Oh, IPS!!!
Back in January of 2007, I wrote that it was time to give Indianapolis Public Schools the “Barbaro” treatment. For those of you not familiar with horse racing, Barbaro was a world class Kentucky Derby race horse who broke his leg and had to be shot.
Here’s an excerpt…
Using the words of Superintendent Eugene White, the school district is failing. Students at the middle and high school level aren’t cutting the grade. The dropout rate is ridiculous. And any effort to bring more competition to the area is met with the staunchest opposition. So with all that, what’s a pundit to advocate? Give IPS the “Barbaro” treatment. Take it out and shoot it.
That may sound harsh, but sometimes you need to dish out tough love. The system is not working, by its own admission. And if something isn’t working you fix it. When you can’t fix it, get rid of it and get a new one. IPS can’t be fixed.
Fast forward more than four years later, what’s changed? Students are still failing, teachers are being fired, the State of Indiana has drafted plans to take over several failing schools enrollment is still declining and what’s Superintendent Eugene White’s response? Tell parents that if they take their kids out of IPS and to a neighborning school district, they can’t come back for a year.
Is that a threat or a reward? If you really wanted to do parents a favor you would ban them from ever coming back to IPS.
White is trying to stem declining enrollment, which I can sympathize with, but threatening people is no way to get them stay put, usually that’s a sign that you want them to leave.
Here’s a thought put out a quality product, stop whining about competition, engage in good customer service, and stop practicing education genocide and you’ll be amazed how your classrooms fill up.
Oh and by the way, I’ve been doing some checking and it looks like Dr. White is advocating breaking the law because you can’t deny a student enrollment absent no room or disciplinary issues.
