Beyond the Realm of Rhetoric

Abstract

Political movements, as least those in the right place at the right time, have a way of taking on a life of their own. And the education reform movement seems just such a one. Before the momentum carries it to places with no turnarounds or side paths, some hard questions need to be asked. Not to stop the movement or sabotage it, but to shape the momentum in ways that are meaningful to students and the professionals who educate them. Potilical rhetoric has spawned the goal of excellence in education--unquestionably an admirable goal. But venture beyond the realm of rhetoric and some valid, need-to-be answered questions arise. For example, do the reform movement's objectives fit the children? Or will the children be forced to fit the objectives? It's a grand idea for U.S. President Bush to hold schools accountable to world class standards of excellence with report cards for individual schools and for the entire nation of students. (However, last month's Commentary pointed out some of the inconsistences in such international comparisons.) But what exactly are the teachers and their supervisors to do when children come to school hungry for either food or attention or both, tired from hours of unsupervised TV watching, distraught from listening to parents fighting, or addicted to drugs including alcohol? Certainly, that does not describe all American children, but it does describe enough of them to render hopelessly passe the ideal of the doted-upon child with two parents and one sibling standing squarely in his corner. And what of those children in special education and other special programs already so vulnerable to the vagaries of funding? As schools feel more pressure to improve standardized test scores, what becomes of the child with learning disabilities who needs extra time to take the test or the student recently immigrated to this country whose English comprehension is not yet sophisticated enough to gauge the necessary nuances? Will schools be allowed to further remove these children from the mainstream so that their scores do not depress the school's overall rating? The America 2000 plan proposes admirable goals but fails to fit them to all children. Those with disabilities and those who are gifted should not be overlooked (nor exploited for their abilities to improve test scores); they should be educated. Tomorrow's communities will include all of today's children. America 2000, if it is to move beyond the realm of rhetoric, must do likewise. Unquestionably, the schools are a key area in treating society's first casualties, the children. So reform must begin right there, in the school, and all players must be present. If this plan reaches the year 200 intact, it will be because all the education professionals have responded to the call, participated in the decision making, and been given a chance to infuse their knowledge, experience, and insights into the political plan. It is when these key players are omitted that I fear the momentum of rhetoric. A case in point is the National Governors' Association (NGA) which this year is concentrating on school reform. This has been a worthy pursuit by our governors which has already produced some interesting ideas, such as a catalog of proven education reform programs. …