ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 28, 1995 TAG: 9512290015
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
LOWERING TRUANCY and dropout rates, raising scores on standardized tests for academic achievement and physical fitness: Roanoke schools Superintendent Wayne Harris has targeted important challenges.
Even better, he has included specific strategies for tackling them in the budget he is proposing for the 1996-97 school year. Those strategies seem reasonable and worth trying in a district that rightly prides itself on the quality of education it offers, yet has many students who fail to take full advantage of it.
Attendance is appalling. A full 40 percent of students in the district missed more than 10 days of school in the past year, and almost 450 missed 50 days - or more! - in a school year of only 180 days. No one can learn much with such spotty attendance.
Some of these kids conclude: Why bother? The district has lowered its 7 percent dropout rate, but still loses 5 percent of its students before they graduate. The state average is 3.5 percent. As Harris notes, if the attendance rate goes up, the dropout rate is likely to go down. It's hard for students to pass courses when they don't show up for instruction, and failing grades often lead to dropping out.
The superintendent has set measurable goals for reducing absenteeism, and to accomplish them, proposes setting up a team of psychologists and teachers to work with students who miss school more than 10 days. These kids surely need the extra attention. It also might help to supplement such a unit with good, old-fashioned truant officers to haul in wanderers.
The schools should work more closely with city police. Returning school-age children to school is an effective crime-prevention tool, both because truancy and juvenile crime often go hand-in-hand, and because any resulting improvement in the dropout rate means more youths would get the education they need to live productive lives.
Of course, something still has to happen in the classroom. Coerced attendance is no substitute for an educational atmosphere that attracts kids by fostering a love of learning, self-confidence and teamwork, critical thinking and creative problem-solving.
Harris is proposing to concentrate more resources on teaching, with an eye on the district's lackluster showing on standardized test scores. His plan is to hire assistants that would free elementary teachers for 30 minutes of planning time each day. Teachers have long said they need this. It's time to listen to them, give them what they say they need to get the job done - and expect results.
The superintendent also wants to add two elementary physical education teachers to improve pupils' performance on the state's physical fitness test - only 25 percent have passed all parts of it in recent years - and one person to provide technology support so teachers can make greater use of computers in instruction.
That's not a sizable shift in personnel or resources for a district as big as Roanoke's. But Harris plans to eliminate three central office jobs and streamline noninstructional operations. He seems to have focused the district's priorities where they need to be: on student achievement.
By far the greatest share of the budget increase Harris is seeking would go, of course, to raises for teachers and other employees. Such raises are appropriate.
How much of all of this will survive City Council's scrutiny - and the city's willingness to pay - is unknown. What is certain is that the administration has identified urgent needs and worthwhile investments.
LENGTH: Medium: 65 linesby CNB