“A ship isn’t just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails,
you know. That’s what a ship needs.
But what a ship is . . . what a ship really is . . . is freedom.” - Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean
Ask most people what a school is and you’ll likely get the
most straightforward of answers: a school is a place where students learn. But
when the question turns to what a school needs,
the answer becomes a bit trickier.
On the surface, this answer seems simple too: schools need
teachers, administrators, students, supplies, and a place to house them all,
right? But try to nail down the specifics, and you’ll find yourself mired in
age-old debates. How many students per school? How many students per class? How
many teachers per class? How many teachers for each subject? How many subjects
for each grade? The logistical questions go on and on.
And that’s not even mentioning supplies. A visitor to a public
school in Baltimore city would likely come away with a very different
understanding of what supplies are necessary than would a visitor to a private
school in Howard county. Should teachers be given books? Paper? Technology in
their rooms? And how about the students – should they have computers? iPads?
Walk into certain classrooms and you might conclude that all students must have
video recording equipment. Walk into others and paper and pencils become optional.
Just what is it that makes a classroom a classroom and a
school a school? This is the very question that Baltimore city officials have
attempted to face with their release today of a report identifying building
upgrades required for the city’s schools. According to the “Jacobs Report” (as reported
in the Baltimore Sun), Baltimore city’s 150 school buildings require approximately
$2.4 billion in infrastructure improvements to bring them up to basic operating
capacity.
Implicit in the report is the understanding that that large a
gap cannot possibly be overcome immediately. The huge deficit, combined with
the school system’s approximately 26,000 unfilled classroom seats this past
year, will possibly lead, according to school officials, to either closing or
rebuilding of up to one third of the city’s schools.
But the issue goes deeper than just walls that need
repainting. “The bottom line for me is not about the condition of the schools,”
said CEO Dr. Andres Alonso. “The bottom line is what kind of settings are we
going to need to have in order to give our students the best possible chance to
succeed?” With so much to be fixed, what should city officials be concentrating
on? What exactly is it that schools need?
1 comment:
I do think that schools need basic infrastructure needs to be met. While I would want all my students to go to schools that are crisp and clean and brand new, but its not a reality right now. If the basic infrastructure is there, then I think money should be put towards programs to help train better administrators and teachers. Schools need strong leaders who can make things work when they are not the best. I strongly believe that many of our schools lack leaders who are up to the job of running a school in Baltimore City. I think the City is doing a fair amount to help train teachers, but I think more focus needs to be placed on training administrators. If a school has a strong leader, it will succeed. Students need to go to a place with a sense of purpose and mission which only comes with strong leadership.
Post a Comment