GUEST COLUMNIST: Better public education for all

Fifty-thousand needy inner-city children across the country are suddenly extremely fortunate. Thanks to a $200 million fund set up by a few wealthy businessmen, these children will be given vouchers to attend private schools. On the surface, this appears to be a great deal. It certainly is for the children who will benefit; given the chance at a better education, many of them will probably go on to college and solid jobs. But while 50,000 students reap the rewards, the rest of America's poor children languish in resource-starved schools. Instead of focusing on private schools as the solution to the plight of public education, government and foundations should seek out ways to improve city schools and thereby benefit all of the students who attend them. The same $200 million that will be spent on vouchers could be dedicated as grants to fund innovative programs and teacher training that would help students for years and years. Or the money could be donated to a cash-strapped school system struggling to reform. Like Philadelphia. Desperately-needed school reform has consistently failed because, among other reasons, of a shortage of funds. In fact, the situation here became so desperate that Superintendent of Schools David Hornbeck threatened to close schools next March because he would rather shut down than further slash his already-depleted budget. And though the crisis appears to be temporarily over thanks to loans secured by two Philadelphia banks, the ultimate problem remains: Without more money and innovative reform, schools will be unable to prepare children for careers and life in an ever-changing world. So where's the money? Some of it is in Harrisburg, where voucher advocates sitting on budget surpluses are holding Philadelphia's poorest children hostage. Thanks to state spending formulas that favor non-urban areas, Philadelphia is forced to spend approximately $2,000 less per student each year than the surrounding suburbs. This despite the fact that cities face tremendous challenges in educating students who often enter schools unprepared and are burdened by a multitude of societal factors. Republican Governor Tom Ridge and state lawmakers from both parties appear to be waiting for Philadelphia's School District to run out of money so they can step in with a voucher program that would take children -- and money -- out of the public schools and send them into private and parochial education. Undoubtedly, a few students would benefit from vouchers, but the public school system and the children remaining in it would lose out. Public schools should not be the education of last resort, and they will not be able to do to their job unless they are treated as the vital houses of learning that they are. Of course, improving public schools means more than just increasing funds. Schools need to find a way of teaching the most difficult-to-reach students and improving parents' participation in their children's education. One way of working toward this goal is through partnerships with other key city institutions. In terms of funding, Philadelphia has been remarkably successful in receiving grants and corporate support. Urban universities are another crucial piece of the puzzle. Close ties between a college and public schools benefit everyone -- from the children who are exposed to new worlds of information and different types of people to the college students who gain incredible experiences and real-world education to professors and researchers who can expand their work into the communities. And just as inner-city schools need help from universities, universities seeking to exist in stable communities know that a good neighborhood requires quality schools. Universities and foundations also pioneer teaching methods. For example, Johns Hopkins University offers grants to city schools -- including some in Philadelphia -- and comes in with education experts to help with reform. Likewise, an enormous grant from the Annenberg Foundation has helped Philadelphia introduce new and different programs. The point is that we must not give up on public education. Through cooperation between states, cities, corporations, universities and foundations, America can work through its education crisis. We have to. Just consider the price of failure.

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