Get serious about reforming education

Meaningful education reform will not take place in Illinois as long as all school districts are lumped together. The truth is that there are many excellent school districts in Illinois. In order to move forward, there must be an open and honest analysis of the status quo.

We have quantitative outputs such as test results, dropout rates and percent of graduates going on to college at each school district. We have quantitative inputs such as instructional expenditure per pupil, participation in extracurricular activities, demographics by race and income level, crime statistics in communities, average salary for elementary and high school teachers, and property tax school levies.

What are causal correlations between the inputs and the outputs? What about not so easily measured inputs such as parental involvement, the belief that education is the way to a better future and the realistic possibility of attending college?

As always, to accomplish a difficult social goal, many people must come together to create the will to get the job done. The people at the top, at the federal, state and local levels, must lead the way. Every parent must insist that each child get a quality education leading to a future as a contributing member of our society.

Barbara Burns

Mount Prospect