ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, February 13, 1996 TAG: 9602130073
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: Reporter's Notebook
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE
They've known it all along.
A recent article published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch announced what administrators in Giles County and Radford already were aware of: The two school systems are overachievers when it comes to educating children.
The newspaper to our east conducted research of Virginia's 134 school systems with the help of Jacob Van Bowen, chairman of the University of Richmond's mathematics and computer science department.
But the study didn't simply look at test scores or dropout rates to evaluate how well various school systems performed.
Van Bowen and the Times-Dispatch included socio-economic factors - information many educators say are essential in a state where there's great disparity between school systems. The research included median household income, the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunches and per-pupil expenditures for each locality.
The results show some counties, like affluent Warren or Madison in Northern Virginia, aren't living up to their potential. Other areas with less resources came out performing far better than financial factors would indicate.
Giles and Radford were included in the list of 14 state school systems that "overachieved" in at least one of the components.
While some may argue it's not fair to compare school systems in Southwest and Northern Virginia, the results bring to light factors that may have just as much influence on a child's ability to learn as having computers or a new building.
Radford Superintendent Michael Wright said it was important to look at all kinds of measurements to evaluate what's working and what needs work.
The study rated Radford as one of the top school systems for standardized test results, yet its median household income was $12,000 below the state average.
"The conclusions of the study sent a congratulatory note to students, teachers and principals for all the hard work they do each day," he said.
But it also says a great deal about the communities that support their schools.
Giles County Superintendent Bob McCracken said in smaller areas the schools are a focal point and communities take ownership for how well children learn.
His school system rated the highest for attendance: 84 percent in a state where the average was 69 percent.
In January, Gov. George Allen told the state legislature to demand accountability for funds spent on public education. Specifically, he recommended allocating $20 million for the development of standardized student tests that would gauge how well schools were teaching students. School systems that reported low scores would lose money or face other sanctions.
But, according to studies like the one printed in the Times-Dispatch, that type of strictly number-based evaluation can be misleading.
What's better, McCracken said, is to look at every aspect of a school system to decide what needs improvement.
"Any time you can look at what you have the potential to do, rather than what you do, is more valuable."
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