Education Reform, Part I: Who is it for?

The "small school" movement is huge in NYC right now, which was basically Mayor Bloomberg and Joel Klein's solution to the dire condition our public high schools were in. By taking these massive schools, with student bodies in the thousands, and dividing them up into smaller, more focused schools, students will get more attention, better instruction, and are less likely to fall through the cracks. In theory.
The reality is that there isn't enough money for all of these schools, and to increase their funding, schools seek our partners or sponsorships with outside businesses and organizations. So, if your principal is savvy enough to get extra funding, then the students have more opportunities for trips, equipment, maybe even a performing arts program. Otherwise, the schools are on their own. This is what some educators are calling the "privatization of public schools". Or at least, my understanding of it.
The course of educational reform has never gone smoothly, and the students are usually the casualties. Solving the Dept. of Ed.'s problems will not be easy, and the small school movement has definitely had some success. I also don't like to rant about an issue that I know relatively nothing about, and that I have no alternative solution for. However - I WILL rant about some of the things I've seen in these schools that bugs me.
I went to visit a high school in the Lower East Side a few days ago, and at first, I was very impressed: the atmosphere was relaxed, the students and teachers all seemed tired, but happy (it was the end of the day in mid-June, so tired but happy is what I expected), the walls and bulletin boards were filled with student art work, some of which looked very sophisticated. One hallway was devoted to acknowledging and congratulating each of the graduating seniors who had been accepted to a college, or even awarded a scholarship. Above the entrance to the school was a banner that had the school's full name and a sort of motto "where students are empowered". I thought this all looked just fine.
As my classmates from NYU and I sat and talked with the principal, a high school student ran passed the room. The principal called her in, and invited her to sit in on our discussion. He started to tell us about her, and he was obviously very proud of this young lady. She was a talented actress and singer. She was accepted to many colleges, and chose CUNY honors on a full scholarship. She's a student government leader. She is performing in a dance festival that coming weekend. Overall, she is a well rounded, mature young woman who has a bright future. Then he said "...and she wouldn't be like this if it weren't for our school. If she were in some over-crowded, failing high school, she wouldn't be doing any of these things." The conversation moved on. I held my tongue.
The principal, the student herself, and my classmates all seemed to buy into this idea that if it weren't for THIS school, this girl would be nothing. That is not empowering the student. That, to me, is actually undermining the student in order to make yourself, your school, and your political cause look successful. What about resilience? Wouldn't this bright, talented girl be able to better herself even in a "failing" school? Isn't she responsible for her own success? I couldn't believe he was virtually taking the credit for her achievements.
As we wrapped up our tour, the principal said we were in for a real treat, and that the auditorium was free, so we could check out the space on our way out. He bragged about how the old architecture and artifacts from the early 20th century were still intact, and functioning alongside the newer, more advanced equipment and technology. Walking up to the door, I saw that a rehearsal was clearly going on. There were signs posted all over the school that the spring production of "A Raisin in the Sun" was opening in a few days. This was essentially their dress rehearsal. I asked if we wouldn't be interrupting the students at work, and the principal reassured me, that it was fine, don't worry. Now, as a performer, I know, and maybe some of you reading know how disturbing, rude, and disrespectful it is to walk into a closed rehearsal. But the principal didn't care, or even see it that way. You see, it was very important that he show off his beautiful space to these prospective teachers, and it was important that we know that they are doing a very difficult and important play such as "Raisin in the Sun". That was more important than letting the students work in peace. That is not empowering the students. That is once again, undermining them.
So there is my experience, thus far, with the new, progressive, small school movement. It's supposed to be for and about the kids. But to me it looks like an exercise in intellectualism, self-importance, and snobbery. Because if you really want to empower the students, like the motto claims, the performing arts are key. That is a tangent I may have to reserve for a separate entry. If this were about the students, he wouldn't have dragged that girl into the room and discussed her as if she were the subject of anthropology study, and he would have at least given the drama students the dignity of a closed rehearsal (or at the very least, asked the adults to keep their voices down!).
I think there is a way to empower students and give them confidence, and that lies in the performing arts...