Letters to the Editor

To the Editor:

Iris C. Rotberg ("Separate and Unequal,'' Commentary, March 9, 1994) supports the Jonathan Kozol theory that money is the answer to poor schools and low student achievement. Yet how do you explain the Kansas City, Mo., district? Close to $50,000 per pupil in expenditures and little or no improvement by students on standardized tests and other types of assessment. The school that I last taught in had every advantage and yet low S.A.T. scores and high dropout rates.

No, Iris, it is not money. It is school organization and community which enable students to learn and go on to lead good and productive lives. (Read Catholic Schools and the Common Good, Harvard University Press, 1993, or the "Blue Ribbon Report on Catholic Schools in the State of New York,'' New York...