Leadership Matters September 2014

charter schools versus public schools; it is about better schools,” he said, noting that there is no hard data to suggest that charter schools perform any better than public schools. “Public education is the great equalizer and a noble cause that’s worth the fight and we need to make sure that we don’t re- segregate our schools.” Of course, Farooqui is not advocating physical violence or even bumper stickers saying “Our

education system as America’s most amazing marvel. “As I learned more about public education in this country, it became evident to me that public education is America’s true competitive advantage over the world,” he said. He identified poverty as “the elephant in the room.” Recalling his first visit to the Abraham Lincoln Museum in Springfield a couple of years ago,

Farooqui said it was an emotional experience to be exposed to that painful period of slavery and Civil War in our country’s history and how America emerged stronger when its leaders faced the hard facts and met them head on and did the right thing. Against that backdrop, he is both puzzled disappointed that the present generation of policymakers demand results without the courage to face some very difficult ground realities. “I don’t understand how a nation that aspires to implement No Child Left Behind is afraid to talk

superintendents can beat up your reformers.” His strategy is to mobilize the silent majority. “Social media is a force of history that has empowered and amplified the vocal minority. The absence of the silent majority seriously distorts the headlines and, more insidious, is feeding a serious deficit of trust that is slowly creeping into public thinking,” Farooqui said. “We need to restore and build up trust capital through the authentic meaning of public relations, relating to the public.” Farooqui’s background

“Social media is a force of history that has empowered and amplified the vocal minority. The absence of the silent majority seriously distorts the headlines and, more insidious, is feeding a serious deficit of trust that is slowly creeping into public thinking. We need to restore and build up trust capital through the authentic meaning of public relations, relating to the public.”

- K12 Insight Founder and CEO Suhail Farooqui

gives him a truer global view than many critics, and he scoffs at some of the global comparisons they make. “I talk with educational leaders in Singapore and they tell me that they need to get rid of their way of teaching and replace it with the American model. People point to Finland and they want Finland results without the resources Finland pours into education. Finland values and honors the teaching profession,” Farooqui said, adding that India, where he attended public school “is amazing – provided you were lucky enough to be born in a handful of zip codes.” Under the heading of America’s marvels, Farooqui indicated that most people remember the space program, scientific breakthroughs and engineering feats such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Hoover Dam. Yet he places America’s public Thursday, October 9 1:45 - 2:45 p.m. Third General Session If We Don’t Stand Up for Public Schools, Who Will?

about the role that poverty plays in our public schools,” Farooqui said. “How can people talk about funding formulas, Common Core and raising the bar, but close their eyes to the poverty issue and debate something as simple as early childhood education? ”I understand that most school administrators wished they could focus solely on teaching and learning and let someone else fix the trust deficit that’s befallen our schools. Sadly, help is not on the way. Yet, I am confident that when superintendents and district leaders rise with one voice, they will be surprised at what they can accomplish. If there was one thing worth fighting for to preserve the long-term security and strength of our nation, I would say that one thing is public education.”

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