THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 28, 1994 TAG: 9409280472
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
The city's public schools are holding their own compared with the nation's 50 largest urban districts, but there's no cause for rejoicing, a report released Tuesday suggests.
By most measures, including teacher quality and student achievement, Norfolk's school system is performing better than the average urban district, a ``report card'' issued by the Council of the Great City Schools shows.
When compared with all school districts, however, Norfolk ranks slightly below the national average.
The report provides a snapshot of key indicators during 1992 and 1993. In size, Norfolk ranks 45th among the nation's 50 largest urban districts. The city was the only Virginia district included in the report.
``When you look at school systems like Denver, Columbus, Atlanta, Portland, Pittsburgh - we're doing better than most,'' Norfolk schools spokesman George Raiss said. ``We don't have the problems to the extent some of the other urban centers have, but it shows that we have some weaknesses we need to address - and I think we are.''
The report shows that Norfolk had a higher percentage of certified teachers than in districts and the nation. At least 99 percent of English, math and science teachers in Norfolk were certified in their subjects.
Compared with the average for urban districts, Norfolk:
Had fewer dropouts - 7.5 percent compared with 8.7 percent.
Had more hours from parent volunteers - 5 hours per student compared with 3.2 hours.
Had a greater percentage of full-day kindergartners - 76 percent compared with 66 percent.
Sent a substantially greater percentage of students to four-year colleges - 52.3 percent compared with 26 percent.
On the downside, Norfolk:
Had more weapons incidents per 1,000 students - 6.9 compared with 3.5.
Spent less money per pupil - $5,857 compared with $6,161.
Had a smaller percentage of 10th-graders passing a full-year algebra course - 13.2 percent compared with 34.5 percent. (Includes all 10th-graders, not just those taking algebra.)
Norfolk students compared favorably to other urban districts on standardized test scores, but performed below the national average in reading and math.
KEYWORDS: REPORT CARD EDUCATION URBAN NORFOLK PUBLIC SCHOOLS by CNB