If you are a parent of a child in the Delaware public school system, yesterday you most likely received your child’s DSTP (Delaware State Testing Program) scores. Things might be fine with your child, but things are not fine across the board as a matter of fact education in Delaware is getting much worse. The News Journal summarizes here:
Statewide, scores on reading tests slipped in all grades this year, with the biggest drop in sixth grade. The percentage of students passing the test went down about 6 percentage points. Reading scores have gone down since 2007. Math scores remained about the same as in 2009. For the past five years, the state’s overall math results have increased slightly, with the percentage of students passing hovering in the high 70s for elementary students and the mid-50s for 10th-graders.
Markell Administration officials point to the fact that the “Read Aloud” funding disappeared and that’s one reason the reading scores have slipped. We all know that’s not the full story.
Issue #1: All public students take the DSTPs, yes, even students with severe learning disabilities. I know this is part of the whole education plan, but seriously, this shit don’t fly. The Markell Administration along with the federal government needs to figure out a way to baseline students with severe learning disabilities differently than the rest.
Issue #2: My son went to 6th grade in a public school in Delaware. In his advanced English class, they only read one book, one freaking book. This is a travesty. How can children be expected to read better if they are not reading? (Don’t get me started on his lack of writing.)
Issue #3: Race to the Top, the new federally funded education program, is not going to solve this issue. Half the money is staying in Dover instead of going into the classrooms. The fact of the matter is that Governor Markell should be pushing for more money being funneled into the classrooms which means hiring more teachers. No new program (read Race to the Top) is going to solve the educational issues within Delaware. They haven’t in the past and they won’t in the future. In general, most teachers know how to teach, but with disciplinary problems and over-sized classrooms, they are not giving that opportunity.
Issue #5: Parents. Parents are the biggest detriment to our children’s education in the State of Delaware. We need to find a way to make parents responsible for their child’s behavior in school. At home, parents need to sit down with their children when they do their homework. Parents need to turn off the Xbox and the TV. Parents need to make sure their child eats the correct foods. Parents need to make sure their child gets enough sleep. Parents need to make sure their child is reading. If most of the parents in Delaware put forth a tiny effort, education in Delaware would be first-class.
End Rant.