Ruth Zweifler '51
Igrow ever more distraught by what I am convinced
is an assault on public education. All my professional
life, I have advocated on behalf of individual children
who fail to thrive in their public schools. I fervently believe
that the most urgent challenge for our communities and
nation is a vibrant public school system that serves all children
well.
That an educated citizenry is essential for a true democracy
underpinning civic, political and economic well being is
affirmed by liberals and conservatives alike. Ever since the
establishment of the Dame Schools in colonial times, there
has been a steady effort to extend education to all—culminating
in 1954 with the Supreme Court Brown v Board of Education
decision followed in the 1970s by legislation assuring
children with special needs receive appropriate education.
But we are not delivering effective, quality education to all.
Jonathan Kozol’s Savage Inequalities (1991) documented
the deplorable neglect of urban children and their opportunities
for education. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
posited the lofty goal of assuring quality education to all. Districts
were expected to do this without resources. Failure
meant draconian repercussions; rewards came only after
achievement, thus increasing the incentive to remove those
children who were not already successful.
Added to this chronic neglect we now add the deceptively
attractive charter school movement. Charters simply bleed students—
and their accompanying dollars—from the public,
universal system
As Diane Ravitch, historian of education and author of
The Death and Life of the Great American School System, pointed
out to me: “Charters are privately managed. Although they are
called ‘public,’ they are actually a form of privatization. It is in
their self interest to call themselves ‘public schools,’ but the
only thing public about them is funding. They are not obliged
to accept all who apply; they oftentimes are exempt from public
audit or laws governing conflicts of interest and nepotism.
They often skim, taking fewer English language learners, few
homeless and only kids with the mildest disabilities. To the
extent they do this, regular public schools have disproportionate
number of high needs students. High stakes testing incentivizes
charters to avoid challenging kids.”
The idea that essential social goals can be achieved by free
market practices is a delusion. Dependence upon private initiatives
to accomplish such a hard won, vital public role serves
those who would undermine public responsibility in the
name of unfettered personal freedom. There is an alternative:
stop hiding behind ‘local control’—the false excuse for inaction—
and provide serious state and federal oversight. Local districts respond to state and federal mandates with, for
example, draconian zero tolerance laws, NCLB
requirements, state graduation standards, but both state and
federal entities demur when it comes to substantive oversight
and monitoring of student outcomes. For instance, the persistent
disproportionate suspension and expulsion of poor children
and those of color is rarely examined and challenged by
an independent agency. It is left to non-profit groups to make
the damning connection known as the school-to-prison
pipeline. The federal government needs to support reformers
in confronting unions, measuring teacher performance, closing
failing schools and encouraging local officials to raise educational
standards.
Provide adequate resources—including new taxes! In a
country where the number of heretofore unimaginable personal
fortunes is soaring, it is obscene to claim inadequate
monies to support our public schools and those who work in
them. Certainly teachers, administrators and ancillary staff
must be held to the highest professional standards. In return
they should be given sufficient funding to do the job. President
Obama spoke recently at the high school graduation ceremony
in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Several years ago, anonymous
donors announced “The Kalamazoo Promise” assuring tuition
to any state school of higher education to any student who
stayed in school through graduation. This district with a
diverse population, 50 percent minority, mix of high and low
income, has undergone a sea change in attitude and achievement.
It is now cool to be smart. Graduation rates are climbing
as hope becomes reality. Indeed, money matters!
Respond to students’ dreams. So much of public policy
is shaped by what teachers, parents and communities want. It
is time to shift to what helps students. As an 8-year-old student
explained the situation to me: “When you ask, ‘may I be
in a different reading group?’ they say, ‘you be happier where
you are.’ ”
Communities have to confront the complex challenge of
providing education to all. Simply allocating 4 billion dollars
to encourage charter schools is no fix. It’s a dodge. We—the
tax payers—must take responsibility for improving public
schools and making real the promise of educating well our
most cherished resource, our children.
Ruth Zweifler, a social worker, co-founded in 1975 the Student Advocacy
Center of Michigan (SAC) and served as its unpaid director. SAC works
to ensure that all children, especially minority, under privileged, and those
at-risk, receive equal access to college preparatory classes, needed special
education opportunities, and are treated fairly in regard to discipline and
served as its unpaid director.
Back to top »