School Reform

The responsibility of state and federal politicians is to uphold the views of their constituents.  They should be knowledge of the needs of the people they represent, for it is those voices that should be listened to when it is time for decisions to be made.  At a time when our country is calling for a reform of our current educational system, it is my hope that our political representatives will do their homework and be informed about the needs of each of the cities, towns, communities, and schools they represent.  While only a small number of school aged children are able to cast a vote, it is my opinion that the best politicians will take time to hear the voices of their future voters.  But, just listening to the voices is not enough.  Politicians must be able to make sound decision based on the information they collect from town hall meetings, public forums, or just chance conversations.  Failure to act on the information in the appropriate way has greater implications than not being re-elected.  Failure to act can result in reduced funding, loss of necessary programs, reduction in teachers, increased teacher-student ratio, and additional issues that all have the potential to negatively impact successful student learning.
At the David School, the major voice is that of the student.  Administrators and teachers take time to listen to individual students and then work with them to be successful in the content provided.  While students take traditionally required classes, they also have the ability to express their thoughts, views, and beliefs.  Evidence of this occurs several times in more than one episode.  Cody has open discussions about God and scripture from the Bible with his science teacher.  Chris starts both a newspaper and a choir group, even though he has had several issues with attendance and grades.  While the David School is a very non-traditional school created to work with highly at-risk students, there are lessons to be learned from the way they listen to the students and design an educational system that fits the students’ needs.
W.E.B. Du Bois wrote, “When to earth and brute is added an environment of men and ideas, then the attitude of the imprisoned group may take three main forms, a feeling of revolt and revenge; an attempt to adjust all thought and action to the will of the greater group; or, finally a determined effort at self-realization and self-development despite environing opinion” (Tozer, 2009).  Failure to listen to the needs of all stakeholders regarding the needs of our schools could be potentially fatal for the current public school system.  With the advancements of the internet and on demand information, will the need for the school house cease to exist?  Will the stakeholders that feel imprisoned by the current system take on one of the three forms described by Du Bois.  While the internet may be able to provide school in the form of classes, it cannot provide the opportunities for social and emotional development that occurs on a daily basis within our school systems.  If social interactions are reduced due to the elimination of programs, increased class size, and various other reductions will students, the major stakeholders, take their learning to another platform?  Of course, this question in itself brings up a whole other issue.  Will all students have the ability to receive an education from another platform if public education is not providing them with what they need?  Will lack of interest in our current system turn into another form of segregation to those that cannot afford to purchase the form of schooling that works best for them?  With that said it becomes our responsibility as educators to maintain a system that meets the needs of all students, provides them with high level instruction, prepares students for life outside of high school, and promotes both social and emotional development through a variety of school programs and activities.  Tozer (2009), notes that John Dewey argued that a society run by a class of experts would inevitably function to serve the interests of experts at the expense of the majority and that the world has suffered more at the hands of experts than at the hands of the masses.  I am hopeful that the decision makers will listen to the needs of the masses and make decisions based on what is right and not on personal interests.
References
Senese, G., Tozer, S., & Violas, P. (2009).  School and society.  United States:  McGraw Hill.