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February, 2002: Early January, I returned from a visit to Guyana after a self-imposed absence of twenty-two years, and was feeling somewhat dejected at the state of affairs of education. The University is not well funded and students do not have adequate resources for technology and equipment. Elementary school students are testing poorly and, at the country's elite high schools- Bishops and Queens College- teachers are leaving for better positions in, of all places, Botswana.
Guyana, after all, was renowned for the strength of its educational system up through the early seventies, and its best graduates have done well abroad- in England, Canada, Germany, the West Indies and the United States of America in many social institutions-politics, education, literature and medicine, for example. Many of these students (including two of its foremost leaders, the late Forbes Burnham and Cheddi Jagan) had come from poor and humble backgrounds, and were empowered and emancipated by the education they had received at the country's elite schools.
It must be noted that Guyana is a nation of about 750,000 citizens and, like many other third world societies, has seen its "brain drain" used to benefit the receiving societies while of course enriching the lives and empowering the respective transnationals.
But, here I was back in New York, and the news wires were crackling about an ecstatic President Bush and his Secretary of Education, Paige. Together, these leaders were able to enlist bipartisan support, with no less than Senator Kennedy championing their cause, to produce an education bill that the President signed. Sure President Bush joked, truthfully, that he had not read the final bill and probably won't, but he had praised it, ultimately, as the first step in empowering all Americans- especially those of lower social economic status- among which many minorities predominate. The bill does not support school vouchers, dodges "school choice" frontally, but with its emphasis on performance standards, frequent testing, aiding under performing teachers, students, and schools, it is hoped to level the playing field for those who need it most- America's socially disadvantaged.
No longer would social promotions be tolerated, nor under performing schools and teachers- President Bush wants to empower the poor for, as he rightly knew, the rich and the upper classes do have options to maintain their upward social mobility and political hegemony, the poor do not. Inadequate education is a concomitant of poverty and often leads to a life of crime, violence, and prison for which the state pays more.And yes, the battle lines must be at the k-12 level, especially the early years, for research has indicated that the social and educational foundations set then are often the cornerstone for future educational success, economic mobility and true civic emancipation for our citizens.
I have witnessed the obverse of this the endless remediation; the loosening of standards; the lack of individual self esteem and group cohesion coupled with resultant abysmal despair; and the bureaucracy of teachers and administrators who exploit and sustain mediocrity under the guise of promoting civil liberties and concern for the poor. Pitiful excuses for maintaining incumbency.
But ultimately education is the responsibility of the States, their Governors and legislatures, and the myriads of autonomous school boards who are now begin to grapple seriously with the movements toward national standards and outcome based education. In New York state, for example, Governor Pataki and the legislature must, again, positively tackle the issue of inequity in school funding which tends to perpetuate differences in educational attainment based on income, class and, indirectly, race.
This is a profound problem for poor school districts in New York city, Roosevelt, Buffalo, Hempstead, Rochester, White Plains for example, as opposed to the better funded ones in Great Neck, Dix Hills, Scarsdale, Hastings- on- the- Hudson, Jericho and Smithtown. These students in poorly funded school districts are often destined to early failure and dreams deferred.
Further, as CUNY and SUNY raise their admissions selectivity, end remediation, focus on robust general education programs and academic majors that stand the test of outcomes assessment, introduce innovative programs for honors students, while not neglecting their commitment to the financially and educationally disadvantaged in the EOP and SEEK programs, Governor Pataki, senate leader Bruno and Speaker Silver must eschew policies that further privatize our higher education system.
Michigan, Illinois, Florida and California all allocate more funds to public higher education than does New York, and students from the empire state flock to these states in record numbers for what they perceive as "superior" educational outcomes.
Immigrants and their progeny have always used education as a springboard to upward social mobility and West Indian Americans are often seen as ideal typical of this endeavor. So, as President Bush and Senator Kennedy exult in their attempt at empowering America's poor, our Governor and key legislative leaders must heed the call, and give life to this dream for all New Yorkers.
Finally, all citizens must hold their governments (whether in Guyana or New York), accountable for providing educational opportunity, access and empowerment. While that chance may be limited in Guyana we, in New York, will soon have an opportunity in November to express our assessment of our state's efforts in this regard.