Sharing and article on public schools 10/24/13

“Some Good News About Public Schools”

“When I hear someone complain about the public school system, I feel like a parent listening to a rant by a 15-year-old. They tell me that I am terrible at my job and that I don't listen. In angry frustration, they tell me that I don't understand the problems, and that I care about the wrong things and should be doing more”.

“As a parent and as a teacher, I sit and listen, trying not to provoke. These rebukes are not news, and they are not right, but they do offend”.

“I don't really understand the psychology that makes teachers and parents the scapegoats for so many problems, but in both cases I know the truth: We stand and face the challenges daily. We have become the faces associated with the struggle”.

“I am not a perfect parent; far from it. But my kids are happy and successful. I see evidence of their growth constantly, even when they are blind to it”.

“The public education system is also far from perfect. But our kids are doing better every year. I see evidence of that too, even when those complaining don't”.

“• About 90 percent of the kids in the United States go through the public school system.”

“Famous Public School Alumni”

“From top: Carlos Santana, Mustafa Quraishi/AP; Annie Leibovitz, Charles Dharapak/AP; Alvin Roth, Darryl Bush/AP; Alvin Ailey, Paul Burnett/AP; Stephen Spielberg, Francois Mori/AP; Ronald Reagan, Dennis Cook/AP; David J. Wineland, Ed Andrieski/AP; Jimmy Carter, Paul Sancya/AP; Maya Angelou, Gerald Herbert/AP.”

“• The dropout rate has fallen consistently over the past 40 years.”

“• The literacy rate in the United States is 99 percent for those age 15 and older.”

“• Most of our recent presidents—from both parties—were largely products of public education, including Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and Richard Nixon.”

“• Four of the five Americans who won a Nobel Prize last year attended public schools. Those winners are David J. Wineland (physics), Robert K. Lefkowitz (chemistry), Brian Kobilka (chemistry), and Alvin Roth (economics). Roth attended a New York City high school, but went to college without graduating from high school.”

Read the rest here: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/10/23/09cleary.h33.html?tkn=YWUFC7TsefWVbdutckyXeHVV3zRjSBIY8crF&cmp=ENL-EU-VIEWS1

 

Food for thought?

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam