Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 25, 1994 TAG: 9406080002
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JEFF ARTIS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
1. Require all states to fund all school districts equally per capita, regardless of the school district's tax base.
A child should not be denied educational opportunities because of where he is born. Also, a child should not receive additional educational opportunities for the same reason. Every child should have equal access to the same level of quality in education. We should settle for nothing else.
2. Stop determining school discipline by the student's socioeconomic background, race, sex, whether or not the student is an athlete, or by the student's families' political clout in the community.
The biggest problem with school discipline is that far too often, it isn't equal. Students who come from the "right" background get breaks. Students from the "wrong" backgrounds get suspended. If a student curses out a teacher and throws a desk in her direction, the fact that the student's mother is important in the local PTSA should not have any bearing on the punishment that student receives. It's time to end the discipline double standard.
3. Stop allowing a student's socioeconomic background to influence the way the student is taught and graded in the classroom.
When I was a student in school and later in college, I loved it when I went into a class and could tell the teacher felt sorry for me because I was black and poor, or, as one teacher told me, "You do pretty good work for someone who came from the wrong side of the tracks." In these situations, I suddenly became an actor. I knew if it looked like I was putting forth some effort, I'd get a decent grade in the class without having to work hard. I knew I could do the work if I had to. But why do the work when you don't have to? I conned a lot of teachers. Students are still conning teachers today. Teachers are falling for their acts and the students are losing out. It doesn't have to happen.
The opposite is also true where a teacher is convinced a student is cheating because he can't believe a student from a low socioeconomic background can make good grades. In one case, a young lady in the eighth grade decided to type an English paper on a word processor. She had decided she wanted to make a good grade in this teacher's class. She typed the paper, turned it in and got an "F". The teacher told her he couldn't believe she typed the paper. According to the teacher, it was, "too neat and too perfect." This happens too often.
4. De-emphasize sports and place more emphasis on academic achievement.
Let's face it. We treat our high-school athletes like gods. As long as Johnny is running touchdowns, scoring baskets or winning races, we could not care less about his academic shortcomings. What's sad is that Johnny has a better chance of winning the lottery than making it to the NBA, NFL or any other pro sports team. High school sports should be a means to an end. Now, it's exploitation.
We must ask ourselves: How many high school sports stars go to college and return home at the end of their first year, or their first semester, because they couldn't measure up in a college classroom? How many star athletes graduate each year from our nation's high schools and can't read their high-school diplomas? Do we educate our children, or do we pimp them out in the name of sports? Our children should be more than sports prostitutes.
5. Allow teachers to do their jobs in the classroom. Job performance should not be determined by a teacher's failure rate, nor should a teacher's day be bogged down by mindless paper work.
If a student can't do the work, he should have to repeat the class without the teacher being blamed for the student's shortcomings. With the exception of keeping an accurate class roll, the teacher shouldn't have to track the number of days Johnny misses school each grading period. That job belongs to Johnny's parents.
Teachers should not have to justify why they failed a student. Their grade book should be enough justification. I remember an incident that happened to me at the end of the very first grading period I taught. I received a letter from our principal saying I had failed too many students. The letter implied that if I didn't pass more students, I'd be unemployed at the end of the school year. I explained to my principal I had failed only those students who didn't come to class, who didn't turn in their assignments and who didn't make passing grades. He told me that didn't matter. I had to find a way to pass these students.
I went to my department head at the time. After showing her the letter and telling her what had happened, she told me that part of education was "covering your butt." Other teachers in my department also advised me the school district had an unofficial "10 percent rule," that you could fail only 10 percent of your class. I found out later the kids were aware of this rule, also. One kid told me in private, "You know, Mr. Artis, you can't fail all of us. You'll lose your job." He was right. I did what I was told to do.
6. Stop penalizing schools financially for expelling students. In some cases, schools lose funding for a student if the student is expelled. This should not happen. It's not the school's fault if a student comes to school and doesn't know how to act properly. Schools should not suffer financially because Johnny has become a danger to other students.
7. Principals need to stop treating their schools as plantations where they are lord and master. Other principals need to seriously address the problems facing their schools and quit playing public relations.
Most principals are good at their jobs. Others need to sell insurance.
8. Parents need to start being parents and become accountable for their children's education.
In far too many communities, the schools have become the children's parents. It's a disgrace when parents don't ask to see homework or a report card and then complain when they find out their children are failing. It's a disgrace when parents resort to intimidation in an effort to get their child a passing grade, either by threatening a teacher with bodily harm or by siccing their well-connected political friends on the teacher. I even had a parent imply she would provide sexual favors if I passed her child. Unless parents do their job, the schools can't do theirs.
9. School boards and politicians need to stop playing politics and become more concerned with the overall quality of education each student receives.
Some school boards don't practice what they preach. Some school boards are interested only in making money - for themselves, making Jesse James look like a Boy Scout. Some school boards are nothing more than figureheads, carrying out the whims of the most powerful political group in the school district.
As for the politicians not knowing what's best for schoolchildren, one need look no further than at the politicians of Virginia. One has to wonder how much money the amusement parks and hotels contributed to the state's political campaigns in order for our state lawmakers to keep the schools closed until after Labor Day. It appears our state representatives are more concerned with being re-elected and having our children punch tickets for amusement rides than they are about our children's education.
10. Let's base education on one simple idea. If a student does the work, he passes. If he won't do the work, or can't do the work, he fails.
Let's have no exceptions. The real world will not care if Johnny was the oldest student in his class, or if he came from a bad background, or if he doesn't know who his father is. The real world wants people who can produce. We do our children a disservice by herding them through our school systems, teaching them to be victims.
The time has come for us to realize that throwing money at our schools will not make them better. Let's get rid of the bells, the whistles, the horns and the check book, and get serious about educational reform. If we must use the money, let's pay teachers decent salaries. Let's make sure Johnny can go to the bathroom without getting beat up. Let's make sure my child's education isn't hampered by a kid who comes to school only to sell drugs, socialize or to keep that government check coming every month.
We know what the problems in education are. We don't need to spend $1 billion to fix them.
Jeff Artis of Roanoke is editor of The Black Conservative Newsletter.
by CNB