Author: Julie Mack
Email: mackteach@aol.com
Rated: PG-13
The Class: EdGen 554 — Educational Measurement
The Assignment: Write a series of journal entries on any issue dealing with education and/or assessment.
Leave it to my muse to write something unconventional!
Happy reading!
JOURNAL ENTRY #1
Clark Kent watched as his partner and wife, Lois Lane, exited from Managing Editor Perry White’s office and headed toward her desk, a stack of file folders under her arm. Her expression was difficult to read. Curious and a bit concerned, Clark walked over and stood beside her. He watched for a few moments as Lois blindly stared at the stack of manila folders.
“Lois, honey? Is everything all right?”
His voice and tone of concern seemed to rouse Lois from her self-induced stupor. She shook her head, as if to clear the cobwebs and turned to look at him.
“Perfectly. We have an assignment.”
At the look of excitement in her eyes, Clark smiled softly. “An assignment.”
“Yeah. A series of articles. Investigative articles.”
“On what? Corruption at City Hall? The expansion of Intergang?”
Lois shook her head. “None of those, Clark. Something more important. Much more important.”
“What is it?”
“Education.”
“Clark’s look turned to one of confusion. “Education?”
Lois nodded excitedly. “Yes. Especially education and assessment. The Stanford 9 test scores for the Metropolis School District have just been released.”
Understanding dawned. “I see. And the results are …?”
“Mixed, to say the least.”
“How so?”
“Look at this.” Lois opened up the first folder that she had carried from Perry’s office. “Look especially at the high schools.” Her finger pointed to the column she wanted Clark to study.
“Hey, Metropolis High did great!”
Lois smirked. “That’s what they’d like you to think.”
“I don’t get it.”
Lois turned to her husband and gestured for him to pull up a chair. She was beginning to warm up to her subject. “It’s all about perspective, Clark. The scores are perceived to be good, because that’s what the public wants to hear. But, when you compare the scores to the national average …” Her voice trailed off as she shrugged her shoulders. “The picture that’s being presented is misleading.”
She shook her head. “Look here. The math scores for the 10th graders increased from 27 last year to 40 this year.”
Clark smiled. “Why do I hear a `but’ in there somewhere?”
Lois returned his smile with one of her own. “You know me too well. There is a `But.’ I called the district offices.” She stared pointedly into Clark’s eyes. “They said ‘Don’t compare this year’s scores to last year’s scores.’ ”
“I don’t get it.”
“Clark! Why shouldn’t we compare last year’s scores to this year’s? A 13 point increase is great! That means that Metropolis High did something. What did they do? Are they continuing to do that ‘something’ this year? How are the teachers reacting to the scores? How is the administration using this information? What special programs benefit from the increase in the test scores? The student population is essentially the same this year as last. I don’t remember a substantial increase in new students, Kryptonian or otherwise.” She leaned back and smiled. “I have a plan.”
“I figured that.”
“I’d liked to do some research. Figure out what ‘testing’ and ‘assessment’ in the school district is really all about.”
“Ah, expose the dark underbelly of standardized testing?’
“I don’t think it’s an expose I’m looking at, more than just a series of articles that help educators AND the public understand what is involved in testing. What these test scores really mean and how to make sure that Metropolis’s students are getting the best education possible.”
“Sounds g –” His words were cut off by a distant cry for help.
Lois recognized the look. “Go. I’m going to get started on the research.”
Clark nodded and kissed her quickly even as he began to undo his tie. “Be back as soon as I can.”
“I’ll be here.”
Clark headed off in the direction of the back of the newsroom. Within seconds, Lois heard the familiar “whoosh” that indicating that the Man of Steel was on the job.
“Be careful,” she whispered. Turning her attention to the folders in front of her, she sighed softly. “Back to work …”
JOURNAL ENTRY #2
Several days later, Lois walked toward Clark’s desk, two coffee mugs held in her hands. Placing one on his desk, she stood next to the desk and slowly sipped from hers. “High-stakes testing.”
Clark looked up. “Excuse me? I’ve heard of high stakes poker, but ‘high stakes testing’? What’s that?”
“That’s what testing, and doing well on the Stanford 9 test in particular, has become in the school district.” She leaned against his desk. “Pressure, pressure, and more pressure.” She sipped once more from her mug as she watched the wheels in Clark’s mind spin.
“So, you’re saying that because of this … pressure, testing is a volatile issue?”
Lois nodded. “In more ways than one. While you were out stopping the bank from being robbed, I went over to good ol’ Metro High.”
Clark smiled. “And how was it? Cruising the hallways of your alma mater?”
“The same. And different. There’s a whole different atmosphere among the teachers than when I was in high school.”
Clark waited for Lois to collect her thoughts.
“See, back when I went to high school, the teachers all knew what they were teaching, when they were teaching it, and how they were going to test their students to make sure they had learned what the teachers were teaching them.”
Clark nodded. “Yeah, it was the same thing back at Smallville High.”
“Now, it’s not enough just to teach for the sake of teaching, now there’s a demand for accountability. The public? The politicians? They’re all asking for proof that schools are doing what they’re supposed to. There’s a lot of pressure.”
“From who?”
“From everyone. The district, and Metropolis High in turn, receives a lot of money from the state and federal governments. Rightly so, the government wants to make sure that the moneys are being put to good use, and not just spent haphazardly.”
“Lois. We’re talking about public education here, not the Department of Defense with their $30,000 toilet seats.”
“I know that and you know that. But, the PUBLIC doesn’t know that. All they see are test scores published in The Daily Planet that shows the students in the district performing below the national norms. The politicians are feeding on the public’s, and Americans’, goal to be number one in whatever we do. Pressure is put on the school board, the school board puts pressure on the superintendent, the superintendent puts pressure on the principals, and –”
” — and pressure is put on the teachers who in turn put pressure on their students.”
“Exactly. High stakes. No one wants to be the one to take the hard hit and say that a better job needs to be done.”
“What are you saying, Lois? That all that education is now is teaching to the test?”
“Yes and no. A lot of research has been done that shows that a student’s test score are only as good as the particular that the test is taken. A Kodak moment, you might say. The problem that a lot of teachers are having is trying to juggle the pressure and demands from up above with the need to teach their subject matter and follow the curriculum.”
“So, what’s the solution?”
“That’s what everyone is trying to figure out.” She pointed her mug at Clark. “Do you know that between the recently revised state curriculum and the need for students to do well on assessments, the Math Department at Metropolis High is divided into two camps? Those that advocate a more traditional curriculum that allows student to develop the necessary test-taking skills to do well on the Stanford 9 and those that embrace the education reform movement and rely heavily on long-term projects, activities, and class participation?”
“That’s called authentic assessment, honey.” Clark winked and chuckled at her surprised expression. “I did some research too.”
Lois smiled and raised her mug in salute. “Touch?. Well, neither side is willing to give an inch.” Lois’ smile faded. “In the long run, it’s the students that suffer.”
Clark stood and puts his hands on her shoulders. “Don’t give up, honey. The picture can’t be that dismal.”
She looked into his eyes, drawing strength from his concern and touch. “I’m not giving up. It just makes me more determined to work on a viable solution.” She giggled. “Looks like in this case, it’s a job for two investigative reporters.”
“Well, then. We’d better get back to work.”
“Right.” She finished her coffee and headed back to her desk.
JOURNAL ENTRY #3
Lois turned toward the window as she heard the familiar whoosh that heralded the return home of a certain red-and-blue clad superhero. She smiled warmly as he spun out of his costume and back into his “civilian” clothes. As he adjusted the wire-rimmed glasses on his face, she finished her telephone conversation.
