What should happen to our urban schools? Those who buy the line that money doesn't matter ought to take a close look at urban schools. In cities money does matter--money to keep libraries and playgrounds open, money to provide hot meals and Head Start slots for children, money to buy equipment and books, money to pay for activities like sports and music. Across the country, some schools are asking parents to pay for extracurricular activities, broadening the class divide among children, while the line that money doesn't matter is parroted by those whose schools have modern equipment and free extracurricular activities.
President Clinton promised to build a bridge to the 21st century as he campaigned for election in 1996. Candidate Dole waxed nostalgic about the past and talked about values as if they are a substitute for vision. The reality of a Republican House and Senate may affect President Clinton's blueprint for the 21st century bridge. Still, this President's choice of leadership in the Department of Education, his comments in terms of education finance (not just school uniforms), and his concepts of parity and equity may determine whether a bridge is built or whether it is just conceptualized.
You can't build a bridge to the future by kicking people of color off the bridge. To the extent that the Republican Party wrapped its arms around California Proposition 209, educational bipartisanship is extremely difficult at this time.
COPYRIGHT 1996 Cox, Matthews & Associates
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