If kids show up at school ready to learn, teachers can do the job.
But what if there is no place for the kids to go?
What if families want to get involved, but there is no way for them to do it?
That's what's happening in Antioch where Nashville's schools have the money and resources waiting to help with pre-K programs and English assistance for families, but the city hasn't provided the basic infrastructure needed for those programs to be put into place.
Too often the city focuses on budgets and hiring decisions as what's important in education. In fact, everything a city does is about education. Jobs, affordable housing, health care, safe streets and other services contribute to the quality of life in a community. That quality of life determines whether children arrive at school ready to learn or whether they are distracted by other stresses in a family's life.
Education is a team effort and the city has dropped the ball by not communicating with the schools and understanding that community centers and other facilities are vital in the Antioch area to delivering services such as pre-K and English learning assistance for families.
If our goal is to provide a quality education to every child and help ensure that they are ready to learn when they show up to school, then we'll find most of society's problems will be solved.
But everyone must keep their eyes on the ball.
-- Jim Grinstead
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