“I understand, Julie. The more I do research for my articles, the more I understand the frustration that you all are going through.”
Clark hopped over the back of the sofa and settled in next to her. Placing a quick kiss on her cheek, he waited for her to hand up the phone.
“Well, I’d better go, kiddo. It was good talking to you; it’s been way too long. Anytime you need to talk …” she listened for a moment. “Yeah, you too, Julie. Bye.” She replaced the receiver and stared at the phone, lost in thought. Turning to Clark, she immediately brightened. “That was Julie.”
“I figured that. What’s up?”
“I called her, to say hi, and to get her perspective on this whole testing and assessment stuff.” Lois shook her head briefly. “I guess she needed to vent a little.”
“Upset?”
“No, more like … concerned.” Lois explained. “Since that shrinking incident a few years back, she and Dan moved out to California. She works for the Los Angeles Unified School District out there, and she’s been really involved at her school with all of the educational reform and assessment issues in the district.”
“So … what are her concerns?”
“Her principal called her into his office the other day. He handed her a piece of paper and told her ‘Just look at that.’ ”
“What the paper say?”
“It was the school’s percentile scores on the Stanford 9 test. From last year and from two years ago.”
“Stanford 9? The same –” Clark stopped at Lois’ nod.
“The same test. It’s a test that was designed by a major publishing company, HBJ, and it’s used in several states. California has mandated it as THE standardized test for all their school districts.”
“So what did the percentiles say?”
Lois smiled. “They didn’t ‘say’ anything, honey. They just ranked the students in the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades.” Lois’ smile faded. “Julie works at a good school, one with a good academic tradition and reputation. But their students are still performing below the 50th percentile across the board.”
“Does Julie have an idea about some of the reasons?’
“She does. Some of the factors the school just can’t control.”
“What about the ones they can?”
“Well, the school got ‘the word’ about the testing pretty late in the school year, but the teachers did a good job of making sure their students were ready — reminding them of the importance and seriousness of the test giving them some test-taking strategies, using warm-ups and incorporating common test items into their daily lessons.”
“And?”
“And the school did great. Their verbal scores went up an average of 5 points in all three grades and their math scores went up an average of 10 points as well.”
Lois sighed. “But, Julie’s concerned that the administration is content to just ‘rest on their laurels’ so to speak.”
“Why?”
“Because nothing’s been done to make sure that the students will be ready for THIS year’s test. I mean, according to Julie, the test results have been distributed to the department chairpersons. Julie was the math department chair last year, but she’s now in the counseling office.”
“Let me guess. The administration has placed the burden of responsibility on the shoulders of the department chairpersons?”
“Pretty much. They’re supposed to disseminate the information to their department members and be the ‘cheerleader’ — encouraging their teachers to prepare their students.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
“The problem is, Clark, that many of the department chairs only know what they’ve learned in their education classes, which isn’t enough. Sure, they understand percentile rankings and all that, but how to really interpret the scores, and how to ensure continued success?” Lois shrugged her shoulders. “Even Julie doesn’t understand it completely. Neither does the school’s Testing Coordinator.”
“What?”
“That’s what I said. Julie said that the Testing Coordinator got the district’s standard ‘one hour training.’ She just feels that nothing’s being done, there’s no follow-up.”
Clark touched Lois’ shoulder. “I’m sorry, honey.”
“Me too. Julie said that because she was the math chair last year, the principal assumes that she knows what’s going on in the department this year. She’s frustrated, Clark, and a little angry. She says that it’s not the job of the department chairs alone. Everyone’s got to be involved in this. Everyone from the principal down to the plant manager. The testing coordinator should really be the one taking the lead on this.”
“But he’s not.”
“No, he isn’t. In fact, everyone seems to talk about doing things, but that’s all it appears to be to Julie. Just talk.”
Clark shook his head. “I never knew that being a teacher was so difficult.”
Lois smiled ruefully. “Neither did I. I guess we all just took it for granted that things were done and that the school was running just fine.”
“For the most part, they are, honey. But, this testing and assessment issue has everyone all worked up.”
Lois sighed. “I know. Between high stakes testing, authentic assessment, the development of new standards in subject areas, and meeting federal guidelines and criteria, it’s a wonder that more teachers don’t just throw up their hands in surrender.”
“Sounds to me like you needed to do some venting too.”
Lois smiled sheepishly. “I guess I did.” She thought for a moment before continuing. “At least between catching up on the latest gossip and Julie’s venting, I got an idea about my next article.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Yeah.” She moved off the couch. “Let me just write down some notes before I lose my train of thought.”
JOURNAL ENTRY #4
Clark Kent watched from his desk in the newsroom as Lois slammed down the receiver of her phone in frustration. She glared at the phone for a moment longer before picking up her pencil and staring at the notes she had made, the pencil’s eraser tapping against the side of her face.
He rose from his chair and walked toward Lois’ desk. Sensing his presence, Lois cast a quick glance in his direction, a frown creasing her forehead.
“Bureaucracy,” she muttered, her voice pitched low.
“Run into a few hurdles?” Clark teased.
“More like a brick wall,” Lois retorted. “I’d have more luck winning the progressive jackpot in Atlantic City than I would getting information about these tests!” Lois threw her pencil onto her desk, the projectile neatly landing in the pencil cup. “I’ve been trying to get information on the District’s competency tests, you know, the tests students need to pass before they can graduate.”
“And your luck has beenÉ?”
Lois glared at Clark for a moment before sighing loudly in frustration. “I’ve gotten absolutely nowhere with District personnel. They’re keeping things close to the vest, afraid of `compromising the integrity of the test.’ Even the Testing Coordinator at the high school has been reluctant to help me.”
Clark had never seen Lois this frustrated. “Tell me what you’ve got so far.”
Lois reached for her notepad and began to tell Clark about her findings.
“The competency, or proficiency, tests were instituted by the District as a reaction to public and political pressure. The tests themselves measure the minimal levels of competency that the District feels is necessary for a student to have in order to be successful after high school graduation.”
Clark nodded. “They were just starting those in Smallville after I graduated.”
Lois agreed. “I know. I think I was in one of the last graduating classes that didn’t have to take proficiency tests.”
“Nowadays, does every student have to take them?”
Lois shook her head. “No. If a student receives a certain percentile on certain parts of the standardized tests, then they don’t have to take the tests.”
“So, proficiency is tied to standardized test scores?”
“Yes, to some extent. But, the students right now are caught between a rock and a hard place.”
“How so?”
Lois consulted her notes for a few minutes before continuing. “See, the old standardized test, the CTBS, is in the process of being phased out by the District and will be replaced by the Stanford 9.”
Clark frowned. “But, the District has been using the Stanford 9 for the past two years. Why continue to ‘phase out’ a test that isn’t being used currently?”
“Good question. Look at this.” Lois handed Clark a piece of paper. “That’s a draft of the five-year proficiency matrix.”
Clark studied the chart. “OK. So, current juniors and seniors can still use the CTBS scores, if they qualify.”
“Right.”
“And, current sophomores have to score in the 40th percentile of the Stanford 9 or take the necessary competency test.”
“Read it again.”
Clark read the chart aloud. ” ‘Scored satisfactorily (40th percentile) in each of the following areas on the English norm-referenced test during grades 9, 10, or 11’ ” He looked at Lois. “So?”
“So. Where on that chart does it say ‘Stanford 9’?”
“Nowhere.”
