CB> Where We Stand
CB> by Albert Shanker
CB>      In his new book, _The Schools We Need_  (Doubleday, 1996), E.D. 
CB> Hirsch, Jr., says that giving all children a chance to study the 
CB> same high-quality curriculum is a "civil rights" issue
    Rubbish.  Every desirable (or arguably-desirable) thing is _not_ a "civil 
rights" issue.
    Even if Hirsch's dream was achieved at taxpayer expense, many 
public-school students would still have classroom educational opportunities 
far superior to others: the ones whose parents could afford enrichment 
courses at Sylvan Learning Center would have far more educational opportunity 
than the poor kid.
    Is it a "civil rights" issue that something like Food Stamps be set up to 
make sure poor kids can go to Sylvan to make up for any inadequacies of their 
public schools?  I don't think so.
    Courts in most states agree with me, holding that there is _no_ 
constitutional right to attend a public school that spends as much per 
student as the one in a richer district.  Very few state supreme courts have 
held that either the federal or state constitutions requires so.
CB> he is absolutely correct. It's not enough to make sure that 
CB> youngsters have a seat in a public school; they should be guaranteed 
CB> access to a curriculum that is rich in substance and gives them the 
CB> knowledge they will need to participate and prosper in American 
CB> society.  Most students today, particularly those in poor 
CB> neighborhoods, don't study such a curriculum. Strong, content-based 
CB> standards are their best hope.
    And if Hirsch's "civil rights" issue view is true, you'd need a lot more 
than that.
    If there's a "civil right" to _equal_ educational opportunity, it would 
require: equal facilities, equal equipment, and equal teachers.  The last 
would be unachievable as long as some districts pay better than others (or 
are even seen by teachers as more desirable workplaces!). 
--- Simplex BBS (v1.07.00Beta [DOS])
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