Keep education reform on track with Bergeson
Published 4:53 pm Friday, October 3, 2008
After 12 years in office, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson has collected more than her fair share of critics. Some of the criticism is deserved, but much of it is the result of education reform taking teachers, students and families out of their comfort zone.
On balance, the effort has been worth the pain. Bergeson’s dogged work to improve K-12 learning is paying off, evidenced by what was probably the most literate high school graduating class in state history last spring. We endorse her re-election bid.
Bergeson faces a credible challenge from Randy Dorn, a former state legislator and educator who now runs the state’s second-biggest school employees’ union. The thrust of Dorn’s campaign message is that the Washington Assessment of Student Learning — the symbol of Bergeson’s failures, according to many of her critics — needs to be changed to something simpler, fairer and less expensive. He also strongly criticizes the failure of Bergeson-backed math standards, which had to be redone, and says that his legislative experience would make him a more effective advocate for increases in state education funding.
It’s true that Bergeson has locked horns with legislators, arguing passionately against efforts to lower standards when some feared too many students would be denied a high school diploma because they couldn’t pass the 10-grade WASL. Bergeson has been in lockstep with Gov. Chris Gregoire in holding the line against such attempts, and more than 90 percent of the Class of 2008 passed the reading and writing exams required for graduation. Most who didn’t weren’t in line to graduate anyway because they were short of credits.
Dorn’s criticism that Bergeson held too stubbornly to the failed math standards is fair, but we think she learned from it. The math education community is split over how best to teach it, and Bergeson is working hard to get districts in sync with the new standards and streamline the math curriculum statewide.
She’s also working with districts across the state to reduce the drop-out rate, which she says requires identifying at-risk students as early as possible and linking them with caring educators.
Bergeson is passionate and extremely hard-working. Even Dorn, a fair man, applauds her work ethic and unquestioned commitment to the welfare of kids.
Dorn, we suspect, could serve ably. But under Bergeson’s leadership, students are better prepared than ever for their next step after high school, whether that’s college, trade school or a job in an increasingly competitive world. The math puzzle looks like it’s being solved. It’s not time to make a change.
