The continued emphasis on mandatory testing and test scores (though misguided) serves as a constant reminder of the great challenge we face in improving the quality of education within our public schools.

It should be quite obvious by now: You cannot simply spend or test your way to academic excellence. Our public schools are due for a restructuring that facilitates learning and student progress through the various grade levels.

Two policies have proved to be self-defeating and counterproductive: the removal of prayer and corporal punishment, and placing ninth-graders in high school. As a result of these policies, we are witnessing an explosion of bad conduct, and a significant number of high-school freshmen requiring remedial courses or summer school.

Early intervention is needed desperately in schools, and simply waiting for a report card after every six-week grading period won't do. Under early intervention, every relevant person should be evaluated -- students, teachers, parents, administrators, staff, etc. School board officials should be evaluated on their response to student behavior issues. A performance analysis every three weeks would allow problem areas to be identified sooner so proper action could be taken.

No longer should misbehavior or parental noninvolvement be allowed to impede the learning process. No longer should overly aggressive or disrespectful students consume valuable instruction time and classroom space. No longer can we afford to overlook negligent parents and expect our educators to produce miracle results. And no school official or employee should be allowed to insult a child's dignity or self-esteem with impunity.

We can, however, re-establish our public school system as a paradigm of excellence. This can be accomplished by restoring the virtues of respect, accountability and intellectuality, and the principles of comprehension and application -- and to educate our young adults in a more complete context on our nation's history.

Let's bring back the excitement to our schools. Let's bring back compassion, and make learning fun.

Brian Green, Augusta