Quality Education

No one would disagree that all children should receive a quality education, and that our state and nation depend on it for a competitive work force and cohesive citizenry. Yet that isn't happening, despite the fact that such an education in Maryland is a constitutional right - as well as a matter of self-interest and moral principle. Worse, at the special session of the General Assembly that starts today - called by Gov. Martin O'Malley to deal with the state's fiscal problems - the state may be on the path to backtrack on this right and the progress achieved over the past decade.

CERTAIN flash points in America's civil rights struggle represent moments of moral awakening: Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat; John Lewis' beating at the Edmund Pettus Bridge; Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from a Birmingham jail. By raising long submerged issues into stark and vivid relief, these events forced a reckoning -- and reckoned a change. They forced us to re-evaluate our beliefs, and, finally, take action.Recently, we witnessed another such moment: 1.25 million cries for help voiced by poor, largely minority families, seeking something most Americans take for granted -- a decent education for their children.

Let's commit to hard work this school yearAs bells ring throughout Maryland and the children of Maryland begin a new school year, let us all -- parents, teachers and administrators -- reflect on what we hope to have our schools achieve.Let's hope that this new school year will see a continuing improvement in our public schools, which, after all, are pillars of our democratic system.However, let's also hope that this new school year sees a return to more than just the basics. Let's all hope and pray that real discipline returns to the schools, for without true discipline in our classrooms, real learning cannot take place.

Board at FaultThe Sun's editorial ''The Berger Buyout'' was right on target.Shame on the citizens and educators of Baltimore County if its board of education isn't held accountable to explain its actions. I cannot believe the board of education hates teachers so much that they brought in someone like Stuart Berger, who already had a negative history from Kansas and Frederick County.Can't change evolve? Must it be a bloody revolution? Mr. Berger calls the buyout ''foolish.'' I say we are foolish if the board of education is permitted to just go on with business as usual.

What it takes to overhaul public schoolsThe concept that American education needs an overhaul was correctly stated in the report ''A Nation At Risk,'' a critique of education in the 1980s.The rapid changes in technology, mass communication and other areas of learning require a change in our educational system.The trick, however, is to get positive results. Certainly, mastery of the fundamentals should be a prime concern. Quality education should teach not only what the student wants to learn, but also what the student must know to function in an ever-more complex society.

High school teacher Barbara Dandridge left education more than five years ago to find ways to improve it.The Howard County foreign language teacher and administrator got tired of seeing schools that were failing to educate their students.She saw some schools that were teaching students well and others that weren't. She ran into wonderful teachers as well as really bad ones."Students should be able to go from one school to another and get the same quality education," said Dr. Dandridge, a Columbia resident who taught at Oakland Mills High School and became an assistant principal at Atholton and Mount Hebron.

High school teacher Barbara Dandridge left education more than five years ago to find ways to improve it.The Howard County foreign language teacher and administrator got tired of seeing schools that were failing to educate their students.She saw some schools that were teaching students well and others that weren't. She ran into wonderful teachers as well as really bad ones."Students should be able to go from one school to another and get the same quality education," said Dr. Dandridge, who taught Oakland Mills High School and became an assistant principal at Atholton and Mount Hebron.

High school teacher Barbara Dandridge left education more than five years ago to find ways to improve it.The Howard County foreign language teacher and administrator got tired of seeing schools that were failing to educate their students.She saw some schools that were teaching students well and others that weren't. She ran into wonderful teachers as well as really bad ones."Students should be able to go from one school to another and get the same quality education," said Dr. Dandridge, who taught Oakland Mills High School and became an assistant principal at Atholton and Mount Hebron.

Just Whose Kids Are These, Anyway?The information which has been given out about education by the Carroll County Citizens for Quality Education (CCCQE) has been accurate, whether Gary Dunkleberger, the director of curriculum and staff development for the county's public schools, wants to admit it or not.A phone call to the state Board of Education will verify why all outcomes look alike. The answer is they came from a governor's meeting in 1989 where the outcomes were drafted and agreed upon.

A parent group has written and produced a 17-minute video that members hope will generate more support for outcomes-based education.PROBE, which stands for Parents Responding to Outcomes-Based Education, so far includes seven members, said co-chairwoman M. Lynn Earp, who lives on Boxwood Avenue in Westminster with her husband and two children."

