Group Discusses School Reform In Cda

Politicians and administrators who want to reform public schools were cautioned Tuesday against a one-size-fits-all fix.

Most people agree schools need improving. But perspectives on how to do that vary among communities, among races and among people of different philosophies, pollster Vince Breglio said at a meeting of the Education Commission of the States.

For example, he said, people tend to list parental and community involvement as the top two components of education reform.

“But very conservative people place very high stress on parental involvement, … and those who are liberal, on high community involvement.”

The Education Commission is a non-partisan 30-year-old group. Eighty people, representing all 50 states, are among those meeting this week at The Coeur d’Alene Resort. They include the governors of Wisconsin, Iowa and Georgia.

Breglio’s Maryland firm surveyed 2,700 parents who also are voters. The phone interviews took place statewide in Maryland and Kentucky as well as in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Cincinnati and Seattle.

The commission also hired Nancy Belden of Washington, D.C., to organize discussion groups of parents and teachers in those places. So far, she has done that in Philadelphia and Maryland.

Among the pollsters’ findings:

People with children in public schools are considerably more satisfied with those schools than are those whose children attend non-public schools or those whose children are not schoolage.

Six out of 10 surveyed said they think schools are on the wrong track. Of those, 41 percent would “tinker” with their schools, while 43 percent endorsed a complete overhaul.

The more education parents have, the more aware they are of efforts to reform schools.

Both parents and teachers eagerly approve a learn-by-doing approach. But most recognize that takes money, said Belden. “As one teacher said, ‘If you’re going to say “learn by doing,” you’d better have a well-equipped science room.”’

Everyone thinks parental involvement is important, but many people are skeptical about counting on that approach because many parents lack the time or desire.

Many people think higher academic standards are impractical, either because they would cost too much or because some children aren’t capable of meeting them. African-American parents tend to list higher standards as more important than do white parents, Belden said.

Parents and teachers want educators to be held accountable for student success but are leery of punishing teachers for factors not in their control.

In response to an audience question, Breglio said that business people are the least-trusted players in educational reform efforts.

“It’s not that you don’t include them, but you include them carefully,” he said.

, DataTimes