
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, April 26, 1993                   TAG: 9304260020
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Ray Reed
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WE GET WHAT WE PAY FOR IN EDUCATION

Q: On last Monday's front page was the headline, "Ignorance about atrocities common," and the story said half of U.S. high school students don't really know what the Holocaust was. I wonder if we are being unfair to our students, and if students in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem would know as much about the U.S. Civil War or Battle of Gettysburg. S.R., Troutville

A: Your question may be riding a new direction in the political wind.

Kern Alexander, a university distinguished professor at Virginia Tech, agrees with you that our youngsters and educational system have taken some unfair bashing.

He pointed out that for 10 years the federal government campaigned for vouchers and tax credits for private education, while publishing test scores from selected countries to show our kids behind theirs.

It's true that many countries demand more of their schoolchildren. It's also easier to get results when the country puts more money into schools and the students come from similar ethnic and financial backgrounds - which European nations preserve with immigration laws.

We get a lot of bang for the buck from our education dollar, Alexander says. We rank in the bottom third among 16 industrialized nations in spending on elementary and high school education, but U.S. kids score in the middle on tests.

"We as a country have been getting as much or more than we've been paying for," said Alexander, whose field is education. If that sounds like a plea for more money, it's also a statistical fact, he said.

To reply specifically to your comparison to a high school student in Jerusalem: If the student were Jewish, he or she likely would attend a school with high standards and probably would know something about the U.S. Civil War.

A non-Jewish student in Israel, however, might not be allowed into that top-quality school.

Alexander said he learned about those education standards in Israel from that nation's minister of education when the two attended a meeting at Oxford University.

Handgun laws' catches

Q: I'd like to know what the law is on carrying a loaded handgun in a vehicle. I've talked to some law enforcement people and there seems to be some doubt about the legality of where it can be carried. J.S., Roanoke

A: If there's doubt, don't do it.

That may brand me in some eyes; so be it. This question leads into a legal maze.

Let's say you've never been convicted of a felony and have a loaded revolver in full view on the seat beside you.

You're probably within the law until you drive within 100 yards of a school's property line.

If anything - your coat, for example - covers the gun, you have a concealed weapon about your person. Put the gun under the seat and, if it's within reach, that's illegal.

Many localities have their own laws. If you're under 18 in Roanoke County, driving with a loaded gun - of any length - is illegal.

The technicalities are endless. It's the stuff lawyers feed on.

Any sensible answer would include the suggestion that we don't take the risk.

Got a question about something that might affect other people too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.

by CNB