“Exactly.”
“But, isn’t the Stanford 9 the state-mandated test?”
“For now. But who’s to say what the test will be if the political winds change?”
Clark placed the chart on Lois’ desk. “Come on, Lois. Even the politicians can’t be that –”
“Capricious? Cavalier? Uncaring?”
“Well, yeah.”
Lois leaned back in her chair and smiled up at Clark. “You know what I love about you?”
“Other than the fact that I can fly?”
Lois smiled at Clark’s question. “Besides that. I love the fact that you see the good in everyone. Even when it’s hard to find.”
She rose from her chair and stood before Clark, her hand on his shoulder. “But, unfortunately, that sometimes makes you extremely naive, Clark.” She held his gaze with her eyes. “The politicians can, and have been, that uncaring. Education gets a lot of lip service during election time, but after that, it’s placed in the same pool along with correctional facilities and HMOs.”
Clark shook his head in denial. “Lois, you can’t tell me that the District would be that shallow.”
“No, Clark. Not everyone in the district. But, the school board is a POLITICAL entity. And that makes them suspect.”
“This is getting more and more complicated.”
“You’re telling me.” Lois sat back down and picked up her phone.
“Who are you calling?”
“The publisher of the District’s competency tests. If I can’t get assistance from the District themselves, I’ll do an end-around and get my information from other sources.”
Clark smiled at Lois’ sports metaphor. “As long as you’re not giving up and punting, Lois.”
“Trust me, Clark. I’ve got lots of trick plays up my sleeve.”
JOURNAL ENTRY #5
The French windows of 348 Hyperion Avenue slowly opened as if by themselves. Lois quickly placed her upper body and arms across the papers on the coffee table as a red-and-blue clad superhero entered. When the accompanying gust of wind subsided, Lois relaxed and removed herself from her sprawled position. She looked up as a whirring sound indicated the transformation from Superman, the Man of Steel, to Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter of a great metropolitan newspaper, was complete.
“Hi.”
“Hi. Sorry I’m late. Typhoon in the Philippines.”
Lois nodded and turned back to her papers. “Your dinner’s in the oven.”
Clark entered the kitchen and returned a split second later carrying a heaping plate of lasagna. He settled on the sofa and quickly focused his heat vision on the pasta. Lois half-grinned; two seconds later, the lasagna was hot and ready to be eaten.
“Show off,” she muttered.
Clark swallowed a forkful of lasagna and winked. “Love you too.” He looked at the papers spread out on the floor and coffee table. “Looks like you’re about to lay siege on an enemy.”
Lois looked around her and chuckled. “I needed to organize my research.”
“How’s it coming?”
“Not too bad, actually.” She looked up at Clark and uttered a pronouncement. “Student achievement.”
When Clark didn’t respond, Lois repeated her words. “Student achievement.”
“I heard you the first time, honey. I’m just waiting for your explanation of why those two words are so significant.”
“Anything and everything that the District does can be justified in terms of student achievement.”
“So, have you changed the focus of your stories?”
“Kind of. It’s not just about test scores, standardized testing, and assessments in general, Clark. It’s about EVERYTHING.” Her hands swept over all the papers spread about her. “Testing and assessment are just part of the puzzle.”
“Puzzle?”
“Yeah. A jigsaw puzzle. Put it all together and you’ve got the entire picture about education.”
“So, let’s put the puzzle together.”
“It’s not that easy, honey. There don’t seem to be very many people that have all the pieces to the puzzle.”
“How many pieces are there?”
Lois shrugged her shoulders. “How many grains of sand are there on a beach?”
She began to list all the possible pieces to the education puzzle. “Condition of facilities, textbooks, curriculum, district and state standards, competency tests, standardized tests, percentile rankings, alternative assessments, on-site staffing, discipline, special education issues, bilingual education, …” Her voice trailed off as she stopped to catch her breath.
“Wow. I never knew.”
“Neither does the public or the politicians.”
Clark stared at Lois. “You realize that these series of articles could open a whole can of worms?”
“The lid’s already off, Clark. Educators are starting to try to make sense of all the different pieces.”
She began to gather the papers together. “Well, that’s all for tonight. I’m getting bleary-eyed from looking at all these statistics.” She rubbed at her temples. “And a headache from trying to figure this all out.”
Clark knelt next to her. “Here let me do this. You go on up and take something for that headache.”
Lois smiled gratefully. “Thanks, honey.” She placed a hand on his arm. “See you in a little while.”
“You betcha.” He watched as Lois went upstairs, rubbing at the back of her neck. He turned back to the papers and began carefully arranging them, mindful of Lois’ organization of them.
“Education,” he muttered. “Whoever said teachers had it easy had no idea …”
He finished putting the papers away.
JOURNAL ENTRY #6
The elevators doors pinged open and Lois Lane entered the upper level of the newsroom of The Daily Planet. She paused for a moment, looking around, and smiled. The hustle and bustle of the newsroom, with reporters, copyboys, and research assistants diligently working on their stories, did much to refresh her. Her eyes swept across, and focused on two figures huddled together. She walked down the ramp and toward her Managing Editor, Perry White and her partner and husband, Clark Kent.
Sensing her presence, Clark looked up from the copy he was working on and smiled. Perry paused as well and studied Lois as she approached them.
“Judas Priest, Lois! You look like you’ve been through the proverbial wringer!”
“No,” Lois replied with a nonchalance she didn’t really feel. “Just a meeting at Metropolis High.” She placed her briefcase on Clark’s desk and settled herself on the edge, a loud sigh escaping from her.
Clark watched her, sensing that she needed to “de-brief” after whatever had happened at Metropolis High. Teasingly, he asked. “And how are things in the trenches of education?”
Lois half-smiled, her eyes holding Clark’s gaze. “Tough, but there is some headway being made.” She turned her attention to include Perry. “Quick. What’s the first oxymoron that comes to mind?”
Perry and Clark both replied. “Military intelligence.”
Lois’ smile turned determined. “I’ve got another one for you both. Educational brain trust.”
Perry looked at Clark for a moment. “This is gonna be good, I can tell, Clark.”
Clark nodded his agreement, smiling and winking at Lois. “Yeah. ‘Mad Dog Lane’ is on the case.”
“Ha ha,” Lois replied dryly. She stood away from the desk and walked toward Perry’s office. “If you two are finished, let me tell you what happened.”
Clark and Perry followed.
***
Lois plopped onto the couch as Clark sat next to her and Perry closed the door.
“OK, Lois. Let’s hear it.”
Lois began. “I was invited to attend a meeting about preparation for this year’s Stanford tests.”
Lois turned to Clark. “It was an … interesting … group of people, to say the least. The principal, the Testing Coordinator, the Year-Round Coordinator, the Mentor Teacher, the Special Education department chair, the Assistant Principal for Counseling Services and the one for Student Services, and also the teacher who’s been working with the literacy program at Metro High.”
Lois handed a set of papers to both Clark and Perry. “The meeting started off with the Testing Coordinator explaining the goal of the meeting, that this group of people were called together to develop an ongoing plan for improvement of test scores at the high school.”
“A brain trust.”
Lois nodded at Perry. “Exactly. Problem is, that again, the big picture wasn’t seen.”
While Lois had been talking and keeping Perry’s attention, Clark super-read through the set of papers. Looking up, he questioned Lois.
“Lois? Was anything definite settled on?”
“That’s the frustrating part, Clark. For over an HOUR, all that was done was talk about and around the issues. It goes back to no one really having a true idea of how everything mixes together. Look at this …”
Lois turned to the first page. “This is straight from the central offices. A comparison of the mean percentiles from 1997 and 1998.”
