Straight from the horses' mouths, so to speak

The following story from the Philly.com website for June 8, 2010 is far too long for me to cut and paste in. I urge my readers to click the link, however, and read the WHOLE story for themselves. It's about schools in the largely poor, urban neighborhoods of Philadelphia and what passes for education AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE.

http://www.philly.com/philly/education/95837384.html?page=2&c=y

Before you link, though, here's a quote to whet your appetite. From the story comes this gem (large type emphasis mine):

Ray Fisher, a family therapist at the Council for Relationships in University City, has worked with district youth for a number of years.

"The sense that I often got at the schools where I worked is that the kids didn't matter," he said.

"The parents are the ones with all the power, but a school system banks on the parents thinking they're powerless."

It's also convenient for officials not to respond, because a lot of parents don't know what their rights are, or to whom to turn to hold officials accountable, he added.

The parents are the ones with all the power?

A radical notion indeed!