Let me begin by saying I am proud to represent an organization that I believe has been and continues to be on the cutting edge of school reform. Is that bragging? Yes, but then I am in a room full of parents so I am sure you will all relate! (Let's look back...)
Two years ago we had Bob Sweet from the National Right to Read Foundation as our main speaker. He shared with us the importance of phonics instruction in the classroom and the year that ensued brought about a flurry of activity in our state by many present in this room. This activity culminated in phonics legislation which is now a law in our state. Thousands of people signed the phonics petitions that were eventually presented to our legislators and resulted in their support for this important legislation. Many critics claim the legislation was eventually watered down and therefore was not important in shaping educational practices. Yet, the most significant effect that this movement had was to raise public awareness about the issues surrounding the phonics vs. whole language debate. This has opened the door for greater dialogue within your school districts. Many of you have reported an increased attention being given to the use of phonics instruction. Is it enough? NO! But the momentum is in our favor.
Last year our theme was educational standards. You will recall the rather spirited debate we had during our panel discussion of DPI's first draft standards last October. Since then, 2 new drafts have been released. Many of you present today participated in forums across the state, or served on writing teams. PRESS believes significant problems remain with the standards...more work needs to be done ...we cannot let up now. PLEASE ATTEND FORUMS scheduled over the next few weeks and voice your opinion regarding the proposed standards.
Which brings us to this years theme...Choices for Parents. Are we once again on the cutting edge? I think as the day progresses, and as you hear from the incredible speakers we have assembled, you will agree that, yes, we are. But how does this happen? Is it just dumb luck? Do we have a crystal ball? Given that we must plan this event 4-6 months in advance...how DO we do it? (There are days when I often wonder!!)
The answer is actually quite simple. We are able to keep our finger tips on the pulse of school reform because throughout the year we hear from all of you seated in this room...letters, phone calls, faxes, and of course e-mail ( I don't know how I survived without this convenience!) Not only are we hearing from Wisconsin parents, but through the marvels of modern technology and the advent of our PRESS web page, we are able to feel the pulse of parents around the country.
What has become incredibly obvious to us over the last year is that more and more parents are opting for choices outside of public education. Tired of unresponsive school district administrations and mediocre academic environments, parents are saying; " Enough is enough. I can't wait any longer...I have to take care of my child now!" This is a sampling of what we have heard:
Parents who are:
Recent international comparisons show that U.S. 8th graders placed an embarrassing 28th in the world in math and 17th in science. Grade inflation continues to rise. College Board findings show that since 1987 the portion of A average students rose from 28 to 37% of SAT test takers. Yet these very same A students combined verbal and math scores dropped 14 points at the same time. The average GPA for all test takers in 1997 was 3.22 out of 4.00 (up from 3.07 ten years ago). Scarier yet is the fact that the SAT scoring system was re-centered in 1996. On average, everyone's score went up by approx.100 points. You can now get a perfect score of 1600 and miss up to five questions. (Before this, no more than 25 students in the country received perfect scores..now 2500 could possibly obtain a perfect score. The SAT now allows calculators and no longer has a section on antonyms (historically one of the more difficult parts of the test) but rather students are tested on "vocabulary in context." Sound familiar?
Each and everyone of you in this room has first hand experience with this decline in education and lack of rigor. You don't need statistics to tell you that your child's school is failing to teach your children the academic fundamentals they need to survive in our increasingly complex society. You all have first hand knowledge of failed reading programs and fuzzy new-new math being touted as the latest educational panaceas. You have all made decisions and continue to make decisions because you have your children's best interests in mind. You realize that indeed you ARE the primary educators of your children and you must now take matters into your own hands.
The bottom line is that you have all made choices and continue to make choices. Whether it be private/parochial schools, charters schools, home schools, choice schools, public schools or private tutoring. YOU are making choices...important choices. You realize the educational system is not going to change over night and you must do whatever you can to meet your child's educational needs. You continue to fight at the local level at school board meetings and curriculum planning meetings, yet you are also looking out for your own. It is a natural and instinctive thing to do. And yet at the same time, your choices are having a profound impact on the mainstream educational establishment...they are slowly beginning to take notice and we are seeing subtle changes.
In states with public school choice laws, we have heard from parents who have told us that their district administration has sent them satisfaction surveys to find out what it would take to make them remain in the district. Faced with the prospect of losing children to neighboring districts, they are suddenly engaging parents in a meaningful way. What a novel idea!
In Milwaukee and Cleveland, two cities making historic progress in the area of school choice, you see the school districts scrambling to make changes. Granted, these are small changes, but one can not deny that school choice has changed the landscape of school reform and has contributed to the notion often forwarded by our own Dr. Howard Fuller that we must develop a "system of schools" to educate the public as opposed to a public school system. Our nay-sayers believe we will destroy public education. To that we say, our efforts are making public schools better by forcing them to look inward...forcing them to be more consumer oriented.
The road to improving our public education system is a long and winding one indeed. Every one in this room realizes that it will not change over night and that we must continue to speak out at school board meetings, town hall meetings, DPI forums, and in letters to the editors. At the same time, we must do what we can as parents to meet our children's needs first and foremost. This means exploring options we may have never considered before...the options we will explore with you today. Your involvement in these areas does not mean you have given up and jumped ship. Quite the contrary, your involvement in these movements serves to validate the existence of problems in pubic education. As the numbers of people involved in the movement continues to rise, so too will awareness rise in the mainstream educational establishment. Some may think that impossible but a recent quote by Bob Chase, NEA President, makes me believe we are on the brink of more change. In reference to the growing numbers of parents opting for alternatives Chase stated, "I am not sure if any of us really know yet where these trends are leading us, but it had better make us take a hard new look at what we're doing in public education." Five or ten years ago these comments would have never been uttered.
In conclusion, it is our hope you will leave today inspired, energized and more informed about the choices and options available to you. It is also our hope that you will realize that your actions are having an impact on school reform and you must continue to push for change. I am always asked this question by many my close friends: "Leah, why do you continue the fight to improve public education. You have your kids in a private school, so why bother?" My answer is always the same:
I continue the fight for the following reasons:
1. Private schools are not immune from the trendy fads being promulgated in our teaching colleges.
2. I continue because I am fighting not only for my children but also for the children of parents who may not be aware of these problems. I am fighting for the parents who may not have the luxury that I and many of you have to opt for private schools.
3. Finally, I am fighting for the society in which my children and your children will someday live. This is what keeps me in the fight. This is what keeps all of us in the fight. In that sense…..we are able to say that what we are doing truly IS for the children...all of our children.
Thank you!
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