PAY NOW - OR PAY LATER
This is Friday's Daily News Editorial, which I wanted to be sure everyone got a chance to see.
PHILADELPHIA'S public-school dropout crisis finally received the attention it deserved thanks to the Johns Hopkins University/Philadelphia Education Fund report "Unfulfilled Promises" that got so much publicity when it was released in October.
And the fallout continues: During City Council's Education Committee hearing this week, school district experts and those from other organizations detailed what they were doing, and what still has to be done, to keep kids in school. All the programs, it seems, need a monetary life preserver from the city.
The eye-opening Hopkins report revealed that 40 percent of the district's students drop out. Its findings provided more fuel for the already red-hot topic of violence in Philadelphia, and how it's fueled by joblessness, frayed families, easy access to illegal guns - and high truancy rates.
Just who will be a dropout can be predicted as early as sixth grade: Sixth-graders (11- and 12-year- olds) absent more than 20 percent of the time will typically get poor marks in behavior, and tend to fail math and English.
Among the more interesting efforts by the district, as detailed at the hearing:
These hearings and other recent discussions show that stemming the dropout tide will be far more complex than just paying $3 million for 400 truant officers, as the city promised.
The city must consistently address this problem - not just when homicides top 400 a year - and provide adequate financial support. After all, it is the city that eventually will wind up paying for services, social or criminal, that these dropouts will require.
Comments (6)
If we listen to George Bush and company, the answer is school choice and vouchers, and of course "No Child Left Behind."
We do have an educational crisis in our public schools, and it's something the Bush administration has ignored since taking office.
Unfortunately, the education system is not unlike the health care system in this country. We have the best schools if you can afford them.
Hopefully the new Democratic Congress will address educational issues.
Posted by: steve urbanski on February 12, 2007 17:39
Kudos to Miss Flavia. A subjext that can never get too much attention.
Children in foreign countries where opportunity to receive education is scarce want to go to school. American children who have the opportunity ro receive education every day want sneakers and ipods. Can't change that.
School choice and vouchers and slogans and all the money in the world will not solve our country's youth education problems. There is only one answer. Parents must remain committed to each other and their children and insist that their children go to school and do their homework every day. Without that, all other ideas will fail.
Posted by: Todd Levari on February 13, 2007 11:08
Double Kudos. Children come first.
Posted by: Joseph on February 13, 2007 11:44
This is all such crap. The thing in Chicago...there is the Mayor. He is the boss, no question. Chico, Vallas, Duncan, Scott, Oprah's guy--don't matter. It is all about Daley. In Philadelphia, there is a board that is 1/2 appointed by the state, 1/2 appointed by the mayor, there is the legislature, there is the corrupt mayor, there is the Guv, and then there are the everyday elements like unions and community interest groups.
In Chicago, you always know whom you must impress. In Philadelphia, who the hell knows. Today it could be the Mayor, but when he is indicted tomorrow, who is it then?
It is no wonder they were in crisis before Vallas got there.
Posted by: Vallas Apologist
Posted by: on February 15, 2007 19:15
So what will you do when Daley gets indicted?
Posted by: Den on February 16, 2007 08:51
Stay in school and be Urkel.
Get out on the streets and "Get rich or die trying"
Posted by: on February 19, 2007 13:47