OVERCOMING THE ODDS

Mural painted by high school students in Córdoba Capital

Argentine public schools, once proudly heralded as a great part of this country’s human capital, tend to have bad reputations these days —particularly those located in economically weak districts and that serve marginalized populations, both rural and urban. The national high school drop-out rate is somewhere around 50% and closer to 75% in rural areas (NB: compulsory secondary education only became law in 2006). There are many reasons for the downward shift and the explosion of private school admissions over the last several decades that I won’t get into right now. As in United States schools, true inequality and inequity exists here. I have seen it, and from a human rights perspective it’s just wrong. (For a clear illustration, view "El Sur También Existe: Desigualdad Educativa en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires" produced by ACIJ (2008). I believe there is an English version available too.)

However, not all of the schools facing the most severe obstacles are entirely unsuccessful. Lili wrote in her blog: “Ariana and I visited three wonderful schools in Córdoba Capital, where we saw dedication, patience and hard work from teachers and administrators, especially three lovely principals.  These public schools have students who come from difficult circumstances, who received two hot meals a day, and in the case of one school, who lived (at one point) in a slum/garbage dump that was later cleaned by the city of Córdoba.  Many students come from broken homes, many work at nights with their parents as cartoneros or people who collect and sell boxes and paper goods from general trash, and many must care for younger siblings because their parents are absent during the day and/or night.

“Despite these adversities, the schools have managed to stage very upbeat 25 de Mayo celebrations…, to sponsor recycling and environmental programs,  and to start workshops in dance, art and music that have been recognized nationally.  If there is a will, there is a way.  I salute Adriana, Maria Isabel and Cecilia, the principals of three schools in Córdoba for welcoming us, for choosing to stay in their public schools and for encouraging their teachers and students to succeed.” 

Photo by Gian Paolo Minelli. For more Villa Lugano photos click Obras Minelli

Last Friday we visited a high school in Villa Lugano, a southern neighborhood of Buenos Aires with a sizeable villa, or shantytown, the Argentine equivalent of a Brazilian favela.  Numerous individuals in more central parts of the city wondered why we were going there and even warned us for our safety. From our observations, however, the reputation of the school belies its reality. We found ourselves inside a clean, comfortable physical plant conversing with proud, thoughtful faculty and staff and interacting with calm, curious students. No one denied that the school had weathered some very rough periods through the years, nor that it still faces major challenges. (The secretary office is under renovation after it recently caught fire from a Molotov cocktail bomb thrown through the window.) All the same, today the school has a 75-80% graduation rate, a peaceful climate and a relatively active parents associación cooperadora.  The building is wired and waiting for the delivery of netbooks for each student (part of a national campaign by the Kirchner administration to distribute computers to all, a program that has not been piloted). The library is bright and spacious with a Smart Board; we observed students studying quietly there with a tutor and independently. Over the weekend the school community participated in a marathon race and collected nonperishable food items in collaboration with other local schools, public and private.  

What makes these schools different?  Why do they function better?

There are some common characteristics. All have deeply invested faculty and able administrators, many of whom have stuck with the schools through the worst of times and found ways to move forward. There is a burgeoning sense of community, led by staff. The families and students are also involved.  For example, one of the Córdoba high schools did not start to noticeably improve until the students staged a takeover of the building demanding change. Their action provoked a greater response from state officials than any quantity of solicitations filed by the principal on paper. The principals in Córdoba have been given opportunities for motivating and meaningful professional development opportunities, including month-long Fulbright grants to study at schools in the United States.  The Villa Lugano high school takes advantage of Cimientos, a well-respected NGO that supports school leadership and instructional improvement in public schools, as well as valuable scholarship funds for promising students (akin to the National Equlity Project based in CA).

Are these schools still limited?  Yes, in plenty of ways. They still face incredible systemic, social and political challenges—including many of the same that stymie troubled U.S. schools as well as some that are distinctly Argentine.

My point, however, is that there are public schools using their resources to create positive learning communities for young people, even when the outside world prefers to judge and doesn’t care to look hard enough at what’s really going on inside.  In the most needy of circumstances, there are always those educators who teach because they have to – for the thrill of learning, for the chance to help a vulnerable child, for the prospect of changing a community.  These educators, in Argentina, the U.S. and elsewhere, need to be recognized, rewarded and supported to propel our work forward and attract other talent into the field.  We need to have a chance to be part of school governance.  We need incentives to work as professionals (not peons) to uplift tough environments.  And we need the cooperation of the private sector, government forces and the mass media.

So, there you have today’s soap box musings. Expect a more visual theme next time: street art!

Thanks for reading. 

Central courtyard of Córdoba high school that was cleaned up after it was taken over by students.
Notice student murals on the walls.

Close up of a student mural