State supt: Schools need to be business ready

Louisiana Superintendent of Education John White backs reforming education. With that, he explained the plan he has been selling since coming to the office in January as offering greater local controls, while placing Louisiana’s school districts on a comparative level with those in other states.

White’s message is one of practicality: equip students so they advance to technical- or four-year colleges upon graduation, relieve teachers from cookie-cutter lesson plans and gear local education programs to meet the expectations of regional business.

“There are as many views on education as there are people in this room,” White said as he addressed members of the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce last Tuesday. “If we continue to stay in the political mode, arguing whether something should have been done in the first place, rather than focusing on the classroom, we will not move ahead.”

Presenting his “Louisiana Believes” program – backed by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Gov. Bobby Jindal and the Louisiana Legislature – White told those in attendance that classroom change requires direct input from teachers, principals and district administrators.

“Change in education started a long time ago,” White said. “It started with past governors, past educators, past school boards saying, ‘We believe children need to make progress in education.’”

White illustrated how students making the greatest contributions to school performance have been those that in the past were not included in the total equation.

According to the superintendent’s data, between 1999 and 2011 students performing at or above their grade levels offered a 26 percent improvement among low- income students, 26 percent improvement among black students and 31 percent improvement among special- education students.

The problem, according to this education professional has been a system that surrendered decision making powers to politicians while local educators were forced to fill their time following a checklist of directions instead of teaching.

White said Louisiana has in the past led the nation in accountability and teacher certification reform. “I think it is important, however, that we acknowledge the challenge ahead,” he said. “In spite of all the progress, we have a long way to go.”

White said his plan begins with understanding that 48 percent of Louisiana’s children entering kindergarten are unable to count to 20 and do not know the alphabet. The state superintendent wants to require preschool training that ensures pupils entering public school for the first time would be able to meet minimum performance levels. While current statistics list 52.4 percent of students as prepared upon entrance, White wants that number to improve to 70 percent by autumn 2015.

The second objective is to place Louisiana public school students on the same comparative level as those in other states by following national standardized tests by May 2015.

White is calling for accountability in the school system by insisting graduates are job-ready at the completion of 12th grade. In Louisiana the current Cohort graduation rate is 71.4 percent. A goal has been set to improve that level to 80 percent by autumn 2015.

White has gone on record supporting vouchers for private schools as a network of education resources. “I believe that a family who has a child in a setting that is not serving them well, or in which they are not satisfied, as a taxpayer, as a community member, should have the right to choose,” he said. “And 5,000 families did that this year.”

The superintendent said his plan includes a belief in educator responsibility. “We have to have a system of uniform accountability for everyone whose job it is to serve the children of our state,” he said. “At the same time we talk about accountability, but not empowerment. I don’t think that it is right … to expect compliance [in terms of student performance] and not empower you as an educator. We need to get out of the business of having 25 offices telling every single school district what to do. We have established one point of contact to adopt standards and make effective change in the classroom.”

White said school districts have moved to a time where they need independence to form their own curriculums and select their own textbooks, rather than having state officials tell them what is appropriate or affordable for their individual communities.

“We are judging our teachers, principals and superintendents on the outcome they produce,” White said. “When you put that trust in their hands we should have the faith that they will make good decision about how to educate kids. Not decisions we make for them. That is why we are removing the comprehensive curriculum.”

The state superintendent said changes have been made for local decision-making and encouraged business leaders to be part of the process.

Attorney Sid Sundbery said he liked what White offered. “I am very hopeful what [White is] starting to push will be beneficial to our education system and our children in the state,” Sundbery said. “We have to improve what is happening with our students in our schools.”

“I think the business leaders should be excited and inspired by the superintendent’s comments,” Terrebonne Parish Councilwoman Beryl Amedee added. “The philosophy that I heard was, ‘The closer to home you make decisions concerning the upbringing and education of children the better.’ Private industry has a vested interest in coming alongside the education system and trying to improve things. Their future depends on it.”

“At the end of the day the plan’s success rests on our educators and the leaders in our school systems,” White said. “If we continue to let it be a political issue and put our heads in the sand our kids will suffer.”

Terrrebonne Parish School Superintendent Philip Martin (left) and state Superintendent of Education John White discuss proposed changes to the state education system. White was in town last week to address the Houma-Terrebonne chamber.

MIKE NIXON | TRI-PARISH TIMES