Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 29, 1995 TAG: 9508290034
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Public schools must accept responsibility for the academic performance of students and not play the bureaucratic blame game when that performance is poor, Roanoke Superintendent Wayne Harris says.
"We all like to take responsibility for accomplishments, but we must also take responsibility when things do not go as we planned," Harris said Monday. "We must be accountable as a profession, as a school system and as individuals."
Speaking to city teachers and other school employees at the convocation for the new school year, the superintendent said the school system must face up to its problems, including flat scores on standardized tests, poor attendance and too many dropouts. Goals have been set for improvement in those areas this year.
Accountability must be based on facts and verifiable data, Harris said.
"We must be able to prove the impact of what we do - not just relate what we suspect or think."
Harris urged the principals and teachers to be innovative and try new approaches to motivate students.
Schools must change to meet the needs of students instead of following established programs, he said.
"If you always do what you have always done," Harris said, "you will always get what you have always gotten."
The convocation for new teachers is traditionally held the week before Roanoke schools start, which will be next Tuesday.
Roanoke Valley schools can't begin until then because they didn't miss 10 days for snow last year and thus didn't qualify for a waiver of the state's post-Labor Day opening requirement.
Harris used the convocation to display the talents of students and the school system's staff: his remarks were interspersed with singing, drama presentations and juggling acts to drive home his points.
Children in the federally funded preschool program for 4-year-olds sang a medley of songs they learned this summer. The city has preschool programs at 14 elementary schools that qualify for the federal funds.
Harris said preschool programs will be established this year with state and local funds at three elementary schools that do not qualify for federal funds: Fishburn Park, Monterey and Wasena.
"Building this strong foundation for our youngest students will ultimately have a tremendous effect on our entire system," he said.
To help relieve the pressure on them as educators, Harris said, principals and teachers must develop a sense of humor about themselves.
"Take your work seriously," he told them, "but don't take yourself too seriously."
by CNB