Miss Information

by Kristen Escovedo
My husband attended private school.  

In the spirit of full disclosure, I thought you should know.

Both of his parents were public school educators. In fact, his mother completes her 37th year teaching kindergarten and first-grade in the Fort Worth Independent School District this year.  She is the kind of teacher that high school seniors invite to their graduations and the kind of teacher that goes to the graduation when she is invited. She is the kind of teacher named when kids are asked, "Who made a difference in your life?" When administrators want to highlight a classroom for out of state visitors or when the media wants to see the pinnacle of what elementary education should look like, they make a B-line for Ms. Gracie's classroom.

She believes in public education. She is the driving force of public education. She exemplifies public education. And yet, she sent both of her boys to private school.  Her reasoning was simple; in addition to the academic focus, the character education, and the leadership skills she knew her children would receive in public schools, she wanted something for them they couldn't get there; a foundation in the Catholic Faith.

After junior high, both boys transferred to public high school where they flourished in academics, athletics, and fine arts. My husband went on to become the Director of Communications for the Mansfield Independent School District where he pours not only his passions, but has dedicated his career to promoting the good news about public schools.

I tell this story to illustrate a point. Too often I think as public schools' supporters we feel like we are at odds with parents who choose to educate their students another way, be it in private schools or home schooling. Perhaps we think they are competing with us for the smartest students, the most talented athletes, the biggest donation, or the front page.

Instead of worrying about the perceived competition, why not focus on the smart, talented, creative, and fantastic students in our classrooms? Did you know that nine out of 10 high school students in Texas earn a diploma? An additional 1.5% of the same class earns a GED. That's good news! Did you know that the percentage of school campuses rated exemplary rose 115% from 2008 to 2009? That means more than one-fourth of all campuses in Texas are now rated exemplary. You've probably heard a lot about No Child Left Behind in the past few years, but you may not have heard that more than 90% of Texas school campuses meet standards required by No Child Left Behind. Additionally, more than 98% of Texas teachers are considered Highly Qualified by NCLB standards.

These facts are great, but even better are the experiences you are having every day in your local school district. In public school classrooms across the state you have kids winning spelling bees and band contests, raising money for Haiti and organizing blood drives. The custodian at your child's school last week lent you her umbrella when you left yours in the car. The aide in your son's class helped him pick up all 64 crayons because she knew they were a present from his Nana. Your daughter's volleyball coach helped her fill out college scholarship applications . . . on a Saturday. Every district has a Ms. Gracie.

But it's not enough to know these things. You have to speak up. When you hear someone talking badly about your school district in the grocery store or at BUNKO, it is imperitive that you counter their negativity with your own positive experiences and good news. Remember that your silence can be seen as agreement, especially if you are associated with the public school system. What's that? You don't know what's going on in your local school district? Log on to their website and check the latest press releases to find out.

And remember, not everything is a competition. People send their students to different schools for many different reasons, be it religious views, financial reasons, or family tradition. We don't need to make another system look bad to make our system look good.

We look pretty darn good all on our own!

Sources:
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/research/pdfs/dropcomp_2007-08.pdf (p.56);
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=5280;
http://www.ed.gov/nclb/accountability/results/progress/tx.html



Kristen is a writer and a speaker who believes that it's no use having something incredible to say if everyone is too bored to listen. Find out how she can bring her passion for effective communication, humor, and life to your organization by visiting http://kristenescovedo.com/.