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Date:         Fri, 21 Aug 1992 20:34:51 EDT
              <EDPOLYAN@ASUACAD.BITNET>
From:         Anne Pemberton <apembert@VDOE386.VAK12ED.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Lake Woebegone Revisited
X-To:         EDPOLYAN@asuvm.inre.asu.edu
              "MFETLER@cc1.cccco.edu" at Aug 21, 92 10:18 am

In reply to Mark Fetler's comments about the rise in
test scores in Oregon, I must say that I hope the
public and legislatures pay as much attention to this
bit of "good news" as they did about the "bad news" over
the low test scores in past years. Fundamentalists, home
schoolers, private school people and other naysayers (of
which there's a whopping contingency in Oregon) typically
point to LOW TEST SCORES as proof that the public school
systems don't do the job. The state super's analysis
is Fighting Fire With Fire.

I'm always amused by the "not prepared for" arguments. A
few years ago our district asked the local businesses
just exactly what they wanted our grads to be able to do.
Their answer? We want you to teach them to show up for work
every day and on time, and to follow directions from their
supervisors. So, we tightened the attendence policy, increased
the consequences for tardies to class, and reinforced "Do
what the teacher tells you to do" in teacher/student disputes.
These policies cost us a few bright and creative kids who
just couldn't hack a straight-jacket. But either it's made no
difference, or the local employers just enjoy griping about
about schools when the weather's nice.

So, when you say kids are "unprepared" for college, who and
what do you mean? Are you talking about the kids who ace the
SATs
and win full scholarships to the finest universities? Or are
you referring to the "D" students who majored in "dating" in
HS and enroll in community college because it's "easy"?  Do
you have any benchmark to show what kids USED TO be able to
do that kids now can't, and do you have any sort of numbers
to show that the number of "unprepared" kids is indeed rising?
How many of your kids now are both full time students and full
time employees as compared to your baseline group? Have you
done
any work comparing the demographics of the kids now and the
kids
then? Are you comparing apples to apples, or apples to tomatoes?
Or is this just another gripe to roll out when the weather is
nice?

And CONGRATULATIONS!! to the teachers in Oregon. You did what
was asked of you!! probably putting in lots of your own personal
time and money to make it happen. Know that there are some who
appreciate your efforts!

Anne Pemberton


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*                                                                   *
*    Anne L. Pemberton              apembert@ncps.vak12ed.edu       *
*    Nottoway High School           apembert@vdoe386.vak12ed.edu    *
*    Nottoway VA                    notthigh@ruby.vcu.edu           *
*                                                                   *
*           *       *       *       *       *       *               *
*                                                                   *
*   "One of the most spectacular privileges of intellectuals is     *
*    that they are free to demonstrate scandalous stupidity with-   *
*    out ever jeopardizing their reputations"   ---   Eric Hoffer   *
*                                                                   *
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Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU