Why America Needs to Go Back to School

A principal's plea for broader community interest and collaboration this new school year

By Jasmine Brann, Ed.D.

As a school administrator and teacher for the last two decades, I’ve seen my fair share of welcoming students and staff back to school.?

Families will arrive early and wait at the front door with anxious anticipation. Students will don their first-day-of-school outfits and new hairstyles. Teachers will feel a jolt of rejuvenation with sun-kissed glows, meticulously prepared classrooms, and fresh supplies of notebooks, staples, and colored pencils.

With excitement, students will meet their teachers, make new friends, and begin to navigate the curricula. And, once the school doors open on the first day of school, there’s no turning back: a new year has begun, and we will be off to the races.

But what happens after the initial excitement and grandeur of Day 1 is over?? There are still 179 days left in the school year, which is only the beginning.

Here’s the reality: America, we need help educating our young people in our schools and communities today. Teaching and learning cannot and should not rest on the shoulders of teachers and administrators alone. Schooling has evolved, and the needs of our students are constantly changing.

Together with our family partners at home, we can achieve so much more with the backing of our community. Increased interest and support from professionals from all industries will propel us towards our shared goals and elevate our students' experiences far beyond what we can accomplish alone as educators.

Schooling has evolved, and the needs of our students are constantly changing.

In fact, our nation was "at risk" long before President Reagan’s Office made the proclamation in 1983. Students’ low test scores, issues of safety and security, and our declining global competitive edge amongst countries worldwide reveal only symptoms of deeper issues we must reconcile.

From the racist policies of slavery and exploitation upon which our country’s foundation was established to exclusionary practices of segregation and Jim Crow laws - despite the guise of integration - the longstanding inequitable resource distribution and access have left so many children behind, predominately Black, Latino, neurodiverse, and economically disadvantaged students.

We know education is intertwined with many other systems of society and government. These entanglements make this work all the more complicated as economic and political factors across federal and local politics influence protocols, procedures, and practices.

However, like many educators, I am an optimist.? I see the bright side of things - life is so much healthier this way.? We can chart new directions as we learn from the past and innovate for the future.? Our country is a hub for creativity, entrepreneurship, thought leadership, and resources.? This is a bold request for more assistance and prioritization to allocate our community's tangible and intangible assets towards our local schools.

Although we’re lagging behind, I believe we have what it takes to reemerge with a stronger educational system here in America, but only with strategy and vision.

But we cannot do this alone.? This is why I am calling us out and calling you in.

We need additional capital to help subsidize limited budgets and support school initiatives. Educators are constantly tapping into their own pockets to outfit their classrooms, sponsor school events, and donate to their students in need.? We want to do more, but the bake sale revenue is often insufficient to cover the costs for supplemental resources, field trip fees, and club supplies.

This is why I propose we need the generosity of businesses and entities that can be corporate sponsors for schools and districts.? Shouldn’t we find the nobility in the community service industries of education, healthcare, and emergency services, for example, to be worthy investments? Is not educating our students as important as our country’s entertainment, if not even more important? ?Ought not we consider how capitalism deepens the pockets of the 1% while leaving the 99% with the scraps en masse?

Is not educating our students as important as our country's entertainment, if not even more important?

It doesn’t have to be this way.? Let’s bring education to center stage as the world - our global audience - is watching anyway.

It’s time to design more innovation to help uplift humanity and bring us together worldwide.? We need to audit content creation and what we’re streaming into the minds of our children through social media, video games, movies, and music.

We need volunteers willing to offer their time to help and share their experiences to mentor young people.? Explain the pathway to success and help them avoid mistakes.? Offer them internships.? Give them advice.

I strongly encourage you to talk with a teacher or school staff member. Ask about their experiences and, most importantly, offer to help however you can.? Even small gestures can make a difference and encourage those of us on the front lines working in schools.

We all have a responsibility to help from the boardroom to the block, from the oldest to the youngest, across all races and backgrounds. Education is a team sport and no one is on the bench.

So, America, let's unite to support our young people. They are both our present and our future. It's time for us to view the Back-to-School season as more than just a send-off, but also as an opportunity for everyone in the nation to embrace and help all our students. Together, we can make an even more impactful difference.