'Public schools
have failed
Continued from page A1
Pro-choice
There are worse things than
being pushy about educational
reform. Although he hasn't yet filed
for office, Robinson is clearly cam
paigning. An assistant professor of
business at Winston-Salem State, he
is the only Republican who has
come forward to challenge Demo- *
crat incumbent Bob Etheridge for
the state's top education office.
From the Democratic side,
Etheridge is challenged by High
Point school superintendent Dr.
Owen Phillips, who charges that
North Carolina spends too much on
bureaucracy and too little in the
classroom.
As for Robinson, his slogan is
"resources versus reform." He likes
to ask parents pointed questions:
"Do you think a bigger school bud
get will bring African-American
history into the classroom? Would
you like to receive a $3500 voucher
to use towards your child's educa
tion?"
He is pro-choice, but not when
it comes to abortion. The choice he
favors is a parent's freetiom to
choose which school his or her
child will attend. Give low income
parents a voucher or a credit, he
says, and let them use it to pay for
their child's education at any private
or public school.
"We will know very soon
which schools are good and bad,
and the bad ones will be shut down
for lack of students, and the bad
teachers will be out of a job," says
Robinson. "Rich parents aren't the
only ones who should be able to
choose private school. This would
give the poor, black parent the
power to kick a teacher's butt out of
the school if the teacher is not doing
a good job."
No more discipline
problems?
Schools of choice would also
solve the discipline problem,
according to Robinson. Schools
with disruptive students will simply
shut down for lack of attendance. "
No one's going to send their kids to
disruptive schools. Discipline won't
be a problem one day beyond the
day we lei parents choose schools."
School psychologist Dr.
Frances Barger begs to differ. "A
child's behavior problems will not
disappear just because parents are
allowed to choose schools, she says.
"What about parents who are not
involved with the school? We have
* open houses, and at some schools
no parents show up."
Robinson s concept for schools
of choice is based on the way pri
vate schools operate, but private
schools have a built-in advantage
over public schools, says associate
superintendent Palmer Friende.
"Private schools have a prerog
ative for accepting and rejecting
who they admit and who they don't
admit into their program. Public
schools don't have that choice.
When a person clccts to attend a
private school, they are initiating
that process and inherit a greater
responsibility to support that
school. I notice that rather consis
tently, the idea that I am seeking
something and it is being granted.
Society is wrought with problems,
axxd they invariably walk through
the portals of school, and public
schools have to deal with that."
Church-run schools
Robinson has a solution to the
lack of good schools in the black
community.
"What institution is already
operating in the black neighborhood
and fully equipped to teach chil
dren?" he asks. "The black church
has always set high standards for
black children, and it is the best
place to educate them."
"The left" needs to get past its
concerns about the separation of
church and state, he says. "If the
left, the teacher's unions, and those
who make their money off the poor
would be honest, they would let the
poor have the right to choose
schools."
Guidance counselors
not needed?
Schools don't need more
money says Robinson, they need
less bureaucracy. "We have 30 per
cent more teachers than we have
) ii
classrooms. We don't need guidance
counselors in elementary schools,
and all these extra people hanging
around."
Dr. Barger disagrees. "We have
a guidance counselor in every
school, and they are very valuable.
They are the right hand person to
principals and assistant principals.
They work with kids in groups, in
classrooms, individually, and they
spend an enormous amount of time
counseling with kids, in play thera
py as well as in very intense work
with them."
Palmer Friende also questions
Robinson's contention that guidance
counselors are not needed in ele
mentary schools.
"Given the problems that kids
come to school with, the counselors
arc doing a great service. If these
problems were not addressed at an
early stage, they would intensify
and further inhibit academic-orient
ed progress. It's hard to say what
condition they'd be in later on."
Change certification
standards
One of Robinson's less contro
versial ideas is to alter state certifi
cation standards so that local citi
zens can volunteer their time in
schools teaching subjects in their
field of cxpeiicnce. An cntiepicncui ?
could teach a business course, a sci
entist could teach science, a writer
could teach a writing course.
"This is being done now with
coaches, most of whom are not cer
tified teachers," he says. "If the ath
letic program is that important, isn't
the academic program?
To date, Robinson has raised
about $25,000 towards the
$220,000 he needs to run a state
wide campaign, and it's not all
Republican money.
"There are prominent Denw
ocrats who support reform who are
supporting my campaign," says
Robinson.
"There arealso Republicans in
office who have done nothing who
should be defeated."
In a press statement he released
in December, Robinson is described
as "a brilliant education policy
strategist... the education bureaucra
cy's worst nightmare come alive,
walking around in a 6'4" frame."
He hopes to get the chance to
prove it.
Black History
Continued from page A1
ican Experience" and is published
by the National Afro-American
Museum and Cultural Center in
Columbus, Ohio. The center is
selling the book to the general
public for $9.95 each.
McDonald's business partners
program provided each elementary
school with a set of the McDon
ald's Black Inventors books. Each
set includes seven booklets on
black inventors and how their
achievements have had an impact
on our lives today.
If you would like to ensure
that these resources are made
available to your child, call the
school and ask to speak to the
principal or the curriculum coordi
nator.
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Enter First Union's grand-opening giveaway
at Silas Creek Crossing.
Join us February 10 to 14 for our grand-opening- week
celebration. And register for our grand-prize drawing, an
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courtesy of USAir, you'll also get $500 in spending money. The
big grand-prize drawing is February 14. But there will be daily
drawings for other terrific prizes or gift certificates from
contributing Silas Creek Crossing merchants including: The
Silk Plant Forest, Drug Emporium, Pet-Go-Round, Weight
Watchers, Chic Wigs, 2nd City Grill, CD Superstore, T.K.
Tripps, Vision Works, Fast Signs, Record Exchange, Flamingo
Road, I Can't Believe It's Yogurt, Music Loft of Winston-Salem,
Fran's Fashions or lo- al artist C.B. Tatum. So register early.
Sign up for winning service.
And if you sign up for a checking account this month,
your first order of checks is free. What's more, we'll save
you time and money with a broad range of personal and
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commercial services, from_customized banking programs to
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Look for us at 3288 Silas Creek Parkway.
Convenience is another important part of First Union's
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we have a 24 Hour Banking Machine, please do stop in during
our grand-opening celebration. Enjoy free refreshments. And
meet Branch Manager Rich Vellucci and his staff. Find out why
we say, "When it comes to service, everything matters."4"
?1992 First Union Corporation
or iwui ui urana
Banking Offices Statewide Member FDKL
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