I wrote about Sims 12 years ago after he contacted me about the impact disruptive students were having on the learning environment in his son’s third-grade classroom. At the time, No Child Left Behind was in its infancy, and he said, beyond the requirements the legislation laid out, maintaining decorum was one of the biggest challenges in educating children.
His answer to the violence and the other social problems in tough communities was then and is now: “Teach Johnny how to read and write at grade level.”
He acknowledges that it’s a long-term fix. He also acknowledges that the problems in some kids’ homes are deep and complex. But a right-now fix has to begin and end with the community doing its part and the police arresting the bad guys.
“Most of the people who cause the crime are the ones who can’t read or write at grade level, and they’re unemployable,” he said. “That’s why they’re on the streets. We spend the money for the feds to come in and for incarceration and for an increase in police presence. We have to educate these kids. It seems we have a choice, but we don’t.”