1.3.7 MATERIAL RECICLABLE
1.3.7.1 LOS RESIDUOS Y SU UTILIZACIÓN
In the early years of NCLB’s implementation, the School District of Philadelphia was dubbed the nation’s “first great experiment” with the legislation’s standards-based and market- driven models of reform. Sixteen years later, the outcomes and implications of this “experiment” have become clear. Although these reforms were initiated with the intention of boosting achievement among poor and minority youth, they have often served to strain scarce resources, undermine the richness of education, demoralize students and teachers, and destabilize communities. Ultimately, within many of the city’s high-poverty schools, the dominant reform agenda appears to have done far more harm than good.
The Philadelphia case reflects the experiences and realities of reform in high-poverty urban districts throughout the United States. As this thesis made clear, scholars and advocates nationwide have repeatedly expressed strong criticisms of NCLB’s prescriptions and their adverse effects on schools serving low-income and minority populations. Yet in spite of this vocal opposition, federal and state policymakers largely continue to rely upon the standards- based and market-driven theories that have dominated the reform discourse since the 1980s. As a result, the nation has witnessed a steady increase in the number of schools – especially high- poverty schools – that have been diagnosed as “failing” and penalized accordingly. Many of these schools have thus experienced the demoralization, disruption and destabilization that accompany Philadelphia’s dominant reform efforts.
As the Philadelphia story powerfully illustrates, the notion that “low expectations” engender poor student performance – a concept at the core of standards-based and market-driven reform – is insufficient in explaining the challenges and disadvantages of high-poverty schools. By relying on this flawed assumption, reformers in Philadelphia and across the nation have promoted strategies that place the blame for “failure” within school walls while overlooking the contexts and conditions in which these schools operate. Put simply, policymakers cannot produce dramatic gains in achievement among poor and minority youth without addressing the external factors that undermine their learning in the first place. Only time will tell whether Philadelphia’s new Community Schools Initiative proves effective in fulfilling this objective, but the strategy at least represents an important development in the city’s education reform dialogue. At both the
local and national level, a much broader discourse is needed regarding the profound influences of poverty, inequality and resource scarcity on academic potential.
Both within Philadelphia and in cities nationwide, tackling the challenges of schooling in high-poverty and resource-poor communities remains a daunting and formidable task. The debates surrounding urban education reform are complex and polarizing, and the policy process itself is highly prone to the influence of powerful political and corporate interests.
However, the Philadelphia case does highlight a number of critical starting points for charting a new path forward. In urban districts, new and improved strategies are needed to ensure the retention of devoted, nurturing and effective teachers. Reformers must create and maintain channels for open and transparent communication with parents, educators, students and principals. To lay the foundations for effective reform, policymakers and local officials should acknowledge and emphasize the importance of maintaining stability and building trust between school actors. Finally, crafting effective education policy will necessitate a broader dialogue regarding the influences of poverty and a greater commitment to meeting the needs of low- income and minority communities. By taking these critical themes into consideration, policymakers and reformers may be able to make greater strides toward reducing educational inequity, promoting academic progress, and ensuring that all children – regardless of race or socioeconomic status – are able to learn, grow and thrive within their local schools.
Interviews
Transcripts of all interviews are available from the author upon request.
Amber Felton, local schools advocate and chairwoman of the PCAPS Community Schools Task Force Susan Gobreski, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Community Schools Initiative in the Mayor’s Office of Education and former director of Education Voters Pennsylvania
James H. Lytle, former Assistant Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia and adjunct practice professor at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
Paul Socolar, former editor-in-chief of The Philadelphia Public School Notebook and local advocate
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