Whatever stance those engaged with the issue may have on whether voters should approve or reject the March 8 referndum to transfer administrative control of Memphis City Schools to the Shelby County Board of Education, there is no denying the deep interest in the issue of public education. No matter what happens with the referendum -- or in the newly created school boards, planning commission, courts, etc. -- it has generated a vital communitywide conversation on the issue of public education in Shelby County.
You can see it on the Germantown Municipal Schools Facebook page (mostly opposed to consolidation but very interested in possible separation of municipal districts from Shelby County Schools) and on the Friends United for School Equality page (very pro-referendum and strong advocates for Memphis schools). A member of the Germantown group posted a link to the education anti-testing documentary "Race to Nowhere," wondering about bringing a screening to the area. On the FUSE page, many events have been organized, including a "Moms' night out" dinner to focus on education talk. Even at the state legislature, after the senate vote on Sen. Mark Norris's bill, Germantown Sen. Brian Kelsey announced there would be a screening of the education documentary "Waiting for Superman."
Though the worldviews of those groups may differ in some fundamental ways, both sides are passionately concerned about ensuring that their children -- and those of others -- receive the best possible education. In some ways, Memphis and Shelby County are at the epicenter of the national conversation about education reform.
Most recently, Fast Company magazine, which focuses on business innovation and leadership, asked the question: How Would You Spend $100 Million To Save Education? The article begins with this straightforward quote: "The elite has become obsessed with fixing public schools." And they use a quote from an education reformer who said, "for the under-40 set, education reform is what feeding kids in Africa was in 1980."
You can see it on the Germantown Municipal Schools Facebook page (mostly opposed to consolidation but very interested in possible separation of municipal districts from Shelby County Schools) and on the Friends United for School Equality page (very pro-referendum and strong advocates for Memphis schools). A member of the Germantown group posted a link to the education anti-testing documentary "Race to Nowhere," wondering about bringing a screening to the area. On the FUSE page, many events have been organized, including a "Moms' night out" dinner to focus on education talk. Even at the state legislature, after the senate vote on Sen. Mark Norris's bill, Germantown Sen. Brian Kelsey announced there would be a screening of the education documentary "Waiting for Superman."
Though the worldviews of those groups may differ in some fundamental ways, both sides are passionately concerned about ensuring that their children -- and those of others -- receive the best possible education. In some ways, Memphis and Shelby County are at the epicenter of the national conversation about education reform.
Most recently, Fast Company magazine, which focuses on business innovation and leadership, asked the question: How Would You Spend $100 Million To Save Education? The article begins with this straightforward quote: "The elite has become obsessed with fixing public schools." And they use a quote from an education reformer who said, "for the under-40 set, education reform is what feeding kids in Africa was in 1980."
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