|
By Jim Uphoff, Ed. D.
The U.S. Dept. of Education’s 2006 Condition of Education report provides a comprehensive look at our nation’s education system both currently and trends/changes over the years. While not all of the facts below directly impact Oakwood City Schools, they do impact the “context” in which our system exists and competes.
We all know that quality pre-school and early childhood education experiences are directly connected to quality learning in the K-12 portion of our nation’s system of education. Yet the percentage of children who attended such programs increased from 53 percent in 1991 to 60 percent in 1999, but has since declined to only 57 percent in 2005. Of course there was a change in political leadership in our nation between 99 and 05!
The number of children ages 5 to 17 who spoke a language other than English at home more than doubled between 1979 and 2004 from 3.8 to 9.9 million. In 2004, the minority enrollment in the schools of the western third of our nation represented 57 percent of the students.
The media message of parents being upset with their public schools is NOT what this report shared. In 2003, fully half of all children in grades three through 12 had parents who reported that they were “very satisfied” with their child’s school—its teachers, academic standards, order and discipline.
Politicians claim that schools are unsafe but they seem to ignore data given in the report. From 1992 to 2003 the rate of crime against students declined by 53 percent for theft and declined by 42 percent for all violent crime. School safety programs have increased dramatically over these years. Locally, Oakwood Schools work every year with our own local public safety officers to review and improve our own plans and program.
Total expenditures per student increased 23 percent in constant dollars between 95-96 and 02-03 school years. Yet the costs to schools of basic expenditures such as textbooks, utilities, fuel, salaries, and new personnel to make all of the new mandated reports and meet the new mandated actions grew by far more than 23. This means that the income from local, state, and federal funds has been far less than needed to meet these increased costs. This is why so many schools have had to have so many levies on the ballot so often in recent years.
Our nation’s students have been making major gains on national tests of academic achievement. For example the average score on the National Assessment of Educational Progress math exams for fourth graders increased 25 points from 1990 to 2005. For eighth graders, their average score increased by 16 points over that same time period.
If you want to read the full report, it is available on the web by going to http://nces.ed.gov. What the media and politicians choose to tell us about our education system is often not based on real facts. I urge all of us to seek out hard data and hold our own judgment making until such information is available and understood. Are our schools perfect? Of course not, but to make improvements, we must first base our planning on accurate information!
Harman Lego Team.
Smith Lego Team.
OJHS Lego team.
Oakwood students for E,D. Smith Elementary, Harman Elementary and the Jr. High gathered at Smith’s library for a Lego Robotics Showcase. In preparation of the upcoming First Lego League competition at the Booneshoft Museum and Wright State University, all three teams presented their robots and research. This year’s topic is nanotechnology. Students had to research the various applications of nanotechnology and determine a future use for this new technology. Want to learn more about nanotechnology? Visit www.nanooze.org for more information. The advisors, Melody Knostman, Renee Griffith and Amanda Ammer, would like to say a special thanks to the Oakwood Schools Education Foundation for their supporting grant which purchased the new robot and software programs.
top of page
|
