2007
Down by the School Yard
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by Nancy Salvato
I’ve been following the news story on the execution style killings of three college bound students in Newark, NJ. It is just so horrific that I wanted to find some justification, no matter how slight, for such an atrocity to befall this particular group of victims; young adults whose gruesome fate was decided because they chose to hang out in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was particularly disappointed when Bill O’Reilly’s guest, Jesse Peterson, a professor of hip hop culture, had absolutely no concrete suggestions on how to prevent kids from turning into thugs –except to suggest paying teachers more money so that the schools can better address troubled youth.
If O’Reilly’s producers want to continue with this thread of discussion, a solid case could be made that offering parental school choice would go a long way toward solving many of the problems that plague our young people. By offering parents without economic mobility the means to provide their children a place to explore without fear, or being forced to grow up too fast, where administrators can enforce standards of behavior and create a culture of learning, these kids might stand a chance. As it stands now, in many lower Socio Economic Status (SES) areas, public schools have become dumping grounds and even the kids who are excited about learning, are left behind. In this atmosphere, students will not come close to receiving the level of intellectual stimulation from their teachers or peers to which higher SES students are exposed. Why has this been allowed to happen?
One third of an individual’s salary goes to pay taxes. This is money that is supposed to be spent in ways to maintain or expand this country’s infrastructure, compensate those who make and enforce our rule of law, and provide a means for the defense of the populace. Obviously, these monies are not always spent in ways that benefit the general public. For example, it is hard to justify that building a bridge to an island with a population of 50 persons benefits our society in some way. However, there is a legitimate argument to set aside public money to make sure every child is provided equal access to a quality education. Clearly, though, this is not what is happening.
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