An unlikely trio explored several Baltimore schools Friday as part of an effort to highlight education reform and challenges, and called on Maryland to give charter schools more autonomy. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich repeatedly emphasized the need for changes to the state's charter school law, which he called "too restrictive," as he, the Rev. Al Sharpton and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan toured three city schools and spoke with students, administrators and others about their schools - and what sets them apart.

A Baltimore County Circuit Court judge has denied a request to halt construction of a new elementary school in Towson. The Towson residents who made the request and filed suit against the Board of Education in April failed to prove they would suffer irreparable harm or inconvenience from the construction of West Towson Elementary, wrote Judge Michael J. Finifter in his ruling late Tuesday on the preliminary injunction. His order focused on hardship that either side could face until a decision is made on the merits of the lawsuit.

Nicole Fuller's story in the Dec. 21 edition of The Sun correctly characterized the discussions I and other school system officials have had in recent months with County Executive John Leopold and members of the County Council regarding the fiscal situation that exists in our county. However, the story contained two significant errors which must be corrected. First, I have never asserted in any way that Mr. Leopold or the members of the County Council were "not dedicated to the school system's success," as the story stated.

Finding new options for urban education Baltimore spends more than $10,000 per student each year on education. For Kalman R. Hettleman to suggest that even more money is needed is preposterous ("Don't deny state's kids a quality education," Opinion Commentary, Oct. 28). The level of funding is adequate, and children around the globe receive a quality education for much less money. As a society, we need to accept that far too many children grow up in dangerous and violent communities, with uncaring parents numbed by generations of welfare dependency, and that this has had an enormous negative effect on public education.

No one would disagree that all children should receive a quality education, and that our state and nation depend on it for a competitive work force and cohesive citizenry. Yet that isn't happening, despite the fact that such an education in Maryland is a constitutional right - as well as a matter of self-interest and moral principle. Worse, at the special session of the General Assembly that starts today - called by Gov. Martin O'Malley to deal with the state's fiscal problems - the state may be on the path to backtrack on this right and the progress achieved over the past decade.

Teacher bonuses pay few dividends As someone who was a middle school principal for 32 years, I become disturbed when I read articles such as "U.S. bonuses reward teacher performance" (Oct. 23) and "States turn to teacher bonuses" (Sept. 5). While the intent of financial bonuses for teachers who make outstanding contributions by increasing test scores and accepting assignments in difficult schools may appear positive, I believe that the bonuses produce very poor dividends in the long run. Such a practice creates an educational volcano - bubbling with unhealthy competition of jealousy, favoritism and back-stabbing.

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. said he wants to pay teachers based on the performance of their students, and Mayor Martin O'Malley proposed huge bonuses for principals who agree to serve in troubled schools, as both candidates for governor clashed again yesterday over how best to educate the state's children, the dominant issue of this year's campaign. Ehrlich, speaking before the State Board of Education in Baltimore, also unveiled a plan to improve the quality of principals, promising to put $1.6 million in his next budget for a school administrator leadership academy.

COLLEGE PARK -- It's beautiful down here, if you can afford it. On a lovely sunlit morning, students at this University of Maryland campus walk to class as though barely staggered by the record-breaking tuition hikes of the Ehrlich years, and they live in dormitories whose fees have risen to resemble hotel bills. All of this makes it particularly striking to see banners strung proudly in numerous locations here. The banners proclaim: "Graduates more African-American students than any other Top 20 public university."

THURSDAY Citizens Advisory Committee The Countywide Citizens Advisory Committee will discuss a survey about the school calendar at 7 p.m. in the school board's chambers in the Dr. Carol Sheffey Parham Building, 2644 Riva Road, Annapolis. 410-222-5414. Commission on Quality Education The Governor's Commission on Quality Education will hold a regional public hearing at 7 p.m. at Largo High School, 505 Largo Road, Upper Marlboro. This will be the last of seven public hearings held throughout the state.

Public schools, charter schools have same goal Last year, I was a guest at an event for an East Baltimore charter school that is trying to open this fall. I was invited because the charter school movement and programs such as Children's Scholarship Fund Baltimore, a school choice program, have always been mutually supportive. Our goals are the same: a quality education for our children. A speaker at the event said, "This charter school will be good for the students, the parents and even Baltimore City public schools.