Clark’s eyebrow raised. “In direct contrast to what the Testing Coordinator had been told?”
Lois nodded and quoted. ” ‘Don’t compare last year’s scores to this year’s.’ Yes. That’s the directive that came down from the same central offices.”
Perry shook his head. “Sounds to me like the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.”
“The picture could be a lot clearer, Perry. If …” Lois paused until she had both men’s attention.
“If?”
“If instead of percentile scores, the district and the schools would look at a more standard score, like the normal curve equivalent.”
“How do they get those?”
“They don’t have to calculate them, Perry. The publishing company will give them that information. See?” She turned to a pink sheet of paper. “This is information provided to the district AND the school from the publisher of the Stanford test. THIS is a score that can be compared from year to year.”
“I see. Compare 1997 9th graders to 1998 9th graders.”
“And 9th graders at Metro High to 9th graders at Central High.” She looked at Clark. “Or even 9th graders at Smallville High.”
Perry scratched the back of his neck. “I never was very good at math, Lois.”
Clark began to explain. “Look at it this way, Chief. If 50 is the average, 9th graders at Metro High scored 46 points on the Math test, 4 points below that. So, if the school and/or district wants improvement, they can shoot for, say, a five point increase and move that score to 51.”
“So that improvement can been seen from year to year. I get it now, Clark.” Perry turned back to Lois. “Has anyone else seen this?”
Lois shrugged her shoulders. “Some have, some haven’t. If I were principal …” Her voice trailed off.
“What?”
Lois focused on Perry. “It’s just that if I were principal, I’d let the district report the scores however they wanted to. But internally, at the school? I’d use the NCE scores and emphasize that to the teachers and students.”
Perry handed the set of papers back to Lois. “Sounds to me like you’ve got the makings of a first-rate article here, Lois.”
Lois beamed. “Possibly. But, score reporting is only the tip of the iceberg.” She sighed. “Unfortunately, along with all the good there is in education, there’s also a lot of bad.”
Clark put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. “Take it easy, honey. Even Superman can’t solve everything.”
Lois looked at Clark and smiled. “I guess I’ll just have to do what I can.” She felt Clark squeeze her shoulder. She began to rise from the couch. “Well, back to the salt mines.”
Perry and Clark watched as Lois left the office. “That gal would solve the problems of the world if she could.”
“Tell me about it, Chief.” He went to the office doorway. “But, for now, let me see what I can do to help ‘Mad Dog’ on her story.”
Perry stood at his office window and watched as Clark walked toward Lois’ desk. He smiled to himself as Clark leaned over Lois’ desk and studied the chart on her computer monitor. “Smells like another journalism award to me.”
JOURNAL ENTRY #7
The phone rang on Lois Lane’s desk. Continuing to type with one hand, Lois reached for the receiver.
“Lois Lane.”
“Lois? It’s Julie.”
“Julie!” Lois was glad to hear from her friend. “I was just thinking about you.” She looked over at Clark Kent, trying to catch his eye. She waved with her hand and was rewarded with a look from her partner and husband.
“Hold on a sec, Julie …” Lois covered the receiver and mouthed to Clark, pointing to her ear at the same time. “Listen to this …”
Clark nodded, understanding that she wanted him to listen to both ends of the conversation with his super-hearing. He sat down at his desk, reaching for a pencil and pad of paper. He smiled as he saw that Lois was doing the same thing. ‘Great minds think alike,’ he mused. Looking at the pad before him, he focused his hearing on Lois’ phone conversation …
***
“Sorry about that, Julie. I needed to tell Clark something.”
“That’s OK, Lois. How is that ugly guy anyway?” Julie and Lois chuckled at the joke.
Lois looked over at Clark and smiled. “Oh, you know how it is, Julie. I put up with him and he puts up with me.”
Clark smiled and winked at Lois.
Returning her attention to Julie, Lois asked, “So, what’s up?”
Julie’s voice got a bit more animated. “A lot. Do you have some time?”
“Sure. As long as you don’t mind me taking some notes and maybe using some of what you tell me in my articles.”
“Oh, I don’t mind at all! It’s about time the public got educated about education.”
“OK. Fire away.”
“OK. Remember how the last time we talked, I kind of ‘vented’ about the lack of forward movement at my school? How everyone seemed to be in a holding pattern about assessment and test scores?”
“Yes. You said that you thought that the administration was content to just sit on their laurels.”
“Right. Well, things have changed. For the better, I hope.”
“How so?”
“We just hired a new Assistant Principal, Lois. One that I think will help move the school forward in the right direction.”
“Sounds promising.”
“Oh, it is, believe me. She’s strong in curriculum and really and truly understands the ‘big picture.’ ”
“Refresh my memory. What’s the ‘big picture’?”
“That it’s not the test that’s important, Lois. It’s the curriculum. The curriculum drives everything, not the other way around.”
“OK, Teach. Explain it to me.”
Warming up to her subject, Julie’s voice became more excited, more enthusiastic. “The state has developed some standards in the content areas, right?”
“Right.”
“And the District, in their infinite wisdom, as also adopted standards.”
“I’m with you so far.”
“The curriculum is aligned to the standards.”
“And?”
“Don’t you see, Lois? Teach the curriculum because that’s aligned to the standards. And the Stanford is aligned to the standards as well.”
Lois made a few notes on her notepad. “So you’re saying that ‘teaching to the test’ is a moot point?”
“Exactly! It becomes a non-issue within departments and among staff. Don’t teach to the test, teach to the curriculum. The test will follow suit.”
Lois made a few more notes. “I’m starting to see the big picture, Julie.”
Julie’s chuckle sounded through the receiver. “This new Assistant Principal sees it too, Lois. She’s going to spearhead the move to ensure that the curriculum is being taught.”
“Sounds like you like this gal.”
“She’s only been here a day, Lois. But, I can tell that she really knows what she’s talking about. In PLAIN English. Not the educational ‘babble’ that a lot of administrators like to bandy about.”
Lois couldn’t help but smile at Julie’s enthusiasm. “I hope you’re right about her.”
“I’ve got a good feeling about her, Lois.” There was a slight pause and Lois could almost hear Julie’s smirk. “And you know about my feelings.”
“I sure do.” Lois turned to look at Clark. Their eyes locked for a moment before Lois turned away. “You were sure right about that farm boy from Smallville.”
Julie chuckled. “I told you. A Superman doesn’t have to fly. You’ve got a keeper there in Clark.”
“I know. Listen, I’ve got to get back to work. It’s good to hear you so enthusiastic, Julie.”
“Yeah, isn’t it? Next time, let me tell you about this training session I have to go to about CCRs.”
“I can’t wait.”
“I can. Talk to you later, Lois. ‘Bye.”
“‘Bye, Julie.”
Lois replaced the receiver and turned back to her computer keyboard.
JOURNAL ENTRY #8
Clark Kent paused in mid-sip as he heard the front door slam. He peered over the rim of the glass as his wife and partner, Lois Lane entered the living room. Flinging her briefcase onto the sofa, she stood there, hands on her hips. Glaring at Clark, her brown eyes bored into him.
“Be GLAD that we don’t have kids!”
Clark sputtered for a moment, wondering exactly what had happened to cause Lois’ outburst. Slowly, he set down his glass and stood from the easy chair. Walking toward her, he kept his eyes on her, smiling slightly.
