ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, April 15, 1996 TAG: 9604160005
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
How would you ensure that educational basics are taught and remain a priority in schools amid the growing emphasis on computers and technology? Be specific.
Day - Would support and monitor existing school policies and programs that are designed to maintain a balance between educational basics, computers and technology.
Jeffrey - ``The key to ensuring continued emphasis on the basics is a School Board and school system committed to maximizing use of computers and technology in teaching the basics - I am committed to assisting in that effort.''
Lowe - Says a principal goal of education is to teach students how to reason. Says all courses must begin with the fundamentals, and only then should students be exposed to how technology can be used to increase productivity, eliminate human error and do other things.
Wishneff - ``I am a firm believer in teaching the basics and will do everything I can as a board member to ensure they are emphasized. However, for children coming through the school system now, computer literacy is a basic. Technology should be used to reinforce the basics.''
What should the schools do to help improve student attendance and reduce the dropout rate? Be specific.
Day - Believes students must develop the desire and determination to attend school every day. Says the schools must continue programs aimed at improving attendance and reducing dropouts - and school officials should seek the support of parents and the community in dealing with the problem.
Jeffrey - Proposes to improve communication and strengthen the links between schools and parents. Favors more parental involvement in the daily life of schools. Believes parents should be notified about attendance problems and help identify reasons for them.
Lowe - Says if students are old enough to get a driver's license, they should understand the consequence of failing to get a high school diploma. Says schools should offer a quality curriculum and demonstrate the relevance of what is being taught to life outside the school. Mentor programs and Junior Achievement can help, he says.
Wishneff - ``There must be some balance of rewards and penalties offered to our students. The penalty might be, for example, losing their driving privileges. The reward might be a commitment by employers in the [Roanoke] Valley that they will give priority in hiring to students that graduate and have good attendance records.''
What specific proposals do you have for raising the city's scores on national and state standardized tests? Are city schools giving enough attention to average students?
Day - Proposes city schools reinforce their current strategies for improving test scores by helping students understand why they are being tested and the importance of test results. Says students also need test-taking skills. Believes test scores will improve. Says the city already offers special programs at all levels designed to meet needs of average students.
Jeffrey - ``We should begin by raising our academic expectations of students [inside and outside of the classroom]. Example: more homework, especially on the basics and on Fridays. We should increase funding for teachers for both instructional resources/tools and compensation.'' Also says schools can do more to address needs of average students.
Lowe - Believes officials need to first look at courses and activities that have been allowed ``to creep into our school curriculum'' and rob students of time in educational fundamentals. Says schools must re-emphasize math, English and other fundamentals, and ensure that students are not passed to the next level until they have mastered their current grade.
Wishneff - Believes that the principal, teachers, children and parents all should be responsible for a school's performance. Each school, with the School Board's approval, should make recommendations on how to improve the test scores of its students. Students need to understand the importance of improving scores.
What specific proposals do you have for keeping weapons and illegal drugs out of schools? Do you favor the use of police officers and dogs to search for drugs and weapons?
Day - Says students' behavior codes must be enforced to ensure weapon-free and drug-free schools without exceptions; schools must deal with violations firmly and fairly. If there is a need for police officers and dogs to search for drugs in schools, he says, he would not hesitate to support that policy.
Jeffrey - Proposes increasing police presence at schools in nontraditional ways such as relocating law-enforcement training classrooms to school sites. Would seek increased counseling and guidance services. Would support periodic weapon and drug ``sweeps'' that stem from reasonable suspicion.
Lowe - Says schools are a microcosm of society and the effort to reduce violence and crime in schools must be part of a plan to deal with the problems in the community. But believes schools must enforce discipline and teach the responsibilities of citizenship. Would support the use of police to ensure safety in schools when circumstances require it.
Wishneff - ``No goal is more important for a school system than to provide a safe and respectful environment for teachers to teach and children to learn. I would support any responsible proposal, including the use of police officers and dogs to search for drugs and weapons, that would help achieve that goal.''
Would you support student uniforms and single-sex classes in city schools? Why or why not?
Day - Does not oppose student uniforms or single-sex classes, but considers uniforms a low priority. Says single-sex classes should be used only for special subjects, topics, programs and projects.
Jeffrey - Would back uniform programs at schools provided parents, teachers and site management support it. Says he would support single-sex pilot classes with longer commitment contingent on the improved academic performance of participating students.
Lowe - Neither a strong advocate nor an opponent of student uniforms or single-sex classes. But he would be willing to give consideration to one or both alternatives under appropriate circumstances and for appropriate reasons.
Wishneff - Would support them on an experimental basis if a principal or school superintendent made a convincing case that such measures were crucial for a particular school to provide the proper environment for learning.
LENGTH: Long : 116 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshots) Charles Day, Martin Jeffrey, James Lowe,by CNBBrian Wishneff.