There is a revolution going on in our country. It is a battle for the minds of our children. Upon reviewing the International results of student performance, Secretary of Education said, "Our students have stagnated educationally, putting our long-term economic security at risk.
"In math, our 15-year-olds' scores now lag behind those of 31countries. In science, our eighth graders' scores now lag behind their peers in eight countries that had also participated in the original assessment. In reading, five countries have improved their performance and surpassed our 4th graders.
"These results show that for us to stay competitive and move forward we have to get our students ready for global competition."
In the 1971 poem and song by Gil Scott-Heron, the lyrics warned of a coming revolution.
"You will not be able to stay home, brother.
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out...
The revolution will be live."
This revolution is not entirely live. There are two current documentaries that have captured the blow by blow account: Waiting for Superman and The Lottery.
These films show the desparation of parents, the hopelessness of students, and the frustration of educators in the face of the failure of our schools to keep pace with the global leaders in education for children.
In case you missed it, during this week, there has been yet another "National Focus on Education." According to the developers of Education Nation, a week-long focus on education at NBC, "Education is the key to the success of our country, and yet we have allowed our students to fall behind. It's time to put education back at the top of the national agenda. It is time to reinvent America as an Education Nation."
This is the talk of revolutionaries. The ranks have been joined by notable individuals and organizations from all over the country. What does this mean?
Some call it a "corporate takeover of education." Many say, "Our Public education system is failing our children." One of the more aggressive education reformers, Michelle Rhee, Chancellor of DC Public Schools, is likely to be fired in the wake of the political defeat of her boss, Mayor Adrian Fenty. Mayor Fenty took over the operation of Washington, DC Public Schools, and gave Ms. Rhee the authority to fire hundreds of under-performing teachers, administrators, and principals. He has just lost in the Democratic Primary election, and very likely, Ms. Rhee will soon be gone. The battle lines are sharp and the battles over the future of our children are not for the faint-hearted.
Here are some of the key positions being staked out by the participants in this revolution:
Dr. Steve Perry, Hartford Connecticut -- "We have a school that is designed to send children to college. If we don't send children to college, we are not doing our job. . . . Every Child that graduates from Capital Prep goes on to a 4-year college. Period." Since graduating its first class in 2006, 100% of its students have gone on to four-year colleges.
Every Urban Prep senior is college-bound: 100 percent of first senior class at all male, all African-American Englewood academy is accepted to universities.
Want your kids to have a plum job after graduation? Send them to a New York City high school currently being planned by the City University of New York and IBM. The school, which will play host to around 600 students, will span grades 9 to 14. Its students will leave with an associate's degree--and a guaranteed job with IBM.
Project Mentor, in Columbus, Ohio, is a collaboration between Columbus City Schools and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio with primary sponsorship from the Nationwide Foundation. More than 1,000 mentors have been recruited to commit one hour a week to one student in need of an additional role model. The goal is to improve graduation rates, and empower Columbus City School students for success through strong mentoring relationships.
These actions and many others across the nation are fueling a revolution that will reform education for all K-12 students. At this stage, the only agreement is that schools must improve. Success requires involvement from parents, teachers, unions, and community leaders. The status quo is not acceptable. As the poem admonishes us above, "You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out." The outcomes will affect all of us. Join the battle in your local community. The future of our children depends on your actions.
