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Illinois School Board Journal
March - April 2001

It’s time to set the record straight!

By Robert T. Malito

Robert T. Malito is superintendent of McLean County Unit District 5, Normal, Illinois. The K-12 school system serves five communities and has more than 10,000 students and 18 schools.

School bashing is a popular tune today. Too often, this bashing is perpetuated by the news media, expressed by citizens and communicated by taxpayers. It is time to set the record straight!

Myth #1: The Illinois public education system is unable to produce students with adequate skills for the workforce.

Reality: False. In 1985, the state of Illinois embarked on an academic improvement voyage of school reform. Illinois students are scoring better in all academic areas. In fact, research indicates that most companies identify attendance, punctuality, personal appearance and social skills as inadequate, but not academic skills. Often, basic skills training is designed for older workers who are retraining in order to re-enter the workforce. It is not directed at recent high school graduates.

Myth #2: ACT and SAT scores are declining.

Reality: False. Student performance is solid. The real fact is more students in the bottom half and the lowest quartile are now taking the tests. It is also improper to measure the quality of education over time with these tests. Statistically, these scores are related to the proportion of students in that group who took the test.

Myth #3: Schools are costing more and producing less.

Reality: False. It is not just the number of students enrolled that determines school costs, but the special programs that are mandated that greatly influence those costs.

Myth #4: Reducing administrative costs would free up money for school repairs.

Reality: The number of district-wide administrators in Illinois has not increased. In fact, many school systems are downsizing their district-wide administrative staff.

Myth #5: The dropout rate is increasing.

Reality: Again, false. The dropout rate is declining. Due to state grants, many school districts now offer alternative school options for students who would have dropped out of school.

Since 1640, public schools have been responsible for the 3 Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic). Today, public schools also focus on:

• Immunizations and health screenings
• Early childhood education
• At-risk programs
• Special education
• Vocational education
• Physical education
• Driver education
• Health education
• Consumer education
• Alternative education
• Vocational education
• Technology education
• School lunch/breakfast programs
• Drug/alcohol abuse education
• Bilingual education
• Gifted education
• Before/after school programs to help working parents
• Extracurricular programs

You have read or heard in the news that Illinois public schools are going down the tubes, that test scores are plummeting, that kids cannot spell or add, and that students are at-risk because schools are failing. Not true!

State Superintendent Glenn W. "Max" McGee reports:

• 57 percent of Illinois schools have shown improvement.
• More than 70 percent of eighth graders meet the writing standards.
• One of the lowest academic school districts has posted a 45-percent increase in students meeting the standards.
• Illinois students earned the highest average Advanced Placement scores in the nation.
• Since 1996, the state of Illinois ACT composite score has increased, with reading and mathematics as the top two areas.

Yes, it is true that McGee and the state of Illinois still want more improvement, and I agree.

Rough waters lie ahead for public education. Like any ship traveling through rough sea, the total crew must take the appropriate action to keep it on a successful course.

I challenge all of us to support our state superintendent, as I believe he is trying to put Illinois schools on the right course. There is no guarantee that he will be successful in this endeavor, but with us behind him, the chance for success is greatly improved. The children of Illinois stand to benefit from that success.

• Because the supposed crisis is full of myths and half-truths, how should one evaluate schools?
• Ask lots of questions about a school district.
• Analyze the district’s test scores.
• Investigate a school’s achievements and awards.
• Compare school report card data with that of other schools and the state average.
• Examine program offerings, i.e. foreign languages, technology, Advanced Placement courses and others.
• Look for extracurricular activities, such as music, art and speech, not just sports.

I challenge every teacher, administrator and school board member to discover ways to better communicate to parents and taxpayers the excellent job that public schools arc doing each day. We live in an age where people believe what they read and hear. Take charge, stand up and tell them about your schools today!