“Now or ever?” He winked, letting Lois know that he was trying to cajole her out of her bad temper.
Lois stared at him, the corners of her mouth twitching in her attempts to refrain from smiling. Finally, she gave up the fight and relaxed her stance, a long sigh accompanying her sitting on the edge of the sofa.
“Actually, it’s not so much OUR kids I’m worried about as it is the kids who are in school now.”
Sitting on the sofa, Clark pulled Lois onto his lap. “Want to talk about it?”
Lois sighed once more. “Clark, do you know what your hands are doing?”
“Right now, they’re holding you.”
Lois smiled. “I meant metaphorically speaking. Does your left hand know what your right hand is doing?”
Clark thought for a moment. “Most of the time. Why? What’s the school district done now?”
Lois held her hands out, far apart. “The district hasn’t a clue as to what either hand is doing. Especially when it comes to those darn Stanford 9 scores!”
“What now?”
“Well, you know how the former test, the CTBS, was used to determine proficiency for graduation requirements?”
Clark nodded. “Yeah. If a student scored in the 40th percentile or better on the CTBS on the sections that were looked at to determine proficiency, then they didn’t have to worry about taking those competency tests, the SHARP, WRITE, and TOPICS tests.”
“Right. And the same is true for the current test, the Stanford 9.” She paused. “But …”
“But?”
The words spilled out quicker than Lois could say them. “But, while the Stanford scores can be used in terms of disaggregate data for the purposes of a school’s self-review or Consolidated Compliance Review, they CAN’T be used by the students to qualify for competencies.” She paused and caught her breath before continuing.
“I swear, Clark, it’s so infuriating! Use the scores, don’t use the scores, compare, don’t compare. No wonder the district is looked at as a bureaucracy!”
Clark let Lois vent, understanding that by verbalizing her thoughts, she was really putting together the beginnings of her next article.
“Y’see, the CURRENT 11th and 12th graders still have their scores from the CTBS that they can use to meet the competency requirements for graduation. BUT, the current 9th and 10th graders CAN’T use the Stanford 9 scores!”
Clark frowned. “That doesn’t make any sense, honey. That means that the only way those students can meet the competency requirements is –”
” — is to take the SHARP, WRITE, and TOPICS tests. Exactly!”
“But, those are only given to 12th graders.”
“And THERE’S the problem!” Lois’ voice turned sarcastic. “Sure, the District is ‘phasing in’ the Stanford 9 scores. But, that specific timeline and proficiency matrix hasn’t been approved; it’s still in draft form.”
Lois’s voice grew serious with concern. “Clark, if the district says that their schools need to use the Stanford 9 scores to analyze their programs and do a self-review, then WHY can’t the students use those SAME Stanford 9 scores to meet the competency requirements?”
She got off Clark’s lap and reached into her briefcase pulling out xeroxed sheets of paper. “Look here.” She sat down next to Clark.
“In the 9th grade, 74% of the students scored average or above average on the mathematics test.” She put the papers down. “That’s 74% of the 9th graders who MEET the competency requirement for graduation … IN the 9th grade! Those kids shouldn’t have to take the TOPICS test to meet that graduation requirement, Clark. They’ve already met it!”
“The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing,” he murmured.
“Exactly. If the scores can be used to review and evaluate the school’s programs, they SHOULD be used to meet graduation requirements RIGHT NOW. Not sometime later when the District deems it appropriate and no longer in ‘draft form.’ ”
“So, tell them, Lois. Tell all of Metropolis. Perry didn’t say your series had to be limited to just reporting the facts. Turn in a column one opinion piece.”
Lois looked at Clark, a slow grin spreading over her features. “You know, you’re right. I’m gonna do just that.”
Clark was about to reply when his hearing tuned in to the distant ringing of an alarm. Lois recognized the look.
“Go. I’ve got plenty of stuff here to keep me busy.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“OK.” She watched in pride as Clark stood and quickly spun into the familiar red and blue suit. As he stepped to the open window, she remembered something.
“Oh, one thing?”
Clark stopped and turned back to her. “Yeah?”
“I’m going to call Tony’s. Can you pick up the pizza on your way back?”
Clark grinned and winked. “No problem.”
Blowing a kiss to his wife, he whooshed out the window toward the bank.
JOURNAL ENTRY #9
Jimmy Olsen walked by Lois’ desk and paused. He listened for a moment to the tune that Lois was humming. “Um, Lois?”
Lois raised her head and looked at him, her fingers poised over the keyboard of her computer. “Yeah, Jimmy?”
“That song you were just humming. I can’t quite place it.”
Lois smiled, slightly embarrassed. “It’s from ‘Cabaret,’ Jimmy.”
Recognition dawned. “Oh, right! That song that Joel Grey sings.”
” ‘Money Makes The World Go ‘Round’ ”
“The world go ’round … The world go ’round … Right. Now I remember.”
“Good.” Lois turned her attention back to the monitor screen. She read what she had written and sighed. She sat back in her chair and glared at the screen.
“What’s up?”
“Oh, it’s just that I’m stuck.”
“Can I help?”
Quickly, Lois looked over at Clark’s desk. It was unoccupied, Clark either was still at the courthouse covering the Intergang hearings or he had heard a cry for Superman’s help. Either way, her “sounding board” wasn’t available.
She turned and looked at Jimmy. “Sure. I could use a different presepctive.”
Jimmy grinned and pulled up a chair. “So, what’re you writing about?”
“OK. I’ve been doing these articles on the state of public education, right?”
“Right.”
“And it just seems that the more I learn about the public education system, the more I see the frustration among the teachers. I can certainly sympathize with them a lot more. Take money, for example.”
“Money?”
“Yeah. There’s not enough money in the district itself to fund the programs needed to make them work the way they should.”
Jimmy frowned. “So, how do the schools do it?”
“Grant writing. It’s become an entity unto itself. Write a grant, write it WELL, and the money is yours.”
“Sounds easy enough.”
“It is. On the surface. Teachers and educators have a language all their own. I call it ‘edu-babble.’ ”
Jimmy teased. “Anything like Lois-babble?”
Lois smacked his shoulder and grinned. “Worse.”
“Oh boy …”
“Right. Terms like ‘pedagogy,’ ‘multiple intelligences,’ ‘assessment,’ ‘instructional strategies,’ and ‘learning modalities’ are all used.”
“Sounds Greek to me.”
“Sounds good to the grant readers. You see, Jimmy, writing the grants and implementing the programs is the easy part. It’s the ASSESSMENT of the programs that’s the hard work.”
“And who figures out who gets what?”
“Usually a committee of so-called ‘experts’ who really don’t have a grasp of what’s going on in today’s classrooms. If a grant proposal sounds good and reads well, chances are it’ll get funding.”
“And in the meantime, it could take a long time for the students to benefit from the grant money.”
“Exactly. And most educators aren’t sure how to use the data and information correctly to assess their programs. They need to be trained in data analysis.”
“Sounds like more money is needed then.”
“You would think. But, government dollars have lots of strings attached to them. And most of those strings only scratch the surface of the school’s … and the students’ … needs.”
Jimmy sat back and whistled. “Boy, Lois. You sure tackled some tough issues.”
“Tell me about it,” she muttered. Quickly reading over what was on her monitor, a sudden thought struck her. She quickly typed out a few sentences. Jimmy watched as the words came up on the monitor.
After a few minutes, he got up. “Well, it looks like you worked through your writer’s block.”
Lois stopped and smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Jimmy. Thanks for being my sounding board.”
He grinned. “Hey, anytime. You know that, Lois.”
