School Success - Many Needs

There are no easy answers when it comes to a student being successful in school.  And contrary to what many Americans believe, there isn't a single answer to overcoming learning obstacles or achievement.  Too often we look at one event, though important, and offer a single solution to its existence.

The most recent being the shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School.  It could be at any other school in our nation.  A school shooting, sadly, occurs and we jump in and say that there either ought to be more gun control or the appearance of more weapons on the school grounds.

In fact, there are many more issues, weapons certainly should be part of the discussion, that ought to take hold when discussing the larger issue of safety.  School safety being but one factor in the greater picture of student and school success.

There are almost too many topics to list when it comes to this point.  School safety, neighborhood safety, parent involvement, the culture of too much violence in the country, learner characteristics, poverty, crime, employment, the role of the school, and more weigh in on whether a student and school are able to make strides.  By the way, all of these play at least some part into why weapons find their way into places we don't expect them to exist.

Sadly, until we come to this conclusion we aren't likely to make much progress.

Dick