Why does it seem to be so hard to educate the children in our culture?
Last week, I wrote about one local district’s contract negotiation impasse, which—if it stays as unresolved as it’s been for months now—could result in a strike. This week, our cover story is about the almost total dissolution of an area charter school, which will send some 280 students and their families scrambling to find a new place to learn.
A solid foundation in the younger grades leads to more success at higher levels, which is why I’m worried about the long-term effect such turmoil will have on this area’s students.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, high-school drop-out rates dropped from 10.9 percent to 6.6 percent between 2000 and 2012. That’s a great trend, and I’d like to see that number continue to drop.
Wouldn’t you?
Admittedly, I’d have a difficult time drawing a direct line from local educational headaches to possible trends in national numbers. Our strip of the Central Coast is just one piece of the country’s K-12 jigsaw puzzle—but every piece matters, right?
To that end, I could cite local statistics and numbers, completion rates and test scores, but that’s for today. Like our best teachers, I’m concerned about what’s next. With apologies to Whitney Houston, I believe that kids are our tomorrow. We should educate them well and let them walk at the front of the group. Reveal to them all of the greatness they carry internally.
The problem is, we don’t always all agree on how best to do that. The bigger problem? Those kids of tomorrow are the ones who suffer while the issues get hashed out in real time. These issues need to be resolved, and they need to be resolved quickly.
The Canary is considering getting a teaching credential. Send comments, ideas, or tips to canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Mar 12-19, 2015.
