The True Story of Public Education in America
You've heard their mantra: Our public schools are failing because teachers don't care and policymakers are spending too much money to prop up a broken system.Campbell Brown and company, who could be called Michelle Rhee 2.0, have carried on this refrain. They say it's the teachers who are holding back our nation's neediest kids.
While this narrative is infuriating, what's more important are the legions of classrooms that debunk it. Over the past month, I've visited some of these classrooms Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio, Texas and Washington, D.C. - they hum with life as teachers engage students from all demographics and geographies. You can see the joy of learning.
At Middle College High School in Houston, Texas, students who had been on the verge of dropping out tell me how they had little hope but now have dreams for the future. Thanks to dedicated teachers and school support staff, a great principal, and community partnerships, these students are met where they are and have access to the individual support they need to move forward--things like a later start time, food that's always available and smaller class sizes. And the students have each other's backs. One student told me that if he doesn't see his classmates at the bus stop in the morning, he calls to check in on them.
At Fair Haven Elementary School in New Haven, Connecticut, teachers describe an atmosphere of trust and collaboration. Martina Ramos, a kindergarten teacher who was struggling, tells me how, instead of being thrown out, she got the support she needed to improve. "I definitely feel more confident when I walk into the classroom," she shared. "I'm strong, I'm competent, I know what I'm going to teach and I know I'm going to see results in my students. I honestly think that if I did not have those supports in place, I don't think I would be teaching at this point."
At Oliver School in Lawrence, Mass., in a district that many wanted to charterize following the New Orleans model, Superintendent Jeff Riley instead worked with our union to create a labor-management partnership that has led to increased planning and professional-development time for teachers and vital wraparound services for students and their families. And all the signs show real success for kids. "I'm proud that we are an AFT-unionized district," Riley said. "We are all working for one thing and that's the kids."
This same story is playing out in public schools across America.
But don't take my word for it. While we will never be satisfied until all our kids reach The True Story of Public Education in America | Randi Weingarten: