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John Gerdy, an accomplished philanthropist, author, and athlete, details the nature of sports, specifically football, in his book entitled Balls or Bands: Football Vs. Music as an Educational and Community Investment. Gerdy’s depiction of football acts as a call for school reform and the need to rework the traditional models of education to best suit the needs and interests of an eclectic group of students.

Gerdy notes, “…football programs are ‘factories’ and the young people who play the game are simply clogs in a machine. And when that clog is no longer productive, it is unceremoniously discarded. Simply another piece of ‘football wreckage’ left in the wake of a cultural behemoth.”

By substituting the word ‘schools’ for ‘football programs’ the same point comes across: traditional public school is not one-size-fits-all, and students are falling through the cracks. Schools fail students when students fall through the cracks and don’t graduate. Students who are not “productive” or proficient as it relates to the education context are often left behind to pick up the pieces on their own, resulting in high drop out rates and continued failure on behalf of these schools. Students are simply not just a member of a school ecosystem, but are individuals who should be noted and recognized by the school as such.

Gerdy’s reasoning why football and sports aren’t a good tool to build students up and set them up for success is the same reason why The Center for Education Reform (CER) does the work it does on a daily basis: to make sure America’s education system is set up so that it focuses on the individual and unique needs of every student by allowing them to find the right fit, regardless of their zip code, so they thrive personally and academically.

Charter schools, online learning and other models of education come into play here in which students are recognized on the individual level, not as a large body of individuals. Advocating for great schools and encouraging parents to choose these schools is all done by the work of the CER staff and their continued dedication to ensuring an excellent education for all students. Continued attendance at failing schools does little to ensure success for students. All parents should have access to alternate education options that can offer their child higher academic success and individualized student attention, not just the few who know how to work the education system.

The work accomplished at CER regarding school choice and providing more options to students aligns with Gerdy’s point that sports are not all inclusive and therefore other types of extra-curricular activities should be implemented. Similarly, the mode of traditional education in the U.S. does not suit the needs of all students, and we need to make parents and students aware of other types of schooling (private, online, blended, charter) that focus on the individual student and allow them to be successful, and lawmakers aware of the need to create policies that allow education options to thrive.

Elizabeth Kennard, CER Intern