Resources pave a brighter future for students in need [STLToday.com]

Samantha Sangenito 6/23/174:00 AM

For the last four years I’ve been teaching in what the Post-Dispatch recently called one of Missouri’s “worst-performing schools.” Mike Petrilli from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute was quoted as saying that “if you have schools that are broken forever or are dysfunctional, or are part of a dysfunctional school system, I’m just skeptical that sending a little money is going to bring the kind of change states need.”

I disagree. Anyone can see that public allocations combined with private contributions enable opportunities in certain communities and schools. So let’s set aside the gross inequities in school funding at scale. As a classroom teacher in Normandy, I affirm that money does in fact transform public education in places that Mr. Petrilli calls broken and dysfunctional.

[For more of this story, written by Inda Schaenen, go to http://www.stltoday.com/opinio...f2-3196b0c6b868.html]

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Jim WaltersMember

So true!

Bryan Stevenson; social justice activist talks about proximity in solving injustices. Public schools are so often the low hanging fruit when it comes to addressing the lack of community resources. We know that early childhood, school-based health clinics, trauma-informed communities, etc., help build healthier and more resilient communities. Schools located in impoverish and under-served communities know that to improve student achievement, they must first bridge the gaps in the social-emotional needs of their students. If states like Missouri included an additional resiliency factor (ACEs) metric into the formula for identifying successful schools, I guessing your district (Normandy) would be very high in that category. Keep advocating for change! Its hard for kids to get to school on time when they don't have a home.

6/27/1710:23 AM

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