Dr. Alonso has said that he will focus on improving school attendance this year.  This is a noble idea in light of the abysmal attendance in BCPSS (Baltimore City Public School System).  Unfortunately the issues that face Baltimore City are much deeper than making sure students are physically inside a school building.   In fact a more important way of framing the issue may be “where are the students.”  Students endure traumatizing experiences that have long lasting psychological, social, cultural and spiritual effects that often don’t get examined or addressed in a broad systematic way.  It shouldn’t surprise anyone that students are as “out of control” as they are.  You can’t have a dysfunctional environment and not produce people who are to some degree or another dysfunctional.

Baltimore City Schools CEO, Andres Alonso

What’s the problem?

The school system is not designed to address the most immediate concerns that students have.  BCPSS is designed to train students fit into a social, political and economic schema organized by corporate elites and mislead public officials.  I will get back to why this type of training is bad for the most vulnerable citizens of Baltimore, but even if the standards set by the Maryland Department of Education and BCPSS where good standards, it is important to note that very few of the schools in Baltimore are in a condition that is conducive to learning.  Some schools are without windows that open, without air-conditioning, without computers, without up to date books, and a myriad of other deficiencies that make BCPSS inept at developing the type of students that it is interested in producing.  Additionally, there are conditions in many Baltimore communities that are strong barriers to students’ success under the current system.  The violence, poverty, and despair are psychological barriers to students’ success in school that are very real, but are often not addressed.   Think about how it affects young people hear gunshots, to see their parents and loved one drug addicted, to be sexual abuse and/or raped.  These are the kinds of issues that students face here in Baltimore.  While some students manage to succeed in spite of their circumstances, it is not wise to expect that these conditions wont severely impede a student’s ability perform well in school.

Where do we go from here?

The solution to the failure of BCPSS addresses what I mentioned earlier about the standards that are handed down from the state.  To train students to fit into the current socio-political and economic paradigm is to relegate the masses of Baltimoreans to perpetual slaves.  We are told that we must compete in a global marketplace, but how can we think about being competitive globally if we are starving on the streets of North Ave, Park Heights, Edmonson, etc.  We must have an education system that is aimed at improving the immediate conditions of the communities that are being served.  The current standards, which is the theoretical foundation of the educational system in Baltimore and around the country, is not equipped to lift the masses of Baltimoreans out of the social misery that we find ourselves in. It is designed to feed a global market that we do not own.  This allows a few individuals to be successful, but does not lend itself to empowering the masses of Baltimoreans.

Instead of pushing an almost exclusive focus on going to college, getting a degree and getting a good job, there needs to be an equally intense focus on training students to be the masters of their own industry, along with giving students lucrative industrial skills that can lead to employment opportunities.  There should also be a component of the school system that address the trauma of the students being served in Baltimore.  You cannot expect to educate someone effectively if they are psychologically damaged, and aren’t receiving help to deal with trauma.  It may be possible, but the odds are against it.    We must completely reconstruct the education system. What is important to note here is that the most efficacious approach to addressing the BCPSS is the construction of an entirely new education system in Baltimore.  Any other approach is a guaranteed fail.