Dr. Ivan Blanco says:
(some stuff deleted)
> Also the history of many school systems that have been year after year
>demanding and getting more money, but the outcomes stay more or less
>constant, make the whole thing about change more unacceptable. We also
>need to rethink a lot of what we are doing to make a difference, and we
>might discover that what is needed is not necessarily more money but more
>will and inner desire to improve what we do today.
We need to question our assumptions about public education in order to
develop a dialog. My experience in Maryland does not lead me to the same
conclusions. School systems have needed more money but most of the
increase has gone to pay for court-ordered funding of special needs
students and to cover higher costs of transportation, repairs of
facilities, instructional materials, and technology. A business needs
greater profits to fund research and advertising; a school system needs
more money to stay abreast with higher expenses. Neither a business nor a
school would want less money, or think it could not do a better job with
more. Considering the strains on school systems, if the outcomes have
remained constant (I think they have improved) it is because of the will
and inner desire of educators.
Most educators are very dedicated. They work long hours under stressful
conditions. They are unappreciated and unrespected by many Americans. Many
are skilled and talented enough to make more money doing something else,
yet they continue to teach or administrate because it is a noble
profession. We are trying to build a brighter future and a better society,
not a bigger profit.
--Ben
Benjamin E. Wagner bwagner@umd5.umd.edu Baltimore County Public Schools Maryland
"Benjamin E. Wagner" <bwagner@umd5.umd.edu>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>