The Scandal Of American Schools: Darla Romfo

If you’re concerned about the future of our country, especially for children from low-income families, then you must listen to Darla Romfo, head of the Children’s Scholarship Fund. She speaks to a real crisis in our education system.

Why are so many schools failing low-income children? The latest findings from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which measures the proficiency of students in various subject areas, are a shocker: Two-thirds of U.S. students can’t read at their grade level, and the numbers for children from low-income households are far worse.    

Don’t blame the kids. In proper schools most blossom. They learn the basics, get degrees that mean something and, ultimately, get to pursue productive careers.

One proof that good schools make a huge and positive difference for kids from disadvantaged families is the Children’s Scholarship Fund. Started 21 years ago, the organization has provided 180,000 scholarships for children to attend private elementary schools, religious or secular. The results have been astonishing: These children outperform their peers in public schools. Their test scores are higher. They actually master their subjects, especially in the crucial areas of reading and math. They go to high school, where their graduation rates are significantly better, and then most go on to college.

Darla Romfo has run the fund since it started awarding scholarships. The organization depends on donations. Applications from parents desperate to get their youngsters out of miserable public schools vastly exceed the available resources.

A cardinal rule of the fund: Parents must cover a portion of the tuition of the school their children go to. Having “skin in the game” means far more family involvement, a crucial component of student success.

Amazingly, Darla and her team find excellent day schools where tuitions run in the $5,000-$7,000 range.

The miserable state of so many schools that serve disadvantaged families underscores the need for school choice. Why should kids’ opportunity to get a decent education depend on their zip code?

You’ll find this conversation with Darla Romfo educational—and inspiring.

Key: Support from Home

“The one thing American students have a lot of is self-confidence, but they don’t actually have a lot of knowledge. […] This education might work well for kids that are getting a lot of support from home. But a lot of our kids, more and more it’s a problem that they’re not coming [from] intact families; they’re not getting a lot of support from home. And you add that on top [of] a dumbed-down education system, and you’ve got this position we’re in today, which is really no improvement since the days that you’re talking about.”

Empower the Parents 

“Parents are the first educators of their children. That was one of the things that Ted always drove home to me. And also if you don’t get the first things right, everything else falls apart. […] And if you don’t honor that and respect it and empower them, you’re going to have the results we have now. Parents have been disempowered for so long, it’s going to take a while to get back to a place where the people who are closest to the problem are actually given the power to help solve the problem.”

 The Importance of Partnering

“We think of it as a hand up, not a hand out. It’s very important from the culture of the schools that these kids go to, [it’s] a culture where parents are asked to be involved. And one of the best ways to get people involved is to have some skin in the game financially. And plus what we’re trying to do is help as many kids as we can. So having the parents partner with us is an important part of it, because it stretches the dollars a lot further.”

 Parents Will Sacrifice for Their Child’s Education

“It’s amazing what parents will give up to put their kid in a better educational environment. That same survey I was talking about, people would be willing to get another job. They’d be willing to give up going out. They say all these things they’d be willing to give up. There’s still a lot of people—especially among the immigrant families—they’ve come to America for a better way of life for their kids. And they’re kind of shocked and appalled by what’s going on in our public school systems. And they’ll do just about anything to make sure that their kids have a better chance.”