I saw an interesting news item on PBS news. It was an inner city school that was highly interventionist with homework, life skills, educational goals and other issues that might normally be the province of parents. In the United States parents rights are highly guarded. For example, sex education has been highly curtailed because it is deemed to be the right of the parents and should not be taught at schools. This has done very little for teen pregnancies. However, the educational interventionism at inner city schools starts with the premise that there is little if any parental supervision or guidance at home. In many cases the father and sometimes the mother are absent. Kids are being parented by grandparents who have neither the patience or the ability to deal with passing on life skills. So, the schools have taken over. They are, for the most part, dealing with homework by creating after school study halls. They are motivating kids to get better grades by surrounding them with other kids who are striving to do more with their lives then get a go to jail pass. They are helping kids get summer jobs that are an alternative to running drugs. They are tapping into scholarship programgs that enable kids to go to college. In these schools the drop out rate has plummeted and it is now smart to be smart.
As most of you know I am a member of Kiwanis. The Ottawa club is pledged to help at-risk kids. It was heartwarming to know that one of the key factors in turning inner city kids around was Key clubs, youth clubs that are sponsored by Kiwanis. These clubs teach responsibility through community service. By serving others, kids serve themselves. The schools maintain that membership in Key (and other community service) clubs allows kids to interact with one another for a common positive goal. I have always felt that parents can pass off life values to kids--but only up to a point. At some point kid's friends will have as much say (and possibily more say) than anything that the parents can impart. This is where Key clubs and clubs like them have a significant impact. These are normally kids who see study as a positive step in getting better grades. They see getting better grades as a step to enhancing their educational goals and they see getting a better, higher level, education as a step to getting out of the ghetto. While these should be values that are imparted by parents, in many inner city schools parents are either unable or unwilling to do so. There is no study environment at home. There is no goal setting that goes beyond food stamps. In fact, schools have stepped in to provide the child with the kinds of support that would be expected of any middle class family in the suburbs.
I have a granddaughter who is well on her way to becoming a teacher. She will be in the workforce next year. There are very few jobs for teachers in the US because of budget constraints and union rules that require the rehiring of laid off teachers before new teachers can be hired. My granddaughter does practice teaching in inner city schools. The amazing fact is that she finds that kids in inner city schools are better behaved in class than in schools where the students come from middle class families. Why? She says that in schools with students from mddile class families kids attend because they have to do so. In inner city schools kids attend, largely, because they want to. So many kids drop out that those who remain are motivated to be there by the prospect of bettering their lives. Many look to teachers are roll models who can help them get out of the ghetto.
There is a curious statistic involving teen pregnancies and teen smoking. While these have been holding steady or increasing with middle class kids, they are sharply reduced with inner city kids. Why? In the case of teen pregnances the new welfare laws that cut off benefits after 2 years have taken the economic incentive out of teens having kids. Formerly, inner city kid believed that having kids was an ecnomic ticket to leaving home. No more. In the case of smoking the adverse health effects of smoking seems to have had more traction in inner cities.
Most government social services have failed miserably in helping inner city kids with either their education or their life skills. Church groups have faired better but still depend on church attendace to make an impact. The schools is where every kid goes--or is supposed to go. It can have the greatest impact on kids if extra cirricular help starts early enough.
Like everything else, scaling up these services cost money. The schools system is largely bankrupt in the US. No child left behind legislation has done little to keep kids in school or improve the skills of those who stay there. America is 17th in a list of 25 when it comes to basic skills like reading comprehension or math skills. Canada is 7th. Most Asian countries are much better. This is because the first priority of most of these countries is education. Kids go 6 days a week and spend from 9 to 6 at school each day. Parents not only take an active role in education but are sometimes over reaching in wanting better for their kids. In the US and now in some parts of Canada, these values are falling away. In an advanced techology society kids with math, science and reading skills will succeed. The first world, so called, will fall behind.
All of this seems straightforward. In the US politicians are so deadlocked that any positve solution seems far distant. In Canada where the eduction system is financially stressed but still working reasonably well, we still have a long way to go before our kids have the same math and reading skills as in Korea. Our kids should be our first priority.
Bernie.
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