children out of school in america - University of Tennessee Digital ...
children out of school in america - University of Tennessee Digital ... children out of school in america - University of Tennessee Digital ...
problems. Are teachers encouraged or required to visit homes? Are parents welcomed into schools? Is there an active PTA? Think through all of the steps schools might reasonably be expected or requested to take in order to encourage children to come to and remain in school. II. Further Study "The problem has been referred to the proper officials for further study, and we hope to develop a plan sometime in the future." Study can go on forever. Meanwhile children suffer. There are few problems that we do not know enough about so that we cannot begin to attend to remedies. For example, school and textbook fees, the lack of special education services or discrimination in classification or school discipline do not need study - 'they need to be changed. Insist on finding out what school officials can do now about the particular problems forcing children out of school in your community. 14 12. Community Resistance "The community will not accept it. We would like to change, but the attitudes and responses in the community would not let it work." This is no excuse to avoid enforcement of legal rights. It does, however, raise the importance of advocates beginning to educate the people arourid them. Ultimately, the key thing that is going to make programs function, make democracy work, and a government honest is an informed, enlightened citizenry, vigilant in overseeing various government policies. And it is nice to counter this excuse by referring to individuals and groups who favor what you are proposing. Who in the community is the official thinking of? Force specific answers. 13. Funding "There is no money." This is a common argument used to discourage us about everything these days. Of course there is money. What is really meant is "we do not want to spend the money for what you want." It is a matter of what the nation and public officials care about or are forced to care about. Whoever yells the most, the loudest, the hardest, and the longest is going to win. Advocates for children have not yelled as loud or as long or as hard as people who are advocates for guns and oil. Worse, child advocates tend to accept other people's perspectives, other ground rules and priorities rather than seeking to change them to meet the needs of children. As long as we permit ourselves to fight for the same small piece of the pie - between better public education, child development programs, welfare reform, health care reform - we will be beaten. We must begin to force choices between family and children's needs and defense and industry's needs. Some of the problems of children out of school may require more money for their solutions. But many do not. A change in attitudes may be the most crucial factor to the many children who are pushed out because of school hostility, condescension, and indifference. It does not cost much money to design and implement fair discipline policies and procedures, to establish periodic teacher-pacent-child conferences, to encourage pregnant girls to stay in
school rather than leave or to inform parents of special education placement procedures. Many of the changes that are required are matters of data collection. Knowing the extent of the problem will help officials design good outreach programs. That is the first step. Others involve enforcement of existing policies, taking the time to ask the right questions, to insist that reporting requirements be met, to relate what is reported to policy implementation. These steps would go a long way to identify some of the problems that cause children to be excluded from school. While more money will be required to provide better and more diverse educational services, initial scrutiny should be made of how and for what money is currently being spent. School budgets are too much hidden from public view. Educational prior- ities ought to be debated. In our view, children out of school and the causes for them being out are far more important problems than additional or renovated administrative space or fancy equipment. Helping children pay for books is more crucial than expensive audio-visual equipment. Children will never get a chance to use school facilities if they are not there. Fiscal and educational accountability must be fostered in every school district in America. But those of us seeking such accountability must be prepared to accept the equivalent responsibility of working with school and other officials to ensure a viable level of community and fiscal support for those educational measures determined to be necessary to provide every child with an adequate education. 15
- Page 1: CHILDREN OUT OF SCHOOL IN AMERICA A
- Page 4 and 5: Copyright If.> October 1974 by the
- Page 7 and 8: People Who Worked Oft This Report .
- Page 9: Portland, Maine CDF staff Cambridge
- Page 12: Foreword Introduction Chapter 1 Cha
- Page 16 and 17: CHAPTER 1 Table I CHAPTER 2 Table I
- Page 21: community leaders concerned with ed
- Page 24 and 25: dren were suspended. The next highe
- Page 26 and 27: described in this report, they can
- Page 28 and 29: needed to improve and unify state c
- Page 30 and 31: Bureaucratic Excuses for Inaction Y
- Page 35 and 36: Who Are the Children Out of School?
- Page 37: vary. But while many of them descri
- Page 40 and 41: Maxine, 14 Maxine Dolan is 14 and h
- Page 42 and 43: until the new school year. Meanwhil
- Page 45 and 46: awake until morning when the sounds
- Page 47 and 48: He's had his chances, foreign or no
- Page 49: Theresa, 12 Theresa Engler, a 12-ye
- Page 52 and 53: 34 Table I Children Not Enrolled! B
- Page 54 and 55: Proportion of Minority Children 2 T
- Page 56: Social and Economic Factors Poor ch
- Page 59: Limitations of Census Data Our anal
- Page 62 and 63: We found children out of school in
- Page 64: .". 0\ Table VIII Chlldren Out of S
- Page 68 and 69: VI o Table X All Children Out uf Sc
- Page 70 and 71: Total % of Areas Surveyed Children
- Page 73 and 74: Chapter 3 Barriers to School Attend
- Page 75 and 76: TABLE I STATUTORY AND CONSTITUTIONA
- Page 78 and 79: ter the four months because the cou
- Page 80: Truancy Laws penalizing children an
<strong>school</strong> rather than leave or to <strong>in</strong>form parents <strong>of</strong><br />
special education placement procedures.<br />
Many <strong>of</strong> the changes that are required are matters<br />
<strong>of</strong> data collection. Know<strong>in</strong>g the extent <strong>of</strong> the<br />
problem will help <strong>of</strong>ficials design good <strong>out</strong>reach<br />
programs. That is the first step. Others <strong>in</strong>volve enforcement<br />
<strong>of</strong> exist<strong>in</strong>g policies, tak<strong>in</strong>g the time to ask<br />
the right questions, to <strong>in</strong>sist that report<strong>in</strong>g requirements<br />
be met, to relate what is reported to policy<br />
implementation. These steps would go a long way<br />
to identify some <strong>of</strong> the problems that cause <strong>children</strong><br />
to be excluded from <strong>school</strong>.<br />
While more money will be required to provide<br />
better and more diverse educational services, <strong>in</strong>itial<br />
scrut<strong>in</strong>y should be made <strong>of</strong> how and for what money<br />
is currently be<strong>in</strong>g spent. School budgets are too<br />
much hidden from public view. Educational prior-<br />
ities ought to be debated. In our view, <strong>children</strong> <strong>out</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>school</strong> and the causes for them be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>out</strong> are far<br />
more important problems than additional or renovated<br />
adm<strong>in</strong>istrative space or fancy equipment.<br />
Help<strong>in</strong>g <strong>children</strong> pay for books is more crucial than<br />
expensive audio-visual equipment. Children will<br />
never get a chance to use <strong>school</strong> facilities if they are<br />
not there.<br />
Fiscal and educational accountability must be<br />
fostered <strong>in</strong> every <strong>school</strong> district <strong>in</strong> America. But<br />
those <strong>of</strong> us seek<strong>in</strong>g such accountability must be<br />
prepared to accept the equivalent responsibility <strong>of</strong><br />
work<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>school</strong> and other <strong>of</strong>ficials to ensure a<br />
viable level <strong>of</strong> community and fiscal support for<br />
those educational measures determ<strong>in</strong>ed to be necessary<br />
to provide every child with an adequate education.<br />
15
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