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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 1983)
Spilyay Tymoo Page 8 November 18,1983 Study indicates educational performance declining Is our nation at risk? by Marsha Shewczyk Problems affecting Ameri can education have recently been voiced by educators andl observers of the educational process. Children, they are finding, are not meeting the standards necessary to become responsible citizens. Many children graduate from high school without having grasped the basics of reading and mathematics. Concern for these problems has spurred the Secretary of Education on August 26, 1981 to c re a te th e N a tio n a l Commission of Excellence in Education. By April 1983, the committee had studied the problems, proposed solutions an d co m p leted a re p o rt entitled, “A Nation At'Risk,” The report deals with the fact, that educational attainments are much lower than is necessary to m aintain a technological society competi tive with other nations of the world. “Others are matching and surpassing our education attainments,” the report states. This it is emphasized in the result of accepting mediocre educational performance. The risk to the nation of letting educational perfor mance decline have been outlined through analysis of academics in the schools. It has been found'that international c o m p a ris o n s o f s tu d e n t achievem ent, com pleted a decade ago, reveal that on 19 academ ic tests, A m erican students were never first or second and, in comparison w ith o th e r in d u stria liz e d nations, were last seven times. I SpUyay Tymoo photo by Shewczyk COMPUTER LITERACY —High schools students gain knowledge in computers through use o f the machines during the school day. Chip Calico utilizes this Apple He during a vocational educational class. Computer literacy is an essential aspect o f education in keeping up with modern technology. science achievement scores of A m erican 17-year-olds as m e a s u r e d by n a t i o n a l assessments of science in 1969, 1973 and 1977. Between 1975 and 1980, remedial mathematics courses in public four-year colleges increased by 72 percent and now constitute one-quarter of all mathematics courses taught in those institutions. Average tested achievement of students graduating from college is also lower. These deficiencies are very 2.3 million American adults obvious in a nation demanding highly skilled workers in are functionally illiterate technological fields. It is feared that the new generation will be Some 23,000,000 American o n e o f s c i e n t i f i c a n d adults are functionally illiterate technologic illiteracy. It is by the sim plest tests of predicted they will know less everyday reading, writing and than their parent’s generation. comprehension. A long w ith in c re a sin g About 13 percent of all 17- knowledge in mathematics, year-olds in the United States reading and scientific skills the can be considered functionally hum anities m ust not be illiterate. Functional illiteracy forgotten. They, too, are among minority youth may run important to a well-rounded as high as 40 percent. education and human being, Average achievement of high the Nation at a Risk report school students on most points out. standardized tests is now lower “Our goal,” according to the than 26 years ago, when report, “must be to develop the Sputnik was launched. talents of all to their fullest. Over half the population of Attaining that goal requires gifted students do not match that we expect and assist all their tested ability with students to work to the limits of comparable achievement in their capabilities. We should school. ex p ect sch o ols to have T h e C o lle g e B o a r d ’s genuinely high standards Scholastic A ptitude Tests rather than minimum ones, and d e m o n s tr a te a v ir tu a lly p a re n ts to su p p o rt and unbroken decline from 1963 to encourage their children to 1980. Average verbal scores fell make the most of their talents over 50 points and average and abilities.” mathmatics scores dropped Education has always been nearly 40 points. im p o rtan t to A m erica, a College Board achievement cornerstone for A m erica’s tests also reveal consistent development. But for 15 years, declines in recent years in such industrial productivity has subjects as physics and English. declined. Citizens opinion Both the num ber and pointed to declining educa p r o p o r tio n o f s tu d e n ts tional performance to be d e m o n s tr a tin g s u p e r io r responsible. The findings cite achievement on the SATs have one or more reasons for that also dramatically declined. decline, some of which are: Many 17-year-olds do not homogenized and diffused possess the “higher order” school curricula where students intellectual skills we should choose “general track” courses; expect of them. Nearly 40 few students complete courses percent cannot draw inferences in advanced mathematics; the from written material; only amount of time spent on one-fifth can write a persuasive homework is very low; foreign essay . .and. only one-third can, language classes are- seldom solve a mathmatics problem taken; 50 percent of the work requiring several steps. required for graduation are There was a steady decline in electives. Other reasons for declining education performance are: selectivity for colleges has declined; few experienced teachers and scholars are involved in writing textbooks; expenditures for textbooks have declined; time is not utilized well by students; not enough of the academically- able stu d e n ts are being attracted to teaching; there is a serious shortage of teachers in key f a c to r s ; a n d , th e professional working life of teachers is unacceptable. The curriculum in the first eight grades should be designed to provide a sound base for study in those later years. “These years should foster an enthusiasm for learning and the development of the individual’s gifts and talents,” said the report. Education has always been important to Americans R e c o m m e n d a tio n s fo r colleges and u n iv ersities include the adoption of more rig o ro u s and m easu rab le s t a n d a r d s a n d h ig h e r expectations for academic perform ance and student c o n d u c t th r o u g h h ig h e r admission standards. T o a c c o m p lis h th e s e e d u c a t i o n a l ' t a s k s th e commission recommends more effective use of the school day, a longer school day or a lengthened school year. The Commission recom mends more effective use of the school day Teachers should be required to meet high educational standards and demonstrate an aptitude for teaching. Salaries should be competitive. Career levels for teachers should be d e v e lo p e d , n o n - s c h o o l personnel resources should be employed for assistance and incentives, such as grants and loans, should be offered to teachers. Citizens are asked to provide fiscal support to bring about these reforms. Educators and elected officials should be held responsible for providing leadership necessary to achieve these reforms. In concluding the report, the commission writes a word to parents and students. To parents'—“You know that you cannot confidently launch your children into today’s world unless they are of strong character and well-educated in the use of language, science and m ath e m a tic s. They- m ust possess a deep respect for intelligence, achievements, and learning, and the skills needed to use them; for setting goals; and for disciplined work. That respect must be accompanied by an intolerance for the shoddy and seco n d -rate m a s q u e ra d in g as ‘good enough.’ “You have the right to demand for your children the best our schools and colleges can provide. Your vigilance and your refusal to be satisfied with less than the best are the imperative first step. By your right to a proper education for your children carries a double responsibility. “As surely as you are your child’s first and most influential teacher, your child’s ideas about education and its significance begin with you. You must be a living example of what you expect your children to honor to emulate. M o re o v e r, you b e a r a responsibility to participate a c tiv e ly in y o u r ch ild s education. Above all exhibit a com m itm ent to continued learning in your own life. Finally, help your children understand that excellence in education cannot be achieved without intellectual and moral integrity coupled with hard w o rk a n d c o m m itm e n t. Children will look to their parents and teachers as models of such virtues,” To students—“You forfeit your chance for life at its fullest when you withhold your best effort in learning. When you give only the minimum to learning, you receive only the minimum in return. “work with dedication” “Even with your parents’ best exam ple and your teachers’ best efforts, in the end, it is your work that determines how much and how well you learn. When you work to your full capacity, you can hope to attain the knowledge and skills that will enable you to create your future and control your destiny. If you do not, you will have your future thrust upon you by others. Take hold of your life, apply your gifts and talents, work with dedication and self- d i s c i p l i n e . H a v e h ig h expectations for yourself and convert every challenge into an opportunity.” "nfrfoji •..■ ■ /; For the student Spilyay Tymoo photo bv Shewczvk Conference brought parents and teachers together to discuss each students’s progress in school Education involves more than just students and teachers. Parental help and support is also needed for a child’s success. Warm Springs elementary parents speaks with kindergarten teacher Laura Fuentes.