The clicking of the keys on her keyboard were her response. Jimmy smiled and walked toward his desk.
JOURNAL ENTRY #10
Lois stirred her coffee thoughtfully as she walked toward Clark’s desk. Pausing by his chair, she watched him working quickly and efficiently.
“Clark?”
“Yeah, honey?” Clark’s eyes never left his computer monitor although his body leaned back toward Lois.
“If there was one thing that you could have more of, what would it be?”
Lois’ question made Clark stop his typing. Turning away from the monitor he looked up at her. “What’s this all about?”
“Oh, just trying to put a different spin on my next article.”
Clark thought for a moment, keeping his eyes on Lois. “What would I want more of? Hmmm …”
Lois sipped from her cup as she waited for Clark’s answer.
“Time.”
She smiled against the rim of her cup. “Time?”
“Time. There doesn’t seem enough hours in the day to do everything that I want to do. Between my work here at the Planet and being …” He paused and looked around before continuing, his voice softer. ” … Superman … there just isn’t enough time for anything.” He reached for her free hand. “Especially time with you.”
“That’s sweet. And thanks. I’ve got my lead in for my article.”
“Time and education?”
Lois nodded. “Yes. With everything that teachers and educators are asked to do, there isn’t enough time to do the real work of education. The work that will make education better.”
Warming to her subject, Lois continued. “If you or I were a classroom teacher, we’d have to take attendance, plan lessons, teach those same lessons, determine grades, conference with parents, attend faculty meetings, grade papers, plan more lessons, conference with more parents …” Lois sighed. “The list goes on.”
Clark nodded. “I know. And it’s even more if we were absent for a day. I remember my math teacher, Miss Sullivan, having to put together a detailed lesson for the substitute teacher when she had to attend a one-day conference.”
“Right. And that’s at the secondary level. Think about the elementary school teachers. They don’t have just one subject that they have to teach. They have to teach ALL of them!”
Lois gestured with her coffee cup. “That’s where the time issue comes in. Is time used efficiently at a school? If classroom teachers are supposed to do all they’re supposed to AND learn new methods of instruction AND do continual assessment of their students, where is the time coming from? There’s still only twenty-four hours in a day.”
“I see what you mean. It’s a tough problem.”
“You and I have it easy, Clark. If Perry needs us to attend a conference or make a presentation, it’s done. Someone will always be there to pick up the slack and our stories can always be put on hold.”
“But the job of a teacher can’t be put on hold.”
“That’s right. Those children need to learn. They need to be taught.”
“So when do teachers get the opportunity to sit down with their colleagues and talk?”
“They do that every day. It’s called lunch. But to have a meaningful DIALOGUE? That’s another story all together.”
“And one I’m sure you’ll present in your article.”
“Right.” Lois checked her watch. “Yikes! I’m running late! I told Perry I’d have this article on his desk by the end of the day!”
Clark smiled. “Don’t worry, honey. You’ve got … time.”
Lois threw him a glare and headed to her desk.
JOURNAL ENTRY #11
Clark walked by Lois’ desk and caught the tail end of her telephone conversation.
“… OK, Julie. Hey, thanks a lot for all of this info. I owe you big time.” Lois listened to Julie’s comment. She chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll slow down when YOU slow down.” She looked up at Clark and smiled. “OK, I’ve gotta go. Talk to you soon. Bye.”
She hung up the phone and sat back in her chair. “Hi there, handsome.”
Clark smiled and sat on the edge of her desk. “Hi there yourself. How’s Julie?”
“As busy as ever, but she gave me some info about something called a …” She checked her notes. “… a CCR.”
“Sounds like a company that sells men’s suits.”
Lois looked at him, smirking. “Ha ha. Funny guy. A CCR is a Consolidated Compliance Review. An assessment.”
“Of …?”
“Of all the special programs at a school. In the case of Julie’s school, it’s everything.”
Lois looked at her notes and read what she had listed. “Uniform Complaint Process, Safe and Drug Free Schools, Gender Equity, Special Education, Vocational Ed, Civil Rights, Gifted and Talented, Title One, School Improvement, and the Bilingual program.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. Sounds overwhelming, doesn’t it?”
“Isn’t it?”
“Julie doesn’t seem to think so. Most of the specially funded programs have to do yearly evaluations anyway, so this review is an extension of that process.”
“What are they assessing?”
“Whether or not the programs are meeting the compliance issues that have been set up by either the state or federal government. It depends on where the funding is coming from.”
“So, this is about money?”
“Yes and no. Sure, the programs have to meet the requirements established in order to continue to receive funding, but it goes beyond that.”
Lois looked at her notes once more. “According to Julie, it’s an examination of the QUALITY of the programs as well. If a program finds that they’re out of compliance on a particular issue, then they need to establish a plan and timeline to become compliant.”
Clark shook his head. “It sounds a lot like …”
“… accreditation, right?”
Clark nodded in agreement. “Yeah. I remember when Julie came and visited. She was telling us about everything that was involved in that.”
Lois pointed her notes at Clark. “I said that exact same thing to Julie. And she agreed. But she said that it was a good thing.”
“Why?”
“Apparently, next school year will be three years since they received their six-year accreditation.” Lois grinned. ” ‘It’s midterm time,’ Julie said.”
“Ah. So, the program reviews that they’re doing THIS year …”
“… will help them prepare for their midterm review NEXT year.” She grinned at Clark. “And the gals in the steno pool all say you’re just another well-defined body.”
Clark rolled his eyes. “Hey, it wasn’t MY idea to have a male auction for the fundraiser this year.”
Lois giggled. “Good thing our checkbook balance was healthy.”
“Yeah. Doris in LifeStyle gave you a run for our money.”
“You’re worth it.”
“Thanks. So … how are you going to use this information that Julie gave you.”
“I was thinking of doing an article on how schools assess their programs and how assessment isn’t restricted to just students, standards, and curriculum.”
“The big picture?”
“The big picture.”
“It always comes back to that, doesn’t it?”
Lois sighed. “Yes, it does. The more people are aware of the big picture, the more effective the changes that need to be made will be.”
“Sounds good, honey. In the meantime, I have to go cover the Mayor’s press conference. I’ll see you at home?”
“OK. You cooking?”
“Don’t I always?”
Lois smiled and turned to her keyboard. “Just checking.” She opened a new file and grinned as she watched Clark leave the newsroom.
JOURNAL ENTRY #12
Clark opened the door to the brownstone. “Yes?” he asked the brown-shirted delivery person.
“Is this 348 Hyperion Avenue?”
“Yes.”
“Lois Lane lives here?”
“Yes.”
“Sign here, please.” The delivery man thrust a pen and clipboard at Clark.
He took the clipboard and pen and signed his name on the line that was indicated. Handing them back, he thanked the delivery man politely. “Thanks.”
“No problem. Let me help you –”
The delivery man’s mouth opened in surprise as Clark effortlessly lifted the huge box. Slightly chagrined, Clark shrugged his shoulders. “Weightlifting,” he said as way of explanation.
“Uh huh.” Still not convinced, the delivery man made a hasty retreat.
Chuckling, Clark kicked the door closed and walked to the dining room with the box. “Lois?” he yelled. “You got a package.”
Coming out of the kitchen, towel in hand, Lois grinned. “Good. They got here.”
“What’s ‘they’?”
Lois pulled at the packaging tape. ” “They’ are textbooks.”
Clark raised his eyebrow in curiosity. “Are we going back to school?”
Lois smiled at Clark. “No, lunkhead. They’re research. For my articles.”
