children out of school in america - University of Tennessee Digital ...

described in this report, they can alleviate many,
particularly those that are the direct outgrowth of
their own policies or lack of them.
We hope that we will never again have to write
about children out of school in America. Finding
out about and correcting this problem is and should
be the responsibility of federal, state, and local governments.
But governments are not likely to make
changes until parents, local citizens and students in
every community become more informed about
school and other agency policies and practices which
result in children leaving or being excluded from
school. They must become involved in and commit
themselves to challenging school officials and other
social agencies toward changing those policies and
practices which are failing all of our children.
Some people will probably view this report as a
wholesale indictment of schooling and school officials
in America. It is not. We do not advocate
abolishing schools and we do not mean to imply
that all school administrators and teachers are falling
down on their jobs. Mimy are struggling daily
with genuine concern and commitment to educate
our young. We recognize this. But too many are
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not. It is clear from what we have learned that
drastic changes in attitudes and in programs must
occur if schools are to serve all children effectively.
Schools must recognize that not all children fit into
a single mold. They must adopt flexible programs
and teaching methods. But it is clear that such
changes in school attitudes and programs will come
only after concerted action by all levels of government,
citizen pressure, sustained advocacy, and
constant monitoring.
We hope that those reading this report will join
with us to ensure every American school-age child
a functionally adequate education.
Recommendations
This report demonstrates that school exclusion is
a major national problem. It shows that certain
groups of children are singled out discriminatorily
because they are different by virtue of their color,
poverty, language or handicap. These groups must
begin to recognize their common plight and mount
common efforts against their exclusion. Parents
and citizens must begin to challenge the monopoly
schools now exercise in deciding to serve some children
and not to serve other children. Exclusionary
decisions and processes must be raised from the
hidden recesses of school discretion and made accountable
to all of us who share a stake in all our
children's welfare and development. It is the nation
as a whole which will pay the costs of school failure.
In Chapter 3, Barriers to School Attendance, we
call for reexamination and elimination of the specific
barriers that keep children out of school. School
officials and state legislators should particularly
reconsider the various school charges for essential
educational services and materials which make it
difficult for many poor children to go to school,
learn in school, and feel like a welcome and integral
part of school. Lack of clothing should not be permitted
to rob children of education. If we can
legislate to provide free lunches for hungry children
in schools, we can also legislate to provide children
clothes to enable them to attend school and to stay