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Educators pushed for stronger schools for the nation’s underprivileged in an ongoing discussion Thursday about reforming education. (Jane Park/MNS)
WASHINGTON — Following a strong push for effective teachers nationwide, educators convened Thursday to push for equal access to high-quality public schools.
The Capitol Hill briefing was the second in a three-part series organized by The Forum for Education and Democracy to call for key reformations in current education law.
The disparity in resources between high- and low-spending schools, a three-to-one ratio, should be leveled, said panelist Carlos Loumiet, chair of New America Alliance.
Denying good public school education for students in high-poverty areas, Loumiet said, would result in a deteriorating economy.
“Not only are we going to have less people working per retiree in a few years, but if those people are qualified to do jobs at McDonald’s and Burger King, where is the income going to come from for all these proposed programs? For not just Medicare and social security, but for national health care and many others?” Loumiet asked.
Linda Darling-Hammond from Stanford University said ineffective public education exacerbates the effects of poverty and should be addressed now.
“The schools that serve students of color and low-income students…have lower funding levels, larger class sizes, less well-qualified teachers, less challenging curricula,” among other disparities that are unacceptable, she said.
Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Pa., said leveling the playing field for all public school students is an issue Congress will tackle on the road to reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act.
“Clearly, the opportunity for people to fully exercise their citizenship rights is inextricably intertwined with the quality of their education,” he said.