Two thousand parents, teachers, and students appeared at a public meeting this week to protest a proposal by New York City school officials to close 19 struggling schools.
That’s as clear an example as any of why school reform is so tough.
Every year, national polls reveal the same reality: People like their local school, yet they think that other schools aren’t doing well. Many say low-performing schools need to be closed.
Just not their school. If someone’s school is having problems, it’s assumed that the school can be turned around with enough love and attention. Rarely will you find a school community who thinks their school should suffer the ultimate sanction.
I understand that reaction. It’s human nature to be loyal to the familiar. And schools are an important part of any community.
So the scene that unfolded at Brooklyn Tech High School is no surprise. There, amongst the crowd, “some pleaded, some jeered. Some rationally cited statistics, while others flew off the handle . . . as members cast their votes, the crowd shouted, Shame on you!’”
Such outrage, as described by the New York Post, will be familiar to school officials in numerous urban school systems that have closed schools because of budget deficits, declining enrollments, or plain-and-simple poor performance.
But I don’t share this story because New York City officials had a tough day. Nor do I have an opinion about whether officials made the right decision.
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