Riddle Me This: The elusive panacea revealed

Diane Ravitch and David Brooks each espouse their own version of what it takes to fix American’s failing school and their opinions and personalities were bound to collide eventually.

Ravitch has entertained Brook’s “Smells like teen Spirit” editorial by asserting that Brooks misrepresented her views on charter schools, stating that she is always careful to point out that charter school success (and failure) varies widely.

She holds strong to her belief that some charters make their gains because they obtain additional resources, increase instructional time, limit the enrollment of students with disabilities or students who can not read, or remove students with learning problems.

As it relates to Baltimore City Public Schools, I’d like to focus on schools that increase instructional time. KIPP runs on both a longer school year and school day. The SEED school (a public boarding school) provides students with a comprehensive educational experience from Sunday evening through Friday afternoon, 24/7, during the school year.

These schools have achieved tremendous results with their students, and their “secret” ingredient seems elusive. Lucky for you, I’m about to reveal it. Okay, here it is. I’ll give you a few clues:

RIDDLE:

1. It flies (for some more often than others)

2. It occasionally stops (only in science fiction and in mathematics too complicated for me to grasp)

3. It rhymes with rhyme

You guessed it…. TIME. Educators are spending more TIME with these students and that time is being valued. Increasing student achievement for students in Baltimore City isn’t about the latest fad, whether that be revamped teacher evaluations, PBIS, or high-stakes testing. It’s about nose to the grindstone TIME. When educators spend time with students and that time is structured and effectively used, they learn on par with the best and brightest.

Students in Baltimore City do not need the latest in a series of so-called innovations. Plain and simple, students in Baltimore City need to be provided more opportunities to go to schools that offer more learning TIME.