Learning Community Consolidation

Is the Opposite of What Pittsburgh Is Doing

 

It's a little creepy that we've chosen a socialistic model for the Omaha area's new Learning Community, consolidating government power over schools, instead of doing what many other areas of the country are doing: empowering local educators and parents.

 

Yumpin' yiminy, we're making schools into collectives both financially and governmentally, and compromise and consensus are replacing strong decision-making and majority rule. The Learning Community board members should call each other "Comrade." Yikes!

 

We do have a problem, the longstanding racial achievement gap, that was the impetus for the Learning Community. But it's the wrong solution. In other places, they're dealing with achievement gaps - and all cities have them -- by moving more toward private-sector initiatives and capitalism, rather than expanding governmental control and forced equalization of school revenue spending power.

 

            In Pittsburgh, Pa., for example, the outside management of America's Choice, a private company, is being hired to improve academic achievement in Pittsburgh's eight poorest-performing public schools. The private firm has set up "accelerated learning centers" for needy children in those eight schools. Teachers work an extra 45 minutes a day and an extra 15 more days per year, and are paid accordingly. Principals work year-round but get a $10,000 bonus if the kids in their school improve on standardized tests.

 

            The extra funding is coming from state and federal grants as well as from private foundations.

 

            Those who say a lot of the problems in the Omaha Public Schools is that there are too many schools and too much bureaucracy will be heartened to learn that the Pittsburgh district is also downsizing from 86 schools to 68 and reducing its nonteaching bureaucracy and costs proportionately, according to www.pittsburghLIVE.com

 

            America's Choice is contracting everywhere from New York City to Boston to North Carolina to New Mexico, taking aim at meeting the needs of underachieving, disadvantaged children without unnecessary spending on the majority of kids, who are doing OK.