This editorial captures the essence of the state of education and the need to set CLEAR priorities and vision for the schools.
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Indiana taxpayers have
invested billions of additional dollars in public schools in recent
years. The state has raised academic standards, which are now among the
best in the nation. Business, political and community leaders have
freshly trumpeted the vital importance of a good education in the
21st-century workplace.
But
still, despite the renewed emphasis on improving classroom performance,
scores on the state's most widely used tool for measuring student
achievement remain stagnant.
Passage rates on ISTEP, released last week, stayed flat or fell in every subject and grade, except for seventh-grade math.
A
clearly frustrated Suellen Reed, departing after 16 years as state
superintendent of public instruction, pointed out that some teachers
lack the skills they need. In some instances, bad decisions by
administrators have hurt student achievement. And some students and
parents don't take classroom performance seriously enough. All of those
concerns are valid.
But
state leaders -- from Gov. Mitch Daniels, to legislators, to incoming
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett -- also have a
critical role to play in pushing student achievement past its current
plateau.
It starts
with a clear vision for just how effective Indiana's schools could
become. For far too long, Hoosiers, and their leaders, have accepted
mediocrity when it comes to academic achievement.
They've also adopted misplaced priorities, too often believing that expansive and costly buildings equate to good schools.
In
addition, many parents, students, communities and educators have given
an outsized importance to extracurricular activities, particularly
sports.
Reed, in
releasing ISTEP results last week, noted the documentary "Two Million
Minutes,'' which tracked top students at Carmel High School as well as
teens in India and China. The film is revealing in just how lightly
many students in the U.S. take their schoolwork when compared with
their peers in other nations.
To
begin moving forward again, the state needs to continue refining
curriculum, raising expectations and strengthening teachers' skills.
But there's also a need to reshape Indiana's culture, to make
achievement in the classroom a highly valued, well-rewarded endeavor.
That
may require giving up some things Hoosiers value greatly, including
teens working multiple hours during the school week and communities
investing in world-class athletics. But the long-term payoff in
economic prosperity and personal enrichment is well worth the sacrifice.
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Two Million Minutes was produced by the founders of Indian Math Online.
