January 21, 2011: Vol. 34, No. 3

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January 21, 2011 / Perspective

Yes, let’s close bad schools

By Lakisha Adams

for The Brooklyn Paper

As a lifelong Brooklyn resident, I’ve watched with sadness, but also relief, as some of the schools I attended as a child have closed. Junior HS 324 and Martin Luther King HS weren’t that good when I went there, and as the years went by, they continued to go downhill.

I now have three kids of my own and the most important thing to me is that they receive a great education and go to college.

Pedulla Tile

But when it came time to enroll my oldest son in school, the only option was the zoned school in our Flatbush neighborhood. On the first day of first grade, he couldn’t recite the alphabet or spell his name. Later in the year, he came home with a missing tooth — another 6-year-old had kicked him in the mouth. I knew something had to change.

I looked into schools in other neighborhoods and was willing to travel to find a better place for my son. Luckily for me, an elementary school that my nephew attended was changing locations and moving near my home. It was called Explore Charter School. At the time, I didn’t know what a charter school was, only that my nephew was happy and doing well. During my visit, I found a nurturing environment with high expectations. I thought it would be a good fit for my son who is in the special education program. He’s now in the seventh grade, and I am thankful every day I had this option. I know many families who do not.

Now the politicians are fighting over whether more great schools — charter schools and regular public schools — should be able to open and bad schools be closed. I don’t understand the debate. If a school is failing and the children aren’t learning, why would we fight to keep it open? We can’t let our kids fall through the cracks over politics.

A high school like Paul Robeson, for example, is not a school I would ever consider sending my own kids to. Students aren’t graduating, and they certainly aren’t ready for college.

As I start looking for high schools for my son, I’m concerned again about the options close to my home. They’re not acceptable to me. My son shouldn’t have to travel an hour or more to another neighborhood just to get a quality education, but right now that’s our only choice.

As parents, we should be joining together to fight for schools that provide an adequate education and that equip our children to compete. We shouldn’t be arguing over whether to keep bad schools open. We know without a high school diploma our kids can’t get good jobs or be successful. I refuse to let that be the future for my children. A good school should be a given, not something we have to work so hard to find.

Lakisha Adams is a lifelong Brooklynite and mother of three.

←Cinema: ‘Kaboom’ is a taste of Sundance at BAM

→Perspective: Let’s not fail the so-called ‘failing schools’

Reader Feedback

Michael from Bay ridge says:

If you close the schools that are not performing as they should, the problems will not just go away. Schools underperform for a variety of reasons, but the common thread is probably a lack of involvement by parents and too many students who have problems that are going unaddressed. Of course any school has a limited amount of resources to use on problems - by which I mean anything that gets in the way of normal teaching/learning. Throwing the problems around to other schools is not addressing them, and is only stressing the resources of the other schools. Moving around something that is broken is not fixing it.
Each school that is "failing" is doing so for it's own particular reasons. Perhaps each one should be handled individually - an analysis done of what the problems are (behavior of the pupils? language issues? need for teachers to learn how to manage difficult classes and keep control?). When the individual problems are determined, they can be solved individually. Just as with a physical object that is broken, you can't fix it just by decomissioning it.

Jan. 21, 2011, 7:16 am

Rose from Kew Gardens Hills says:

One thing that struck me in your article: you stated that your son did not know his alphabet in the first grade. This cuts to the heart of my concern about education in this climate. Too many parents want the school to do ALL of the educating of their children. Thus, the idea that they simply have to find him a good school and the school will take care of the rest. My child is not yet two and can recite most of her alphabet. This is because I work on her skills. If my child had special needs I would have sought out those services already. Too many parents blame their children's lack of academic progress on the school. I argue that a child's success hinges more on what the parent does than what the school does--nonetheless, it is a combined effort.
The basic reality in this school closure mess is that it is basically something that is occurring in black and Latino communities. Schools don't get the support they need to educate children of color, parents in these communities are care, but not enough to get involved in the numbers that it takes to make their schools thriving places. My fear is that minorities see charters as solutions and still leave the education of their children up to the school. If we want our kids to succeed we must not only send then to good schools, we must give them enriching experiences by taking them to museums, the Hall of Science, the theatre, and by showing them the world (not just a trip to visit family). All I'm asking is that you take the fact that you're your child's first teacher to heart and take every opportunity to teach him yourself. Then you become involved in every way in your child's formal education (that includes raising money and donating money). Then make sure that your child's school is giving him the best education by calling the school and administration to task.

