Scoop
03-11-2005, 12:10 PM
Thursday, March 10, 2005 BY REGINALD T. JACKSON
A few weeks ago, I and other ministers held a press conference to announce the Black Ministers Council's effort to revive the civil rights movement to assure that African-American and poor children get a quality education. We make this effort because we believe that every child has a right to a quality education, that it is not a privilege based on race, income or zip code but a civil right. Like Malcolm X, a champion for freedom, we believe a quality education for our children must be achieved by "any means necessary." For us, this includes school choice.
We support school choice because we believe we must. We have to reform the public schools because we must.
School choice is not about opposing or destroying the public schools. In fact, school choice is about forcing the public schools to reform so that our children get a quality education. Most of our children will always attend the public schools. Therefore, to ensure that children get a quality education, we must reform the public schools.
Everyone -- leaders of government and the teachers unions, business leaders, college officials and parents -- agrees that public schools in urban areas are not providing children a quality education. Most of these children fail to meet minimum state standards. Thousands graduate every year via a dumbed-down alternative route to graduation (called special review assessment), and the state knows these graduates cannot get jobs or get into college. This fraud creates and contributes to the multitude of problems that our children, families and communities face.
Without a quality education, you can't get a good job; without a good job, you can't provide for yourself or your family. When you can't provide for your family, families break up. When families break up, social and community problems increase. When social and community problems increase, we have more poverty, more crime, more violence and death and more brokenness and pain. This requires us to build more jails and provide more social services. This is the reality we face all across this state.
Since that Feb. 10 press conference, a number of people, African- American and Democratic Party leaders, NAACP leaders, teachers union officials, organization activists and other ministers have expressed surprise, anger or disappointment with our support for school choice. Some have even considered it an act of betrayal.
Yet it is their lack of response that explains why we have no choice but to support school choice. What does it say that none of them is angry that our children aren't learning?
One would assume that after more than 20 years of failed promises to reform the public schools, after generations of children being deprived of a quality education -- causing many of them to be unemployed, underemployed or poor parents -- that African-American leaders would be outraged and demand action.
With more than 70 percent of prison inmates being African- Americans and Latinos, with rising gang membership leading to more violence and death in the neighborhoods, African-American leaders should be outraged and demand action.
But instead, all we hear is their continued defense of failing public schools and promises to reform them. This while their children have graduated or are attending private schools. This is not a criticism. Being good parents, they did or are doing what is best for their children. The problem is that they see no urgency or reason to get angry about the failure of the children they represent to also get a quality education. Their response is "We are going to reform the public schools." After more than 20 years, these officials still can't tell us when or how.
The state has a responsibility to ensure that every child in New Jersey gets a "thorough and efficient" education. Yet assistant education commissioner Gordon MacInnes testified before the Senate Education Committee recently that children in the Abbott districts -- the ones getting billions in state aid -- were not passing state assessments because they were not being taught what was in the assessments. Asked why, he responded, "I don't know. I can't explain it."
After billions of dollars and years of failed promises, all the assistant commissioner could say is "I don't know." What was more frustrating was that no one was angry. No one was taken to task. It was like this is acceptable.
The teachers unions oppose every alternative, charter and private schools. They brag about small improvements in elementary schools and ignore large declines in the middle and high schools. The unions insist that children continue in these failing schools -- while in Newark, Jersey City and other cities, 50 percent of the teachers send their children to private schools. The unions' No. 1 priority is not that children get a quality education. Their priorities -- first and last -- are salaries and benefits for their members.
It is because those who criticize us have not acted that we must act. We've been waiting for more than 20 years. If the statistics in the suburbs and other areas of the state were the same as those for the urban areas, the Trenton education establishment and political leaders would declare a state of emergency.
Well, poor and urban children are in a state of emergency. A state of emergency requires action. The action we seek is school choice. We demand for our children their right to a quality education -- by any means necessary.
