FOOD FOR THOUGHT This
FOOD FOR THOUGHT This Bill Hanlon column pushes the notion that we are not always consistent in the demands we place on the public schools.
On the one hand, many people will argue that students who are distractive, disruptive, dangerous or just plain mean should be booted out of school. But when kids are removed from school, the schools are criticized for having a high dropout rate. That’s contradictory.
Another example is the idea that all kids should be able to reach new, more rigorous standards and graduate high school. In my opinion, if standards are developed that all kids can attain, then the standards must not be very high. But again, if students don’t achieve the new standards, particularly on the first attempt, the public doesn’t praise the schools for beefing up standards; instead, they’re blamed for failing to provide an adequate education.
He may be right. I’m going to have to do some soul-searching (and archive reading) to see if I’ve been guilty of this.