This path won’t take us to success

By BARBARA S. NIELSEN

Guest columnist

I appreciate that Cindi Ross Scoppe and the rest of The State’s editorial board want to improve education in our state. We have disagreed at times about the best way to do that, but I know that they believe, as I do, that the way to secure our economic future in the 21st century begins with providing every child a first-rate education.

Unfortunately, while I wish I could agree with the recent column that said South Carolina is currently on that path to improving education, I fear that’s not the case. We are still falling far short of implementing the positive reforms that were passed more than a decade ago.

As the Education Oversight Committee has pointed out, our progress is not moving fast enough to meet our goals. We may be on “a path,” but that path must become a greatly accelerated rigorous path if our state is to compete economically.

There has been a lot of publicity over South Carolina’s unemployment rate, but far less about South Carolina leading the region in gross state product growth; the number of people employed in our state is at an all-time high; recent job gains are the best in the state’s recent history; there has been growth in the number of small businesses; and tax revenues are substantially increasing.

With the exception of the unemployment rate, all of these indicators point not to relative improvement, but economic strength! This situation cannot be compared to the one that exists in our education system — a system that, despite improvements in some areas, still struggles in far too many categories.

Ms. Scoppe’s argument might hold water if South Carolina was only near to last in SAT and ACT scores or only ranked last in high school completion rates. The tragedy is that only half of our students actually finish high school in four years and only 13 percent of our graduates are ready for college and work.

While some have touted South Carolina’s gains on NAEP (The Nation’s Report Card) as a sign of great progress, results from that test show an alarming racial achievement gap. Less than 35 percent of Hispanic and 15 percent of African-American students are competent at math or reading. While some gains have been made at fourth grade, South Carolina is still struggling at middle and high school levels.

We paint a false sense of security if we only compare ourselves to U.S. results. Most alarming, when looking internationally, students in this country — let alone this state — are even now being outperformed by former Soviet bloc countries.

Staying the course isn’t an option. We must open up opportunities for students, parents and teachers. We must provide a variety of curriculum choices. Students learn in different ways and should be able to take advantage of the learning environment that is best for them.

The landmark charter school bill championed this session by Gov. Mark Sanford and many legislators was a step in the right direction. Another positive step would be open enrollment for public schools. Parents need choices and many find it difficult to pay the inter-district transfer fees or “tuition” that can range as high as $7,000 in some districts. This makes it difficult for parents who want to stay in public schools to have equal access to a quality education for their children.

Giving children more options opens doors, encourages innovation and unlocks potential. Thinking creatively, putting the needs of children first and fully implementing a strong system of accountability will only accelerate our state’s progress. We should give the parents, students, teachers and administrators the ability to customize education so that every child will succeed at high levels.

I agree with others who have said that the civil right of the 21st century is knowledge. Those who have it will succeed. Those who don’t will never have a chance. This will have a dramatic impact on our state’s economic, educational and civic health. Our conversations should focus on acknowledging the “reality” of our challenge and making sure we do not fall into the trap of image over substance.

Dr. Nielsen is the former state Superintendent of Education.