CER Letter to the Editor
from Jeanne Allen, President
The Center for Education Reform
Dear Editor:
I grew up believing -- having been taught at a very early age -- that our elected officials were some of the most intelligent, courageous people in the country. That we must give them great respect, because their jobs were so overwhelming, so important. That even if we disagreed, we should understand they are trying to do what's best for all of us.
After reading Minority Leader Ben Espy's tirade on June 17 about the effects of various education reforms, my worst suspicions have been confirmed -- I was lied to.
I know, upon reading Mr. Espy's arguments, there will not be much common ground upon which we could build a real alliance for school reform.
His allegiance is with a system, mine is with the children.
However, at the very least, a man who has made it all the way to one of Ohio's leading positions of authority should know to be informed before he speaks.
For example, Mr. Espy, trying to tell us that charter schools and vouchers will segregate, decries the plight of children "who don't meet the eligibility requirements established by the...charter schools..." In fact, charter schools have no eligibility requirements -- anywhere. They are public schools through-and-through -- and open to all. The only thing that makes them different is that parents choose to send their children there.
The result? In each of the nation's 269 charter schools, two and three times as many applications for enrollment were received than the school could handle. And as for questions of segregation...
In these existing public, charter schools, minorities constitute a larger percentage of children than currently in traditional public schools.
We should, of course, as Mr. Espy argues, have fire alarms, adequate water systems, and roofing in all of the nation's schools. The regulations, in fact, require it. But where is the money that the legislature, of which Mr. Espy is a member, has allocated to fund such necessities? Could it be that such money has been wasted on non-necessities and bureaucracy? The answer, in fact, is yes-- particularly in many of Ohio's poorer, urban areas, which suggests that Mr. Espy's time would be better spent investigating where that money goes, instead of conjuring up bogeymen.
Vouchers in Cleveland are another story. There is only one real argument here, and one that Mr. Espy conveniently overlooks: when over 6,000 poor parents apply to participate in a program that can accommodate about 1,500, perhaps, just perhaps, the people want it. When a majority of the 6,000 are African-American, perhaps they feel they have not been well served by the system that Mr. Espy argues has few flaws that a little money can't fix. Perhaps they believe that a reading proficiency rate of 25% is not good enough, or that their children may be safer in a Catholic or Muslim school.
There is no dearth of information about the private schools in Cleveland and cities like it nationwide -- they are more integrated than most of the neighboring public schools. Neither is there a lack of information about charter schools, their tremendous impact on recreating public education, the remarkable success stories happening daily, or the bi-partisan, multiracial coalitions that have brought such possibilities about in now 26 states.
So, to my government teacher in high school, and to my parents, I ask, if our elected officials are so smart, why don't they know anything?
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Jeanne Allen is author of THE SCHOOL REFORM HANDBOOK: How to Improve Your Schools, and president of The Center for Education Reform in Washington, DC, a national non-profit advocacy group providing support and guidance to thousands of individuals and communities nationwide who are working to bring fundamental reforms to their schools. For more information, please call (202) 822-9000 or (800) 521-2118, or send e-mail to cer@edreform.com.