Differences in the Districts

So as I was observing at my dyad (or triad) in the Northshore District on Thursday, I couldn't help but think about the BIG differences between school districts. There is exactly 6.8 miles between the two schools of 4th graders I am in; one is located in the Everett district and the other in the Northshore district. I wouldn’t consider one school poorer than or richer than the other. Both classrooms have a nice diversity of culture and special education kids. Yet, the differences in class size and resources are amazing.
The Everett school has 27 students, one teacher, two computers and two whiteboards. The Northshore school has 17 students, one teacher, one fulltime aid, 8 computers, and a Smartboard. Not only that, but most of the teachers in this school also have a Special Ed endorsement. So, these differences really got me to thinking about all the Education Reform we have been reading about lately and what makes a good teacher. This led me to realize how different it is to teach from one district to the next and that maybe this is also part of the problem, the resources that are available to a teacher. Maybe this is where we should start, by trying to figure out how to make two schools that have a 6.8-mile difference between them more alike in resources and that this would help in the education gap. I don’t necessarily mean more computers and a Smartboard, but more the smaller class size along with a fulltime aid is huge!
I also started thinking about the special ed endorsement that these teachers have and it does make sense. With more and more students with special needs and IEP’s being mainstreamed into the classroom, teachers should be receiving the special ed endorsement within their certification process. Wouldn’t that help make teaching easier and more successful too?