Washington Post: Letters to the Editor

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May 15, A14

Letters to the Editor

Education Mathematics
In his May 3 op-ed, "A Test Everyone Will Fail," Gerald W. Bracey questioned the accuracy of international comparison of educational achievement and accused advocates of school reform of using scare tactics. Unfortunately, Mr. Bracey's questions are the wrong ones to be asking.

We can quibble over the exact percentages of American students who are doing extremely well in reading and math compared with their peers in other countries, but is that the issue?

The questions that urgently require answers are: What do we do about the one-third of students who enter ninth grade each fall but drop out before graduating four years later? ABout another third who graduate without the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in college or today's workplace? About 50 percent of African American and Latino students who don't graduate at all? About the 70 percent of eighth-graders who can't read at grade level? About the billions of dollars spent annually by colleges and business on remediation for things kids should have learned in high school?

These are not scare tactics; they are facts. And as long as almost 7,000 students drop out ever school day, this nation must not be diverted from its demand for high standards and rigorous coursework. Whether America's top students are doing better or worse than their international counterparts is a debate that should be saved for a day when all students are graduating with at least the basic skills and knowledge they need to be successful in life.

Bob Wise
President
Alliance for Excellence in Education
Washington