School holiday debate: No child, but some issues, should be left behind
If the major concerns facing American schools now include classroom size, lack of technology, bullying, No Child Left Behind, and parent involvement, to name only a few, then why is it that religion in school and dress codes seem to hog headlines?
According to , a website focused on evaluating public schools, the biggest issues facing school kids are a far cry from what parents may read in the headlines.听
Case in point, this week a school board in Maryland when it voted to have stricken from school calendars all mention of religious holidays.
According to reports, the Montgomery County Board of Education voted on Tuesday to on school calendars beginning next school year. That includes Christmas and Easter, as well as Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah.
The vote was made after the board was approached by Muslim leaders in the community asking for the Muslim holy day of Eid al-Adha to be included on the calendar. In response, Superintendent Joshua Starr recommended that the board consider removing the names of religious holidays from the calendar.
The county's public schools will still be closed on 海角大神 and Jewish holidays, but perhaps the thinking by the district is that out of sight will mean the issue is out of mind for Muslim community leaders and parents. Some, like me, may find it hard to follow the logic.
But what might be harder to follow is why this particular calendar conundrum is earning top headlines above so many other pressing issues.
I see a pattern emerging with issues such as religion, patriotism, and dress codes making headlines, while it seems parents and school boards could spend time on some other top issues more directly involved with our kids鈥� education.
Looking back at what schools and parents are getting all worked-up about, it may be time to pause for a priorities check and perhaps a recalibration of efforts.
Some examples of stories I鈥檝e seen become viral online in the past year include: a high school football player being penalized by a referee for taking a knee to thank God after making a goal, a Marine dad furious over kids learning about Muslim culture, hubbub over what high school seniors can and can鈥檛 hold in a yearbook photo, and a Native American child being denied his right to a ponytail, a teenage girl removed from class for saying 鈥淏less You鈥� when someone sneezed, a kindergartener being removed from a lunchroom for saying Grace, and dress codes and more dress codes.
None of these issues directly relate to what students learn in the classroom. However, Families in Colorado are still fighting one local school board in an effort to try and keep it from changing the history curriculum by expunging references to civil disobedience. This issue does directly effect what kids learn in class, but is it an issue that had to be placed ahead of so many others.听
Let鈥檚 review a few potentially more pressing issues.
Class Size
According to an article on the education research website , classrooms are overcrowded and most teachers say they can鈥檛 effectively teach every student in a classroom if the class size exceeds about 30 students.
The on student teacher ratios and class sizes for the 2013-2014 school year showed classrooms are getting dangerously close to being overfull, 鈥渁n elementary school with a school-wide student-teacher ratio of 16:1 in kindergarten through third grade would typically have an average class size of 25 or 26 students in those same grades.鈥�
Poverty at Home
Millions of students come from households with income under the national poverty level, and many are also homeless, with nowhere to go once they get off the bus at the end of the school day.
According to the 鈥淢ore than聽聽in the United States 鈥� 22% of all children 鈥� live in families with incomes below the聽聽鈥� $23,550 a year for a family of four. Research shows that, on average, families need an income of about twice that level to cover basic expenses. Using this standard, 45% of children live in聽.鈥澛�
Kids from families living in poverty have a higher chance of facing issues dealing with abuse, neglect, a parent in jail, and a single parent home.
Technology at school
According to multiple reports, America has in math, science and technology when it comes to preparing kids for a future in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) careers.听
Part of the blame, can be pointed at a lack of technology and computers available in the classroom, and the teacher training to understand those computers. According to , many schools are lacking the budget to purchase computers, and more than ever, students鈥� knowledge exceeds their teachers when it comes to operating devices.
No Child Left Behind
The legacy of No Child Left Behind is still a battleground where many teachers and parents are fighting to alter curriculum focus away from standardized testing and back to curriculum based less on cookie-cutter subject matter.
It wouldn鈥檛 hurt for parents to spend more time familiarizing themselves with the increasing demands students will face in the world and how must change and grow to help our students meet those demands.听
Bullying
Perhaps the one issue that has seen a good deal of news attention is bullying.
鈥淎 poll from the聽聽cited that problems like apathy, tardiness, disrespect, and absenteeism posed significant challenges for teachers,鈥� according to the .听
Parent Involvement
However, all of these issues come down to one big fundamental need, parent involvement. While some districts appear to have shut parents out of the process, as some parents in Colorado claim their board did prior to their protests, in other areas parents appear to be squandering their energy and attention on less critical issues.
Parents have bigger fish to fry where our children鈥檚 education and wellbeing are concerned to go chasing after these distractions which sap our focus and faith in the systems educating our kids.
It鈥檚 up to parents to stay the course of championing educational matters that matter to education and not be distracted by some of the more superficial or social matters that come along. Ultimately, it鈥檚 important for families and administrations to forge a path together.
