There are those who say I care too much about what teachers think. Well, they’re right. I do care. They just don’t care enough. They don’t care that our front line professionals are being ignored in the so called “education reform movement.” They don’t care that pitting teachers against one-another in competition negatively impacts motivation instead of fostering cooperative environments in our schools that improve educational outcomes and support retention of teachers of color in our classrooms. They don't care that teachers are forced to "teach to the test" instead of teaching children in a more personalized manner. They don’t care that teacher voices have been purposely left out of the decision-making process in favor of venture capitalists and for-profit firms who are salivating over the education market.
And why is it that our economy continues to improve, but public school spending still suffers? I’ll tell you why. There is a well-organized crusade to privatize and profit off the education of our children. And guess who suffers most from these kinds of policies. You guessed it, those who need us most: low-income and disadvantaged children. The socioeconomic status of families has a profound effect on children’s education. Many of our teachers work with children who are living in poverty, often lacking sleep, proper nutrition, and stable family lives. We must invest in the public education of all children to support equitable economic and social growth and put an end to policies systematically disadvantaging children.
That’s why the time is now to invest in free public preschool for all. High-quality, developmentally appropriate preschool supports cognitive and socio-emotional development, which are important building blocks for reversing some of the effects of economic inequality. As a community, it is our responsibility to make sure that every student has a chance to excel, both in school and in life. In fact, school success has been linked to college attendance, career choice, increased wages, decreased use of social safety nets, and decreased involvement with the criminal justice system. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather invest in public education than our “zero tolerance,” “get tough on crime,” and “war on drugs” policies that have led to racially discriminatory incarcerations and the resegregation of our communities and schools.
And considering that it costs us over $40,000 per year for each person we incarcerate in our state prison system, compared to the less than $11,000 average per student cost, I’d say the fiscally smart approach is to invest in public education.
This kind of responsible investment in our children, supports healthy, safe, and equitable communities. By empowering our educators in the classroom and insisting on policies that benefit all children, we can deliver the responsible, robust public schools that our children and our communities need.
Peace to you and yours - Jackie
