| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2010 6:51 am |
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Editorials 
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EDUCATION Keep the expectations high With the Obama administration challenging states in a Race to the Top, now isn't the time to be lowering the bar in education.That, however, is how we interpret state Superintendent Randy Dorn's proposal, unveiled Thursday, to further delay high-school graduation requirements in math and science — standards that were first pushed back just two years ago. If the Legislature goes along, it will be lifting needed urgency from the effort to raise standards and adequately prepare our students, and our state, to be globally competitive. The rest of the world won't stand by while Washington argues over how to get its act together. It won't hesitate to leave our students in the dust of opportunity. The state's largest teachers' union supports Dorn's plan. Other key education groups, however, are strongly opposed. They include the League of Education Voters, the Washington Roundtable, the business-backed Partnership for Learning and the Excellent Schools Now Coalition. Dorn may also have met strong opposition within his own office. Seattle PostGlobe writer Joe Copeland, who first reported on Dorn's plans last week, wrote that Dorn's science director of teaching and learning, Mary McClellan, is resigning over “philosophical” differences. Under current law, passing state exams in math and science will be a graduation requirement for the class of 2013. Dorn proposes delaying the math requirement by two years and the science requirement by four, all the way to 2017. He says that because standards in both subjects are changing, schools and students need more time to prepare. Even if there is truth to that, it's too early to raise the white flag. High expectations are useful motivators, as was shown when the state's graduation requirements in reading and writing kicked in four years ago. The year those tests first counted, test scores saw their biggest jump. It's true that math and science scores have been low and flat, but removing a powerful incentive to do better will only help keep them there. We understand that the teachers' union is frustrated over a lack of adequate funding, including recent cuts forced by the recession. Earnest leaders are working on the funding puzzle, but it isn't going to be solved this year or next. That cannot become an excuse for letting our kids fall behind. On the contrary, students deserve a renewed commitment on the part of all adults involved. The rest of the world will move ahead, with or without them. |
- Sorry, Hawkeye; M*A*S*H gets bowled over
- Former Whidbey student shot
- County archive software paid for but waiting for set-up
- Ruling expected on Sultan beating statement
- ‘Roadkill’ caucus seeks a voice for centrist Democrats
- Police seek witnesses in two accidents
- PAWS calls out for critter care-givers
- Boeing has a busy test schedule
- Ex-Boeing engineer jailed for espionage
- Morning mystery: What happened to House Bill 3181?
- Lynnwood sets height limit on grass: 8 inches
(10) - State Senate votes to toss I-960's tax-raising hurdle (9)
- School levies in Snohomish County all passing, Marysville bond failing (7)
- Schools do well in levy elections (7)
- A tidy lawn could be law in Lynnwood (4)
- County archive software paid for but waiting for set-up (3)
- Lynnwood makes law against too tall lawns (3)
- Two suspects sought in Everett shooting that injured two (3)
- Vote on school levies by Tuesday (3)
- Sorry, Hawkeye; M*A*S*H gets bowled over (2)
- Jackson girls outlast Meadowdale owdale
- OBT raises barre in children’s program
- Junior firefighters
- School levies passing
- Mavericks topple Wolfpack
- Get a second look at Second City Feb. 13
- Sports Briefs
- Warriors advance 11 to regional meet
- Arlington's Cascade Valley Hospital celebrates expansion, national award and 100 years of service
- Business Licences Feb. 2010
- Technology tips for launching your own business
- Business Events Feb. 2010
- Tech Talk: No excuse today for going without a Web site
- State already raising fees and rates that restrict business growth
- Some legislators again targeting people’s initiative petition rights
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What this newest time-slide-to-the-right really means: Education reform in Washington State is over and the verdict is in: teachers and education bureaucrats win; students and parents lose.
William Burnett | Nov 24, 2009 7:23 am | 0 replies | Request removal
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