The schools and what to do about them has been the subject of many recent headlines. In truth, it is not schools that are failing; it is the students who are failing. In many cases it can be said that it is the community, and even loving parents, that are failing the students.

Recent guest commentaries by Paul Karrer and Sharon Michaels provided perceptive summaries of some problems confronting our educational system. Few things are more complex than the reasons behind our failing schools, and it is often said that for every complex problem, there is a very simple and very wrong solution. Firing principals and teachers is simple. It is much simpler, and cheaper, than implementing changes necessary to address the real and complex reasons behind student failure.

It is unfair and counterproductive to place the blame for low achievement and the responsibility for raising test scores solely upon teachers and principals. It is time to stop the blame game and to roll up our collective sleeves.

So what is the not-so-simple solution to the complex problem of pervasive academic failure in our schools? Most teachers are already doing all they can to educate this generation of children. They are using their own money to buy materials their districts can't afford to supply. They are coming in early, working late, and putting in weekend hours. They are being subjected to district micromanagement, prescribed-scripted teaching, endless testing and