Neighborhood/Alternative Schools
School choice today goes on in a complex global context that cannot be resolved by schools alone, especially when they are not well funded. There are no simple solutions. Cross cultural dialogue is key to making school as inspiring as possible for the least political amongst us - the children.
I believe that the national compulsory school system and is debilitated and dilapidated. If the system fails children of a certain, race, socio-economic status; ability, then the system is failing all of us.
We are much more dependent on each other than our society seems to believe and the media moguls portray. Our world is vastly more complicated than it has ever been and yet, it is increasingly common place not to even know our own neighbors. We are estranged from our greatest resource--each other.
There is a role for our compulsory education system to help to heal some of the unjust and crippling divisions in our society but, it is not the role of schools alone to address those issues. And we cannot expect schools to do their part if they are not funded. Across our country school systems have been so mired for decades in politics and the politics of funding that the education system cannot fulfill its fundamental purpose to educate the electorate and teach basic skills necessary for working and living in the United States and in the world. With such great burdens, how can a system be expected to inspire young minds to discover their own potential and discover the fulfillment of pursing a lifetime of education?
To gain any ground on the plagues of prejudice, institutional poverty and all the divisions that work silently to erode our social fabric our schools must both educate and inspire; and not serve just a few but, all young people. The people in the school buildings each day- educators, school administrators, parents and children- are run ragged with the impossible work of managing to meet just the most basic expectations we have for our schools and still they have invested lifetimes in improving our schools. Surely the educators have been among the leaders in that work of revitalizing our schools and it has been incumbent upon school board members to steward the effort.
Working with the community and bridging cultures in our community is a strength that I can offer. The choices each of us make about supporting our schools can make a difference. It is reasonable to call upon our whole community to come to the table and help shoulder the work of making our schools places that serve the needs of our children.
Alternative school programs and charter schools are examples of what can happen when inspired people work to make a difference, but, again, the work of a few cannot be expected to reverse trends that not only show up in our local schools but, have besieged schools systems all over the country even in more severe and dramatic ways. We must allow our schools to nurture the children. Adults make politics, not children. We can dialogue in a productive way about the role of alternative programs, charter schools and neighborhood schools and so that we can focus our scarce resources on how to make the tapestry of school choices work best for all our children. We can challenge ourselves to model for our children how people can inspire each other and care for each other in the face of great difficulties.
I believe that the national compulsory school system and is debilitated and dilapidated. If the system fails children of a certain, race, socio-economic status; ability, then the system is failing all of us.
We are much more dependent on each other than our society seems to believe and the media moguls portray. Our world is vastly more complicated than it has ever been and yet, it is increasingly common place not to even know our own neighbors. We are estranged from our greatest resource--each other.
There is a role for our compulsory education system to help to heal some of the unjust and crippling divisions in our society but, it is not the role of schools alone to address those issues. And we cannot expect schools to do their part if they are not funded. Across our country school systems have been so mired for decades in politics and the politics of funding that the education system cannot fulfill its fundamental purpose to educate the electorate and teach basic skills necessary for working and living in the United States and in the world. With such great burdens, how can a system be expected to inspire young minds to discover their own potential and discover the fulfillment of pursing a lifetime of education?
To gain any ground on the plagues of prejudice, institutional poverty and all the divisions that work silently to erode our social fabric our schools must both educate and inspire; and not serve just a few but, all young people. The people in the school buildings each day- educators, school administrators, parents and children- are run ragged with the impossible work of managing to meet just the most basic expectations we have for our schools and still they have invested lifetimes in improving our schools. Surely the educators have been among the leaders in that work of revitalizing our schools and it has been incumbent upon school board members to steward the effort.
Working with the community and bridging cultures in our community is a strength that I can offer. The choices each of us make about supporting our schools can make a difference. It is reasonable to call upon our whole community to come to the table and help shoulder the work of making our schools places that serve the needs of our children.
Alternative school programs and charter schools are examples of what can happen when inspired people work to make a difference, but, again, the work of a few cannot be expected to reverse trends that not only show up in our local schools but, have besieged schools systems all over the country even in more severe and dramatic ways. We must allow our schools to nurture the children. Adults make politics, not children. We can dialogue in a productive way about the role of alternative programs, charter schools and neighborhood schools and so that we can focus our scarce resources on how to make the tapestry of school choices work best for all our children. We can challenge ourselves to model for our children how people can inspire each other and care for each other in the face of great difficulties.
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