Education dollars buy more than advertised

Interestingly, as schools close their second-quarter grades, the state of Maine received a grade too according to Gordon Bonin’s reporting of a recent survey in Education Week (BDN, Jan.11). The headline boldly stated: “Education survey gives state a C grade” while printed three paragraphs later, “Overall Maine has one of the top three educational systems in the United States, according to an analysis of the Education Week and project coordinator for Quality Counts 2001.”

OK, “headliners” (whoever you are), you caught my attention and probably those of many others who stood gazing at the the newspaper stand, reading the BDN front page headings while jingling their pocket change and deciding, “Should I invest 60 cents today?”

But written at what expense? What message are you quickly sending to your tax paying readers, parents of school-aged children, school board directors, teachers and potential employers of Maine graduates? If you want to address accountability, start with yourselves.

Granted, if the paper was purchased and the readers read the entire article (for the rest of the story turn to page…), later they will realize that Maine schools are among the best in the nation. According to this same report, “When it comes to helping local school systems find ways to assess student performance, Maine’s efforts are right on the mark…”

In a nationwide comparison of the states, Maine gets the “biggest bang for its education buck” (Forbes Magazine, 1997). While per pupil spending is near the national average, Maine ranks at the top of the student achievement list. Out of the 50 states, Maine’s assessment placed eighth grade students first in reading, second in writing, sixth in math and third in science.

If alarms and whistles could sound, the headline for this report should be: Blue-light special – biggest buy for your education bucks. Ask the tax paying readers what is most important to their educational dollar. I think they will say that they want value. Maine schools are producing a valuable product. The real concern is not the grade, but how we hold on to our investments – after they graduate.

Grace Hoffman, M.Ed. is an eighth grade teacher of reading at SeDoMoCha Middle School in Dover-Foxcroft.