Larke's new curricula change is a bad idea

Richmond County School Superintendent Charles Larke has recently proposed that all secondary students follow a college prep track, and that all secondary students complete at least three units of vocational classes. A draft of the idea has now gone before the Richmond County Board of Education. One board member approvingly noted that the "mere exposure to more rigorous classes will produce brighter pupils."

Students, though, do not absorb algebra simply by "exposure" any more than they absorb plumbing skills by time spent in the restroom. "Exposure" has little value as a pedagogical strategy, even if it has a nice ring to it.

More to the point, Larke's plan will tend to weaken both college prep courses and meaningful vocational education. The prep classes will be slowed down to accommodate those who don't have the aptitude or inclination for college work. And although the concept of self-esteem is sometimes misused in education, in this case it is a real consideration since some students would be pushed into classes for which they lack the particular skills necessary - though they may be bright and talented in other ways.

ON THE OTHER hand, college prep students, as a whole, will not take vocational classes seriously. They will not understand why they can't spend that time in study hall or taking French IV. This will contribute to an uncomfortable situation in vocational classes, making it difficult for those who want to work with lineman's pliers instead of a calculator.

In the worst cases, college prep students will feel put-out by vocational classes, and that attitude will color the experience for others. It will do no good to say they shouldn't have a low opinion of their vocational classes because they will, and attempts to change their mind will be wasted energy. It's a matter of human nature.

Larke wants to raise SAT scores and provide more rigor in the classroom. At the moment, this is problematic because the SAT has just changed, and no one knows the new situation yet. It is premature to adopt a plan, especially on a wide scale, for a situation that is as yet poorly understood.

If average score improvement is the goal, a better idea might be to devote more resources to the brightest students, those who are capable of more than 1,200 on the math and verbal parts of the exam, but who presently underachieve. Attention to this group might raise the area average faster than anything else - but then they may not have time for carpentry.

What specific measures might Richmond County pursue to improve its educational system?

FIRST, DON'T be hasty. There's a problem in education, best expressed by a student's T-shirt I saw at my university. It read, "I Like Theory." This might be a suitable motto for quantum physics, but it's been a big distraction for educators, encouraging classroom experiments that will take decades to overcome. Many classroom "improvements," though untested, are often irresistible to educators. Why? Because "reforms" are taken as visible signs of "progress," no matter how regressive they might be.

Second, continue to encourage what works. The magnet schools in Richmond County are three of the best ideas to come along in a while; hopefully, there are more on the way. If it weren't for the county's magnet schools, the SAT average would be even lower.

Educators should also lobby the governor and General Assembly to make it easier to establish charter schools. Georgia has only 39 charter schools out of a national total of more than 3,400. Florida has 301. States have left us in the dust in this respect - and test scores prove it.

PERHAPS MOST importantly, administrators should aggressively pursue new and better ways to encourage and reward teachers, since they are the real key to educational improvement. Administrators must serve teachers, not the other way around. More resources might also be put into teacher in-service training in proven pedagogical strategies so that they are equipped to challenge all their students in ways that match their strengths as well as their weaknesses.

Finally, every administrator ought to periodically rotate back through the classroom to teach again. If not, they can fall hopelessly out of touch with teachers and parents. Fairly or unfairly, Richmond County seems to have developed a reputation for poor administrative follow-through, a reputation that extends to Washington, D.C., by way of Atlanta. There are even rumors of unmanned answering machines from which inquiries, complaints and concerns never emerge.

Fixing that problem may be the place to start before grander reform schemes are undertaken.

(Editor's note: The writer is a professor of political science at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville.)