EDITORIAL
Schools cannot rest on modest improvement
Critics of the current leadership in our public school system suggest there is little sincere interest in true reform or renewal of the schools.
They argue that the rhetoric of reform has been adopted, but there is no sincere interest in making change happen.
Our concern, based on comments made this week by Superintendent Pat Hamamoto, is not that officials are uninterested in change. Rather, our fear is that they may be willing to settle for too little change, too slowly.
Hamamoto spoke to a conference of school administrators this week and challenged them to do better with specific goals for improvement in student achievement in reading and other skills.
Her message was that the days of complacency are over; that real improvement, measured against real standards, will now be required.
We applaud that message. It should be taken seriously.
But the goals Hamamoto enunciated are rather modest. She called, for instance, for a 10 percent increase in reading proficiency among third-, fifth-, eighth- and 10th-graders. And she demanded a 15 percent rise in the number of ninth-graders moving on to 10th grade and in the number of seniors who graduate.
Sounds good, but as Hamamoto pointed out, this represents relatively small number gains in any given year. But over time, if these numbers keep compounding, they will represent real progress. The question is, how much time do we have?
It must be said that unlike many of her critics, Hamamoto is a realist. She was a teacher and school administrator before becoming a central office official. She knows how tough it is to turn things around in the classroom.
Our hope, however, is that this represents only the first step toward raising the bar in public education. Our students are capable of great achievement and our teachers are fully equipped to give them the tools needed to reach those heights.
What's needed is the expectation and challenge from those who run the schools — as well as from parents and community supporters — that nothing short of excellence will suffice.
