Module 9

The topic of school funding always brings about debates. Many school districts believe that their budget is never large enough. I think the Leandro lawsuit brought about many good mandates. I think the State of NC saying that a level II score represents a sound, basic education is wrong. A level II score is below grade level. I can not understand why any country, especially America, advocates educating children below grade level.
The state's defense that the problems lie at the local level is also joke. While I was still reading the the Leandro article and before I got to Judge Manning's rulings, I was outraged by the state's ability to push the blame on to someone else. I was hopeful when I concluded the article and noticed that the judge was hard on them for passing off the blame. In my opinion, I think local governments are definitely responsible for education, but in the end, I think if a local government is not doing their job successfully, the state government should step in. In turn, I also think if each state government is not successful, I think the federal government should intervene. This country has a chain of command for a reason and it should be used when necessary. The finger pointing has to stop and remedies for situations have to start.
I also liked the ruling that all at-risk children should receive a pre-k education. I think it is true that some environments or circumstances lead to disadvantages. I do think that everyone learns at different paces. Even children who are brought up in a nice area and have a two parent home may still face challenges. I think pre-k is a wonderful idea for all children and especially those at-risk.
I do agree with Judge Manning's ruling about smaller class sizes, as well. When the student to teacher ratio is high less will be accomplished. It is a fact that if a teacher gets to know the child on a personal level, there are more feelings and therefore the teacher has some emotional involvement. If a person is emotionally involved with someone, chances are they want he/she to succeed.
This case showed that school districts that were less fortunate, financially, were not receiving as much money as they should have been receiving. More often than not, the successful economic districts receive more money than the less fortunate districts, which in turn, can lead to racial and cultural tension. It shows a lack of 'fairness.' Every school district in America should have equal treatment along with equal funding.