Another Education Rant

I was looking to be inspired to write something of more substance, and I went trolling around the Los Angeles Times website and found this article by a teacher who wants to continue to play the blame game with our children's education.

The author claims:

Students and their families make choices. Students choose to attend school or not, often manipulating their parents into letting them stay home or excusing the absences that accumulate from ditching. Other students and their families decide that although an education is valued for all you can do with it, there are other activities and people deserving more time and attention. Yes, the responsibility of educating should rest on the shoulders of teachers, but as teachers, we cannot change the choices of students and their families.

What's truly ironic is another article I found on the same website, an interview with an author who spent a year at Locke High School (one of LA's most notorious failing schools), this observer found:

The school really hasn't made an effort to reach out to them. It didn't happen. I found this really interesting: Whenever some of the teachers had real problems and called a parent, inevitably the parent would say this was the first time they'd ever heard from a teacher and things would turn around. . . . What I saw is that if you really reach out to them, of course they want their kids to achieve.

Thank you, Donna Foote! Thank you for acknowledging that parents really do want their children to succeed. Shocking revelation there, but unfortunately, there has been so much attention paid to the lip service that "it's the parents" that people like Applebee (the first author quoted) can get away with saying it yet again.

Most of you know that I spent most of May and June embroiled in a battle with the powers that be at KIPP LA Prep, what had been an amazing school all year long, when they decided to let our Principal and two-thirds of our teachers go at the end of the year. (Most resigned, some were not asked back by the new Principal.)

In my battle, I met with Board members, I met with the new Principal, I talked to teachers (that is, the ones who had resigned and weren't fearing for their jobs) I spoke for hours with fellow parents, I talked to people that I trust and respect, one of them being a former Board of Education member (not in Los Angeles). That conversation was the most enlightening. He told me I basically need to let the new Principal royally screw up before anything would be done.

So when the news came down that I had to move, I had a decision to make. I decided that I was not going to let my daughter be the guinea pig. I would move to a District that has been proven to be at least competent, rather than roll the dice with this virtually brand new school.

And Sylvia was not sad. After she learned about our Principal and almost all her teachers were leaving, she was almost as worried as I was. Today, she was thrilled to pick her elective, and can't wait for orientation on Friday.

And I have one more email to write that is still being formed in my head for those Board members I met with back then (and, btw, never responded to my 1,240-word email - other than a "we'll get back to you" email). I was an involved parent. I went to field trips, I went to every Saturday Breakfast with the Principal. I made sure Sylvia did her homework every night. I got her to school every day on time. I went to Back to School Night and Open House. I emailed and called Sylvia's teachers and her Principal as I needed. And for most of the year (as Kori can attest), I took every opportunity to brag about KIPP. I spoke at a fundraiser, I wrote articles and a few letters to the LA Times, I blogged about it, I spoke to friends and colleagues about KIPP, I was thrilled to be a part of the education system that was actually working (and in LAUSD, no less).

You cannot take away that much of the Faculty without concerning parents. And when parents raise their concern, you can't just pat them on the head and say all will be well. I wonder how long it will take this particular new Principal to blame the parents as well?

The first day of KIPP's summer school was today. I heard 40 students showed up at the wrong location. (I don't think I even mentioned here that the actual school was moving, too, and the new building is not ready yet.) I heard that "some" students would have transportation available. Before I'd notified the school that we were leaving, I never got my letter telling me about a meeting and the summer school location. I heard parents were not getting their calls returned.

I enrolled Sylvia today in about 5 minutes. I went to the Burbank school district office to enroll Riley a couple of weeks ago, and after my paperwork was filled out, I waited for the woman to finish with another parent for about five minutes. She then apologized to me for the wait. So far, so good.

(Oh, and pssst....another Blog Blast for Education is in the works. I want to get one more in before the election, so as you enter the new school year, keep that in mind!)