by Pedro Noguera
Public schools, especially those that serve a
disproportionate percentage of low-income students of color, are confronted by
a number of constraints that make the job of educating children, well,
difficult. These constraints include, but are not limited to:
•
The political—particularly
those created by the NCLB related to the inappropriate and excessive reliance
on high-stakes assessments to judge students, teachers, and schools. This often
leads to a narrowing of the focus of the curriculum, and a narrow focus on
achievement without sufficient attention to academic performance and child
development;
•
The economic—caused
by the shortage of resources (especially in poor communities) that compel
schools to do more with less. The financial pressures experienced by low-income
families also make it difficult for them to provide the support children need;
and
•
The social—which might include
everything from concerns about safety, nutrition, health, crime, drugs, and a
lack of parental guidance and support.
I describe these as
constraints because I reject the "no excuses" position typically
offered by the group I called the naïve optimists.
