By Brother Stanley Culotta, C.S.C., M.D., President of Holy Cross of San Antonio
As we approach the mid-term elections several issues are filling the headlines. Among the notable issues are the economy, jobs, health care and education. When education is brought up there is a general complaint: There are too many dropouts. Since “dropout” has several different interpretations it is natural that the exact number will vary with these interpretations. Some statistics are reported per year. Others are reported over a period of years such as the four years of high school.
Discussing dropouts is serious and the difficult questions must be asked. Solutions must be substantial and fully pursued. The lives of young people are on the line. A losing football team can say “wait ‘til next year!” Most often there is no next year for a dropout. Statistically, dropouts are more likely to serve prison time, to use more social services such as Medicaid and Food Stamps, to earn less and pay less in taxes.
Despite the method used for calculating dropouts the conclusions are generally very similar. Hispanics have the highest dropout rate followed by African Americans and then whites. Pending the method used for calculating the dropout rates, the numbers might approach 40%. Further categorization includes Hispanics and African Americans as minorities and then speaks of the gap between the minorities and whites. Is this categorization intended to make the problem less serious? Why are all not receiving the same educational opportunities? Regardless of the groups identified or how they are identified, they are still dropouts. This is unfortunate. Dropouts do not reach their personal, civic and financial potential. Both the dropouts and society lose.
Recently the media has been giving more coverage to the education dropout problem. Panels have included educators, superintendents, local and national government education directors, advocacy groups for Hispanics, advocacy groups for African Americans, and union officials. Why union officials? Keep this in mind. Most of these panel discussions or commentaries have been as superficial as discussing whether to paint a wall off white or oyster white! The severe consequences were ignored and disguised with flowery promises for the future.
Dropouts from school is not a new problem. For years the teachers have been the punching bag, taking the blows, the blame for school failings including dropouts. Let’s pursue this. If the teachers are the problem then it is the responsibility of the principals to correct the problem. But the problem continues. Then the superintendents must be the problem. Well, why weren’t the superintendents or the school boards correcting the problem? Since the problem has persisted through the years it must be some untouchable component of the system or it must be sanctioned by the top authorities. If a McDonald’s or Burger King franchise were failing or producing a defective product then top management would shut it down. Why are failing schools allowed to continue? Worse yet, why are students required to attend failing schools?
Most teachers are extremely dedicated, hard working and want students to be successful. Yes, most, but not all. But displacing poor or undesirable teachers seems to be a problem. Much blame for this fault seems to be pointing to the teachers’ union. Recent documentaries have hit this point quite hard. Extremes in dealing with poor teachers extends from the “rubber room” and “lifers” to doing nothing. Who is protecting them? What system is protecting them? Whatever the answer, the students are not being protected!
Have these panels given any insights to the dropout problem? Governmental participants have trumpeted the amount of money appropriated for education. Fancy slogans such as “No Child Left Behind” and “Race to the Top” have accompanied the money. Another “hat in the ring” is charter schools. Will this help solve the dropout problem? Charter schools have been praised by some but negatively characterized by other members of some panels. Some charter schools are achieving outstanding graduation rates. But not all! Charter schools, especially the successful ones, are limited in number and space. The successful ones are employing a lottery system to fill the limited spaces. The unlucky children are forced to return to their former schools.
Some school reformers are proclaiming that charter schools demonstrate parental choice in education. Strange? Yes! True? Slightly! Parents should have the choice of which school they want their children to attend be it another public school, a private school or a religious school. Current choice is like a fisherman moving to the other side of the pond since he wasn’t catching any fish. School taxes belong to the students for their education. That is the priority. Somebody or some entity is responsible for the proper use of the tax money collected for educating all children. Even some schools spending $30,000 per student per year are unsuccessful.
Families have many considerations when deciding to purchase or move into a home. These reasons might be financial, location, accessibility, work or family relations, or school of choice. They might have to give on some of their wishes. But, they do their best. Wherever they settle, they have a postal address. Do you realize how astute that address is? It can determine the number of dogs or cats that may be kept at that residence. It also determines which animals such as monkeys or coyotes that may not be kept at that residence. And finally, it tells them which schools their children must attend. Yes, that address is amazing in its ability to replace the parents’ judgment regarding their children’s education.
The dropout problem is not a problem for the school or district. Society is affected detrimentally. Correction must come from the top or source that allows failing schools to continue. Who can put an end to these failing schools? Another way of phrasing that is, “Who is allowing students to fail?” Parents must be allowed to choose the school for their children to attend. When there are dropouts, the real failures are those authorities who are determining which schools students must attend.
It would be good if all parents could read: “The High Cost of Failing to Reform Public Education in Texas.” http://www.edchoice.org/CMSModules/EdChoice/FileLibrary/107/TEXAS_STUDY%200108.pdf
(c) Copyright 2010, Holy Cross of San Antonio, All Rights Reserved.