I have long been concerned about the direction of Washington’s school reform effort and feel compelled to express my concerns. While I applaud the efforts to raise expectations for all of our students, I believe we are truly missing an opportunity to inspire and encourage thousands of our very finest students.
Much of our current reform effort is focused on getting the sophomores in the class of 2008 who scored lowest on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning to meet graduation standards. We have virtually forgotten the 42 percent of Washington sophomores who passed all three portions of the WASL. Today we find our entire state embroiled in a debate regarding graduation requirements based upon meeting minimum standards. Our myopic focus on minimum standards fails to inspire our students to reach for excellence.
I believe it is imperative that we encourage and inspire our students to pursue higher education in the fields of math, science and engineering. Our economic viability depends on this, both as a state and as a nation. I am worried that even if our students were 100 percent successful in meeting the WASL requirements we have done nothing to inspire or encourage them to pursue degrees in math- or science-related fields.
To that end, I would like to suggest that Washington begin to invest seriously in our future through a Washington Math/Science Scholar Diploma. Students who meet the graduation standard would be eligible for tuition scholarships at any state university providing they pursue math/science-related degrees. Several of the most prestigious universities in the United States report that the majority of graduate students in math and science are foreign students. This truly is the “Quiet Crisis” that Thomas Friedman warns us of in his book “The World Is Flat.”
We have neglected these students, who will emerge as our leaders. It is time to recognize that they are a valued state and national resource that must be developed. We are part of a global economy filled with well-educated and motivated competitors. Our place in the global economy is in jeopardy. I would argue that the stakes are too high to ignore this any longer.
David C. Burgess is superintendent of the Lake Stevens School District.
Washington Scholar Diploma proposal
Students meeting the following criteria would receive free tuition to any state university, provided they pursue an undergraduate degree in math- or science-related fields.
* Four years of math, including calculus
* Three years of science, including chemistry and physics
* Four years of English
* Three years of foreign language
* Two advanced placement scores of 3 or higher
* Grade-point average of 3.5 or above
* SAT scores of 1100 or above
* Passing all components of the WASL
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