The Rev. Reginald T. Jackson is head of the Black Ministers Council.
A few weeks ago, I and other ministers held a press conference to announce the Black Ministers Council's effort to revive the civil rights movement to assure that African-American and poor children get a quality education. We make this effort because we believe that every child has a right to a quality education, that it is not a privilege based on race, income or zip code but a civil right. Like Malcolm X, a champion for freedom, we believe a quality education for our children must be achieved by "any means necessary." For us, this includes school choice.
We support school choice because we believe we must. We have to reform the public schools because we must.
School choice is not about opposing or destroying the public schools. In fact, school choice is about forcing the public schools to reform so that our children get a quality education. Most of our children will always attend the public schools. Therefore, to ensure that children get a quality education, we must reform the public schools.
Everyone -- leaders of government and the teachers unions, business leaders, college officials and parents -- agrees that public schools in urban areas are not providing children a quality education. Most of these children fail to meet minimum state standards. Thousands graduate every year via a dumbed-down alternative route to graduation (called special review assessment), and the state knows these graduates cannot get jobs or get into college. This fraud creates and contributes to the multitude of problems that our children, families and communities face.
Without a quality education, you can't get a good job; without a good job, you can't provide for yourself or your family. When you can't provide for your family, families break up. When families break up, social and community problems increase. When social and community problems increase, we have more poverty, more crime, more violence and death and more brokenness and pain. This requires us to build more jails and provide more social services. This is the reality we face all across this state.
Since that Feb. 10 press conference, a number of people, African- American and Democratic Party leaders, NAACP leaders, teachers union officials, organization activists and other ministers have expressed surprise, anger or disappointment with our support for school choice. Some have even considered it an act of betrayal.
Yet it is their lack of response that explains why we have no choice but to support school choice. What does it say that none of them is angry that our children aren't learning?
One would assume that after more than 20 years of failed promises to reform the public schools, after generations of children being deprived of a quality education -- causing many of them to be unemployed, underemployed or poor parents -- that African-American leaders would be outraged and demand action.
With more than 70 percent of prison inmates being African- Americans and Latinos, with rising gang membership leading to more violence and death in the neighborhoods, African-American leaders should be outraged and demand action.
But instead, all we hear is their continued defense of failing public schools and promises to reform them. This while their children have graduated or are attending private schools. This is not a criticism. Being good parents, they did or are doing what is best for their children. The problem is that they see no urgency or reason to get angry about the failure of the children they represent to also get a quality education. Their response is "We are going to reform the public schools." After more than 20 years, these officials still can't tell us when or how.
The state has a responsibility to ensure that every child in New Jersey gets a "thorough and efficient" education. Yet assistant education commissioner Gordon MacInnes testified before the Senate Education Committee recently that children in the Abbott districts -- the ones getting billions in state aid -- were not passing state assessments because they were not being taught what was in the assessments. Asked why, he responded, "I don't know. I can't explain it."
After billions of dollars and years of failed promises, all the assistant commissioner could say is "I don't know." What was more frustrating was that no one was angry. No one was taken to task. It was like this is acceptable.
The teachers unions oppose every alternative, charter and private schools. They brag about small improvements in elementary schools and ignore large declines in the middle and high schools. The unions insist that children continue in these failing schools -- while in Newark, Jersey City and other cities, 50 percent of the teachers send their children to private schools. The unions' No. 1 priority is not that children get a quality education. Their priorities -- first and last -- are salaries and benefits for their members.
It is because those who criticize us have not acted that we must act. We've been waiting for more than 20 years. If the statistics in the suburbs and other areas of the state were the same as those for the urban areas, the Trenton education establishment and political leaders would declare a state of emergency.
Well, poor and urban children are in a state of emergency. A state of emergency requires action. The action we seek is school choice. We demand for our children their right to a quality education -- by any means necessary.
The Rev. Reginald T. Jackson is head of the Black Ministers Council.