We should all agree that every child deserves a world-class education. We should all agree (based on NAEP data and a plethora of information from groups like Education Trust) that there are serious achievement gaps we, as a nation, must overcome. We should all agree that every classroom should be led by an exemplary teacher, and that teacher should be supported to continue her successes. And we all should agree that we must constantly improve our public schools, ensuring they are adapting to the times and the needs of our kids and communities.
We should all be education reformers.
Over at the ConnCAN blog, Eduflack has a new blog post on making this point. After clarifying the record on attacks made by many of those looking to prevent reforms and protect a failed system, I note:
At the end of the day, every single Connecticut resident should be a champion for education reform, one who demands real, meaningful school improvement. While we may disagree on the best path to achieve that improvement, we all should agree that reform is needed. And for those who stand in the way of reform, those who defend the status quo, we must ask: Who benefits from protecting a system of haves and have-nots, a system where educational quality is dictated by one’s race, family income, or zip code?
It is all the rage to question the motives of those who are looking to reform the schools, and it is even more en vogue to answer those questions with vitriol lacking in even the basest of facts. Why not ask the motives behind protecting a system where fourth graders struggle to read at grade level, more than a third of Black and Latino students drop out of high school, and the majority of students who do get to college require remedial courses?
Eduflack By Patrick R. Riccards 