Posted on: Wednesday, February 25, 2004

EDITORIAL
School reform: Let's start with the basics

As legislators and policy-makers debate grand issues of public school governance, reform and new concepts of standards and accountability, one wonders whether some have lost sight of the true goal.

It is simply this: improving the quality of the learning relationship between each teacher and each student in the classroom.

At base, that is what any version of school "reform" is all about. But that simple goal far too often gets lost in the stormy debate over how our schools should be run and who is in charge.

The lesson came through in a story this week by Education Writer Derrick DePledge, who visited several local public-school classrooms to see what happens on the ground, in educational reality.

One striking observation: Despite record amounts of spending on our public schools, there still are not enough up-to-date textbooks to go around.

It's that simple. No matter how sophisticated the governance system, no matter how focused and advanced the standards, if the kids do not have the basic tools they need to learn, it all comes to nothing.

So how about starting with that? The Advertiser has long advocated a "Marshall Plan" approach to our public schools that begins with the rebuilding of the physical infrastructure of public education. That means clean, well-lighted, safe and modern classrooms for every student, every teacher.

But even in this case, one must start someplace. How about a commitment from every legislator — from everyone involved in public education — that as of right now, every student in every class will have his or her own textbook that covers the material in an up-to-date and comprehensive manner.

Is that too much to ask?