Jan. 21, 2011, 8 am

EME from Clinton Hill says:

Yes, what a great spokesperson for a charter school. A woman who could manage to teach her son the alphabet or even how to spell his own name by the time he entered first grade! My 3 year old can do both - because I taught him. No charter school is going to be able to do much with this child, unfortunately, for the simple reason that this woman has created a homelife completely devoid of any appreciation, or interest in learning. That she has the time to bash our public schools, and yet can't spend a few minutes a day with her own children to provide them with even a rudimentary foundation for learning to read is just appalling. Shame on the Brooklyn Paper for providing this parent with a forum - she has no right to speak on this issue.

EME

Jan. 21, 2011, 10:08 am

another parent from Harlem says:

Wait a minute, you could'nt teach your son the alphabet by age 6!
Are you kidding? Have you no shame - publically blaming your son's school for your own failure!

Jan. 21, 2011, 10:15 am

I am Superman from Midwood Brooklyn says:

Check out badsudentsnotbadschools.com and yes of course it is a parent's job to teach a child their abc's and 1,2 3's before kindergarten!!!!

Jan. 21, 2011, 11:30 am

I am Superman from Midwood Brooklyn says:

Am I the only one who thinks this person is a shill for the charter schools. How could someone write a coherent essay like this and not be able to teach her child the ABC's?

Jan. 21, 2011, 11:36 am

I am Superman from Midwood Brooklyn says:

Am I the only one who thinks this person is a shill for the charter schools. How could someone write a coherent essay like this and not be able to teach her child the ABC's?

Jan. 21, 2011, 11:37 am

Glo from Mott Haven says:

Amazing that the only thing the previous commenters could focus on and glean from this article is the fact that her child was unprepared for school at 6. I am certainly not minimizing the inherent necessity of a parent being a child's first teacher, but her primary point is valid. Schools that are failing, due to DOE neglect, bad leadership or poor parental involvement are not serving the needs of the students who are enrolled there. Parents and children should not be tethered to these poor performing schools. As a parent, you should have a choice to stay and fight it out, or move into a school that YOU feel will better serve your child's needs. Parents and children need options!

Jan. 21, 2011, 11:57 am

Ladybug226 from East Flatbush says:

As a parent who attended New York City Public schools I agree with Ms. Adams that the current options are not that bright for many children. Many commenters focus on her son not being perpared by age 6, however she also stated he was in need of special education and until he attended Explore he received the help needed. If a child is in need of additional help with learning disablities that isn't the fault of the parent or the school. Yet, from her article I get that it's an effort of both the parent and school to ensure each learning minute is used to benefit the need of the child. I too have a son who was in need of special education services, in his public elementary school his lack of learning was labeled as misbehavior. Through the advice of a caring teacher who went against her prinicple, I was given information to help fight to have an IEP plan created for him. This was all before charter schools appeared on the seen. I now have one child in public high school and one in elementary charter school and wouldn't put my 1st grader in public school if it wasn't a "A " public school that had the support of parents, teachers and administration. I visited "A" public schools that excepted children outside of the district however the waiting list to get in where extremely long. Charter schools are an option for parents and every parent should know it's their right to look at every option for their child's education. For far too long we allowed blame and excuses to be made when it came to addressing education inadequacy locally, state and nationwide in our country. If a school is failing whether traditional public school or charter it should be closed. No one condems a parent who chooses to send their child to private school since it's at their cost. As a tax payer and citizen it's my child's right to get free adequate education so who has the right to tell me I can't choose where my child attends school.

Jan. 21, 2011, 2:32 pm

Rose from Kew Gardens Hills says:

Here's my proposal: each NYC parent with a kid in public school pay $10 a month for your child to attend. That money could help schools in need. Also, maybe if you're paying for it you'd be more likely to be involved in the school. Maybe then you'd make sure your kids attended everyday and learned something for them money (paltry sum that it is) that you're shelling out.

Jan. 21, 2011, 2:48 pm

Rose from Kew Gardens Hills says:

Also, the reason I highlighted the author's not preparing her so for school is because having a special needs child is not a excuse for not doing your job. There are a number of FREE city services for early intervention that too few Parents bother to research. Why is it some people have their kids enrolled in PRIVATE school at the expense of the DOE, while others, like the author, enroll their children in sub-standard schools then complain? Some parents just advocate for their kids while others take what they get. Nothing about this author says that she was doing everyhig for her kid before he enrolled. I could, however, be wrong.

Jan. 21, 2011, 2:54 pm

Lakisha Adams from Flatbush says:

Some background information.