“I thought you had done enough research.”
“Ah, but you see, Clark. There’s the problem. The more research I do, the more research I need. It’s like peeling away the layers of an onion.” She began to open the box. “And boy, sometimes, the research just makes you want to cry.”
“So how are the textbooks going to help?”
Pulling a math text out of the box, Lois opened it almost reverently. “Because, my darling husband, textbooks are the BUSINESS end of education.”
Clark sat down and quickly skimmed through a history text. “This one gets up to the Vietnam War.” He checked the copyright date. “And it’s fairly recent. Two years ago.”
“Already outdated and not in alignment with the standards.”
Lois sighed and put down the math text. “As are most of these books.”
“Honey, you can’t be serious.”
Lois looked at Clark. “I am. Very serious.”
He put the history text back and looked at her. “I’m listening.”
“Like I said, there’s a business side to education.” She tapped the side of the box. “And the publishers of these textbooks know how to play the game very well.”
Clark stood and lifted the box, placing it on the floor out of the way.
“Remember when you were in high school, Clark? It always seemed that the teachers were concerned about getting through the whole book by the end of the school year.”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“That’s because for so many years, even today, the publishers in many ways dictated what’s being taught.”
“The textbook publishers are driving the curriculum?”
Lois nodded. “In some ways. Sure, there’s lip service done to whatever framework or standards have been established. But for the most part, the publishers are in it to sell their products. They put a lot of time and effort into how the cover looks, and extra materials that are supposed to make a teacher’s life easier.”
“A smoke screen.”
“Yes. The more bells and whistles, the more likely a district and/or a school is to purchase the textbook. And all the ‘supplemental materials.’ ”
Playing Devil’s Advocate, Clark mused, “But still, even if what’s in the textbook isn’t aligned with the standards, the students are still learning.”
“But learning what, Clark? There may be unintentional bias in the presentation of subject matter. Ignoring what the educational community has determined a student needs to know in each of the grade levels is just plain irresponsible!”
“OK. So, if the textbooks shouldn’t drive the curriculum …”
“… the standards should. That allows for a more uniform instructional program, as well as movement towards consistency in grading among teachers. Since every student needs to have the same body of knowledge, the teachers are then better equipped to deal with deficiencies in a student.”
Picking up the box, Clark headed to the living room.
“Where are you going?”
“To cross reference the standards with the content in each of these books.”
“Clark! There are FIFTY books in that box! It’ll take you most of the night.”
He grinned and winked at his wife. “I’m Superman, remember? Sometimes doing my job means helping you do yours. Besides, at superspeed, I’ll have this done in no time.”
He left the dining room, Lois’ overly dramatic sigh and response still in his ears.
“My hero.”
JOURNAL ENTRY #13
At the knock on his office door, Perry White, Managing Editor of the Daily Planet, looked up from the copy he was editing.
“You’d better have some news or don’t come in!” he growled.
The door opened and Lois Lane walked in. Perry’s demeanor softened as he saw the papers she held in her hands.
“Hi, Lois. Waddaya have for me?”
Lois stood in front of Perry’s desk and handed the papers to him. “The latest article in my series, Chief.”
He took the papers and set them to one side. “Thanks.” He returned to looking over the copy in front of him.
Lois sat down in the chair. “Aren’t you going to look it over?”
Perry waved his hand in the air, red pencil held aloft. “Later. Right now, I’m about to strangle Ralph in Travel for sending me this piece on Asian sex tours.” He looked up and grimaced. “If I had known that this would be his article, I would have never let him go to Singapore.”
Lois smiled in sympathy. “That’s Ralph for you, Perry. Always an angle.”
Perry harumphed. “I should have left him doing the dog shows.”
Lois chuckled briefly before continuing. “But seriously, Perry. Aren’t you going to look over my article?”
Perry put down his pencil and looked at Lois, studying her face. He broke out with a wide grin. “You’ve got that look.”
Lois frowned. “What look?”
“That same look you had when you did that gun-running piece a few years back.” He sat back in his chair. “You really feel this strongly about this stuff, don’t you?”
Lois nodded vigorously. “I really do, Perry.” She sighed and continued. “One day, Clark and I are going to have children. I want them to have a quality education. Make that a quality PUBLIC education. I think that it’s possible.”
Perry had been scanning her article as she spoke. “Especially if some of the stuff you’ve been writing about sinks in where it counts the most.”
“Exactly. Everyone needs to deal with accountability … not accounting.”
Perry lay the papers on his desk. “Why don’t you explain it to me, Lois?” He waved his hand over the papers. “I don’t have to read this to know that you’ve turned in top quality stuff. I wouldn’t expect any less from my Kerth Award-winning reporter.”
Lois smiled. “Thanks, Perry. OK. It’s like this …”
As Lois began, Perry couldn’t stop the smile that came over his face. One of the things that made Lois Lane a great reporter is that she never settled for the easy answers; she was always questioning, looking for ways to make things better. The day he had hired her was a day he would never regret.
“It’s been said that educators are the last to deal with change. I think it’s the exact opposite. Educators are the first to embrace any new trend in learning. I mean, just look at the number of reading programs that have come and gone between when you and I were in high school!”
Perry nodded and let her continue.
“Where I think educators, and the public in general, have fallen short is in examining whether or not the programs have been effective and successful. That’s where the accountability component comes in.”
Lois got up from her chair and walked over to the coffee maker in the corner of Perry’s office. Filling two cups, she turned back, handing one to Perry.
“Thanks.”
Lois smiled and sipped her coffee, settling back into her seat. “While it’s easy to jump onto a new bandwagon, it’s not so easy to check and see if the wagon you’re already on needs fixing. Examining programs is never easy, Perry. It involves a lot of risk on the part of the educators and policy-makers in the district. And none of them want to lose their cushy jobs.”
She took another sip of coffee and continued. “Instead of focusing on how many students are or are not being successful, there really needs to be a tighter analysis. The district and the schools need to start looking at WHICH students are or are not being successful. That’s a big shift in thinking.”
“So you’re saying that by just ‘crunching numbers,’ the programs aren’t being assessed properly.”
Lois nodded. “Kind of. It goes beyond that though, Chief. We’re talking a whole different type of learning and instruction.”
She crossed her legs. “Let me give you an example. When you were in high school, you took Geometry, right?”
“Right.”
“So did I. Now, even though you and I didn’t go to high school at the same time, we still learned the same things. The Pythagorean Theorem, right triangles, quadrilaterals, area and volume. Am I right?”
“I seem to recall learning those things.”
Lois smiled. “But do you ever remember your teacher telling you UP FRONT that this is what you were going to learn? That this is what was expected of you as a student?”
Perry shook his head. “Nope. We just did the work and learned.”
“And that’s how it’s been for generations. The same old thing. But now, more than ever, students need to know what is expected of them. Goals and expectations need to be clear.”
“You’re talking about standards, right?”
“Yeah. But at a classroom level, it’s more the learning goals for that specific activity, project, or test. There needs to be a continual re-assessment of the student’s growth and progress.”
“That’s pretty radical, Lois.”
“I know it is, Chief. But, no one ever said that change was easy. If someone hadn’t had the original idea to build a rocket, we would have never landed on the moon.”
“True enough.”
“This series of articles has been an eye-opener for me, Perry. I really do believe that public education can work. I just hope it doesn’t have to hit rock bottom before the work begins.”
She took a deep breath. “I’d like you to look at the last page I gave you, Perry.”
