The Achievement Curve (ball)...


When it comes to educating our children, Indiana isn't doing all that bad. In fact, we're doing pretty well, overall. We're not in the top ten, but we're far enough from the bottom ten to collectively breathe a sigh of relief for the time being. Our students just can't deal with the ISTEP all that well (overall), and we have some schools struggling with the NCLB mandate.

Still, we can do better...we always can do better. But the recent "hostage deal" for this $500 million building renovation in the FWCS has got some people asking questions, such as how does this impact the students learning and is it going to raise test scores across the board. While having a safe and secure facility is always a plus, is it, in and of itself the primary means by which students will aspire to greatness? I don't believe so. It's an amalgam of the two.

School was never meant to be "easy", and a good healthy dose of reality (as opposed to doing nothing but bolstering my self-esteem) is good for the soul, because when you're out of school and in the REAL world, you'll soon find that the classroom is a much preferred venue in many ways.

With that said, it becomes clear what the focus of ANY achievement for ANY student should be...and it goes without saying that the educators are teaching what they are supposed to be teaching at whatever grade level they find themselves employed at. All any teacher can hope to do is show a student the door to higher learning...it's up to the student to choose to either open the door, or merely walk away. Such is the case with many students today regarding making the correct choice. They simply do not...or will not. It's not that they CANNOT. It's not that there is a right or wrong choice...only a correct choice (whatever the evetual outcome).
And therein lies the "twist" to all this.

When a young boy or girl shows up for the first day of the new semester, and has not ONE pen, pencil, or piece of paper in their possession (stating they didn't THINK they'd have to DO anything on the first day), there is something substantially wrong with that picture. On OUR FIRST day, we had everything we needed...and more (sometimes it seemed like overkill), and it wasn't because we were rich...far from it. It was called BEING PREPARED (a good life lesson by the way). And isn't that school is SUPPOSED to be...a "dress rehearsal for the real world"? As the school year dragged on, we lost pens, loaned pencils, broke rulers, and went through reams or paper for whatever reason (I shudder to think if any of these kids know what a protractor or compass is), but these consumables were in easy supply, as well as being inexpensive enough for ANYONE to obtain. There was just NO reason to NOT have these items...and the very same can be said today. All this "poverty" we hear about shouldn't even figure into the mix, for there are places and means by which ANY child can be supplied with the needed tools for learning...for gratis!
You sure as hell wouldn't go on a LRRP (long-range recon patrol), saying to your squad leader that you didn't bring your ammo, because it was your first day in country, and you didn't THINK you'd need it...right?

That's one problem....a severe LACK OF PREPAREDNESS. The other problem is just as easy to see, and just as easy to remedy.

It's called ATTENDANCE...! You can't learn if you don't show the hell UP, can you?

My wife, who teaches high school sophomores (there's a sainthood in there somewhere for her...trust me) sees both of these probelms in abundance every year...every semester. I've yet to see ANY student with the ability to fully comprehend an entire year of any given subject matter by holding a book against their head, claiming osmotic transfer of information....that dog just won't hunt, people. Not that I see that many kids even BRINGING books home, because they just don't. No one is going to convince me that homework isn't given out on a REGULAR basis....it still is. So why aren't the kids bringing books home? Maybe they're just too damn heavy. Yeah, right. And why aren't the parents (or whoever is raising them these days) even bother to ASK them if they have any homework, or check with the school (like my mom did...all too regularly).

Yeah, it all comes back to that nasty *R* word...RESPONSIBILITY. The parents are responsible for making sure the kids are going to school and have the needed supplies that are required for a proper education. The students are responsible for conducting themselves in a civil manner, being properly attired and prepared to learn. In too many cases, I'm just not seeing that. TMany parents don't seemingly give a crap (unless their child is failing, and then all hell breaks loose)...sorry, but we don't automatically give out an *A* just because your kid got his lazy ass to school and promptly fell asleep during second period because he was up to all hours doing anything BUT schoolwork..or do we?

Grades today are based on comprehension of subject matter for the most part. I can envision a time in the very near future where ALL grades will be given based on THREE criteria:

1: ATTENDANCE (this means actually COMING to school...novel idea)

2: COMPREHENSION OF SUBJECT MATTER (tests, class participation, homework completion)

3: WORK HABITS (ethics, civility, attire, behavior)

Gee, looks just like the old first grade report card method from the 50s, doesn't it? I can see the educational system going to something like this REAL soon....it holds the right people accountable for the right reasons...the way it USED to.

Attendance is paramount...period. Any truant children need to be dealt with (as well as the parents), for whatever reason. We've got way too much "unexcused" abseteeism. I know because I see kids who SHOULD be in schol roaming the streets at midday. And if you're IN class, it's kind of hard to believe that you won't be learning the subject matter, because the teachers are still teaching it...it's their JOB. We also have to stop the kids from looking like last week's wrinkled laundry. Appearing in an environment such as school dictates that a modicum of neatness and cleanliness be maintained...and don't speak about "poverty" again.....please. You can be clean and neat and still be "poor"...I've seen it done with a mom who had FOUR kids in PAROCHIAL school....and NO welfare (she would never stoop to that when she could work 2 jobs or make the clothes for her kids herself), so there are methods available to counter any argument.

Finally, we have to stop this mainstreaming of all these "developmentally-challenged" students, primarily the "spec-eds". I know it sounds a tad harsh, but they are the reason the ISTEP scores are where they are. We used to have specialized schools (in Philly) JUST for these kids, and they did a lot better in an academic enviromnment replete with more of their brethren. Some of these kids just can't handle the vicissitudes of what we label a "normal" school environment, and it's not really their fault. So why penalize them as well as the rest of a student body? That serves no one any good. That would definitely assure a not fewer children being "left behind", as it were.

Can we expect more of our children regarding their achievement? Certainly. Can we provide the necessities they require for school? Most assuredly. Let's have at it then.

It's THEIR future at stake, even MORE SO than OURS.