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This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by editorial page staff and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers

Saturday, August 08, 2009

Finally, School Reform Beyond Basic Addition



          Days after the state released groundbreaking-yet-awful high-school graduation numbers, Gov. Bill Richardson unveiled the first of a slate of reforms that do more than throw money at the problem.
        That doesn't make them inexpensive. So far almost $9 million in stimulus money will be used. But unlike 2006's Year of the Child programs, which added tens of millions of dollars to public education (New Mexico now spends $2.4 billion a year), these reforms have specific targets like cutting the number of dropouts and narrowing the achievement gap.
        The governor also included an important public accountability component to track what's working. And presumably, what's not.
        For the first time the Public Education Department has cohort graduation rates that follow students from ninth grade through the summer after senior year to see who gets a diploma. Similarly, Richardson's plan for an annual report card to track achievement via high school, college and university graduation rates as well as dropout rates for each ethnic group will provide a baseline to evaluate subsequent years.
        No more comparing PED apples to local school district oranges for trends that don't and can't add up. And, hopefully, no more bemoaning the sorry state of education without a clue as to the whys behind it; no more blindly trying to spend our way to proficiency.
        Just 54 percent of New Mexico's 2004 ninth-graders made it through school to walk the line with the class of 2008. Richardson has embraced a bold plan to add as many as 10,000 students to those numbers, offering online coursework to recent dropouts who just need a few credits. He is equally bold in spreading the responsibility for poor student achievement — pointing out "it's going to take all of us. ... Not just educators and teachers." The professionals who, come first bell, deal with everything from hunger to lack of sleep to neglect to abuse say thank you.
        Like all reforms, much depends on the follow-through after the originator leaves office. But the baselines and subsequent statistics will allow evaluation of Richardson's online program, task force recommendations, student ethnicity summits, Hispanic education office and teacher culture training.
        Richardson is right that in today's economy "a high school diploma is a must." And he is also right to go beyond simple budget addition and include accountability in making that diploma a reality for more than 54 percent of the population.
       

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