This is part two of my review of the book Waiting for Superman, edited by Karl Weber. In 2007, Michelle Rhee was appointed chancellor of Washington, D.C. public schools. When she took the job, 12% of high school freshmen could read on their grade level, and only 8% had grade-appropriate math skills. In addition, a mere 9% of those freshmen went on to graduate college within 5 years of graduation high school. Clearly, something needed fixing. But what?
So far, the discussion surrounding America's school system has been conducted in adult circles. After all, they're the ones making the rules. But Rhee "found that the best ideas come from the kids in our schools...Children want a great education. They know when they are not getting it" (pg. 128). Too many people - teachers, parents, lawmakers - think that students are content to just go to schools that are falling apart and be taught by sub-standard teachers. This is especially true of inner-city students. "Far too many people are under the misconception that we can't have high educational expectations for children who live in low-income neighborhoods...But even in the toughest of neighborhoods and circumstances, children excel when the right adults are doing the right things for them" (pg. 129).
Rhee once met with a group of students at Anacostia Senior High School, which is located in one of the district's lowest income neighborhoods. The students had a list of ideas that they wanted to discuss with the chancellor: "'offer us the same Advanced Placement courses that students get on the other side of the river.' 'Make our school look less like a prison.' 'Make our school safe'" (pg. 129). Not wanting to make promises she couldn't keep, Rhee asked the students what would be the one thing they would change about their school. Unanimously, they chimed, "Great teachers."
Kids are so much smarter than most adults give them credit for. Many of them, especially teenagers, know what they need from a school to succeed. If they are not given what they need, they will usually not simply settle for less. I thought one school's visit from Rhee was so demonstrative of this fact:
"During an unannounced visit to one high school, I noticed that many classrooms were nearly empty. I saw only one that was full, an English class in which the students were actively engaged in discussion. As I left the school an hour later, I noticed that three young men who had been in the English class were leaving as well.
'Where are you going?' I asked one.
'We came to school because the first-period teacher is a good one,' he said. 'The second isn't, so we're rollin' '
" People think kids are truant because they don't want to learn. But...a lot of students are making informed decisions. They are going...where they know they will get the education they deserve. If our public schools don't measure up, the students will walk away" (pg 133).
I think that if we stopped going around in circles trying to figure out what kids need to succeed, and just stop and ask them, we will be one step closer to making education fun and engaging for them. Who knows better what kids need to flourish than the kids themselves?
So far, the discussion surrounding America's school system has been conducted in adult circles. After all, they're the ones making the rules. But Rhee "found that the best ideas come from the kids in our schools...Children want a great education. They know when they are not getting it" (pg. 128). Too many people - teachers, parents, lawmakers - think that students are content to just go to schools that are falling apart and be taught by sub-standard teachers. This is especially true of inner-city students. "Far too many people are under the misconception that we can't have high educational expectations for children who live in low-income neighborhoods...But even in the toughest of neighborhoods and circumstances, children excel when the right adults are doing the right things for them" (pg. 129).
Rhee once met with a group of students at Anacostia Senior High School, which is located in one of the district's lowest income neighborhoods. The students had a list of ideas that they wanted to discuss with the chancellor: "'offer us the same Advanced Placement courses that students get on the other side of the river.' 'Make our school look less like a prison.' 'Make our school safe'" (pg. 129). Not wanting to make promises she couldn't keep, Rhee asked the students what would be the one thing they would change about their school. Unanimously, they chimed, "Great teachers."
Kids are so much smarter than most adults give them credit for. Many of them, especially teenagers, know what they need from a school to succeed. If they are not given what they need, they will usually not simply settle for less. I thought one school's visit from Rhee was so demonstrative of this fact:
"During an unannounced visit to one high school, I noticed that many classrooms were nearly empty. I saw only one that was full, an English class in which the students were actively engaged in discussion. As I left the school an hour later, I noticed that three young men who had been in the English class were leaving as well.
'Where are you going?' I asked one.
'We came to school because the first-period teacher is a good one,' he said. 'The second isn't, so we're rollin' '
" People think kids are truant because they don't want to learn. But...a lot of students are making informed decisions. They are going...where they know they will get the education they deserve. If our public schools don't measure up, the students will walk away" (pg 133).
I think that if we stopped going around in circles trying to figure out what kids need to succeed, and just stop and ask them, we will be one step closer to making education fun and engaging for them. Who knows better what kids need to flourish than the kids themselves?