Steven Flagg from the Urban Coalition goes over the TPS report cards with Troy. Even though the report card was average, Steve said there were some positive points for Toledo.
Listen in to hear what he has to say.
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It was interesting to hear Steve's analysis. I noticed that Steve pointed out that the school, "...out where I live...", in other words, Elmhurst School, is doing well. As Steve said, "...there are different demographics and we have a more homogenious population..." [than other TPS schools]. I'm glad that Steve finally acknowledges these factors in a public forum! Couple this with the comment that, "Toledo is the tenth poorest large city in America" and we finally start to see Steve coming to a more nearly realistic position regarding the challenges of teaching in most TPS schools.
Elmhurst, with its better demographics and greater homogeniety, compares well with suburban schools. However, the teachers at Elmhurst are union teachers, members of the Toledo Federation of Teachers, as are the teachers at all of the other TPS schools. Apparently, the teachers' union and its contract don't inhibit the teachers at Elmhurst from being successful! Is the fact that the Ottawa Hills district ranks at the top of all of the public schools in Ohio coincidental with it also being a district with a high number of wealthy (by Ohio standards) citizens?
I also find agreement with Steve about problems with the administrators' union (TAAP) contract. Although I don't make a habit of reading their contract, and I'm not familiar with the language that Steve says inhibits outside agencies from helping in TPS, I've long stated that TPS's critics should focus like a laser beam upon TAAP as a major stumbling block to true educational reform. And the current TPS Superintendent sees eye-to-eye on most issues with TAAP leadership.
Look...My wife and I did a lot of babysitting with our (currently)17 month old granddaughter this summer. Every day she had a limited amount of TV watching, which she doesn't really enjoy so much anyway. That TV watching was almost exclusively PBS programming. (She does love Elmo!) We read several "kiddie" books (mostly VERY short because she's a physically active child) to her every day, as do her mother and father, as well as her other grandparents. So, I got to thinking how unfair the playing field will be for the young people growing up in a less attentive household.
Somewhere along the line we must face the problem squarely. If we are to ever reach the oft-stated ideal of a truly equal "playing field" in this life thing, we must put greater resources into the education of our urban youth. This must begin at the pre-school level. Our granddaughter is going to enter school at age five with so much more exposure to effective learning situations and enriching experiences than too many of the young people who attend TPS schools other than Elmhurst, Beverly, Crossgates, and a few others! It's just not fair. And with Toledo being so poor, from where is the money to improve their opportunities going to come?