THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 12, 1995 TAG: 9503100218
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: GUEST EDITORIAL
SOURCE: BY CAROLE WHITENER
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
Public education has been attacked on many fronts by those whose vested interests would benefit from its problems, and by elected officials who are seeking ways to justify down-sizing, privatizing or eliminating public agencies and institutions to cover budget shortfalls.
It is easier, for example, to gain public support for charter schools, voucher systems or to cut funding to public schools if public schools are viewed as dangerous places where little learning occurs and teachers are incompetent or engaged in a conspiracy to undermine children's values and destroy the concept of the family.
The truth is, in spite of the violence surrounding schools, schools are still the safest places for children. Children who have supportive, attentive parents (and many who do not) continue to learn there, and teachers today are still among the most conservative family and child-oriented members of mainstream society.
Schools are a microcosm of our society and are not immune from the forces that tear at our social fabric. One cannot address the problems of the schools without considering the social milieu within which they are located.
Gov. George Allen has promised school reform in Virginia. Granted, some changes are needed, but we need to closely monitor the changes which were proposed during the recent legislative session. Ken Stroupe, a spokesman for the governor, has said that the school reform plan for Virginia would not include ``trendy theories advocated by federal bureaucrats and education experts.''
Trendy theories such as charter schools, advocated by those who are not experts, will be considered, however. (Imagine the incredulity with which the public would view a recommendation that medical practice should be revolutionized without considering the input of medical experts!)
Charter schools have a poor track record in other states. So far, they do not provide an adequate model for school reform. In Virginia, the proposed charter schools would be exempt from accreditation standards, a quality safeguard which, among other things, requires adequate school libraries, certified teachers and a research-based curriculum. To support charter schools would dilute already scarce funds.
Perhaps, a more sensible approach to school reform would be to identify existing high quality programs and commit to ensuring that all schools have the means to implement proven strategies.
Exemplary models for school reform can be found in existing public school programs. Consider the conclusions drawn from a recent Money magazine survey of public and private schools. In the article, ``Why Private Schools Are Rarely Worth the Money,'' Money reports that, ``You get the best value for your education dollar at a top public school.''
When these criteria were rated: teachers' qualifications, class size, discipline problems, ethnic diversity, facilities, course offerings and cost, a number of interesting facts were revealed. For example, the survey found that the best public schools offer a more challenging curriculum than most private schools, the average public school teacher has better academic qualifications than the average private school teacher, and students who attend the best public schools outperform most private school students. Perhaps, the best models for school reform can be found by identifying exemplary public school programs.
In many communities, the public schools are the last institutions where children come into contact with adults who care about them and engage them in sustained, nurturing relationships. If we wish to safeguard public education for future generations, we must be careful that we don't allow those who think of children as cash crops for investors to trade in public education for the corporate bottom line and strip the assets of our schools. These assets cannot be rebuilt in our lifetime. MEMO: Carole Whitener, a professor of child development at the Chesapeake
campus of Tidewater Community College, is president-elect of the
Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children.
by CNB