Polictically Correct School Calendars

A recent article in the Trenton Times newspaper noted that the State of New Jersey State Board of Education  has officially recognized and approved a list of 120 religious holidays. This means that children observing these holidays must be given the day as an excused holiday and they must also be permitted to make up any missed work. While trying the acknowledge the cultural diversity  of the school children in the state, school district administrators are hard pressed to determine which days to close school and how to” “celebrate” this wide array of holidays in the classrooms. Christmas is celebrated universally in America’s schools. I am not aware of any public in this country school that is open on Christmas Day. But what is to be done with Diwali or Rosh Hashanah? School districts must learn to walk a fine line the parents in the decision making process allowing parents to vote on holiday acknowledgments. As the population of the United States becomes more diverse, the issue of holidays will continue to play an important part of what happens in schools. As is often the case, all of the stakeholders- teachers, administrators, parents, students and community leaders must participate in the process to equitable to all.

C. 2014 J. Margolis

Public Vs. Private Schools

I recently picked up a copy of Princeton Magazine. Within the covers I counted at least10 advertisements for private schools in the area. It’s not that the local public schools are poorly rated- quite the contrary. Students in the Princeton and adjacent area West Windsor Public schools continually perform well on Advanced Placement test and get admitted the nation’s most prestigious colleges and universities. The schools’ athletic programs are also highly regarded. So why are parents willing to spend the equivalent of undergraduate tuition at a private university to send their children to a private day or live away school? One of the ads had a clue. The copy read, “ …offers an exceptional educational opportunity, free from the Common Core standardized testing.” Private schools do not have to adhere to the 180 days of school requirements, nor are they subject to state or national testing programs. So parents are opting out of having their children “over-tested.” Another ad read ‘Experience a dynamic community where learning is a passion and each day is infused with a spirit of joy.” Parents are looking for small classes, more personal attention and wish to be selective with their children’s peers. A third ad proclaimed, “ Our challenging college-preparatory curriculum gives every student the opportunity to achieve success in college and in life.”

Many children who attend public schools do so because they HAVE to. Their parents cannot afford to send them to the elite private academies. They have to deal with overcrowded classes, textbook shortages and violence in the hallways. They have to deal with the issues of Race to the Top and Common Core. For those of us who work in the public sector have a mission. We must make public schools attractive and competitive. We need to have to the best teachers and to make public education a non-political entity. Keep this in mind as you approach the new school year.

c.2014 J. Margolis