Education: what we stand for (Times op-ed)

We are advocates for universal pre-K to 12 public education. While there may be students who thrive in other settings, we believe the best format to deliver quality education for the most students is live, face-to-face, in our public schools. The staff of those schools must be subject area certified teachers who are required to continuously up-grade their credentials.

We believe that equity in funding, in hiring, in curriculum, in school management and discipline, and in educational resources, is a primary requisite for good public education.

We believe public school teaching is one of the most important professions and we believe teachers should be paid adequately and receive professional respect commensurate with their responsibilities. Their non-teaching duties should only be for necessary and not mundane activities, which could not be performed by other staff.

We believe our schools need to prepare students for the rapidly changing 21st century workforce and the challenges of the world we are leaving them. Educational options should include a strong STEM/vocational program and a strong program of foreign languages/cultural understanding. All students should be exposed to a course in Consumer Math, which deals with personal financial matters from credit cards to home ownership.

We recall the original purpose of public education – to equip a literate public in the obligations of citizenship and the knowledge necessary to sustain a democracy – may be more important now than two centuries ago. An effective civics education should include a meaningful understanding of the importance of the constitutional system of checks and balances; the importance of compromise; the concept of federalism; the importance and day-to-day application of the Bill of Rights, and the relevance of key legislation and Supreme Court decisions, such as Brown v. Board, Gideon v. Wainwright, etc.; and the duties of citizenship. Finally, students should also have a clear understanding of what local and state government will require from them, and what they can expect to gain from each.

We agree with the ancients: Mens sana in corpore sano—a sound mind in a sound body. Although academic requirements seem to be limiting the number of physical education classes, it should be possible for every high school student to have one semester in which to learn conditioning and discover new abilities. Scholastic sports are very important to schools. They instill school spirit, which can affect the students’ attitudes toward all aspects of school life. Attendance at sports team games can create a bond with the local community. Also less popular and less remunerative sports should be supported to meet students’ interests.

We know there are well respected studies which show that schools where students have access to a fully equipped and staffed school library/media center perform better on most standardized tests. A good media center will match electronic and book resources to curricular requirements in as many courses as possible. Additionally it should provide a full range of reading choices for students in an inviting environment with space for delivering instruction.

We believe that no parent or group should feel empowered to veto courses of study or educational resources. However, parents and taxpayers deserve to understand how their children are being educated, and how their tax dollars are being spent.

School districts should operate with maximum transparency and should make information about curriculum, assessments, achievement gaps, discipline, etc., readily available.

We believe adequate support must be given to “Special Needs” students, including both developmentally challenged and English language learners. This support should meet federal and even higher local standards. Also, teachers of these students ought to have an aide in every classroom.

We believe that all children must be given the resources they need to succeed. We believe maximum effort should be put into understanding and eliminating any achievement gap.

Finally, we believe that when students leave school fully prepared for becoming responsible, productive adults, the community benefit from that is more valuable than the cost of achieving it.

Contributed by the Democracy for America Education Task Force: R. B. Lasco, Elaine Jones, Tony McNevin, Judy Leslie, Kathy Ciolino, Carolyn Nunamaker