The School for the Whole Family

Again and again, this writer has pointed to the public school classroom as that place at which the most change can be affected in the short term.  There are three steps that we can take, as a state, to bring strong reform to the public school system.

1.  Educate the whole student.

Educating the whole student means an overwhelming show of support for their needs at every part of the day.  We must provide, when they are tired and hungry, a fresh meal and a calming rest.  And when they’ve recharged, the material must be engaging and relevant if their interest is to be genuine.  If their interest is not genuine, neither is their attention.  In educating the whole student, we address the full spectrum of needs of every student.  The hungry ones don’t miss a meal.  The mistreated find comfort.  The lonely find community.  With their needs met, their focus, retention, and enthusiasm increase exponentially.

A note on the responsibility of the instructor to present the material in a manner that is engaging and relevant to the student: they deserve an engaging portrayal of the material.  Let’s not forget that our students pledge, mostly without question, a significant portion of their lives to classroom efforts.  Their time, individually, is worth as much as that of their instructor.  It is right to praise them both.

2.  Bring the family in to the school.

Parenting classes offer families a unique opportunity to meet other people from the community, share struggles, and learn from another.  Holding these classes on campus guarantees a level of accountability for both parents and students that is hard to achieve without the family’s presence at the school.  

Educational family dinners encourage more families to participate in dialogue with school staff, lengthen the attention span of participants, and provide a nutritious meal that sets an example for young, impressionable families.  

Increased health services on campus make up for a great shortfall of these services in the community.  Currently, most schools offer a nurse and one or two counselors to address the needs of hundreds of students.  We should have a full-service medical clinic in every school.  The ratio of counselors to students should be drastically smaller, so that every student has a consistent relationship with a figure that can provide much needed support and guidance.

3.  Bring the community in to the school.  

Hire a force of artists to teach classes in an extended, integrated school day.  This fills a gaping hole in arts-education, provides an outlet that has been proven to reduce negative behaviors and increase student academic performance and retention levels.
Organize mentors and student volunteers to provide more interaction, guidance, consistency.  Embracing these world-changing individuals would be a huge step forward for the public school system.  Adversely, the ratio of adults to students would shrink, and community organizations could invest more resources in the schools, spending less on rent by housing their operations on-campus.  By providing grants to nonprofit organizations that serve students and families, we encourage an environment that addresses so much more than simple academic measures of success.

We must embrace the school as the front line in a great battle for the future of our state.  By following these three guidelines, educators and families can make great strides toward a brighter future for Texas’ students.  


Hublius

Education Cuts: Demanding a Balanced Approach

It is easy to believe, in times of high economic stress, the age old notion that everyone is going to have to suffer a little bit.  Unfortunately, easy solutions are rarely good ones, and regular Texans, so many of whom fell below the poverty line last year, should demand more from their representatives as the Legislature comes together again in 2012.  State leaders must craft a workable budget solution that pulls funds from underperforming projects and reinvests them in efforts that make the most difference for the most Texans.  Programs that empower struggling communities are thirsting for resources, especially now, with a growing number of Americans falling below the poverty line and becoming dependent on free and low-cost programs that often thrive on state funding. 

Without question, agencies and programs that are ineffective or wasteful deserve to be cut.  This is as true as it ever was, but as we look for places to make cuts, we must also seize the opportunity to identify and strengthen those operations that continue to exceed our expectations.  For instance, after school programs that support families in middle and low-income neighborhoods often receive high praise from the same leaders who are bleeding them dry during heartless budget-slashing sessions.  By cutting $1.3 billion in grants and funding that support these types of programs, Texas legislators are sending a clear message to more than one million youngsters who are forced to care of themselves after school:  You’re on your own, kids! 

On hundreds of Texas campuses, publically-funded after school programs are often the only barrier standing between at-risk youth, in the most formative years of life, and the many dangers that stalk them.  With 91% of parents saying that after school programs have made a positive difference in their families’ lives, how can our leaders justify such a drastic decrease in support?  With 1.7 million Texas students asking for after school programming in their communities, how can our leaders so easily say no?  You’ll be hard-pressed to find a good reason.  The archaic approach taken by legislators to solving our state’s budget crisis, lazily siphoning funding from programs across the public spectrum, with no little or no reward for those programs that are actually working, is disappointing and deserves a vicious public rebuke.

It makes plenty of sense to take a second look at the budget, to reevaluate our priorities, and to take steps to end the excessive spending and corrupt practices that led to the current budget shortfall.  It makes no sense, however, to punish those individuals and organizations that have been doing the right thing all along.  Community-fortifying programs that exceed performance expectations year after year, like the after school programs that have increased reading and math scores by more than 40% and raised grades and end-of-year test results across Texas, do not deserve a billion dollar budget cut.

We deserve a better plan. 

And better planners.

Hublius

Hublius

hubris: n.  overwhelming pride; arrogance.

Publius: n.  a masculine Roman name, meaning "public" in Latin.

I humbly present Hublius. 


RW