Headline: ST.
LOUIS SCHOOLS NEED BIG SHAKE-UP TO RESCUE STUDENTS
Reporter: By Greg Freeman
Publication: ST.
LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Last Printed: Tue., Nov. 24, 1998
Section: METRO, Page: B1, Edition: FIVE STAR LIFT
A system in distress
The dozen or so
children gathered Monday near the front of the kindergarten class sat cross-legged
on the floor and listened intently as I read stories to them about trains, rainy
days and playing games.
I
read to them as part of the St. Louis Public Schools' Role Model Experiences
program. The children, at Emerson School, were a delight. They were bright-eyed,
curious, eager to learn. They participated in the discussion about the books
and demonstrated a thirst for knowledge. But as I read to them, I wondered how
many of them would make it all the way through school and do well, in light
of the problems of the school system. And I wondered how many of those who work
in the system are thinking about those children.
They are, after
all, the only reason the system exists. The system is not an employment agency,
or a place to advance political agendas.
The
school system belongs to all of us who pay taxes into it. We've paid for a system
we expect to educate our children well and prepare them for the real world.
Sadly, all indications
are we're not getting what we're paying for.
The
most recent indicators were the state achievement scores for 10th-graders. Only
9 percent of white city students had acceptable scores. The percentage among
black students was 0. No one should be proud of those figures. And this is hardly
the first test to suggest that city students are faring poorly.
That,
combined with a high absentee rate and a low graduation rate, indicates some
serious problems with the school system.
A major part of
the responsibility lies with the parents. Parents who aren't involved with their
children's educations -- working with them on their schoolwork, visiting school
during open house, participating in PTA groups -- are a real drawback in educating
kids.
But
it's a reality that in city schools -- where many of the parents are poor and
have more pressing needs -- it's probably a pipe dream that most parents will
become involved.
Unfortunately,
that serves as a double-edged sword. Not only do parents not get involved with
their kids' education, but their lack of involvement allows the district to
get away with much more than it would be allowed to if parents were more active.
At
some schools, parents would be outraged if textbooks were not in the classrooms
within the first few weeks of school. Yet this happens much too often in city
schools. And, without parents who insist on excellence, the process drags on.
City schools have
some excellent teachers and principals. They have some good programs, such as
the Role Model Experiences program.
They also have some bad teachers and principals who have low expectations
of the students and who choose not to challenge them. That, and a lack of rigorous
standards for educators, leads to bad teachers and administrators remaining
on the payroll year after year.
Some choose to
blame the news media, including this newspaper, for focusing on the problems
of the schools.
Regardless of whether the media focus on the problems, they need to be addressed.
What we seemingly
have is a system in distress. What's needed, more than anything else, is to
try something entirely different.
That's
why it may not be such a bad thing if the St. Louis school system loses its
accreditation. If it happens, the system could see some radical -- and much-needed
-- changes.
The
system needs to be changed drastically. Excellence should be the goal at all
times -- not just when accreditation time rolls around. The bureaucracy should
be streamlined. Good work by educators should be rewarded, and bad work shouldn't
be tolerated. Every effort should be made to involve parents at all levels.
Most of all, everyone involved in the system should tape on their desks a picture of those bright-eyed kindergartners from Emerson School. They're the ones whom the system is supposed to be working for. They're the ones who are harmed every day the system isn't fixed.
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