“FAILING SCHOOLS”
“Failing schools” is an interesting phrase that I had never heard of up until a few years ago. Now it seems to be the most frequently used phrase of school reformers, teacher- bashers, teacher union bashers, and politicians. I constantly hear reformers say, “we’ve got to close our failing schools.” “We need more charter schools so those students that attend failing schools have somewhere else to go.”
“Failing schools”, the very phrase leads one to believe that somehow a school building itself is responsible for the success or failure of a student. The phrase also suggests that no matter how dedicated, energetic and hard working a student might be, they couldn’t possibly succeed at a “failing school”. The phrase suggests that all the teachers and administrators at such a school must be incompetent morons.
I would like to propose a scientific experiment. I suggest we remove every student from a particular “failing school” and place them in one of the highest achieving schools in the state, no matter how far the students
“Failing schools”, the very phrase leads one to believe that somehow a school building itself is responsible for the success or failure of a student. The phrase also suggests that no matter how dedicated, energetic and hard working a student might be, they couldn’t possibly succeed at a “failing school”. The phrase suggests that all the teachers and administrators at such a school must be incompetent morons.
I would like to propose a scientific experiment. I suggest we remove every student from a particular “failing school” and place them in one of the highest achieving schools in the state, no matter how far the students