Will Obama's Pillars of Reform Work in Baltimore City?

I was so eager to hear President Obama's first real speech on education since being sworn into office. And I am happy to say that I was not let down. His speech on education reform (given on March 10th) was right on target with his campagin promises and also appeared to be right on target with many other American education reform iniatives. President Obama spoke eliquently as usual and even though he brought many serious issues to light, I still feel hopeful.

His speech focused on five pillars of education reform: early childhood iniatives, better assessments, rewards for outstanding teachers, innovation, and providing education to all. Although all made sense, the one that stood out for me was innovation. He showed particular interest in supporting charter schools and reforming the school year calendar. Are American Schools ready for this? Is Baltimore City School System ready for this?

I agree that the reasons for having summers off no longer apply to most American children. I don't think any of my students spend their summers farming and tending to their families' land. However, this cultural shift would be huge for my students, their families and teachers. Many of my students and their families would have a difficult time with this simply because of the drastic change. Vacations, childcare, and custody issues would certainly come into play. I would predict that the first few years' attendance would be poor. And what about the teachers? Yes, the students would forget less and yes, the shift to the next grade would be smoother. But what about us? Summers off are not only a time for us to recharge our batteries for the next year, but they are also a time for professional development. I would be interested in what a survey of BCPSS teachers would say. I suppose I'm on the fence with this issue...I also worry about the economic cost to BCPSS. Many of the school buildings are not air conditioned properly and the cost to repair these buildings and air condition them would be quite expensive. Not to mention the cost of staffing and transportation.

My second concern is with the charter schools in BCPSS. Many of our charter schools are wonderful institutions and promote exactly what President Obama hopes to see in them: innovation, choice, and support. However, Maryland's charter school law is not strong and it would be unfortunate if our charter schools movement grew too fast. The paperwork involved in shifting students around Baltimore City is staggering. Many students move through three or four schools a year and this includes charter schools. I've been involved in too many situations involving special education students not getting the proper services because the paperwork was lost or had not arrived to a charter school (or other BCPSS public school). The paperwork doesn't ever catch up with the child. Important information is never learned about these students and in the meantime a year of education is lost. My hope is that Baltimore City Schools can make this shift towards innovation slowly and with a lot of thought. We must evolve with the movement instead of jumping right in and learning from some very big mistakes afterwards.