DOUGLAS COLLEG

 

What ’s Right with the
Public School System?

It has become a popular activity to condemn
the public school system, to remonstrate
about the injustice and incompetence of this
or that part of it and to prescribe a solu-
tion for these problems that will take care
of every social and economic i111] ever visit-
ed upon mankind. This clearly implies that
the public school system is responsible for
these ills.

I have no intention of rising to such bait,
but I think it is very important in this kind
of atmosphere to balance the ledger by re-
counting what is right with the public school
system. And there is a great deal right with
the system.

What is the public school system responsible
for doing? Just about everybody and every
government agency, business lobby, industrial
interest and social, special interest group
has different expectations of the school sys-
tem. By amorphous evolution and government
assignment, schools have become responsible,
in the public mind, for just about all of
these expectations. Let me list a few:

Social

Social adjustment, multiculturalism, bilingu-
alism, family life education, special educa-
tion, health care delivery, athletic and rec-
reational sport, dances, plays, music, clubs,
etc.; career and personal counselling, nutri-
tion, hygiene; education that deals with
child abuse, racism, alcoholism, drug abuse,
pregnancy, promiscuity, etc., etc.

Economic

University entrance preparation; college and
institute preparation; career counselling and
programs; job skills training; preapprentice-
ship training; job attitudes and work habits;
specific skills for new jobs, etc., etc.

Educational

Literacy, "numeracy", science (physics, chem-
istry, biology, horticulture, agriculture,
geology, astronomy, etc.); technology (engin-

 

 

 

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eering, computers, health science, wood-
working, metalworking, automotive techno-
logy, etc.); languages, art, music, theatre,
dance; geography, history, anthropology,
economics, law, physiology, politics, etc.,.
etc.

 

It is simply remarkable that any one agency
could attempt such a task.

I do not propose to debate whether schools
should or should not attempt this very |
broad mandate. But even if one adopts the |
view that schools should have an education-
al mandate only, and not a social or econ- |
omic one, the size of the task is still en- |
ormous.

Whom is the public school system to serve?

It must serve all school age children. This

is a very important part of what the ae
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school system does well. It takes every-
body. Emotionally disturbed, gifted, re-
tarded, blind learning disabled, achiever;
those with behavior problems, economic prob-
lems, social problems and learning problems;
Catholic, Jew, Mormon, Sikh, Cambodian,
Polish, Irish, Haida, Greek, Ontarian, Que-
becois, Newfoundlander. Everyone.

 

And when the problems with a child become
acute, the public school system does not
kick the child out of the system. The sys-
tem is for everyone.

Achievement

To satisfy all of the expectations placed
on it, the public school system would have
to solve all of the social and economic
problems of our society. Clearly, it can-
not. Moreover, the various values associ-
ated with the expectations clash. They are
often mutually exclusive. It is, therefore,
not possible simultaneously to meet all ex-
pectations.

What, then, does one want the system to ach-
jieve? Surely one wants progress on those
expectations where there is substantial a- |
greement, and opportunity for diversity in |
those where values clash. Using this meas-
uring stick, over the last 25 or so years

the education system has been a high
achiever. |
(cont'd) |