"Are you kidding me?" This is what I kept asking myself while paging through The Aegis special section in today's paper: Harford County Public Schools Annual Report "Building on Success." Please pick it up if you'd like to enter what appears to be the rapturous dream world of our school superintendent.
In her opening column, the Maryland Superintendent of the Year (among other things that are lovingly detailed later in the tab) Haas discusses how helping a child is the closest any of us get to being immortal. She says that educating not only is a chance to strive for greatness, but for immortality.
She also calls on "stakeholders" to join her in her journey through the future.
Among the pages and pages of glowing achievements racked up by the appointed, accountable to stakeholders, school system was one downer. A brief mention of the NCLB test scores, which if you didn't know how dismally some schools performed, you still wouldn't. Here's the lone paragraph:
"Noting that NCLB requires every student to be scoring at least at the proficient level by the 2013-14 school year, Dr. Haas said the school system has its work cut out for it in ensuring that all students have the opportunity to meet standards. She pointed to the vast improvement made during the fours year of MSA testing as an indication the school system is on the right track."
Yes, kudos to everyone! Schools facing their third year of failing. Awesome!
Don't get me wrong. I support the teachers and know what a tough job they have. They do extra work without much support. But like an alcoholic, until the school board admits it has a problem, nothing will change. And they won't, because while the teachers are in the trenches trying to do something, they're fancying themselves immortal. And without elections or any consequence for anything they do (block scheduling anyone?), it looks like we stakeholders will have an eternity to deal with their ongoing successes.
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As the parent of an Edgewood High senior who just attended the worst concert in my son's history I agree that unless your school falls ito a certain zip code you are step children. Our wonderful band director was taken by the new school along with a lot of other great teachers. We have also been forced to endure other teachers transferred to our school because other schools wanted to be rid of them. (an 8th grade math teacher that was transferred from Fallston that would not offer help to students or particpate in conferences). Where do I sign up for an elected school board?
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