They offer many theories on why our kids aren't learning and many suggestions on solutions to fix the problems. They are learning a lot. Just not the things we think they should. And nothing will change until education is the top priority at home as well as school. Most places I've lived, the public schools battle a public perception problem.
Many people consider the schools unsafe and unsanitary.
They complain about uninspired teachers who only babysit students or teach the test so that the school and the teacher will look good when ranked against others. Many of those same critics never set foot in a classroom, never ask to meet with a teacher or principal, and wouldn't join the P.T.A. or attend a school board meeting even if you paid them. Lewis Holloway recognizes and deals with this dilemma on a daily basis. As superintendent of Clarke County schools, he winces when he hears people proclaim the need to live in another county or send their kid to private school if they want a good education. School superintendents I've known and worked with in Bibb and Baldwin counties were equally frustrated and challenged by similar circumstances and public perceptions.