy document and join in the
conversation regarding our public schools.
Lessons of
Hope: How to Fix Our Schools
Author
Joel Klein
Former
Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education
As
a lifelong educator with deep-seated feelings about the role of
public schools in our country, I was excited about the opportunity to
hear the author discuss his book at the Aspen Institute. I was even
primed with a question. How delighted I was to be the first to pose
a question. My intended question:
You
have hope, as a retired principal of an inner-city school, I have
none! I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that Americans are
not interested in fixing the nation's schools, they just want an
outstanding school for their child. Can you help me?
But
I could no longer ask that question! Klein had given me an insight
which had previously totally escaped me. I cannot even remember the
question I finally asked or the response he gave because one of his
insights totally changed my view of the potential
of charter schools.
Charter schools provide poor people with a
choice of schools!
What
a horrible thought! One system for the rich and one for the poor?
Yet how close is that to what we have? But it does characterizes the
direction we are moving – private schools for the wealthy
and..................
Please
read on to see how my feelings are evolving.
Upon
changing my residence from the Midwest to the East Coast, I had an
opportunity to observe and volunteer in a broad spectrum of schools:
public, charter and private in Washington, D. C. While I was
impressed with the education I saw in charter schools, my public
school bias gave me many questions about their effectiveness and
limitations. But my experiences in private schools led me to a
feeling that I had finally arrived at education's Valhalla.
How
wonderful it would be if all Americans had a chance to attend a
similar school which incorporated all of the positive hallmarks of
education that I had studied and dreamed of for over 65 years. How
judgmental I became as I realized that financially such a solution
would be out of reach - that such opportunities were only present for
the wealthy who only cared for their own child's education.
Thinking
further I realized that my personal, middle-class background also
provided me with a choice – I could choose outstanding schools for
my children and grandchildren because I could choose to live in a
school district that had good schools.
AND contrary to most peoples thoughts, there are many outstanding
PUBLIC schools in our country.
Schools of
choice for the poor!
1.While this bombshell was intriguing, something about
Klein's presentation still bothered me. As I thought further about
this statement other problems and considerations came to mind.
Schools for the poor would maintain a position I find intolerable in
our democratic society. Quality charter schools should have appeal
for all.
2.The
effective charter schools I observed seemed to function outside the
framework of both the teachers union contract and the purview of the
local school board. Indeed from my 35 years of experience at all levels of education, I am aware of both the positive contribution of
such a relationship as well as its limitation in the operation of
the school. As a principal I both appreciated the contribution of
“teachers unions” to raise the stature (and certainly salaries)
of my staff, but the times I was kept from keeping the needs of
students first
were unfortunately legion.
3. Many school districts without using the word “charter”
already have "charter like" schools that both give
creative educational experiences to children, but also provide all
their constituency a choice of school. These schools often go under
the name of “Community High School” or “School Without Walls”. If ways can be found for schools to
operate as these do, then Charters should also be considered for control by the citizenry under the local school board.
4. So where does that leave us? If a 89-year-older can so
abruptly change a lifelong bias – even prejudice - we should as a
nation have the ability to come together to change and create
effective schools for all children!
And
finally
Close to a century ago I recall conversing with graduate students from
throughout the world and learned of their admiration for America. The
two aspects of American life that they held up as being most
outstanding were:
a.
The opportunity of middle-class Americans to purchase a home, and
b.
The American educational system.
While
home ownership is a problem of recent years, the problems of American
education have long simmered. It's time to stop worrying about
semantics and the host of issues we have argued about in the past. Our
public schools are too precious to lose and must be saved. Is there
any other force or institution that can give us the unity needed so
desperately in a divided country and world?
Admittedly
I
have not read all of Klein's book, but I know there is much to ponder. Everyone interested in children would find much to
consider. The postscript alone provides a challenge in only five
pages with the final three lines, “..........we've long known. Too
many of our schools are failing. We who can choose would never deem
them acceptable for our own children. That should mean they are not
acceptable for anyone's child.”
I
hope you will be challenged to join in an internet dialogue about
Klein's book.
A
personal coda
My
journey as a public school principal at all grade levels extended
over a 36 year: from 1950 to 1986. It was interrupted when I was the Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Secondary School
Principals. One of the most dramatic aspects of that tenure was the
Hillsdale, Michigan, court case which established the fact that
principals were to be considered as a part of management. Not only
did this exclude them from the Michigan and national principals
associations but it removed them from being considered a collegial
member of the instructional staff. I believe that in the ensuing
40 years a part of the problem in education has been a result of the
loss of this relationship between the principal and her/his staff.
And from my (admittedly) limited acquaintance with Charter Schools,
I believe that to be one of their strengths. Both Klein and Charter Schools recognize the important leadership role of the school principal.
