Keeping Schools in Check

 Today, we are living in an information age. With the click of a computer key, a screen is illuminated with charts, graphs, and research detailing the latest statistics in almost any given field. Data are literally at one's fingertips. Yet, when parents attempt to gather information on the public schools in their district, they often are met with little success.

Recently, the publication Education Week, in partnership with two public opinion research firms, published an issue entitled "Reporting Results" that discusses the new buzzword of 1999 -- accountability. In an effort to uncover its true meaning, a 50-state study was conducted to assess what it is that parents and educators most want to know about their local schools.

Against the backdrop of growing pressure for school choice and greater competition among educational institutions, Education Week reports that schools are slowly beginning to unearth statistics representative of their academic performance. Education Week expects that 36 states will have "report cards" on the performance of individual schools this year. However, less that half of these states will include the kind of information that parents most want and need, and only 13 of the states, including West Virginia, ensure that the "report cards" are sent home to parents.

Making the decision where to send a child to school is perhaps one of the most difficult and thought-provoking decisions a parent can make, and parents should not have to rely on word-of-mouth to make these important choices. Parents want documentation of test scores and graduation rates. They want to know what is happening behind the schoolhouse doors. Their concerns are as fundamental as curriculum, the qualifications of the teachers instructing their child, and the safety of their child.

After decades of measuring schools by how many books are in the library or how many computers are in the classrooms, parents and policymakers alike are seeking yardsticks better equipped to gauge academic results. The road to achieving greater accountability on the part of schools is a long one, with many obstacles ahead. But I commend West Virginia's education community for striving to shed more light on the performances of schools in the state. I encourage parents to take advantage of the statewide school-report-card program as they navigate this challenging territory.
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March 3, 1999