Quality Education

Education costs us. Poor education costs us much more. The United States lags most industrial nations in the quality of our primary and secondary education. True, Maryland ranks highest in the 50 states in quality of education by some measures (as low as ninth by others), and ranks about ninth in per-pupil expenditures. In education quality, Carroll County ranks about fourth among Maryland jurisdictions. Carroll achieves this because the bulk of the families with school-age children are educated, well off and stress the value of a good education.

Anne Neal's recent commentary about St. Mary's College of Maryland misrepresents our curriculum ("Cautionary campus tale," May 30). Far from "anything goes," our Core Curriculum is anchored in four fundamental skills: critical thinking, information literacy, written expression and oral expression - skills that employers regularly implore us to build in our students. We are well aware that current economic conditions require colleges and universities to prepare our students for a competitive and dynamic work environment.

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.

Morgan State University President David Wilson makes a compelling argument that "receiving a quality education at the elementary and secondary level is a civil and moral right" ("Why education should be considered a civil right," May 13). I applaud his altruism, but elementary education is too late to solve this achievement gap. Sadly, kindergartners from low-income homes have an approximate vocabulary of 5,000 words while their peers from high-income homes have a 20,000 word vocabulary.

The late night talk show host is right . . . there are quite a few things in life that make you stop and say hum-m-m-m-m.One of the latest hum-m-m-m-m items in Carroll County has been the recent salary increases for top Carroll County school administrators.In tight economic times, such as we are facing now, it is difficult to justify a $6,000 salary increase to one individual and $3,000 to another -- no matter who those individuals are or what they do.Not only is there a cash increase for the superintendent, but now we have learned that there is a $700-a-month automobile use and maintenance payment . . . that is $8,400 a year.

MARYLANDERS do it all the time. They move into a community whose schools post superior MSPAP and SAT scores and figure they've got it made for good. In their minds, they're permanently, inseparably locked into that school district. Then redistricting comes, and reality hits. The wake-up call may soon come to some residents of Baltimore County, because schools there will be redistricted to fill New Town High School, scheduled to open in 2003. Reality already has come to Columbia's River Hill Village, whose well-regarded high school is bursting at the seams.

Shannon Zirkle's decision to attend Howard Community College two years ago was based on the college's affordability and on the Rouse Scholars Program, which rewards academically talented students. The HCC student government president says she has received a quality education at a reasonable price, in part because the Rouse program, named for Columbia founder James W. Rouse, has paid about $4,000 toward the cost of her education. Additional scholarships have picked up the tab for her books and other costs.

Second of three parts   N o urban school system offers more hope than Baltimore's. Still, even if CEO Andrés Alonso stays the course (while fine-tuning it), city schools will need more resources. More must be done across the nation to fulfill, at long last, the legal and moral right of every poor child to a quality education. The best hope for the future lies in what I call a "New Education Federalism." Its foundation is a larger, more muscular role for the federal government.

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.

Harford County Executive David R. Craig misses the mark in his discussion of Maryland's Maintenance of Effort (MOE) law in his recent op-ed piece ("A school funding solution," June 21). Contrary to his arguments, the new law passed during the 2012 legislative session greatly enhances the ability of counties to fund a quality education for their children. As we entered the 2012 legislative session, loopholes in MOE were being widely exploited, severely jeopardizing the impressive gains in student achievement that our schools have made in recent years.

It's easy to get lost in the back and forth about education policy decisions in Harford County, or anywhere else for that matter, and focus on problems like portable classrooms, security issues, teacher retirement plan funding and the like. A danger when this happens is the focus is lost on what's right with our public school system, and there's plenty that's right. Maryland has one of the highest-ranked public school systems in the country, and Harford County's public schools have been among the top tier in the state.

Just as there are many roads to glory, there are myriad ways to grapple with the ghosts of racism past. Some seek, and eventually obtain, apologies such as the one issued by the Howard County school board last month. Others seek, and sometimes obtain, financial reparations — such as those who, decades after it happened, eventually divided several million dollars because of a 1920s racial cleansing in Rosewood, Fla. But last month, Morgan State University took a giant step in a different direction, breaking ground for a new home for its business school.

World-renowned surgeon Benjamin Carson has been named president of the board overseeing the East Baltimore Community School Inc.--the educational institution spurred by the revitalization of the city's Middle East community, including a new elementary/middle school that will anchor the community. The appointment of Carson, director of the pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, was announced by Hopkins on Monday.  He started his new post effective Dec. 1, and took over for David Nichols, former vice dean for education at Hopkins' School of Medicine.

Supporting the Maryland Dream Act, which allows children of undocumented immigrants who have graduated from a Maryland high school to attend state colleges and universities at the same in-state tuition rate as other residents, is a win for them and for the state of Maryland. Brought to this country through no choice of their own, these undocumented children think of themselves as Americans. They have played on sports' teams, gone on class trips, attended birthday parties and "hung out" with children of American citizens.

Harford County Executive David R. Craig misses the mark in his discussion of Maryland's Maintenance of Effort (MOE) law in his recent op-ed piece ("A school funding solution," June 21). Contrary to his arguments, the new law passed during the 2012 legislative session greatly enhances the ability of counties to fund a quality education for their children. As we entered the 2012 legislative session, loopholes in MOE were being widely exploited, severely jeopardizing the impressive gains in student achievement that our schools have made in recent years.

You couldn't tell from the Republican primary season so far, but education, as a campaign issue, should move to the forefront of voter concern as we approach the fall election. A College Board poll last month reported that two-thirds of voters in nine swing states felt education is extremely important to them personally. About the same time, a task force report from the Council on Foreign Relations declared, "Educational failure puts the United States future economic prosperity, global position, and physical safety at risk.

Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele is scheduled to visit Annapolis Area Christian School on Thursday to discuss the Governor's Commission on Quality Education in Maryland. As commission chair, Steele visits schools across the state, collecting information for the panel's work and meeting with educators, parents, administrators, students and community leaders. Steele has visited 12 districts so far and plans to visit at least one school in every county, as well as in Baltimore City, to complete his review.

You couldn't tell from the Republican primary season so far, but education, as a campaign issue, should move to the forefront of voter concern as we approach the fall election. A College Board poll last month reported that two-thirds of voters in nine swing states felt education is extremely important to them personally. About the same time, a task force report from the Council on Foreign Relations declared, "Educational failure puts the United States future economic prosperity, global position, and physical safety at risk.

Education costs us. Poor education costs us much more. The United States lags most industrial nations in the quality of our primary and secondary education. True, Maryland ranks highest in the 50 states in quality of education by some measures (as low as ninth by others), and ranks about ninth in per-pupil expenditures. In education quality, Carroll County ranks about fourth among Maryland jurisdictions. Carroll achieves this because the bulk of the families with school-age children are educated, well off and stress the value of a good education.

Too much of the public is missing from public education. As a people, we recognize the economic value of education, but we under-invest in our schools, both financially and in terms of civic capital. With America's students and schools facing unprecedented needs, and education budgets under enormous pressure, it is time to drastically ramp up civic investment in public education. Our public school system - one of the great achievements of American democracy - is not just a service for the public to consume.