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The privatization of Boston's public schools
By adamg on Tue, 04/14/2015 - 11:16pm
The Dig takes a look at a school system increasingly balkanized among a bevy of private concerns - from the plan to hand over a brand-new $70-million science school in Roxbury to a charter group to the way it may have helped Shaun Harrison fly under the radar for so long.
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Comments
The mayor needs to hit the reset button.
No more lotteries no more busing. Bring back neighborhood schools. It is amazing to me that in 2015 elitists still believe that they know better than the parents of the students. That the parents from some neighborhoods are not capable of creating a neighborhood school community with excellent learning, expectations and pride. They know better than the single mother with three kids two jobs, no car and three schools to get to in three distant neighborhoods. Clean out the hangers on and exploiters and build a world class school system. Treat it like the third rail like every other Mayor for the last 40 years and nothing will change.
Neighborhood schools: literally no downside!
I mean, maybe the learning isn't so excellent if you're in the wrong neighborhood because of the Liberty of property taxes, but who cares? At least we won't have busing!
Yes, simply tally every singly hanger-on and exploiter and somehow remove them from the schools system. It's that easy!
Then failure
is an option. Awesome...
It bears examination
Is it not problematic to assume that certain kids from certain neighborhoods will be unable to learn or advance if they go to schools surrounded by certain neighbors of theirs? Is that attitude really what equal opportunity looks like these days? Should we ignore for the moment that this is already largely the case, with a longer bus ride thrown in, so little would change except wasted time if kids can walk instead of busing?
We already have a system that increases school payments for many reasons - disabilities, ELL, sped - such that neighborhood schools in certain neighborhoods would have a higher funding level. Those in other neighborhoods would have a lower funding level (likely made up by parent fundraising). Is this really what inequality looks like? Is a shell game fairer?
More than a quarter of Boston's schoolkids don't attend BPS, more than 20,000 kids. It seems to me that families leave the city once their kids are school-age at about the same rate. Would returning to local schools increase or decrease the rate of BPS attendance? How would racial demographics affect a shift? Would the change be different in certain neighborhoods versus the rest of the city? Would it increase or decrease parent and neighborhood influence over curriculum and standards? Would it improve or diminish the sense of community?
The repercussions of a return to neighborhood schools deserve examination more than knee-jerk dismissal with the r word.
For chrissake
Yeah, those parents of kids who live in neighborhoods with terrible schools (which would immediately become even worse) sure are parasites. Given their blood-sucking tendencies, we should definitely abandon entire swathes of the city's youth as irredeemable because of where they live, and focus on making West Roxbury and Beacon Hill public schools world-class.
It's almost as though extending the middle finger to an appreciable majority of the city's parents would be a poor political choice.
"Elitists." "Exploiters." You keep using these words, but I have yet to see the barest hint that you have any idea what they mean.
Erik you seem a bit thin skinned. Did I say something to upset
you?
You know those elitists. I hope you are not one. You know the pointy heads that know whats good for everyone especially those that they are "more educated" than. After all in the elitists world poor people can't be left to use political force, common sense and dignity to improve their child's lot in life. That might upset the Ponzi educational system run out of School Street for the last 40 years.
The hangers on or exploiters are not the families you are inexplicibly blaming but the politicians and bureaucrats that enable continued failure and become expert excuse makers. I take it that you are okay with the excuses. The exploiters love this as you have so clearly demonstrated with your post. Circle the wagons and attack anyone one who dares question the failed system. Some rush right to the r word. To your credit you haven't reached there yet however is is clear that you, in not so many words, are dancing on the edge of that charge.
Why is it that you think the parents in the neighborhoods you are reactionary over are incapable of developing community schools that are as good as any other school? I think a working class, inner city, single mother of three with two jobs cares just as much about her kids as Muffy from Beacon Hill or Millicent from West Roxbury does. She's told by elitists that she can't change the system because she's not capable. I'll put my money on her before I continue to support some elitist, bureaucrat or politician.
In your middle finger comment I see that you appreciate the political lip service education has received because you feel Boston voters need to be strung along and lied to because they are incapable of demanding quality education. If the truth is a middle finger I'd hate to see what a lie is.
Overused phrases in Boston
#1: Elitists
#2: world-class
You must agree that we do have
World class elitists.
It's like George Carlin said
Although he said it about driving. Everyone driving slower than you is "dragging a$s". Everyone driving faster than you is a maniac.
I think elitists are the new drivers.
Friendly warning
Just don't mention bicyclists.
hardly journalism...
...more like a big Op/Ed piece. Chris Faraone is a friend but we disagree sharply on charter schools and ed reform. Not exactly an unbiased reporter...
@Fara1
Which asshole at @PioneerBoston actually runs their Twitter account? #mapoli #bospoli
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6:05 PM - 3 Apr 2015
What's his angle anyways?
As noted, very anti-school reform, anti-charter, pro BPS.
Does he have a kid in the system?
Of course you can be passionate about the BPS reform without being a stakeholder, but it's not common without some political agenda. It seems that there are two large sections to the BPS reform discussion, which only somewhat overlap.
Section one - can the BPS do better to serve the needs of the kids of Boston with the money it gets and/or does it also need more money. This is an important topic.
Section two - is the BTU an obstacle to reform and/or a great bastion of the middle class. This argument seems to not care so much about the core goal of educating as many kids as efficiently as possible in terms of budget and is really a localized battle for people who hungrily read about Scott Walker and his ilk (both for an against). Farrone is in the camp I think.
So let's just do nothing and
So let's just do nothing and keep the culture of uneducated socially promoted kids being kicked out to society after 12 years of schooling. The old way of doing things was not fair to the vast majority of students who deserve better. Change is always going to upset people but at least something different is being attempted.
Um
You do realize that those who attend public schools in Boston, like the rest of the Commonwealth, have to pass a test in order to get a diploma? Been that way for over a decade. Same thing in Hingham. Same thing in Winchester. Same thing in Weston. Exact same test.
But we are all appreciative of your concern for education reform in Boston. Governor Weld and Mayor Menino will start working on your suggestions ASAP, as long as Finneran and Bulger can shepherd things through the General Court.