After it was revealed that students in Detroit Public Schools placed abysmal scores on national math and reading exams -- with math being at an all-time low -- administrators and parents are looking for answers as to why this happened, and solutions as to how it won't happen again....
...Some parents think that teachers should be held accountable for failing Detroit's students, even suggesting jail time for school employees who don't meet their expectations. During a Saturday forum hosted by the Detroit Parent Network just after the test results were released, upset parents expressed such concerns to Bobb:
The Detroit News, Dec. 12: Sharlonda Buckman, CEO of the Detroit Parent Network, called for jailing and civil lawsuits against anyone in the city's educational system that is not doing his or her share to help properly educate children. "Somebody needs to go to jail," she said in a tearful address to 500 parents gathered Saturday for the organization's annual breakfast forum. "Somebody needs to pay for this. Somebody needs to go to jail, and it shouldn't be the kids."
I guess this woman is suggesting that teachers go to jail if her son or daughter doesn't pass exams. I wonder how often this mother sits down with her child and reads to them, helps them with homework, or shuts off the TV so that the child can have some quiet time to read. Many parents could not last a day trying to teach a classroom full of 30 thirteen year olds or even first graders. These parents don't have the guts to be a teacher.
It might be time for parents and teachers to work together on solving problems in the schools. If the current administrators are unable to help, perhaps they need to go. It might be time for their governor to step in and fix this situation.
