By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

Attempts to better Hawai'i's public schools will never be successful if every change is perceived as a threat and every criticism provokes hurt feelings, defensive postures and hand-wringing over faculty and student morale.

The perception of pain has a lot to do with attitude. So does the efficacy of intervention.

Say, for example, your doctor tells you you're headed for a procedure that could be uncomfortable, even painful. Ultimately, though, your chances of getting better could increase with the treatment protocol and lifestyle changes. Leaving things the way they are means your health will not improve. You've tried that for too long already and it's clear this won't get better "on its own."

If you dread taking the medicine, having the surgery or going through treatment, the unpleasantness will be magnified. If you go in filled with doubt and dire predictions, you may be hurting your chances for getting better.

Many of Hawai'i's public schools have been ailing for some time. Clearly, continuing with the same practices and behaviors wasn't going to make things better.

While there are few, if any, true believers in the federally mandated No Child Left Behind Act who actually work in public schools, the bottom line is that something clearly had to be done.

Like much of modern medicine, No Child Left Behind may not be the sure-fire fix to all ailments. It may seem at times that the cure is more cruel than the condition.

But it's what we have to work with, what the HMO will pay for, and trying something new is better than doing the same old thing that made us unwell.

It seems counterproductive to be dreading intervention. Schools don't want outsiders telling them what to do, which is understandable, but outsiders come in many flavors and some of them have good ideas to go with their best intentions.

As for morale in the schools, here's an opportunity to practice a healthy attitude. Schools that are clearly failing are bristling at the word "failing." Everybody has to choose their words so carefully and almost pretend things aren't broken that truly are. But it is much more productive to face facts and own up to problems. It is the first step to improvement.

Will state takeover and private educational assistance help the 24 schools on "The List?" More attention for these schools can't be bad, and more teachers on campus to work with students sounds like a good thing, but still, the effects will be assessed over time.

It's the old "wait and see" that walks the halls of hospitals and medical clinics. In the meantime, the school communities should work on expecting the best, not fearing the worst, and resisting the impulse to reject all potential benefits out of hand.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.