Boarding Schools. A Viable Solution?

On my way to church this morning, I listened to Former Mayor Freeman Bosley Jr. and Pat Washington's talk radio show where the topic of conversation was about the proposed closing of 30 schools in the St. Louis Public School District. (The St. Louis American newspaper wrote about the proposed school closings -- click here to read article.)

The interesting discussion included Washington suggesting that some of the closed schools could be used as boarding schools. She explained that boarding schools will enable children to be placed in a better living environment, which could lead to improved educational outcomes.

To support her beliefs and perhaps dispel any negative connotations associated with the concept of boarding schools, she also noted that boarding schools are commonly used by more affluent families with positive outcomes.

The added bonus is that the school buildings will not stand vacant and will once again serve the educational needs of the surrounding community.

I strongly believe any successful educational reform must address what goes on after the dismissal bell rings and our children go home. Too many of our children go home to environments where the adults in their life are unable (perhaps they just don't know what to do or how to do it) or unwilling (perhaps their focus is elsewhere) to do what's necessary to foster academic achievement at home.

Examples would be such basics as reading to a child at bedtime, beginning with toddlers to encourage the love of books; checking homework assignments every school night (and providing supplemental educational materials to assist a child struggling in a specific subject); making sure a child goes to bed early enough that a good night's rest leads to an attentive child in the classroom; serving healthy breakfasts and dinners (there are children living in households where the school is their main source of food); setting high expectations for a child; providing a safe and nurturing home life; and serving as a child's educational advocate when needed.

Those parents able to do the basics tend to see their children succeeding in spite of schools facing limited resources and other challenges.

If the solution to improved academic achievement was just about fixing the schools, then children moved from poor performing schools to better performing schools would do better. The data does not support this premise. This is proven by previous reports and data showing that, generally speaking, children from the city bused to suburban schools (with more resources) do not do any better on standardized tests than their counterparts in the city schools.

A combined residential and educational facility that fosters academic achievement by nurturing the child's mind, body and spirit may be a viable solution.

Should Bill Gates be on the Bus?

I am wondering if the right "experts" are going to work on fixing our educational system in 2009. I just read a Newsweek article by Jonathan Alter titled "Bill Gates Goes to School." A take away for most readers will be that Bill Gates is an expert on what it will take for successful education reform. I am not yet convinced of his expertise or skills as they relate to education. Alter writes: "Word is, Obama may even ask Gates to serve on a new high-level educational-advisory panel he's noodling . . ."

I admit that I tend to be a bit cynical of those who heap blame on teachers and teachers' unions for the problems facing our educational system and who suggest that mayoral control of school systems is a good thing. I have seen what happens when a mayor sticks his nose in the business of educating our boys and girls and I believe that was a dismal failure by any measuring stick. Furthermore, while I would never argue that every teacher is a good one, I am very confident that teachers' unions are not the reason that our school systems are currently struggling.

I appreciate the funding that Mr. and Mrs. Gates have directed toward improving education. I just wonder if he holds the right qualifications to be on the bus that will take us to a better educational system.

The Dropout Crisis in Missouri

"We have on our hands a dropout crisis nationwide and it is most profound for low-income communities and communities of color." The comment by Daria Hall, a policy analyst for The Education Trust, is part of an article in the Dec. 9, 2008, issue of the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

The Post was highlighting the "skyrocketing" dropout rates in the St. Louis City School District. The reporter doesn't explicitly say that the drop out rates are higher now than they were before all of the turmoil in the District that was caused by the turnaround fiasco authored by City politicians, but the chart from the Post article seems to support that thought.

I do recall that there were some really good student retention programs and efforts to reduce the dropout rate when I was employed in the communications department of the District. But, alas, those were pretty much decimated in the name of "turn around" efforts.

The high school dropout issue in St. Louis, Missouri and across the country is serious and is certainly in need of leadership with a commitment to funding programs proven to keep our children in school. We know that at-risk students (those living in poverty or other undesirable home environments, those with disciplinary problems and those that move multiple times within a school year) need the special attention of caring adults and peers to make it across the graduation stage.

When we have thousands of high school dropouts in Missouri and more than a million nation-wide, we have to hang our head in shame.

I volunteer with College Bound a wonderful non-profit that is doing great work with high school students in the St. Louis area. And I know of a few more, but more must be done to move us out of this "dropout crisis."

Don't You Want to Be in School Again?

I just returned home from picking my daughter up from college for Thanksgiving break. (I should post a blog entry about my numerous mishaps with getting lost when I travel -- as I did on this trip where I found myself in the "Land of Lincoln" instead of Bloomington, IN; even though I had driven the correct route numerous times).

I always enjoy the opportunity to be on a college campus, even for a brief moment. There is something exciting to me about being in a place where there is such a wonderful opportunity for gaining knowledge and insight on fascinating subjects.

On the four and a-half hour drive home, my daughter shared with me some of the activities and topics occurring in her classes. Her "Introduction to Journalism and Mass Communications" class is particularly interesting to me. Her professor has brought in speakers from NPR (one of my favorite radio stations, especially the News and Notes and Fresh Air programs), the PR department of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Federal Trade Commission.

My daughter enjoys her class called "Current Issues in Undergraduate Life: Black Greek Community." This class seems to give a great perspective on the history and purpose of Black Greek fraternities and sororities. I used to get asked all the time about the difference between my sorority and white sororities. While I enjoy highlighting the great work we do and our focus on such important things as community service, education and economic empowerment, I can now refer them to the text book used in my daughter's class as a way to shed light on our wonderful Black Greek organizations.

Her favorite class is "Comparative Literary Analysis" where they read pieces of written work from various genres and then, through analysis of what they have read, learn how to take words and make them more impactful in a concise manner. I think I would love that class too.

In my opinion, every student (young and old) that is enjoying a quality education is truly blessed and should endeavor not to squander this blessing. I encourage students to dig in to each homework or reading assignment with the attitude that I will be better off knowing this information, not only because I will do well in the class, but ultimately, I will do better in society.

Just listening to my daughter makes me want to go back to school and get another college degree. How about you?

I do realize that some in our communities do not have access to a quality education. Stay tuned for my blog weighing in on improving education.