Where I Stand — Brian Greenspun: School fosters respect

Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2002 | 8:43 a.m.

EDUCATION has a promising future.

If there is one feature about life in these United States that has differentiated us from the rest of the world, made this country the envy of all the others, made us the most productive, innovative and successful experiment in self-governance the world has ever seen, and created a sense of national pride that not only encourages self-respect but something far more important, respect for the hopes and dreams of others who share this planet, it is our public school system.

The public schools were based upon the certain knowledge of our forefathers that a nation, in order to be great, must do great things and the first and foremost among those achievements is the assurance that every young person, regardless of circumstance, is entitled to a free education.

That means, of course, that the public, through its representatives at the local, state and federal level have determined that a significant portion of the tax dollars we pay will be spent on ensuring this most vital part of the American dream. Of late, however, there are a few nightmares that have plagued this egalitarian undertaking.

One of the things that threatens our public school system the most is the lack of money and commitment that once flowed from the body politic into the classrooms. In many cases it is simply a matter of priorities but in many other situations it is more a belief that the school system is broken and nobody is stepping up with the imagination, resources and time to fix that which ails us.

That gives those with a different view the excuse to withhold funds until the problem is fixed. And we all know how that works. The problems don't get fixed without money and there is no money until the problems get fixed. Caught in the middle of that downward circular dilemma are our young people who, in many instances, are left behind only to fall further away from the mainstream as time goes by.

There are many attempts across the country, through public-private partnerships, to take up the greatest challenge we face -- and that is to make certain the next generations have the education and skill levels to compete and prosper in the coming decades -- by investing time and energy into finding better, more efficient and more effective ways to do tomorrow what we used to do so well yesterday.

The Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy -- we'll call it what the kids do, Agassi Prep -- is one of those attempts to fix what's broken. And, from what I could tell Monday, it appears a solution may be at hand.

Agassi Prep is just one idea, I know, but it appears to be a most effective one because it is doing what each of us, as parents, want and expect our own public schools to do. And that is to teach our children in an environment of respect, for themselves and for others.

We may not want to admit as much, but ask any teacher, administrator or student who wants to learn and do well, and they will tell you that the lack of respect, in school and society as a whole, is a major reason why kids are not learning.

The first thing you notice when you enter Agassi Prep is the quiet. Not that the kids aren't working on their computers, walking the hallways, doing their exercises inside because the weather isn't so great outside and a host of other normal school activities, but they are doing them quietly. It is a sign of respect.

In fact, the school has its own Code of Respect, which the students say every morning right after the Pledge of Allegiance:

"The essence of good discipline is RESPECT. Respect for authority and respect for others; Respect for self and respect for rules. It is an attitude that begins at home, is reinforced in school, and is applied throughout life."

Because it is a charter school, the rules are different. For example, the students go to school two hours a day longer than our public school system. That means that in three years, Agassi students will have had the instruction time of a four-year course. Through ninth grade, they will have had the equivalent of a high school education. And so on.

And these are not kids from the upper crust of the socioeconomic scale. Each of these kids entered that school with reading, writing and arithmetic skills at the very bottom of the scale. Today they are even with or exceeding other Clark County students in practically every category.

And the teachers are doing the same thing. While they are paid a bit more, because of the extra hours they work, they also have an incentive based on the only product they must produce: academically sound and achieving students.

To be sure, this is a school that is monitored and controlled by people outside the traditional public school system. But they are proving that results can be achieved and students can and will learn in an environment of respect. And it is a model from which others can learn.

It would not surprise me, in fact it would please many of us in this community, if many of the methods used at Agassi are replicated in the public schools in the near future.

After all, the public school system works best when it works for every young person. That is the promise of education. The promise we make to the future.