Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 11, 1995 TAG: 9502140006
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALICE P. HINCKER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
I'm not sure where local and state legislators get their information regarding the quality of education being provided by the public schools. I suppose it comes from those joint meetings they have with members of education associations and school boards. It's obvious it doesn't come from consumers. Lawmakers' public statements are too far removed from parents' personal experiences.
I know this to be true because I'm a parent. Parents talk to one another about their children all the time. Parents spend countless hours volunteering in the schools. During this time, they talk. Parents meet at playgrounds, parks, the skate center, pizza shops, hockey, soccer, ballet, choir practice and scouts - and they talk.
I've been a part of these conversations for many years, and I'll tell you what parents are saying. They say that public schools are being asked to meet the needs of all children. They say that all children have a right to an appropriate education, and their schools are making efforts to rise to the occasion. They also say the schools are failing.
Some discuss the fact that their children are bored and unchallenged at school. Some say public schools have watered down the curriculum, and schools are passing students who haven't even obtained basic skills. They voice concerns that teachers lack the training necessary to meet the demands of newly expanded programs of inclusion, and those designed to serve the gifted. Others discuss teachers' needs for smaller classes and additional support services. Some lament that their children's needs are being overlooked, and others' needs are being underserved. The list goes on.
They all agree that children have a right to develop to their fullest potential. They all want to see their children empowered to be able to give something back to their community. But they see many problems.
When it gets to the point where these problems outweigh the benefits, when parents are tired of meetings, and have grown weary from requesting services, what are their options? There are only a few. They can withdraw their children and teach them at home, provided they have the expertise, and aren't required to draw an income by being employed outside of the home. The other option is to purchase their children's education from a private school, provided they can afford to pay the tuition or obtain a scholarship. If these options are unobtainable for the family, the child is stuck. They must make the best of what the public-school system chooses to provide for them.
Those who have experienced the failures of the system are also the ones available to help provide insight into possible solutions - improvements that won't come as long as those in a position to make a difference deny the existence of problems. The system isn't bound to change as long as consumers allow individuals like Cranwell, Roanoke Del. Clifton A. Woodrum, Roanoke County Supervisor Bob Johnson, Roanoke Councilwoman Linda Wyatt and Roanoke County School Superintendent Deanna Gordon to misrepresent the system, the needs and the options.
It's time we all acknowledge that existing public schools aren't, and cannot be, all things for all children. Those parents who have children with needs that are being disregarded by the public school have a right to obtain educational services from another source. Local and state lawmakers have an obligation to guarantee that a free, appropriate education can be obtained for every child.
It isn't acceptable for a teacher to say that he or she doesn't have time to work with one child because the teacher is too busy with someone else. We all have the same rights, and there shouldn't be any ``priority'' students.
Cranwell is promoting segregation by class. By denying charter schools and other options, he's ensuring that only those who can afford to purchase education or who can afford to stay at home and provide their children's education have choices other than the existing public schools. Some scholarships are available to attend private schools, but not enough to go around.
Most dedicated parents and teachers are aware of the needs of the existing public-education system. I write this for those who aren't involved with the schools. If you haven't experienced the public schools in recent years, I encourage you to talk to a neighbor or relative who has. You won't have to look hard to find us. We're very visible to those who care to look.
For those discouraged and even angered by what our officials have been portraying to the general public, let them know what you know. Eventually, they'll have to acknowledge your concerns. After all, you're the ones who elect them.
Alice P. Hincker of Roanoke, a former consultant for the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse for Southwest Virginia, is now a homemaker.
by CNB