over the past couple of days i have found myself ranting via facebook about education reform, policy, and the legitimacy of the “no excuses” charter school model. my ranting on facebook should surprise no one, but i thought i would shift my rants to the blogosphere.
as many of you may know, some of the work we do at kipp is fairly controversial and often finds its way into left/right debates on education reform and education policy. kipp and other schools who operate by a “no excuses” model claim that poverty is not an "excuse" for teachers and students to use in allowing students to achieve less than what they are able. i don’t remember when i bought in so heavily to the kipp model, but apparently it has happened. i think this past year away from helena and kipp just made it worse.
over the past year at candler, i have gained an abundance of knowledge about the societal injustices and structural issues that lead to poverty in our country. i’ve read about and been infuriated by the ways in which our society privileges individuals based on race, gender, familial history, and zip code. i’ve become more aware of the ways in which this privilege has lead to extreme income inequality, which threatens the future of our nation.
and after reading, researching, and discovering anew information about these societal injustices, i find myself working in an organization that some argue is not adequately addressing these problems. (see those arguments here and here) one of these articles claims that poverty is an “excellent excuse” arguing, "mountains upon mountains of data show dramatic correlations between family income and educational performance, as well as other cognitive indicators." the argument then flows that poverty is the problem, and education is not necessarily the solution. a further argument (articulated by my good friend zach) states that claiming poverty is not an "excuse" places the burden of crushing poverty on the students as opposed to the structural and societal factors which have led to students’ plight.
my first reaction to reading these articles and arguments was to wonder if they were right. i thought to myself, “maybe schools like kipp are not a good solution, maybe i should spend my time and energy elsewhere.”
then i remember the statistical and anecdotal evidence that has shown me students living in poverty CAN learn and achieve at the same level as their higher income peers. i am reminded that the point of the "no excuses" model is not to shift blame onto students, but to say to students, "expecting less of you because you live in poverty is implicitly agreeing with the societal idea that you are incapable of achieving what higher income students can achieve.” i am reminded that while it is immensely important for me to be aware of the structural issues that have led to students’ plight, the student sitting in my classroom simply needs to be cared for, and that means holding them to the high expectations of which they are capable.
because while these debates are important, they fall short when they become disconnected from the lives of students.
students who are capable of achieving incredible things if we learn to expect great things from them.
students who have assets, gifts, skills, innovative thoughts, aspirations, dreams, and abilities if we seek them out and help them realize their potential.
students who sometimes need a little extra love, and inwardly are aware that loving them often means holding them accountable.
students who have dealt with things i can’t even begin to imagine, but who nonetheless sit in a classroom hoping to find themselves engaged, hoping to walk out of the classroom with knowledge that will empower them to take ownership of their future.
students who can be difficult, bull-headed, worrisome, frustrating, infuriating, and wonderful all at the same time.
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