Ready for School? A Tale of Two Realities
Guest post from Amy Rothschild:
The night before school starts, I'm thinking about "school readiness." A catchphrase used to name various policy initiatives and describe the work of non-profits, it refers to the habits a young child brings to school that makes him or her "ready" to learn. We exhort that children must have social skills, like the ability to sit with a group during a meeting time, and certain academic concepts, like knowing how to hold a book. Rarely, however, do we talk about "school readiness" and mean the school's readiness for those learners on day one.I have made the shift from working in a urban public school in Connecticut to an small private school in DC--where last year's parents received public assistance, this year's crop make public policy. In the week or so of faculty orientation and set up, I have been continually struck by the difference it makes when a school has the funding to be ready for its students. Casually, an administrator told new faculty, "you'll find toilet paper, paper towels, sponges, and cleaning supplies in the downstairs storage room. Pens, Post Its, dry erase spray, et cetera are upstairs in the faculty lounge. When we're running low on something, make a note on one of