Network Schools – Wayne Gerseny to https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/04/03/magazine/thomas-piketty-interview u w B l.html?h I’ll smid=url-share the Is for

Zack Burdyk’s article in yesterday’s edition of The Hill reports that every student in the Los Angeles public school district will pass this year, effectively acknowledging that there is no fair way to grade students otherwise. In announcing the decision to close, Superintendent Austin Beutner stated:

“Many of the examples we see of successful video learning have a significant selection bias.

“Affluent families with resources at home, schools with years of training and limitless budgets and students with demonstrated aptitude to learn independently,” he added. “Public schools have in their DNA the commitment to serve all students, irrespective of circumstance, and it will not be so simple.”

Here’s my question to Mr. Beutner and to anyone who criticizes this decision: was if EVER so simple? Could one EVER hope to achieve equity in public schools, to serve all students in public schools when districts serving affluent families have “limitless budgets” and districts like LA serve disadvantaged students on a shoestring budget?

This is yet another case of the pandemic bringing to light pre-existing conditions, deep flaws, in the way we support each other. This needs to be fixed… the “new normal” cannot allow this to continue.