One cheer for the three Rs

Welcome American Spectator readers. As you can see, Dropout Nation is still a work in progress, but an important work nevertheless. Feel free to reach me with any questions at rbiddle-at-rishawnbiddle.org. This evening, I’ll be profiling what the Dropout Nation looks like, both from an economic and social perspective.

The piece I wrote today for the Spectator points out one of the bigger challenges for school reformers, especially those interested in stemming the nation’s dropout crisis: Getting parents on board to make reforms a reality. For poor parents — as I will point out on Dropout Nation — it’s less an issue of disinterest as it is a limitation of vision. They have never seen good schools at work, never had much in the way of choice when it comes to curricula and have had terrible experiences, both with schools and with markets. So school reform is difficult for them to grasp.

Middle-class parents, on the other hand, have not fully seen a functioning education market either, mainly because it doesn’t exist. But for them, they think of academics as a secondary factor to their other aspirations, both for themselves and their children. If the academic reforms don’t match the lifestyle and aspirational concerns of these parents, then they won’t fly.

School reformers, both on the left and right, have a real problem on their hands. Far too many have thought about school reform in terms of civil rights and saving poor children. This is a fantastic message. But they must also deal with the concerns of the middle class, who may not think the status quo is working, but aren’t so willing to change it if doing so runs counter to their own choices. As I noted today in the Spectator, this won’t be an easy task.