Monthly QuotED: 9 Notable Quotes That Made Education Headlines in October, From College Testing to School Safety — and an Apology From the Houston School Board
QuotED presents a compilation of noteworthy quotes that have accompanied the major education news stories in the United States. These quotes are extracted from our weekly EduClips, which bring attention to the headlines from the 15 largest school districts in the country. If you want to catch up on previous EduClips features, you can find them here.
"I believe it’s highly unlikely that we will receive $200 million unless we have extremely good luck, similar to winning the Powerball lottery." – Nora Rupert, chairwoman of the school board in Broward County, commenting on the funding recommended in a report for the provision of mental health professionals to support students and families in the aftermath of the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14. (Source: Sun-Sentinel)
Marten Roorda, the CEO of the nonprofit organization ACT, expressed concern over the declining math scores observed in this year’s ACT and SAT exams. He emphasized the significance of math and science skills in the increasingly technology-driven job markets, both in the United States and worldwide. According to him, it is crucial that we reverse this negative trend. (Source: The Washington Post)
Robert Dillon, the innovation director for the University City School District in Missouri, criticized the statement often made to underprivileged students that they can rely on places like McDonald’s for internet access because they have Wi-Fi. He deemed this a preposterous remark to make to children living in poverty. (Source: The74Million.org)
Greg Deskins, a high school science teacher and president of the Tazewell Education Association in Virginia, reflected on the challenges faced by schools in rural communities. He emphasized that when everything seems to be disappearing in these communities, schools often remain as one of the last significant pillars. Therefore, closing a school can feel like the end of the community itself. (Source: The Washington Post)
Richard Carranza, the Schools Chancellor of New York City, questioned whether programs for gifted and talented students truly measure their innate abilities or if they instead gauge the influence and privilege of their parents. He challenged the notion of evaluating children as young as four years old and the potential biases that may be present in these assessments. (Source: The74Million.org)
Richard Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, highlighted the vulnerability of the United States to demagogues who vilify minorities in racially segregated school settings. He argued that when white students have limited exposure to classmates from different ethnic or religious backgrounds, it becomes easier for someone to scapegoat these groups as the cause of societal problems. (Source: The74Million.org)
Jesse Binnall, an attorney representing a student and his father in their lawsuit against the Fairfax County school district in Virginia, lamented the impact of media reports on sexual assault committed by male students. He equated the consequences faced by the accused boy, who alleges unfair treatment due to his gender, with those of a criminal conviction or even worse. (Source: The Washington Post)
James Harris, the superintendent of Pennsylvania’s Woodland Hills School District, argued against having police officers patrol school hallways, asserting that this responsibility falls within the domain of school administrators. He maintained that police should play a more significant role in the community, as opposed to arresting 14-year-olds for minor misconduct within the school premises. (Source: The74Million.org)
Diana Dávila, a trustee on Houston’s nine-member school board, issued a formal apology on behalf of the board for its contentious and dysfunctional behavior over the past ten months. She acknowledged that their actions have failed to exemplify the behavior they aim to instill in the children they serve. (Source: The Houston Chronicle)
For a comprehensive recap of education news headlines from the 15 largest school districts in America, you can visit our EduClips section.
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