OK, but take my school example. The poorest-performing is one of the poorest, and one of the Black-est.

By merging the two schools, you will necessarily change all of those formulas: the academic success as measured by testing, the socio-economic numbers, and the racial balance. Wiser minds than I are trying to figure out the best way to balance those things. I don't think we're giving enough credit to the fact that SO MANY GOOD PEOPLE are struggling to figure this out.

We are losing sight of what I feel is the very most important factor in a school's success; whether and how parents and the community are involved in the school on a daily basis.

I feel that parents for sure, administrators absolutely, and every taxpayer should do school duty of some kind somewhere. We should REQUIRE it of parents and administrators and school board members. Mostly so they see the realities of school life in their communities, and also to provide the manpower/womanpower so badly needed.

As far as "breaking up" racial lines, I don't think we should aim for getting Black kids into "White" schools, or White kids into "Black" schools. I don't want anyone to have as their goal making 'them' like 'us'!

That said, there is a strong and vibrant Black component to my town. As much as I want my kids, ALL kids, to go to the absolute best schools they can, I want the schools they attend to represent ALL the community, not just the White blocks around where they live. No good is served by self-segregation. It probably won't look like that when they get to college, and it CERTAINLY won't look like that when they go to work.

I don't want everyone to look/talk/think alike; I do want us all to know HOW each other look/talk/think on a regular basis.


Dani