The Times They Are A Changing

Yesterday, James A. Williams was heard speaking for the first time making sense. He was answering the awful graduation rate in Buffalo Schools, and stated that structures needed to change and there needed to be "other paths" provided for "youngsters" to have success in school. He was saying the system as it stands now doesn't work and we are failing our kids by not providing alternative routes of assessment and ways for them to make it through high school without the institutionalized testing that has been cemented by the Bush Administration. For the first time, our Superintendent sounded in touch with the reality on the ground. A eureka moment for all. It's not certain if he actually believes this or is prepping his mantra for the incoming Democratic agenda surely about to abolish No Child Left Behind and open options for assessment throughout the nation. One can be certain that Williams is politically savvy if nothing else. His language will change to adapt to the new educational ideology on the horizon. Call him a chameleon, politician or salesman. At times, he is all three. Interestingly the New York Times Magazine section has a lengthy story examining the Recovery School District trials and tribulations in New Orleans, LA since the horrible hurricane hit. This has been an experimental situation where charter schools have become the answer filled with new kids out of college teaching with a Peace Corps type spirit, to save the poor, many of whom have been recruited through Teach for America. The article is excellent, covering both sides of the issue, discussing the intense social problems that plague the poor and the smashing of stereotypical old school thinking by starting anew, starting an experiment and learning through experience in the large school district suffering from post traumatic stress from the disaster that changed America forever. The old hierarchical management has been dismantled giving more power to Principals and individual schools to decide what programming they need and what works best for their school individually. There are not mandates from above, instead creative, fruitful ideas are rewarded and replicated. Ideas that don't work are abandoned, period. It is exciting and interesting to watch a transformation in process in a large public district that suffers from some of the worst poverty statistics in the nation. It makes the argument for Charter Schools, that they work better than the old formula. I would beg to differ arguing that charters can be a integral part of the educational system, however all academic performance should be focused in the public schools with Central Office backing off and letting Principals make more decisions about what their populations of kids need. Either way, we are playing catch up in this country. New Orleans has been fertile ground to experiment with the charter idea, it will be interesting to watch how privatization on a broad scale does or doesn't add up.  Let's hope it doesn't become one big free for all pushing money and profit instead of inquiry and quality education.  As the USA trails far behind key European countries, never mind China and Japan. Our kids still think they are the best and brightest, when are we going to break the news to them that they aren't?