I am a former foster and now an adoptive parent. I obtained custody of my son at the age of 6 after having slipped the cracks of various "systems". At that point he was entering the 1st grade, with these deficiencies not addressed. I am a firm believer in parents as not only the 1st teachers but as partners within the larger education community.
That being said, too many of our children are not achieving at the hands of failing schools. Parents should have more options of obtaining a quality education for their children.
As I write this I'm remembering how I went all over trying to get a variance to get him in a better traditional public school, to no avail. Since he wasn't "gifted or talented" the IEP was just the icing on the cake to the dead end that I met.

While there is no one size fit all answer to our education crisis, I am not willing to support the business as usual mentality. One day is too many to sit in a substandard and failing school.

Jan. 21, 2011, 3 pm

Bklyn Educator from Flatbush says:

The suggestion that there is any excuse for students' performing poorly, particularly in low income neighborhoods, and that poor parental involvement somehow excuses poor student performance offends me as a education. Education is a public right. This is not true for parental involvement. As a teacher, I respect and admire the parents who work hard each day to reinforce what their students need to know to be successful in school. However, I would not dare blame parents or any of their circumstances when students fail. To do so excuses the very idea of our students failing. It is an incredibly hard job to serve students well when they come from a variety of backgrounds and face a variety of challenges-- schools MUST be held accountable for this if we want our children to do well. Anything else is just making excuses.

Jan. 21, 2011, 3:12 pm

Mary from Sunset Park says:

I didn't speak much English till Kindergarten and then my European-immigrant parents went to night school for EASL classes - to help teach ME! Now I am going back to school for my PhD - the first in my family.
Think about how much you can help and nuture your own child first, then perhaps you can discuss charter schools and how the system fails people.

Jan. 21, 2011, 4:17 pm

BKLYN2Charlotte from Charlotte says:

I too struggle with confliction and rage when speaking about public schools. As a PROUD receipient of a great public school education who has received a bachelors degree, masters degree and additional certification, and who is also currently a public school teacher, I am very disappointed that my child attends a private school. It is by far NOT the only solution to close schools that are underachieving because the students/children are displaced to other schools. Closing the school somehow suggests that the teachers are not proficient enough to get students to graduate where, the root of the problem comes from administration, superintendents and policy makers in DC. I believe in public schools but I also believe that there needs to be a strong parental involvement component which is mandated within the curriculum. I say this because, charter schools and private schools are an option however if we dissect their model of success they all have a very high level of parental involvement. Most times, it is mandated at sometime through out the year. This is a key piece, and I am sure Ms. Adams, you find yourself very involved with your child's education. Research says, children are instrincally motivated when their environment relfects that of which is encouraging. If this is true, and we have parents who NEVER go up to meet the teacher, NEVER return phone calls, NEVER attend meetings then how is that telling the student that education is important. Closing the school, doesn't solve the problem! Here is a scary statistic, only 12% of AA boys in 8th grade are proficient in math. That is nationwide, and that is a serious problem. What is happening to the other 88%? At the end of the day, education should be looked at as an investment because if WE as a culture and people do not address these issues, WE all will be effected.

Jan. 21, 2011, 5:25 pm

Elijah from Bayridge says:

My, my, my! Another authority on education heard from. So, according to your philosophy all the individuals who have "failed" to find a job should be "closed". After all, it has to be their fault. By the way, your "foster child" came from a "failed" household. According to you, the household should have been "eliminated". Here's a newsflash for you dearie, there are no failing schools. Every "failing" school has successful and unsuccessful students in it. Just like every household and community in this world. You don't close failing schools to create elitist charter schools. You go in and find out what exactly are the reasons for the unsuccesful students. You will find that 90% of the time the major reason is poverty. BUT, it is politically more expedient to blame teachers and the union and "schools". How about vocational schools. Where did they go? Many students had a chance to succeed in a nonacademic environment but it became politically incorrect to suggest that vocational training might be appropriate for some. Stop quoting meaningless statistics and Bloomberg's rhetoric. Start taking responsibility for your children and their future. THAT is a parent's job, NOT a teacher's or a school's.

Jan. 21, 2011, 6:02 pm

Mark from Boerum Hill says:

I am very interested to know, since it was asked in these comments tangentially, does the author work for the charter school system in any capacity, or has she ever?

Jan. 21, 2011, 6:28 pm

Sheryl from Clinton Hill says:

I am dismayed at the idea that Ms Adams found it necessary to defend and give background on her situation. The issue is not whether her child could read at age 6 the point is that there were no viable options in her neighborhood for her and her special needs child. The educational system has been failing for sometime,to the extent that for profit prisons are being built based on the test scores of urban fourth graders. OUR children are entittled to an education that will allow them to compete in a global society. The vocational high school system that was in place does not prepare young people to sustain a future for themselves, WHY ?because those vocations that are taught no longer exist. Look around, wake up and deal with reality the United states is 23rd and 24th in Math and Science . If we do not address these issues head on, replacing poliitics , rhetoric and special interest with a feasible solid plan with the focus on teaching ,engaging parents and finding resources to empower parents in crisis, we are looking at a very bleak future for this country.

