I must agree with Roy Exum re the misuse of the word equity as it is applied to schools. Equity is good if I am placing eggs by size in their cartons. Equity might be applicable with basketball players' shoe size. Education of children requires so much more than that word, equity. Let me share.
Nearly all of my certified students could not read on grade level. That one measurement gave that child, teacher, parent and school a challenge that does not begin at the doorstep to school. Children bring their neighborhoods to school each morning.
The child at Nolan is comforted by home, school and community and has advantages over the child who attends Dalewood Middle. or Orchard Knob Elementary, Eastside Elementary and all of the Chattanooga schools.
On a few trials to communicate with former Mayor Berke and now Kelly an outline detailing what can and should be done is ignored. The 10 designated schools are the low achieving schools and represent the worst scores. Something other than school as usual must be done and must be done to change what is a blight, educationally, in this community. Chattanooga is not alone with educational funding challenges and, by the way, it is not the amount of money but the quality of the education received.
I will outline briefly a beginning to the schools issue. Home environment and school must be partners in changing the trajectory of failure. It can be done by "moving" school closer to home. Are schools open in the late afternoon and early evenings for activities improving communication? Does the school have companion staff that are in the homes making suggestions and following through with a specific road map helping the child succeed?
Those 10 designated schools in Chattanooga deserve to be praised both for progress of the student but friendship of community/school. We cannot laud the school. Their attempts at doing the same thing, basically, in all schools expecting the same results... you've all heard the rest.
Critical subject areas like reading should not just be part of the curriculum but the curriculum. A child telling you a story gives that child an audience, attention and a place to shine because not only can he tell a story he can read it back. Try it with your child at home. They love it.
When I visited homes in the community of the 10 I found questions and answers to how to be better. The moms, grandmothers or aunt and even uncle Jed all had solutions. We could listen because it is obvious the present plan does not work. When I suggest that a home study group be installed I do not mean a school social worker doing an assessment to see if clothing is needed or something else. This suggestion is a team approach to help parents succeed and having the learning tools to succeed. The moms I worked with wanted a way forward.
Robert Brooks