Deirdra Stockmann: Our responsibility in the success of public schools

Saturday, Dec. 22, 7:45 a.m. Oak Park, Ill. Staring down my ceiling fan, grimacing with pursed lips, buried under six inches of bedding, I listened attentively to the NPR brief on the state takeover of the Philadelphia schools.

The onslaught of obligatory holiday gatherings delivered no shortage of inquiries about the future. As I shared my experiences and involvement in the local schools and community, people were quick to ask how my work would be affected by the takeover.

Perhaps under other circumstances I would have been pleased to find business people and lawyers concerned with the fate of our schools. But I could not turn my head from the fact that their interest is rooted in the success of business, of the private sector, of Edison Schools, Inc. -- not the success of education for the sake of our children and society.

Social issues are subject to the same shifting tides and popular hype as fashion fads. Sweatshop sit-ins make Penn known one year. Living wage protests put Harvard in the news the next. Debates about censorship tend to wax and wane according to the agenda of the second lady.

While each of these issues would benefit from more than a few weeks of news coverage, the attention deficient media hastily drops one issue for the next, more alluring concern.

This drive for the new and controversial, unfortunately, denies many of the most socially significant issues the attention they deserve. The education of our children is one issue that begs the substantive attention of an entire society, but garners only sporadic and oversimplified recognition.

Ideally, the fact that education unceasingly looms in the mind of society as a problem waiting to be taken on might lead to a revolutionary drive to develop substantive solutions.

Instead, nearly every potential agent of change has been numbed with disillusionment. Sure, the last presidential election and current administration have stressed education as a key issue. Politicians cannot ignore the issue of public education.

But few attended public schools, and most send their children to private institutions of learning. Their superficial knowledge of the environment in which the majority of American children are expected learn produces proposals for reform that focus on the failures and inadequacies of a system rather than the needs of the children it was created to serve.

Until every sector of society actively embraces education as a primary concern, no government plan or legislation will be sufficient. Only when everyone takes responsibility for our nation's future by contributing what they can to the solution will positive change follow.

Perhaps there is a hint of sweetness in the bitter state and corporate takeover of the Philadelphia schools. A new sector of society, one that enjoys significant influence and power, now has an eye on what used to be our public schools. Although their interest was initially piqued by the potential for profit, perhaps when they are not shielding reality with meaningless numbers and test scores, they might accidentally start to care about the content and quality of education.

They might notice whether children are being equipped with the tools to identify problems and construct solutions and whether they are given the opportunity to apply their skills. Perhaps, they will also notice that these are the abilities that characterize good employees.

The really perceptive ones might even see that investing in education is the most efficient way to ensure a steady stream of productive workers for decades to come. When the focus changes from corporatism to children, reform may actually become possible.

As students, we are at a point where we may fall into the web of hopelessness about public education. We are at a school teeming with resources, most importantly ourselves. It is our duty and our privilege to involve ourselves in the education of our community and society.

As we train to climb into positions of influence, it is uniquely our responsibility to refuse the shield of apathy bared by many of our elders and decision-makers. Instead, we must make every attempt to impart the tools of success we have been given to all children. A commitment to children and education is the key to a better society for all of us.

Deirdra Stockmann is a senior Politics, Philosophy, and Economics major from Oak Park, Il.

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