I'm a Seed Wondering Why it Grows

I don't have any answers. For anything, really. And I think that is a good thing. People want answers because answers are swift, simple and let you off the hook for any further critical thought; if a problem's solved you don't have to think about the problem anymore. "And so it goes. " 


Lorain City School District has many problems including, but not limited to: a student poverty rate exceeding 80%; ill prepared kindergartners; overstocked classrooms with overworked teachers; no field trip opportunities for students; a projected budget deficit the size of an exorbitant Wall-Street salary;  a collective body of parents whose lack of involvement has caused PTOs to disappear throughout the district; students with poor nutrition/a lack of fresh foods; a lack of male teachers and mentors; a school board that inspires no confidence; an administration that has no confidence to inspire; and an unimproved state assessment status. These are the things that people tend to focus on when they think they've got the answers and the answers tend to be things like "Give up! Nothing's ever going to change!" or "We have to get back to the nuclear family!" both of which are not very helpful and are not very answer-like.  


The thing is there are lots of good things happening here too. Teachers still care; kids are still engaged; preschoolers are going to learn on I-pods; and community members are finally rallying to confront the multifaceted problems that face our city and our district. 

Two unrelated organizations are spearheading education issues this fall: Citizens for Lorain City Schools is a group that is organizing behind Issue #8- a levy for Lorain City Schools- and the Community Action Agency's Coalition for Excellence in Education (CEE) is bringing together a whole host of community agencies, parents, teachers and activists in order to establish a community wide education reform initiative. CEE came up with a questionnaire to gauge opinions about the state of education in Lorain- I've embedded it below. Please take the time to answer the questions and send the form back to me (s.flores84@gmail.com), I will forward it along to LCCAA. 


LCS Questionnaire