“Why?” He reached for the papers, shuffling through them as he waited for her answer.
“It’s the last article of my series.” She waited as she saw Perry reading.
The silence grew as Perry continued to read. Lois fidgeted until she saw the beginnings of a smile on his face.
As he finished reading, Perry grinned at Lois. “You’re sure about this, honey?’
“Perry, I’ve never been more sure about anything. I’ll stand by my words.”
Perry slammed his fist on the desk. “And so will the Planet! One thing though …”
“What’s that?”
“I want this in the Editor’s Opinion column. With your byline.”
Lois grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
Perry stood up and walked around the desk. As Lois stood, she found herself enveloped in a big bear hug from her Editor. She smiled and returned the warm gesture.
Releasing her, Perry strode to his office door. Yanking it open, he bellowed. “Kent! Get in here!”
Behind him, Lois giggled. She knew that his gruffness was a facade he maintained for the benefit of the younger reporters. He really was a teddy bear inside.
Clark joined them at Perry’s doorway. “What’s up, Chief?”
“I want you to take Lois out for dinner. Courtesy of the Planet.”
Clark and Lois looked at each other, smiling softly. “What’s the occasion, Chief?”
“She’s a helluva reporter, Clark. Isn’t that enough?”
“It always has been with me, Chief.”
“Good. Now, scat. I’ve got a paper to run.”
He watched as Clark walked with Lois to her desk. Grinning, he returned to his desk. Picking up the papers, Lois had given him, he read them slowly.
Not once did he pick up his red pencil.
JOURNAL ENTRY #14
Clark entered the newsroom, coffee cup in hand, the latest edition of The Daily Planet under his arm. As he walked down the ramp toward his desk, he was greeted by his co-workers.
” … Hey, Kent! Great piece by Lois! …”
” … Clark! Lois outdid herself this time! …”
“… Great articles by Lois, Clark …”
He smiled and nodded in thanks at the compliments about his wife. Standing at his desk, he put the paper down and took a sip from his coffee.
“Hey, CK …”
“Hi, Jimmy. What’s up?”
Jimmy Olsen smiled at his friend. “What’s up? Your wife is what’s up, CK! Man, she wrote a great opinion column! Even had Perry beaming from ear to ear.”
Clark paused in mid-sip. “Lois? Wrote an opinion column?”
“She sure did.” Jimmy looked at Clark with curiosity. “Don’t you read the Planet? Or Lois’ byline?”
Flustered, Clark sat down and reached for the morning edition on his desk. “Well, yeah. Sure I do, Jimmy. It’s just that Lois’ byline isn’t usually in the op column.”
Jimmy grinned and headed toward his desk. “Maybe it should be more often.”
Now curious, Clark opened the paper and began reading …
***
>>IN MY HUMBLE OPINION by Lois Lane
In order to meet the constantly changing needs of society and the workplace, educational reform has become a major objective throughout the nation, state, and the Metropolis Unified School District.
The 1990 SCANS (Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) Report identifies skills required of all students in order to guarantee success in both their academic and work-related careers. The federal government’s GOALS 2000 program broadly outlines objectives for the nation’s education system. Documents such as California’s SECOND TO NONE outline a vision of what secondary education should look like as we enter the 21st century. The Superintendent’s CALL TO ACTION identifies specific requirements for our district’s students. The EXPECTED SCHOOLWIDE LEARNING RESULTS developed at Metropolis High School specify what we want our students to know and be able to do by the time they graduate.
These goals are all well and good and look wonderful on paper. But, unless some focus is made on the entire picture of public education, that’s all that they will remain — words on paper. It’s a well-known fact that during any election year, every politician is ready, willing, and able to jump onto the public education bandwagon. Promises are made, but seldom fulfilled. After the speeches are made and the votes are all counted, public education is filed away as another of “society’s problems” to be dealt with later. Educators are forced to scramble for the same dollars and funding that the criminal justice system and the health care system an entitled to.
For many top-level administrators, education is simply a “numbers game”; an attempt to “look good” in the public’s and politicians’ eyes. “We’ve made strides in our student’s standardized test scores!” “85% of our students say they want to go to college!” These and other headlines printed in The Daily Planet and other newspapers across the country have announced the “good news” in public education. But again, the entire picture is not being seen.
For the past three months, I have presented a series in The Daily Planet on the current situation in public education. I am thrilled that so many of the Planet’s readers have been moved to respond to these articles. In all of the letters that I have received, both positive and negative, one theme ran throughout: something has got to change.
It’s time for everyone — educators, parents, students, politicians, and the public — to be held accountable for the dire straits that public education is currently in. In a country where “being Number One” is prized above all else, it’s almost criminal that the vast majority of our students are performing at below the 50th percentile, below the average. Whose heads should roll? I say, everyone’s.
The politicians’ heads should roll for making policies that benefit their special interest groups rather than making policies that will benefit everyone. Last time I looked, the government of this country as OF the people, BY the people, and FOR the people. Special interest groups should not dictate policy, especially in education.
The educator’s head should roll for not fully recognizing the needs of their students. The time for being ostriches and burying their heads in the sand has long past. Educators at all levels need to stop playing the numbers game and truly analyze the data. The questions should begin with “Which students” rather than “How many students.” The emphasis should be on ACCOUNTABILITY and not ACCOUNTING.
The parents’ heads should roll for not being more involved in their children’s education. More often than not, PTSA organizations at the elementary school level are the fund-raisers and the bake sales. As students move forward in the system, parental involvement lessens until it is almost non-existent at the secondary level. This nonchalance and apathy needs to be changed. A parent’s voice is often the most powerful one and needs to be heard.
The students’ heads should roll for allowing the “adults” to let the educational system decline as it has. Passivity is not something that should be taught in our classrooms, but it is apparently a lesson that our children have learned well. A thirst for knowledge, the desire to always question is something that needs to be reinforced to future generations. Students need to become more involved in their education.
The public’s heads should roll for passing the buck. I, like many of the Planet’s readers, never took the time to understand what was involved in the BUSINESS of public education. Take the time. It’s an eye-opening experience.
This reporter is a product of the public school system here in Metropolis. My husband is a product of the public school system in Smallville, Kansas. Big city or rural farmland, the situation remains the same: Public education NEEDS to be the number one priority of all of us.
We live and work in a city that is blessed by the presence of a red-and-blue clad superhero who fights for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. But, not even Superman can do everything and be everywhere. In the case of public education, the cry should not be “This is a job for Superman!” but rather “This is a job for US!”
DOES it take a village to raise a child? I don’t know. I was once told, “Being with you is stronger than me alone.” That’s never been more true than now. If we, as a city, as a country, and as a society, don’t at least TRY collectively to raise our children, we will never know. And our future leaders will be found sorely lacking in the skills and the knowledge needed to keep this nation the power that it is.
This is one reporter’s opinion. I hope you share it.<<
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Clark put down the paper, lost in thought. Over the past 15 weeks, he had seen Lois’ growing passion with this issue. Her commentary served as the capper on a heart-felt project. He was impressed.
At the ding of the elevator, he looked up and smiled. Standing he watched as Lois entered the newsroom. One by one, her co-workers stopped what they were doing and began to clap. The applause continued as Lois walked down the ramp, finally dying down as she stood at her desk. Joining in the congratulations, Clark walked over to Lois and hugged her.
Embarrassed and bolstered by the applause, Lois hid her head in Clark’s chest for a moment. Finally, taking a deep breath, she raised her head and looked up at Clark.
“I did good?”
Clark grinned. “You did great.”
THE END