Education Reform Redefined

It is time for the people in the trenches to speak up concerning the reform movement most often driven by corporate America or those who have very little/no real knowledge of what is taking place in the classroom or what ought to occur. Talk to the teachers in almost any corner of America and you're likely to hear ideas which are strikingly different from those of the supposed 'reformers.'

By almost all accounts teachers will weigh in by advocating for their students. That's as it should be. Accordingly, what needs to change, then, is for school administrations and boards of education to take the step of asking staff what they most need to get the job done on behalf of the children. This may be a simple step but it is too often ignored.

Far too frequently, administration and boards dictate what programs will fly and how much money will be put into various budgets. This isn't too say funding isn't important. But the driving force has to be students and staff rather than the mere dictates of the 'higher ups.'

At the very least, let's get all the parties together to work on this in a constructive manner.

Dick