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OCTOBER 2004

The Road to Schools’ Renaissance
by Jill Levy, President,
Council of School Supervisors & Administrators

Reflecting on the current national dialogue concerning mayoral control versus decentralized control of a school system, I think we, as a nation, may be focusing on the wrong topic if we really want to see a renaissance in our public schools.

I believe the structure of the school system is less critical to our long-term success than many other factors. Those factors include the development of common-sense, research-supported standards and testing mechanisms, as well as appropriate funding for recruitment, training and retention of our best people. I also strongly believe an attractive, well-equipped building tells children they are important and provides a professional environment for adults. Adequately staffed buildings allow a child to feel both safe and taken care of, educationally and physically. It allows adults to focus on their assigned tasks not other people’s jobs.

The above items will cost money. Money our nation has if we simply reorder our priorities. The Bush administration, as well as Governor Pataki, talk about the importance of education but refuse to back their rhetoric with tax dollars. There is no logical reason why educators should make so much less than corporate lawyers other than that structure is entrenched in our society. If you start with the fresh assumption that making money is not more important than educating our youngsters, you’d be surprised at the progress we’d make.

Another critical factor towards building successful schools… bureaucrats must respect the professional knowledge and skills of the employees. Treating professionals as if they are on an assembly line is insulting. The lawyers, corporate types and recent college graduates in the Tweed Building would do well to back off their heavy-handed ways and allow for a true dialogue, without recriminations. A successful school, after all, is often the result of many factors, some of which are difficult to quantify. I was recently reminded of this after reading an article by Lisa Belkin in the Sept. 12 New York Times magazine. “Is There a Place in Class for Thomas?” was an uplifting account of a kindergartner with cerebral palsy. The story focused on his parents’ search for an appropriate public school and the response of a principal and her staff.

Principal Susan Rappaport of the Manhattan School for Children was up to the task of handling the education of Thomas Ellenson. Fortunately for the little boy, he also had parents who knew how to work the system, research their topic and push their agenda for their son.

Ms. Belkin also emphasized that a staff of teachers, paraprofessionals, specialists, therapists as well as the school community understood that meeting this one child’s needs would take a school-wide effort. It is the story of a village raising a child.

Another reminder of the intangibles came during a recent airing of NOW with Bill Moyers. Moyers focused on several students at the Manhattan Comprehensive Day and Evening High School. The school educates students, ages 17 to 20, who have adult responsibilities and need a school that provides flexibility.

Their poignant stories of hardship would have felled many older and more experienced people. But, through the vision and leadership of Principal Howard Friedman and his staff, (including more than100 volunteers who provide social services and tutoring,) each student receives individualized help.

A school system cannot reasonably expect a student who arrives here at age 16 without English skills and without a formal education to succeed. And success did not happen overnight. Recruiting, training and retaining staff, providing work guidelines that keep everyone on target, and, sometimes, not exactly following all of the rules have provided hundreds of older students with opportunities they never dreamed possible.

The organizational structure didn’t create these success stories. The commitment, vision and resourcefulness of our school leaders, in hand with the financial support from the centralized structures, are the true foundation for success in our schools.#

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