Focus on family to start education reform
Why do some people believe that quality education for all students in our state can only be achieved by equal government-sponsored education spending on each student?
That's like saying all people need to drive a luxury SUV to get to work. People may want a luxury SUV but what they need is safe, reliable transportation with a cost that fits their budget.
A student's ability to learn is a function of many factors that cannot be controlled with money. True, there is a base cost to providing a safe, effective environment for instruction and learning. But simply spending more money does not ensure a safe, effective learning environment.
Let's figure out what the key components are for safe, effective instruction and learning, then work to develop and implement those for all students at all levels.
A good place to start would be the family and community environment in which the students live. That is where the barriers to effective learning are most pronounced.
No amount of school funding will transform poverty-laden single parent households in violent neighborhoods into places where students feel secure and focused on learning.
Too much time and energy is spent on attempting to replace the benefits derived from a stable family environment with ineffective government-funded alternatives.
Transform the culture by restoring and supporting stable families and you will see an improvement in the results of public education at all levels.
Pete Gennuso
Schaumburg