To Turn Schools Into Profitable Warehouses, Corporations First Need To Destroy Teachers Unions

I think it's been pretty well established by now that right-wing education "reformer" Michelle Rhee is just a discredited huckster for the corporate push to take over and profitize the school system, she's just the latest tool that corporate America has loosed on the public school system (not unlike, in her own way, Scott Walker, Rick Scott, John Kasich, Rick Snyder, Jan Brewer, etc). Corporate behemoths will never be able to take over the public education system without first destroying the teachers' unions. And that has long been one of the primary goals of the for-profit-charter-school movement.

Micah Ali is a friend of mine and a member of the Compton School Board, a progressive and a tireless fighter for the ordinary working families in some of L.A.'s most economically and socially challenged neighborhoods. Unions don't have a better friend in local government than Micah. So a few weeks ago I was shocked when we had dinner and he told me he was pushing a plan for charter schools. This was from the guy who almost single-handedly prevented the McKinley Elementary School takeover by a for-profit predator. He's got a new plan, though, what he calls a "dependent charter," one that is independent of the school board but not independent of responsibility and accountability. Micah penned an OpEd for the Los Angeles Wave this week explaining his proposal.

Thomas Jefferson said it best when he proclaimed, “Every generation needs a revolution.” But today, we often make the mistake of declaring a revolution against each other based on our own selfish agendas. We must stop wasting time casting blame and attacking one another, and instead start focusing on finding real solutions that work for our schools.

When less than 50 percent of Compton students are not graduating, it is time to take a brave stand. What we need now, more than ever, is to come together for the sake of our children. I am calling to action every stakeholder in the Compton Unified School District to join me in igniting a revolution to ensure that every child has access to a high-quality education in a safe learning environment that meets individual student needs.

We must become open to new educational methods while holding on to what already works. What we do know is that Compton has satisfactory performing elementary schools, although we must increase academic performance levels for our K-5 grade students. Where we are falling short is our middle and high schools, which have some of the lowest academic performance scores in California.

Compton has been a longtime supporter of traditional education. And while that has adequately served our elementary schools, it clearly is not working for our middle and high schools. We need to begin searching for innovative solutions that have proven to work for other school districts. The solutions that I champion are threatening to some because I’m fighting against a system that seeks to hold onto traditional educational methods that have not worked for our schools for decades.

It is time for the Compton Unified School District to study the feasibility of a dependent charter school. It is well documented that dependent charter schools-- charters overseen by a school district-- design programs that suit the individual learning needs of the students, with the ease of certain regulations, allowing teachers and administrators to develop often more effective learning strategies. A dependent charter school can also receive federal funding and other grants that meet the financial needs of a top performing school.

To create a level playing field for our schools to compete on a national scale, we must appeal to our federal and state governments to provide more desperately needed funding to Compton schools. Academic performances in Compton schools began declining in 1978 after Proposition 13 forced California cities to redistribute their taxes, significantly cutting funding from our public schools. Our community must launch a district-wide movement to demand that our federal and state leaders put more local tax monies back into our public schools.

We all know that children are our future. That means we must prepare a generation of college and career-ready students. One way our district can make this happen is by working closely with local trade unions to provide apprenticeship training to our middle and high school students, giving them valuable skills for future job placement.

Another way we can ensure their future is by creating a village setting for our students, parents and teachers. To do this, we must establish small learning communities that will provide immediate intervention for the specific challenges affecting each neighborhood school. But to make this village a reality, our parents must become more active in their children’s education and get involved in parent organizations, like the PTA. Studies have shown that parent engagement is the number one indicator of student success.

When our schools improve, our community improves. How can we tackle other social issues ailing our community-- from the economy, to crime, to housing-- if we lack a skilled workforce to address these problems? It all starts with education.

Like many, I am outraged by the state of Compton’s school performance levels. I challenge the community to redirect that energy by making a positive difference. We are all in a position to do something to improve our schools. I will continue leveraging my position as a board member of the Compton Unified School District Board of Trustees by introducing and supporting measures that result in better educational outcomes for our students. I ask that we join together in making it our collective revolution to fight for the future of our children.

Micah's a cerebral kind of guy; for an action guy he lives a surprisingly big part of his life in the world of ideas and innovations. He points out this his district has always been "a longtime supporter of traditional education... We need to begin searching for innovative solutions that have proven to work in other school districts."