There was an impressive breadth of knowledge and a welcome dose of candor in President Obama’s first big speech on education, in which he served up an informed analysis of the educational system from top to bottom. What really mattered was that Mr. Obama did not wring his hands or speak in abstract about states that have failed to raise their educational standards. Instead, he made it clear that he was not afraid to embarrass the laggards — by naming them — and that he would use a $100 billion education stimulus fund to create the changes the country so desperately needs.
Mr. Obama signaled that he would take the case for reform directly to the voters, instead of limiting the discussion to mandarins, lobbyists and specialists huddled in Washington. [emphasis added] Unlike his predecessor, who promised to leave no child behind but did not deliver, this president is clearly ready to use his political clout on education... More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/opinion/12thu1.html?_r=1
What's the educational system like in our own backyard? It depends on who you ask. Winnetka has always made claim to "the best" schools, yet there are many students and families who are disenfranchised from the opportunities to achieve their full potential because Winnetka school administrators still segregate students who have learning challenges via "self-contained" classes in the grade schools, and via the level system at New Trier. Winnetka administrators still tell parents that the school is only obligated to provide "some benefit," and not required to insure that each child achieves his or her "full potential." Winnetka administrators also tell some parents that they are not obligated to provide any special services to their children because the student has not failed enough. While the deep-pocket legal teams hired by the Winnetka schools and New Trier maintain that their interpretations of the special education laws allow them to get away with avoiding the provision of quality education that is individually tailored to what specific students need, is this what the taxpayers of Winnetka want for their children? And, Winnetka administrators still allow some teachers to make maverick decisions about whether to provide "accommodations," which are supports such as audio/computerized books for those with reading challenges or a calculator for a student who has strong math reasoning abilities but challenges in math calculations. And, worst of all, the Winnetka administrators allow some teachers to get away with telling students that they are "just being lazy," "need a kick in the butt," and "don't belong" in [higher level] classes. Some Winnetka administrators have told parents that they cannot MAKE the teacher provide the accommodations, to which I ask, “Why not?” Denying students such access and accommodations prevents the students from being able achieve their potential, or even to keep up with their peers.
Many Winnetka parents, recognizing that their children need more than what the schools are providing, have dug deep into their pockets to pay twenty to thirty thousand dollars per year to provide private tutoring. Those students whose families who cannot afford to do so, go without. Now that we have this terrible economic downturn and many families can no longer afford to pay the private tutors, what is going to happen to those families, what is going to happen to those students who can no longer afford private tutoring to make up for the lack of appropriate research-validated remedial tutoring in the public schools?
If we want to deserve our reputation for quality school systems, we need to make sure our schools are "the best" for ALL of our students. It is time for Winnetka parents to take back the control of their schools and require full transparency and accountability to parents from top to bottom in their schools. ALL school policies should be written and available to the public. We need to stop the illegal segregating of students into lower levels just because the schools have failed to provide appropriate remedial tutoring and/or appropriate supports (such as technology, notetakers, etc.) so that the students can thrive in upper levels and be fully prepared for a competitive college. Actually, the research indicates that both the highest achieving students and the lower achievers benefit the most from integrated classes, so we need to challenge whether the premise that New Trier students benefit by having a level system or even whether the level system is legal given the Constitutional ban of segregation in public schools.
If you're interested in helping parents return our schools to quality and research-validated innovation, please contact Dr. Jeanne Beckman at winnetkacommons@jeannebeckman.com
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