OTHER VIEW: Goals and standards make great schools

Editorials

March 6, 2010

Staff Reports The Lockport Union-Sun %26 Journal Sun Mar 07, 2010, 12:00 AM EST

Yet another educational study has emerged and is now debated within a discipline forever searching for new figures, new emerging trends, new and unique methods for squeezing as much improvement in student performance that might be possible. This new study making rounds within the educational establishment is noteworthy in the way it dismisses the stylish in favor of common wisdom and the tried and true.

The study examined middle school grades in California to settle the question of whether students do better in separate schools or in K-8 configurations. It found it’s not the setting that makes the difference, but the quality of the school — the focus on achievement, the emphasis on long-term success, the willingness to set measurable goals and to correlate teacher performance with student performance, plus curriculums matched to high standards.

Well. Should anybody be surprised at this?

One of the great things about education today is that despite all the time and money spent on trendy research, the secret to success is (or at least should be) generally known. Apparently, experts are telling us that new-fangled organizational practices such as interdisciplinary classrooms and advisory periods do not make the difference. It’s really about (drum roll, please) setting goals.

We concur. In area schools large and small, educators, board members and parents have understood for quite some time that the most telling factors for success are factors that don’t change — hiring and keeping good teachers, motivating students, encouraging support from parents and the community and maintaining healthy teacher-to-student ratios. These are things that require coordination and persistence on the part of every school district and every community member. There is no magic wand, no slick study that will do the job by itself. It’s a daily grind.

There is the constant desire to throw money at education, and to be sure, more money is better than a lack of money. But it must be spent wisely. We know there are enough schools in this nation that have struggled, and continue to struggle, despite more and more funds being pumped into the system.

We also know, from No Child Left Behind, that “inadequate yearly progress” doesn’t necessarily mean teachers are underperforming; there are often unique challenges faced. In some schools, a high number of students contend with cultural issues; a lack of proficiency in English is itself a hurdle to overcome.

But though there’s always something new under the sun, we get the feeling educators, and others, already know what the California study reveals — that communicating with parents, holding to high standards, and identifying at-risk students early and intervening to put them back on track quickly — trumps just about everything else. It’s really not a mystery. Finally, it’s about commitment.

— The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.

Text Only

Editorials

OUR VIEW: Time for Mongielo to face the music
Town of Lockport auto repair shop owner David Mongielo has gone over the line in his violation of a town sign ordinance.

January 2, 2012
OUR VIEW: At dawn of New Year, a call for civility
Each new year brings with it an inherent hopefulness in our own lives and the larger world around us, this one in particular — if only because it isn’t 2011.

January 2, 2012
Have a safe New Year's Eve
This isn’t the Prohibition era, and we’re not into moralizing about alcohol consumption.
We have no beef about adults having a few drinks on New Year’s Eve, as long as no one else gets hurt in the process. Your choice — hangover, no hangover. Check yes or no.
But, with one very important proviso: Don’t drink and drive.
And we’re very much against hosts of a New Year’s Eve party sending their guests out to their cars when their guests have overindulged. Especially when there are safe options to avoid behavior that risks your life and that of others you may encounter on the road.

December 31, 2011
The bus stops here
The NFTA’s proposed cuts to local bus routes have the potential to really hurt the little guy, the rider who relies on the bus to get to work, to shop, to get to the doctor’s.
It just shouldn’t happen.

December 28, 2011
OUR VIEW: Lockport taxpayers lose again
We find it highly inappropriate that the City of Lockport — via its development corporation — is again punishing taxpayers for renovations to 57 Canal St.

April 26, 2011
CHEERS & JEERS
We applaud Lockport Town Court and Judge Leonard G. Tilney Jr. for recusing themselves from the driving-while-intoxicated case against local attorney Daniel E. Seaman due to conflict of interest.

April 26, 2011
OUR VIEW: Recharge N.Y. is a plus for us
We’re encouraged that Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s visit to Niagara County this week brings a new and improved version of the Power For Jobs program to our area.

April 21, 2011
CHEERS & JEERS: The US&J’s view on the best and worst of the week
April 21, 2011
OUR VIEW: Cleanup is up the creek
New York state had an Eighteenmile Creek cleanup within its grasp — and now it’s trying to change horses in mid-stream. And that could leave the cleanup effort up the creek without a paddle.

April 21, 2011
CHEERS & JEERS: The US&J’s view on the best and worst of the week
April 21, 2011
More Editorials Headlines

Editorials

Search Results

OTHER VIEW: Goals and standards make great schools

Site Map

Contact Us