The Department of Education Smackdown


Overview:

With the announcement of WWE Co-Founder, Linda McMahon, being named the Department of Education this could have dire consequences for students.

There has never been a time in my life when I needed the services of a doctor or lawyer that I did not first check their credentials. As an educated person, I pride myself on performing my due diligence when searching for practitioners because I want to ensure they have the proper schooling and experience to help me solve the problem I have. So, it is excruciatingly uncomfortable to learn that the highest education department in the land, the Department of Education, could be run by a person who does not hold one education credential or license but will be tasked with making decisions for America’s students and educators. 

In arguably the most powerful country in the world, we still have students who struggle with reading comprehension, basic computation, and critical thinking skills. Yet, we opt to give the leadership position to a person who does not have tenured experience in curating effective plans to tackle these pivotal issues and create systems that will change the trajectory for America’s students. It is unfathomable and unjust how we have allowed the government to play Russian Roulette with the education system in America…especially when we know which group of students continues to feel the ramifications of our lack to interject and intervene. 

Who Suffers

Students of color from disenfranchised communities are on the chopping block! Or should I say the wrestling mat? They are the most vulnerable population of students in this country. The inability to truly understand the best ways to educate them has caused an incessant limbo that has stifled their abilities to engage in the educational system from Pre-K through college successfully. Further, they have been exponentially unsuccessful at reaping the same benefits as their counterparts, who are educated in much more affluent spaces. 

The Plan 

The next four years will be filled with creating systemic infrastructures that will continue to focus on dissolving the traditional public school system. While it is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, it is still an integral framework that protects some of America’s most vulnerable students. 

The higher education space will also endure irrevocable damage if Americans do not pay close attention. The dismantling of the Department of Education will prevent America’s students from accessing the funding necessary to attend college or vocational centers, negatively impacting the country’s workforce. Intelligent and skilled students from disadvantaged communities will not have the ability to activate the money they need to secure the economic mobility they desire for themselves and their families. 

The Unseen Impact

In communities like my hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, the deconstruction of the traditional public school system has had detrimental effects on the children there. 

Juvenile crime is at an all-time high. And as many community leaders struggle to figure out why they cannot find the answer to this overwhelming issue, the answer has been staring them in the face all along. The removal of neighborhood public schools that serve students in their respective communities have been replaced with charter schools across the city that call for busing students outside of their neighborhoods into unfamiliar areas.

This design has completely disintegrated the ideology of the African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Parents no longer have the luxury of getting to know their children’s friends. So, they have no dominion over the influences to which their children are introduced. They can’t work with parents in their communities to resolve issues between children when they arise. 

Significance of Community Schools

Subsequently, students don’t have the leisure to become socially and emotionally intelligent by making friends within their communities through the archaic practices of walking to school together and playing with each other after school. The once-frequent opportunities to engage with each other, build friendships, and hone their communication and interaction skills have dissipated. This model has caused students to be exposed to negative practices and engage in unproductive interactions, of which most parents aren’t aware until they sit in a courtroom trying to defend the actions of their children.

The undeniable significance of the traditional public school system in disenfranchised communities must be made very clear. They are the safe havens, beacons of hope, and weaving threads that bind the people in the community. Further, they are the spaces wherein marginalized students find their voices, learn essential character traits, unlock their intellectual ingenuity, and build their academic confidence. So, removing these very pertinent institutions will perpetually cause an extreme breakdown in these communities, eventually leading to devastation and destruction. 

The Charge

I know many educators and parents feel powerless and hopeless. However, we cannot stand idly by over the next four years, or we will indeed be pinned to the mat—pun completely intended! Instead, we need to make our voices heard! Horace Mann, the Father of Public Education, once said, “Education is a great equalizer of men.” It is our birthright and duty to curate educational spaces that serve ALL students fairly! 

Next Steps

  1. Be active and engaged wherever decisions regarding education are being made. This means attending school board and campus community meetings to gain a deep understanding of the issues schools are facing and the ideas around solutions to address them. Also, be very informed about the people running for the seats on these important boards so that you elect someone who truly represents the best interests of the students in your community. 
  2. Volunteer at your children’s schools. Create and facilitate unprecedented programming to support the student’s needs. This ensures that external stakeholders and decision-makers are acutely aware of the necessity of traditional neighborhood public schools and the people who support them.
  3. Use your social media platforms to highlight the great work of teachers and educators in public schools. This will create global awareness of the outstanding teachers who are thriving in the space and making a tremendous impact on the students they serve.

The Real Fight

This fight is not about public schools versus charter schools. The two can exist simultaneously. There are charter school systems across the country that have had excellent results in educating students in impoverished communities, and the same can be said for traditional public schools. However, both milieus have also been unsuccessful in increasing student achievement in those same communities. So, it behooves us not to fight the current school infrastructure but instead engage in dialogue around how the two can become more collaborative to support and serve students. If we don’t approach the issue from a partnership perspective, we can anticipate the extinction of the traditional public school system as we once knew it. 

The End

When WWE (pronounced WE) treats the education of America’s children like a fake wrestling match wherein people show up dressed the part but are actually acting as if they understand: educational best practices, the plight of undereducated students, the importance of nutrition in schools, how to ensure the pathway to college is fair and accessible, measuring student performance, credentialing teachers and principals accurately and disseminating funds to ensure schools in underserved communities have equitable resources, just to name a few, US (pronounced U.S.) LOSES!!!! 



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