To the Editor:
A little competition would infuse life into American education. This is not competition to see which form of schooling is the winner, but competition that sharpens the advantages of each type of schooling for the ultimate benefit of the children. If we believe that the education system needs repair, then all educational professionals should set aside their personal agendas and meet at the table for discussion. Our question should not be “Who is right?” but “How do we do right by the children?”
We need to embrace reform efforts such as charter schools, replicate what is working in the traditional schools, and learn to share what successes or failures we have encountered. Schools today embrace diversity out of the belief that every culture has inherent value and contributions to make to the whole. We educators need to practice what we preach by diversifying and welcoming alternative pathways to education.
As is probably apparent, I support parental choice. But having held positions in many types of schools, I also see the good that exists in district schools. The solution to our problems is to embrace the practices that yield success, whether they are district or charter in origin. We need to have one clear vision of education: It is all about the children and inspiring in them the lifelong learning habits that will serve them well in the future.
Joel Medley
Raleigh, N.C.