Williams 297-344

Williams states “…funding is not a significant factor in student performance” (pg. 310) but after watching a reality show School Pride on NBC I have a hard time believing that. Proper funding ensures that the students have a safe environment, proper equipment-books, computers, supplies and qualified teachers. The one show that I watched featured a middle school in Compton. The buildings were in extreme disrepair-crumbling ceilings, restrooms that looked like outside gas station bathrooms, roaches, and rodents. The science teacher had to foot his own supply expenses and the other classrooms did not have adequate supplies. I would have to wonder if Williams would send his own kids to an under funded school in any area. I would bet that he would send his kids to a top rated private school and not have to worry about the public school system. The government, in an effort to try to get schools to adhere to certain testing standards, fund according to test scores. Teaching to the test has now become a must in order to ensure funding. “In many states, schools that show improvement in test scores are rewarded financially, whereas schools that fail to show improvement are “sanctioned”. Who is this punishing-the students or the teachers? I believe that the governments’ efforts in education have definitely backfired. Unfortunately, student’s education is all to often put in the hands of politicians who usually do not care about the students, but rather about getting into office.

One of my clients is dealing with a situation in her son’s school. Her son has been diagnosed as being autistic but the school is refusing to place him in an autistic classroom. She is seeking legal advice to fight this. One of the reasons the school may be refusing to place her son in the autistic classroom may be the high cost that comes with providing the educational needs of a special education student. Ultimately, it is the son who loses out on an education that would best suit him.