Where my kids go to school

One of the folks on this email list replied to my email a few days ago (in which I said that I disagreed with Kozol's assertion that the key to fixing our failing public schools is spending more money on them) by asking where I send my children to school.  It's a valid question, and my reply is below.

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Question: "Where do your children go to school?"

 

My answer:

 

Currently, two go to Nightingale Bamford School and one to Central Synagogue Nursery School.

 

I assume you’re not asking because you’re interested in the names of the schools, however, but rather are questioning the appearance of hypocrisy when I say that more money isn’t the solution to what ails our failing inner-city schools (at least more money poured into the existing broken system) when I send my own children to schools that, relatively speaking, are drowning in money.

 

It’s a valid question – one Jonathan Kozol often uses to try to silence his critics – so allow me to address that in a few ways (keeping in mind that I’m speaking only for myself):

 

1)      Luckily my wife and I (and you and, I suppose, everyone else on my school reform email list) have the means to choose whichever schools we feel are best for our children.  It’s precisely BECAUSE I have this right that I can see how valuable it is.  All I want is the same fundamental right for ALL parents!

 

Unfortunately, most families do not have such means and thus have little or no choice as to where to send their kids.  If they can afford to live in a nice area, odds are good that the local public school is at least decent; but if they live in a poor urban community, odds are alarmingly high that their local school is weak or utterly failing – you’re seen the data, I’m sure.  I don't believe that ANY family should be forced to send their kids to a failing school.  Would you send your kids to a school in which fewer than 20% of children could read by the 4^th grade? 

 

Unlike many who believe that school choice is what most families want, I think that most people simply want a good local public school to send their kids to.  It’s only if that school is failing that people want choice.  I think if the state cannot provide a decent public school, then it has a fundamental obligation to provide a better alternative.  I find it extremely ironic that those who most passionately oppose this point of view are nearly universally practicing school choice themselves.  Now THAT’S hypocrisy!

 

2)      The fact that I send my kids to private school has no bearing on my standing to comment on the successes and failures of the public school system.  Does the fact that I have good health insurance mean that I cannot opine about the problem of the uninsured?  Because none of my family members are serving in the armed services, can I not comment on the handling of the Iraq war?

 

3)      As to the substance of my point about more money not being the solution, I addressed this at length in my email Wednesday (the article by Marcus Winters and the excerpt from Education Myths), as well as in my critique of Kozol, which summarized the argument: “[Kozol] conveniently ignores the fact that some of the very worst school systems like Newark and Washington DC spend the most -- far more than average suburban systems.  And he doesn't (perhaps because he can't) give a single case study of a school system that suddenly spent a lot more money, resulting in marked improvement.”

 

I hope you don’t take anything I’ve said in this email personally – I certainly didn’t take your question that way.  It’s a good conversation for like-minded Democrats like us to have.

 

Best regards,

 

Whitney