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Hernando Today

What About Results?

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By DONALD J. MYERS, A Mind of My Own

Hernando Today

Published: August 15, 2008

Why is it that whenever any of us need assistance or service from a specialist, we ask friends or family for recommendations? We want to hire someone or some company that has a reputation for doing good work in the area where we need help.
Our school superintendent announced to the school board on Tuesday that the county has received the first application for a charter school in years -- Maverick's High D. Wade's Schools. This could serve as many as 550 students who have either dropped out of school or at risk of dropping out.
This school could take as much as $3.3 million per student from state funding for the district as reported by this paper. Let's first talk about the money. Federal funds, state funds or county funds are all tax money coming from taxpayers. There is no free money. The only money that the government earns or makes is when it prints money at the treasury department.
Let's talk about the school. It is going to be for students who have either dropped out or are in jeopardy of dropping out of school. When we look at a graduation rate of about 70-plus percent for the system, I would ask if we failed initially, what convinces us that we would succeed the second time?
We are now going to open another school and hire more teachers for the system, and the system is not providing the desired results now. This state is not alone in this area. The state and the nation as a whole have spent billions of additional dollars during the past decade or more on education. One would expect that with all this additional spending, the results would improve. Yet when compared to the rest of the developed countries in the world, we are doing poorly with results. The main response from the educational system is more money is needed.
Judging success in education should not be measured by the amount of money spent, but by the results. Why do such a large percentage of college freshmen need to attend remedial English, math and science classes in college? "The children are our future" is the mantra shouted from the rooftops any time someone questions the effectiveness of the school systems.
The system is broken and needs a totally different approach. New expensive books every year does not make a good school. Learning how to add, divide and multiply should not take a rocket scientist. Learning verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, etc. does not require a genius. These things were taught very well decades ago when we had many more students in the classrooms. Of course, in those days we had "drills" and today that is strictly taboo.
The teachers were dedicated and spent whatever amount of time that was needed. There are many today who are the same, but too many who are not. The new teachers in the county were "wowed" by the reception that they received as reported by this paper on Thursday. One teacher who came from Broward County said that she never saw her former superintendent and was floored with the welcome by this one. I hate to say it, but I do not think that she is unusual. Too many of the superintendents are confined to their offices or attending meetings rather than visiting schools.
Until we begin looking at the results and holding schools, students, teachers, principals, superintendents and school boards accountable, we will remain at the bottom when compared to the rest of the developed countries.

Donald J. Myers, a retired colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, is a regular columnist for Hernando Today. He lives in Spring Hill and can be contacted at DMyersUSMC@aol.com.

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