If that means closing failing schools replacing them with something else that works, whether it is Charter or smaller schools then so be it.

Jan. 21, 2011, 7:34 pm

Sheryl from Clinton Hill says:

To Rose, I don't know why or how easy you think it is to manuver through the special ed process but that private school thingy you talk about in your comment does not come easy or in a suitable time frame. After your fight with hearings and lawyers with the Comittee on Special Education to agree that an appropriate education can not be obtained in the public school system months and sometimes years can go by. It is not an I want it I get it type of deal.

Jan. 21, 2011, 7:55 pm

Lakisha from Flatbush says:

Just closing schools is definitely not the message that I want to send. Closing them as the currently exist - producing more drop outs than graduates of black and latino children. We need reform, policies & curriculum in place that are effective. We need to support the WHOLE child which includes families if necessary. Accountability measures that will be enforced in order to truly close the achievement gap are non negotiable. Parents, Educators, Faith Based Institutions and the overall Community need to step up and BE that village.
The sad reality of this is, we all know this but as always, politics prevent real, radical change from happening in substantial ways. Therefore until WE stop just talking about these changes I will take them incrementally by way of educational CHOICE.
As parents we often have to be savvy to acquire the things we want for our children. However, there comes a time when we have to say enough is enough! All schools should be great and adequate schools, no matter what your zip code is.

To Elijah I mentioned my son's situation to show just what DOES in fact happen when a parent is deemed having not parented adequately. Accountability goes across the board.

Jan. 21, 2011, 9:52 pm

Elijah from Bayridge says:

What exactly is the accountability in place for parents? As a 20 year veteran of NYC schools, I have seen many responsible parents whose children have been successful. In the majority of cases where a student was failing, the cause was easily traceable to parents who either couldn't or wouldn't act responsibly. The majority of failing students come from homes where the parents may talk a big game but the true appreciation of hard work and education is non existent. I'm not referring to the exceptions, but the BLATANT MAJORITY of homes where students have no structure in their meals, exercise, work habits, sleep, video games, computer use, socialization, etc. NO SCHOOL will fix those problems and charter schools just "counsel" those problem kids out. So, where, pray tell, is the accountability for those that reproduce with no proof of their qualifications to do so? The cold hard truth is that no politician in his right mind would ever challenge those irresponsible parents and lose their votes. Instead they serve up the ridiculous notion that the schools will compensate for horrendous parenting.

Jan. 22, 2011, 4:36 pm

Rose from Kew Gardens Hills says:

Elijah you are spot on. I am a mother, an educator, and a minority. The sad truth (the dirty secret) of the black community is that by and large there is little to no parental involvement in their children's schools. I teach in a "good" school with a small black population. Why is it that the majority of those kids are failing? Why is it that those are the kids walking the halls and disrespecting staff? Why is it that the black teachers feel ashamed that these are our kids making fools of themselves when they are given the opportunity to be in a good school? Why is it that we don't want those kids in our classes? I have read nonsense excuses for these kids that usually say that they feel displaced in the new environment are don't feel supported--thus, they act out for attention. That is just another way of not taking responsibility for parental failure. These kids don't value education. Honestly, a lot of teachers voice concerns that our black population will turn the school into a failing school. This is the ugly truth about what is going on in our schools.
In looking for a school for my child I'm faced with two options: a school that is mostly middle classwhite and Asian with great parental involvement and great test scores or, to my south, a school that is filled with middle class black students, little parental involvement and poor test scores. I think you know which I'm choosing?
Can we all stop talking around the issue and do like Bill Cosby said: "wake up!!!". If we want better schools as a group we must stop failing our kids.

Jan. 22, 2011, 7:32 pm

Sheryl from Clinton hill says:

Hi Rose, the state of Black America's union is broken. I agree that there is a lot to be done. One thing however i striongly suggest we dont do is give up. I am a strong beliver in accontability, and it pains me to see how many children have no vision, no focus, no hope. All of the work of the civil rights movement on the surface seems to have been in vain. I see things a little differently, I think back on how it went from a disgrace for children to become pregrant and have children, to a badge of honor, the powers that be deemed it there right to produce children without any preparation. Parents were not allowed to know if a child wanted birth control or even an abortion. Discipline became abuse, leaving the children in charge. Do not be deceived into thinking that there are not big problems in those other populations that you mentioned, the difference is there are in many instances avenues they can take. Many of their parents have the resources for private psychology sessions where ours go to jail, if they mess up to badly many have their own businesses waiting for them to join the ranks when they get themselves together. I know this may sound like an excuse but believe me I am just calling it the way i have seen it blossom. Educational system declining resulting in cycles of poverty, children raising children and no one is in charge. Well now wait a minute, speaking of accountability maybe we as Black people in a position of authority can stop them in the hallways and say where do you see yourself in five years. Start a conversation, you may not be able to reach them all but a few will do.

