It's American Education Week and I could not be much less hopeful about education in my part of Harford County. Don't get me wrong -- Abingdon Elementary where my children attend is a wonderful school. The teachers are great and the test scores are among the highest in the county.
I guess this goes back to my earlier column about being disenfranchised. I've seen photos of the new high school where my children will not attend. Instead, I'm looking at a 29.4 assessment rate for 8th-grade math at Edgewood Middle School. I see Jacqueline Haas named superintendent of the year for Maryland while the middle AND high school my child is slated to attend have not met the Average Yearly Progess goals for consecutive years. So instead of a plan detailing what the school board is implementing to improve the situation, we're treated to a "rally day" at the high school featuring the Ravens Busboys.
A rally day does not take the place of a comprehensive plan to improve the schools. We're not idiots. Cal Ripken, Jr. memorabilia and some balloons aren't answers to these problems.
At the rally day, Haas is quoted as saying, "You are the model for the rest of the county because of the close connection that already exists among Edgewood-area schools, this feeder system was chosen to pilot the program for the rest of the county. I know you are proud of your schools and the work done by your teachers every day."
Speaking for myself, I feel as close to the Edgewood community as I do to the Fallston community. I don't. I'm in Abingdon/Emmorton. My community is on this side of 95. Districting our school into another community doesn't make us part of another community.
I've been asking for answers about a comprehensive plan and so far have gotten none. I know there are great kids at Edgewood/Edgewood Middle. I don't think it's unsafe or a drug haven. I think they deserve more than just being safe. They also deserve the education that we are paying all these taxes for. You know, the same education that the kids at C. Milton are getting.
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2 comments:
I couldn't agree with you more. This is actually the #1 reason my husband and I settled in Bel Air vs. Abingdon. We saw that it was not on the fast track to recognizing the school development issues and while we didn't have children yet, we were afraid the problem would not be fully resolved by the time our children were in the school system. As it is, I try not to get hung up on the rezoning issues as we were in the CMW district when we moved in and are now in Bel Air HS's area. I figure before my kids get to HS, it will change at least 2 more times.
I have had one child graduate from EHS and I have another who is a freshman at the school. My now-college aged student will tell anyone who will listen that he feels he did not get a good education at EHS. I have nothing but problems with the teachers and administration at EHS with regard to helping my special needs student (my 9th grader).
I feel that the problems stem from the school's poor reputation and the area in general. Good, competent teachers would rather teach somewhere else, somewhere less challenging. The challenges are the same at EHS as they are at any other school where the socio-economic level of the community is somewhat lower. Education is not valued, parents are either too overwhelmed to care or are not available. In my case, I became jaded by the lack of parental involvement. Myself and many of the same parents were doing everything from PTA to music to sports.
We are currently looking at school alternatives for our 9th grader due to the many problems we have had.
Since we do live in Abingdon, we do care about the school system that our children and our neighbor's children will attend. The first thing that needs to happen in the Edgewood community is a stop to all of the crime. Nobody who cares about their children's education will willingly move into an area where the high school is located in a perceived crime zone.
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