Bob Scherpelz was part of the recent Tri-City Herald Community Conversation on school reform. His comments were published in the November 21 issue of the Herald and are reprinted here with permission.
The home must be involved
By Bob Scherpelz, Community Conversation
During our community conversation on education reform, it was noted that education reform was not new, that it has been emphasized for decades before No Child Left Behind. After all of this attempt at reform, why is education reform still necessary; why hasn’t it worked?
Our conversation used an analogy for education that I have often thought of, comparing a child’s education to a three-legged stool or tripod. The three legs are the student, the student’s family and the teacher (or teacher/principal/ school). Each leg must be fully engaged in the child’s education to ensure success.
In the context of what we are hearing from Gates, Duncan, Rhee and other reformers, Scherpelz states a more balanced view of educational reform that makes sense for our community. Educators I have spoken with endorse the analogy of the three-legged stool supporting a child’s education.