Commentary; Posted: 5/7/03

Reject claims that schools are failing

Judy Schaubach
Guest Columnist

By any measure, Minnesota has one of the strongest public school systems in the United States. Itís not easy for critics to claim our schools are ìfailingî when Minnesota regularly ranks at or near the top of the nation in national assessments and other comparisons.

But that has not stopped the critics of public education from trying. Currently, they are claiming that Minnesota schools are falling behind.

Our test scores are ìstagnant,î they say, while other states, with superior academic standards, are catching up to us. In the words of Gov. Tim Pawlenty: ìWeíve lost our edgeÖWeíve become complacent and are treading water.î

These claims will likely become self-fulfilling prophecies if the governorís education budget takes effect. His plan will mean fewer young children can participate in programs that prepare them for school success.

Struggling and disadvantaged students will get less after-school help. Students in bigger classes will get less of the individualized attention that often means the difference between success and failure.

Every child left behind in the budget is a child less capable of contributing to the high average test scores that state and national policy makers are demanding.

At present, Minnesotaís student achievement is not falling behind the rest of the nation. On the contrary, we are more than keeping up with other states in important areas.

One marker is the state rankings on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The NAEP math tests have been given three times at the state level since 1992, and over that time, the percentage of Minnesota eighth graders scoring at the ìproficientî level or above has risen from third in the nation to first. Fourth graders have risen from sixth to first.

This improvement occurred at a time when many other states were increasing their NAEP math achievement. As the Minnesota Office of Educational Accountability has put it, ìIt can safely be said that the achievement gains in Minnesota are certainly keeping pace with those in other top performing states.î

In reading, Minnesota ranks in the top dozen or so states. From 1992 to 1998, Minnesota was one of only seven states that significantly improved their fourth grade reading achievement on the NAEP.

By comparison, fourth grade reading achievement has not changed significantly in the six states used as models in the recent effort by the Department of Children, Families and Learning to rewrite Minnesotaís English and language arts standards.

Only one of those states, Massachusetts, ranked higher than Minnesota on the most recent test.

Minnesota has maintained its margin of achievement in other measures as well. For instance, on the ACT college admissions test, Minnesota students consistently score near the top among states where the majority of college-bound students take the test.

Compared with the national average, Minnesotaís edge has remained remarkably consistent for more than a decade.

Does this mean there is no room for improvement? Of course not. The averages mask disturbing achievement gaps, at both the state and national levels, between white and minority students, and between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students.

Passing rates for Minnesotaís Basic Skills Tests and scores on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments are no longer climbing rapidly. That, in fact, was predicted when we started using these tests.

Still, it is a matter for concern because the federal No Child Left Behind law will require hefty increases in student achievement that many say are statistically impossible.

The issue is how to get all students to high levels of achievement. There is no magic formula; itís going to take a determined effort from all stakeholders ó politicians and parents as well as educators ó to find the right solutions.

Meanwhile, well-funded critics of public education are marshalling every possible half-truth, every failure of schools to produce instant results, to justify cutting back revenue to Minnesota schools.

Minnesotans should reject these claims as the self-serving political ploys they are. To keep Minnesota smart ó and proud ó we must properly fund our public schools.

Writer Judy Schaubach is president of Education Minnesota.

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