Redefine School Boundaries
By JACK BIERWIRTH
In five years' time it is very possible—in fact, very likely—that the face of public education will be different than it is today. There still will be teachers and texts, reading and math. But some fundamental aspects of the structure could be very different.
What seems most likely to happen is some form of deregulation, perhaps parallel to what has happened and will continue to happen in the telecommunications and utility fields. If done well, this process is likely to result in educational institutions that are more flexible, more responsive, and more capable of meeting the needs of a society which is changing at an increasingly rapid rate. If done poorly, the process could well result in greater fragmentation of society and a widening of the gulf between haves and have-nots.
While we need to be mindful of the potential pitfalls, it is important that those of us in the education profession enter the discussion (and charter schools are only the first part of what is likely to become a much broader discussion) with a willingness to seize the opportunities and shape the changes in a positive direction.
We think charter schools are a good idea if they are done right. For several years Portland has had a policy on magnets and alternatives—almost an internal charter school policy. That policy challenged interested parents and/or staff groups to step forward and propose new programs or schools within schools. More than a half-dozen new programs have been created already, many of them adding wonderful new options for students, parents, and teachers. They range from an environmental middle school to a parent-cooperative elementary program.
The district also has entered into contracts with private groups and community agencies willing to create dropout-retrieval programs. These have all been constructed on a pay-for-service basis, with the programs receiving only the additional state aid generated by the students they retrieve. These programs have "retrieved" 700 to 900 students who are enrolled in formal programs today. Not only are these students earning an education but they are also, in effect, paying for themselves by generating increased state aid for the district.
Our internal policy has two simple expectations. The first is that the program give a clear indication that it will provide a good education. The second is that it contribute to the community as a whole. Magnets and alternatives may choose different ways in which to educate students, but they should enhance our collective ability to serve the community and help bring it together, not fragment it.
Our expectations of charter schools are similar. We believe they must:
- Hold the promise of good education.
- Be accountable for meeting state and district academic standards.
- Contribute to the community as a whole and not simply serve narrow constituencies intent on separating themselves.
- Be funded in an appropriate manner. Because the cost of educating the "average" child is far less than the average cost per student, any school that educates only average students but receives the average cost per student would have a significant cost advantage compared to other schools and programs.
In March 1996, the Portland School District proposed that Portland consider becoming a charter school district. According to some reports, ours was the first such proposal in the country. Our purposes were fairly simple. First and foremost, we believe that achieving what is best in education, or in any field, is inevitably the result of people coming together with a vision and figuring out how to achieve that vision. Little is achieved when groups come together to figure out how to better implement regulations. If this is indeed the case for schools, why not apply the same process to a whole school district? Why not build a school system from the ground up based upon what is needed to serve students best and ask for waivers from any laws, rules, and regulations which are obstacles to doing that? While this is obviously a daunting, even intimidating, task, it should also be fun challenging ourselves to figure out how we would do things differently if we did them the way we really wanted to.
The second purpose is to figure out how to redefine the "boundaries" of a public school system so that it becomes more open to competition but does so in a way that is inclusive. While the diversity of American society is one of its strengths, there are far too many areas where diversity becomes division, forming dangerous fault lines. In many cities these fault lines in the field of education are all too clear: Affluent parents send their children to well-funded, private or parochial schools or move to the suburbs; poorer parents are forced to sent their children to public schools which are often underfunded and uncompetitive.
It is time to redefine what constitutes a public school system so that it becomes more inclusive and challenges all educational institutions to become part of a system that serves the whole community. It is time to bring that community together to ensure that all students achieve at high levels.
Jack Bierwirth is superintendent of Portland Public Schools.
Photo by Todd Eckelman.
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