Where Is the Accountability of the Parents?

To The Editor:
How refreshing to read an article like that presented in the Herald in the April 13 issue by Tom Henry regarding school reform that did not claim that all the ills of society must be placed on the shoulders of ‘failing’ teachers and ‘failing ‘ schools. On April 12, I experienced quite the opposite. In his recent ‘town hall meeting’ held at the airport in Cape May County, Gov. Chris Christie once again attacked the NJEA and above all, teachers whom he claims, “get rewarded for putting their feet on the floor.”
The governor has certainly developed his presentation skills, proclaiming his concern for children though he promotes a voucher program which will enable the students of concerned parents to move to ‘better schools’ so that the failing schools will close. Oops, what happens to those left behind, where will they go or don’t they deserve a free public education just because they couldn’t get accepted into a ‘voucher’ school?
Oh yes, he avows support for good teachers, merit pay and tenure as long as they are held accountable by student performance. He claims to appreciate teachers but spent a good deal of time describing in dramatic terms, bad teachers. Let me ask, where is the accountability of the student? The governor lauded his parents for making a difference in his life but he ignores the fact that parents are the key in every child’s life. Has he noticed that teachers are now accountable for teaching nutrition, family life relationships (sex ed) conflict resolution, anti-bullying, the dangers of “sexting,” study skills, responsibility, self-control and incidentally, all those subjects that are included on the state tests. Where is the accountability for parents?
Despite what the governor would have people think, the schools do not create children without hope. A 1997 study by Siegel and Senna on gangs and failure in school found that low IQ, turbulent family life, low self esteem, impulsivity, drug use, depression, malnutrition, abuse and disease are the contributing factors. There are many such reports. Given the demise of family life, the self absorption of many adults, the debilitating economic pressures, the dysfunction and the amorality that is so prevalent in our society, and the limited employment opportunities for the non-college bound it is amazing and a credit to the teachers, responsible parents and students that they perform as well as they do.
The students who are succeeding and the teachers who are engaged in their students’ development cannot but be grateful to the caring and supportive parents. But where is the accountability for the manufacturing and business corporations that have been rewarded with tax breaks for moving out of the country in order to reap larger profits that do not lower prices but enrich the already very wealthy while removing jobs?
We all must be accountable and cannot allow the ‘us against them’ strategy of the governor to destroy an educational system that is far from broken. Can improvements be made? Absolutely! But Christie wants to blame the ills of our society on only the teachers and is not above telling half-truths and sharing muddy statistics. He is a consummate politician.