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Public schools - the foundation of democracy - need help from all
By C.K. GUNSALUS
Jobs worth doing are worth doing well. This is especially
true of public education, which in a very real sense is a "job"
held collectively by our entire community.
Every resident of our country has a vested interest in
our public schools, whether or not we have children in them, for we will
live in the society these children create. None of us can afford to live
in a society where children are not supported to achieve at their fullest
capacity, or even worse, where some children fail entirely. Even those who
send their children to private school have a strong vested interest in the
success and strength of the public schools.
An important aspect of the American system of public schools
– practically unique in the world – is our deeply held belief
that every child in our country deserves a free and appropriate public education.
Even more importantly, every child should have the opportunity to achieve
at his or her full capacity.
In debates about the quality of our public schools compared
with those of other nations, we must never forget that we send more children
to school than other nations, we test them all, and we count all of their
scores. Our best students achieve with the best students in the world. We
must do all that we can to educate every student to that standard.
What does the future hold for our schools?
The good news is that we have very good public schools.
Based on objective indicators of student achievement, our schools are doing
a good job. If you visit our schools, you'll see students engaged in
the business of learning. You'll find buildings filled with highly
dedicated and committed professionals whose focus is finding ever better
ways to serve the children we put in their charge.
The bad news is that they cannot do it alone, and we are
increasingly asking them to do just that. More than anything else, schools
need parental and community involvement. Our children need families who
support their education, families that advocate for their children when
necessary, families that reinforce the importance of education at home and
work, in tandem with the schools, to promote each child's learning.
As a community, we must do all that we can to support families and to make our schools as welcoming and stimulating as possible for all our children. We need more adults in our schools because our children need more adult role models. We have wonderful volunteers who serve as tutors and as mentors, and we are especially fortunate to have a large cadre of University of Illinois students who donate their time to our community's children.
But we can accommodate – and need – even more adults. I hope that, reading this, you will consider what you can do. Our volunteer coordinator will be happy to help find a niche that suits your interests and available time. Aside from the benefits for our children, having more adults in our schools exposes more citizens to how our schools really work, how good they are and where we face challenges for the future.
In Illinois, we must find better ways of paying for public schools. Over the long run, we must reduce our reliance upon local property taxes, while still preserving local control.
In Urbana, we see this challenge with special clarity because so much of the city's property is tax-exempt. To address this need, we must band together with others across the state and engage the Legislature.
Another major challenge of the future is maintaining a highly qualified teaching force. As current teachers retire, we must attract and retain high quality replacements. This challenge is formidable. We in Urbana have many advantages in recruiting, including the quality of life in our community and the professional environment we provide our teachers. We know this is a great place to work and we do all we can to get that word out.
Still, we live in a society that doesn't place a high enough value on children, or the people who work with them. The work can be stressful and, while personally rewarding, is not well paid considering the educational and personal commitments required of teachers.
Finally, as society changes, the family circumstances of our children have changed dramatically. We must find a better way to support families and children, especially children who live in poverty.
Schools do not create and cannot alone solve all of the problems our children face today. But we know that our schools can and must change to do the best possible job to serve children – however they arrive at the schoolhouse door, and with whatever personal challenges they bring with them. The persistence of child poverty is one of the most serious hurdles facing schools today.
In Urbana, we are re-examining, from top to bottom, all of our practices to make sure we are using the most effective possible means of reaching all the children we serve, and of helping all those children reach their full potential. This requires a continuing willingness to look at how we approach the responsibility – and privilege – of working with the community's youth. It means staying current with research on teaching and learning, and differentiating between fads and reforms that improve student performance.
We have a district full of people who are committed to that end, but it takes courage and community support to identify where we are not meeting our own standards, and continue to improve. We have had community support, and for that we are grateful. Please keep paying attention and holding us accountable for the performance of every child. But also, please help us by doing whatever you can to improve the quality of life for children in our community.
There are, of course, many other issues facing our schools. Keeping facilities current. Providing and using technology appropriately in the curriculum. More community use of our school buildings. Exploring whether learning and achievement can be improved by offering the option of a calendar balanced around the year. Continuing teacher training. Expanding early childhood programs. Keeping the curriculum and our school materials fresh and focused on student achievement. Finding evenhanded and effective ways to maintain school decorum and discipline. Expanding before- and after-school programs that are affordable, support learning and still let kids be kids.
The list could go on, but the core issues all revolve around children, families and the people in our school buildings.
Our children are our future. They are our country's future. If I could have three wishes, my first would be to have every child live in a safe, secure, loving household with enough to eat.
My second would be for teaching to become the most respected profession in our country.
My third wish may require a little explanation, and stems from both my roles as a mother and as a school board member. Think for a moment about what our children are exposed to through the popular media. If you've ever seen a 5-year-old worried about Chucky jumping out of a locker, or tried to explain a Jerry Springer topic to a third-grader, maybe my third wish – that commercial television wouldn't be visible to people under 18 during the school week – will make sense to you. It may sound goofy, but I'll bet it would improve schools, and practically overnight.
Let us work together for the best possible future for
children, schools and our country.
The News-Gazette welcomes comments from readers on the
issues raised in this article. Please send your comments to: Editor, The
News-Gazette, 15 Main St., P.O. Box 677, Champaign, IL 61824-0677. Send
comments by e-mail to news@news-gazette.com. |
