LETTERS

School Administrator, Jan, 1999

Too Much Access?

As someone who is working on a dissertation on the standards movement and its impact on student achievement, I enjoyed Richard Rothstein's article, "Skewed Comparisons" (September 1998). His work provided me with some great information, which I plan to cite.

Having been an educator for 29 years, I have had an opportunity to live through much of the "drive-by criticism" of schools. I always have felt one reason schools are such a target is that as educators we are always listening and trying to help people, which means we are always accessible. While we are criticized for not making change, we probably make more changes than any other public or governmental institution.

People can be upset with Washington, D.C., but don't have immediate access to complain or cause change. They have immediate access to schools and use it. I think we receive much in the way of frustration that belongs to others, but because of our accessibility we receive the brunt of it all.

CRAIG H. BECK

Superintendent, Fremont County School District 24, Shoshoni, Wyo.

Casting Aspersions

Jay Mathews' article ("Breaking Down Barriers," September 1998) tells the story of a San Diego inner-city student and her accomplishments at La Jolla High School. I applaud the writer for describing a success story of academic learning. However, I am deeply disturbed that aspersions were cast at San Diego High School (the student's neighborhood school) with no documentation or investigation.

Was the author aware that:

* San Diego High has an International Baccalaureate program and provides an exceptionally rigorous academic course of study?

* Students from all over the city (including La Jolla) choose to attend San Diego High because of its fine program?

* San Diego High ranks third in the county in terms of students taking and passing Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams?

Why celebrate the success of a student at one school by thoughtlessly tearing down the reputation of another? Mathews should have researched the educational opportunities at San Diego High School and highlighted success stories about students at both schools.

LINDA J. CARSTENS

Executive Director of Standards, Research, Assessment and Evaluation, Santa Rosa City Schools, Santa Rosa, Calif.

Unfair Potshots

As a former teacher at Long Beach Prep, I must take issue with your article about the school ("Our Second-Chance Program," August 1998).

I am tired of administrators, such as Superintendent Carl Cohn, taking the easy way out by blaming teachers for the problems we had at the school. First off, experience did matter. Experienced teachers knew this was a chaotic situation, made worse by inexperienced administrators, and left. The teachers who stayed either were in their first year and had nothing to compare it to or they were Long Beach teachers who had come from worse situations.

The superintendent takes potshots at the previous districts that employed us. I hate to inform him that many of us came from districts with higher standards than Long Beach. We bought into Long Beach's wonderful public relations only to discover it was like fool's gold--it looked good from the outside, but once you weighed and measured it you discovered it was not all it seemed.

The outside teachers also knew that you don't treat staff in ways that are degrading and then expect them to stay. Personally, I can't think of any other district that thinks it's okay to discipline staff over the loud speaker for students to hear. This is high standards? Carl Cohn should put the blame where it truly belongs--on the administration.

DEBORAH MEYERS

Director of Education, Goodwill High School, Los Angeles, Calif.

Sharp Timing

What excellent insights Helen Sharp offered as a spouse of an administrator in her article, "For Better or Worse" (June 1998).

I am a high school principal and as I write this our superintendent, his wife, my wife, an elementary school principal and her husband are preparing to present a conference program to the School Administrators of Iowa on being married to a school administrator. So my reading of Sharp's article was very timely.

ROBERT E. STOUFFER

Principal,

Urbandale ale Senior High School, Urbandale, Iowa

Pentkowski's Priorities

Ray Pentkowski's insightful description of how teachers helped him and his wife make lifesaving decisions speaks volumes ("Priorities That Can Save a Life," August 1998).

The special way in which he describes how teachers add value to our lives through the particular skills and knowledge they impart spoke to both my head and heart. I will continue to ponder what he had to say for many weeks to come.

MARCE. HULL

Commissioner,

Vermont Department of Education, Montpelier, Vt.

An Education for Drones

Paul Houston's Executive Perspective column ("Preserving Public Education, Not Public Schools," September 1998) begs the question: Are you addressing the fact that school-to-work is going to rip the heart from public schools?

His language seems to imply impending disaster. As a parent and a member of the citizen research group called EdSearch, I think he is right. The vast majority of the public wants and expects an education that recognizes that knowledge is power and a mind is a terrible thing to waste.