The following opinion piece was authored by Drexel University President John Fry and appeared on The Patriot News on March 11, 2024.
Many passionate advocates for public education inhabit one of two parallel universes.
In one universe, traditional neighborhood public schools are bastions of democracy, while charter schools are harmful for several reasons: They prioritize rote learning and military-like obedience over the cultivation of creative expression and critical thinking; they achieve impressive test scores by removing students with learning disabilities, developmental delays, or behavioral issues; and they siphon off public monies to educate fewer students.
In the other universe, charter schools give low-income families the freedom to choose a school that better meets their children's needs and outperforms traditional urban public schools, which are dysfunctional, underfunded, overcrowded, prone to violence, and hamstrung by bureaucracy and too-powerful teachers' unions that aren't committed to teaching and children's learning.
Like most generalizations, these binary narratives oversimplify complex issues and pressure public and political stakeholders to choose sides. And they miss the point: By right, a first-class education delivered by qualified and caring teachers in a safe learning environment should be available to every student — not just those who get into a specialty school by choice or lottery or whose families can afford to pay private school tuitions or to reside in an affluent district.
Yes, charter schools, unburdened by the hidebound bureaucracy and rules, have more flexibility to experiment and innovate. But not every charter school provides a superior education. And many innovative neighborhood public schools flourish in our cities.
Moreover, even if vouchers and scholarship funding materialized to support choice for every low-income family, independent schools could only enroll a small number of students — and could not possibly absorb all the children who stand to benefit.
So why not embrace pragmatism by creating functional "villages" comprised of parents, civic, nonprofit, educational and corporate leaders who appreciate both kinds of public schools?
Drexel University has cultivated such educational villages for more than a decade. Rooted in the hands-on tradition of technical institutes of 19th-century America, we are deeply committed to promoting access, educational excellence, attainment, and fairness. Our primary mission is to serve our community and society by creating more effective pathways to post-secondary education and careers for neighborhood children and by preparing our students to flourish in a rapidly changing world.
We embrace opportunities to partner with any school in West Philadelphia that can serve children and their families well. Our neighbors have repeatedly told us the education of their children is their highest priority, and the viability of their neighborhood schools is a primary concern. While most of the schools in the neighborhoods around our campus are traditional public schools, one strong school in the neighborhood is a charter with a track record of success in Pre-K through 8th grade and a new high school.
When asked to be an engaged anchor, we look to principals and their leadership teams, to parents, and to neighborhood leaders to share their ideas and tell us what they need. It could be literacy and math specialists or behavior health supports. It could be help with developing recess programs and after-school enrichment. It could be building a beautiful new playground or starting a summer camp. Or, it could even be an entirely new, state-of-the-science building to house an elementary school and its feeder, inquiry-based middle school.
That's step one. Step two: We build broad community-public-private alliances for meeting those needs. We enlist the resources and expertise not only of our own faculty and students, but also of community-based organizations and nonprofit organizations that have successful track records in offering mentoring and out-of-school time (OST) programs and instruction. Our alliances include parents and caregivers, who are the most direct and influential stakeholders in a child's education.
The third step in building educational villages is forming partnerships with government, philanthropy and corporate leaders who affirm the grandest of bargains: Every child matters, every school deserves attention and support, and every child can excel if we all work together.
Fortunately, our village has attracted vital support across all sectors. We have received foundational grants for school improvement, literacy, STEM and school climate from corporate partners and dedicated local philanthropies. And we received a federal Department of Education Promise Neighborhood grant.
Now we can see the results of village building around educational access and excellence. More children are attending and staying in the school. There's less classroom churn and more classroom learning. Recess is calmer and the halls are quiet during class time. Children have options after school that allow them to find their interests and pursue their own paths. Eighth graders are ready to choose a high school path, already thinking of their college and career options. And more eighth graders from the Promise Neighborhood schools are getting admitted to selective public high schools in Philadelphia.
In public education, an urban university's civic responsibility is not to take sides in tired, unproductive, and pointless arguments. Rather, like a "conductor," we should bring all the
stakeholders together into one "orchestra," and direct their individual talents, ideas, and energies toward performing truly magnificent work. Traditional neighborhood public school or charter school? If it is an excellent school, that's all that really matters.
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