The Post Dispatch has a good front page story on the changes made in the St Louis Public School System. It's a story that sadly runs every few years, and most of us in the region probably roll our eyes and say "good luck," but we're missing the point.
We want those schools to succeed. We need those schools to succeed. Public schools that turn out kids who can read, write and count are the single greatest bulwark against tyranny, crime, and societal degradation. Educated youth mean less out-of-marriage births, lower crime rates, a competent workforce, and individuals who take responsibility for their actions rather than wards of the state.
God bless homeschoolers, who are wonderful people and do amazing by their kids, but we need most people to feel the schools in their district are worth going to, and will do right by their kids. Especially in the city of St Louis, which so often is the brunt of jokes and dismissal, we need schools that work, that not only give rise to those few supremely gifted and disciplined youth who escape from rough surroundings, but also for the vast majority of children who see little before them but a life of, crime, dependency, and despair.
Good schools would reduce the tension between the black and white community, encourage integration of our workforces, and prevent populist politicians from using the poor and the uneducated as political pawns. Those of us who work know that the best way to break down racial barriers is to spend time among people who act like us, went to the same schools, shared the same experiences, and have a difference only of skin color or cultural heritage know that it begins with a quality education.
Lord knows it's not money - we pour more down the cesspool of public education than we ever have, and the results are worse each year. So this year, let's all say a prayer and look for ways to encourage the St Louis Public School system to work. It's good the kids, the community, and the region.
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