The Hartford Courant quickly removed a controversial statement from its longtime cartoonist from the web, but not before New Haven’s mayor and schools chief saw it — and pounced back.
The resulting exchange reflects a deeper debate about school reform: Can schools do the job even if parents aren’t? Does a racial double standard apply to how officials look at urban schools? Do schools use parenting or racial preconceptions as an excuse not to do their job? Do parents use schools as an excuse not to do their job? Do the kids get sold out of a good education when policymakers and pundits believe they can’t learn? Do they get sold out of needed support when the challenges of poverty are downplayed?
But the episode also involved use of a harsh word to describe black urban parents as a group: “losers.” Their kids, too.
The Courant cartoonist, Bob Englehart, was riffing on Gov. Dannel Malloy’s school-reform drive. He gave it overall good marks but questioned how much government can help if parents aren’t raising their kids well.
Actually, he was talking about “inner-city poor and minority” parents.
That’s delicate and tricky terrain, fodder for passionate debate. That part stayed up on the web Thursday.
This line came down:
“Sure, we hear of an occasional winner come out of the ghetto. Movie stars, athletes, business people, we know their stories, but they are the very rare exception. For the most part, losers raise losers.”“
By Friday morning, the whole item was down. Here’s how it read in its entirety:
“I support much of what Gov. Malloy is trying to do with his education package. Unfortunately, he’s also doing what governments have done for generations to no effect. He’s throwing money at inner city schools and hoping for change. And we know where the money’s coming from. My God, we’re already running a deficit of $144.5 million and we’re in Moody’s doghouse to boot.
“Inner-city poor and minority-filled schools aren’t going to change until we can somehow change the pervasive core of the problem: dysfunctional inner-city poor minority families.
“Sure, we hear of an occasional winner come out of the ghetto. Movie stars, athletes, business people, we know their stories, but they are the very rare exception. For the most part, losers raise losers.”“
Here’s what New Haven Mayor John DeStefano and schools Superintendent Reggie Mayo wrote to the Hartford Courant in response:
“We were astounded by the ignorance in cartoonist Bob Englehart’s blog on The Courant’s website on Feb. 8 regarding “inner-city poor and minority-filled schools.” The majority of New Haven Public School students are minorities, and the majority are eligible for free and reduced price lunches, but NONE of our students are losers.
“We expect all of our students to graduate from high school ready to succeed in college and the workplace, and when they do, they are not exceptions. Instead, they are the result of the love, hard work and consistently high expectations that their families, teachers and our community as a whole hold for them.
“Through the nationally recognized New Haven School Change initiative and New Haven Promise, we are closing the achievement gap, increasing our graduation rates, and providing students the supports and financial resources they need to succeed in college. We invite Mr. Englehart to visit any one of our public schools to see for himself the hard work, dedication and consistently astounding achievements of our students.
“Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is on target in his education initiatives, and we can’t think of any better investment, any more pressing challenge or opportunity, than the success of our public schools.”