I went to BAM for Dr Martin Luther Kings memorial and had the pleasure of hearing Walter Mosley speak where he said, and i am parapharasing, He calls himself Black because that is his reality everytime he walks down any NY street where a police officer may not think he belongs. I mention this to you only to say that no matter where you send your son to school, you will never be able to separate yourself from the fact that those children that shame you, are still a part of you and me and every other adult. Lets think about what we can do as a community to get us back on track.

Jan. 24, 2011, 7:56 pm

Change the debate from Brooklyn says:

I am in for or against charter school, I believe that all children regardless of where they live deserve access to quality public schools, period. Unfortunately this is not the case and while some charter schools are doing an excellent job at bringing up test scores we have to realize that raising test scores are not the full measure of what a quality education is. The research out there shows that only 17% of all charter schools nationwide perform better that the neighborhood public schools, 46% perform just as their neighborhood schools, and 37% do worse. With that said, they are not necessarily the answer and in fact many have strayed from the innovation they initially promised when the concept was new and have turned into test prep factories. Most parents, including low income parents want the best education for their children, and will jump on any bandwagon of hope that offers them an alternative to poor and failing neighborhood schools, education reformers have failed to address the wider problem or urban poverty that affects urban schools. Schools are just a reflection of the community they are in and while poverty cannot be an excuse for low learning outcomes, the politicians and people who make it their "business" running schools have collaborated to shape the debate about what educational reform is cities with mostly people of color should look like. The research is out there, but they ignore it. Parents need to better informed and while I commend the writer of the article, the its more that just closing schools, its about making wider urban reforms that raises the quality of life for people in urban communities and gives them access to higher paying jobs, effective transportation systems that gets them to jobs in the outlying suburbs, changing tax policies that undermine urban schools and truly integrating our schools so blacks, whites, Latinos, and Asians can attend schools together. Charter schools are highly segregated. Again, children should have access to great public schools regardless of where the live.

Jan. 25, 2011, 9:47 am

Less Talking more DOING from Brooklyn says:

Personal attacks on the writer of this article, making assumptions of her parenting and taking a piece of what she said and running with it, does not take away from some of the core issues that she raised. I applaud her for having the courage to initiate this dialogue. The first line of attack is always directed toward parents meanwhile, if I can be truly honest, they have been almost stripped of there power and left out of the more serious conversations on education reform. In many of the communities that are impacted by low performance, the parents’ voice are merely tolerated. Very seldom if ever do we acknowledge them in the successes. This article was written from her perspective and I think it's time we all stop attacking parents and LISTEN to them, truly empower, engage and include them in a meaningful way throughout the process.

Other than saying that her children attended Charter school, I did not see a plug for Charter schools but for quality schools for everyone (in whatever form).

Based on all of the comments, it's safe to say that while many students are in fact achieving, the current state of our education system is leaving way too many children behind and unprepared for a positive future(for a combination of reasons).

It is my hope that this conversation has enhanced dialogue in some circles and introduced a new conversation in others. No longer should we have the attitudes of "as long as I'm being paid" or "as long as MY child has". Activate, Educate and Advocate as a part of the larger community toward change for every child. Rather than blame game and sitting back and criticizing, DO Something!!!

Jan. 26, 2011, 6:42 pm

Lindsay from Coney Island says:

I too applaud the author for her ability to so clearly articulate such an important topic in the world of education reform. I also want to comment on Elijah's comment "No school will fix those problems and charter schools just "counsel" those problem kids out." Growing up I had every single problem you mentioned and my schools solved all of them. It is no secret that parents SHOULD take responsibility for their kids' education and that they SHOULD support their children in school, but the fact is many parents don't and the children of those parents shouldn't have to suffer because they have parents who don't care- this is where society at large steps in to make sure great public (remember charter schools are public schools) exist in their community so every child can have access to an outstanding education regardless of where they live. Also, while some charter schools "counsel kids out" most don't so please stop spreading information that isn't true.

Jan. 26, 2011, 11:17 pm

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