|
|
The views expressed on this page are soley
those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the views of County
News Online
|
 |
Pretty Simple,
Really
By Kate Burch
I read with great interest recently an op-ed by Eva Moskowitz, founder
and CEO of the Success Academies network of charter schools in New York
City. Ms. Moskowitz described a pattern of criticism of the
charters by the press and by many Education professors because they
enforce what the critics paint as overly strict discipline. The
charters’ strict approach, including students being required to walk in
orderly fashion in the halls and to follow a speaker with one’s eyes;
and pushing students to achieve their potential create a safe,
productive learning environment that supports student success, in
Moskowitz’ opinion. She compared as evidence the 90%
math-proficient rate in Success Academies’ Central Harlem schools to
the 15% math-proficient rate in Central Harlem’s district
schools. About ten times as many apply for admission to the
charter schools as there are places available. District schools,
meanwhile, are under-enrolled. Ms. Moskowitz wrote that parents
know that lax discipline in schools puts their children at risk of
bullying; of being robbed of learning time by disruptive behavior by
others in the classroom; and even of being subjected to violent
attack. The parents who apply for Success Academies for their
kids, and then hope and pray they will be accepted, know the difference
between a good deal and a bad deal.
As a Baby Boomer who attended parochial schools, I never sat in a
classroom with fewer than forty-five students. Seats were in
rows; all stood and greeted the teacher; unruliness was not tolerated;
and movement through the halls was orderly. No one questioned
that the teacher was in charge, and one teacher had no trouble managing
the large number of students. Outcomes were expected to be good,
and they were. Recently, I spoke about elections to a Civics
class composed of students from a homeschool group. They were
informed and prepared; they asked many excellent questions; and they
were extremely polite, to the extent of each one thanking me as they
exited the classroom. Clearly, those kids knew what was expected
of them, and they delivered.
Many public schools, as we all know, have gone seriously over the
edge. Not only are many inner-city schools scenes of
frequent threat and sometimes almost incredible mayhem, but students
have little incentive to work hard, unless they have strong parents
pushing them, because no one is allowed to fail. Vast amounts of
money are thrown the schools’ way, with no resulting improvement in
outcomes.
Yes, teachers must be accountable, and there should be well-conceived
incentives in place for teacher excellence. But students, also,
must be held accountable, and incentives put in place for their
behavior. Teaching children is a most important service done for
them, and education must be a collaborative endeavor. A
student’s presence in the classroom should be considered an earned
privilege, rather than a prison sentence. Students who neither
maintain calm, orderly, attentive, and respectful behavior; nor
demonstrate compliance with assigned work, should be excluded, with the
expectation that they earn their way back into the
classroom. Issues would, arise, surely, with children who
have incompetent parents, but basic student accountability must be
upheld so that the classroom is a place wherein learning can take
place.
|
|
|
|
