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Copyright 2003 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inc.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)

December 17, 2003 Wednesday

U.S. Education Chief Lauds Local School as Beacon/
He Defends Funding Level, Wants Better Performance

BYLINE: Carolyn Bower/ Of The Post-Dispatch

The academic success of poor and minority students at Commons Lane Elementary School can happen elsewhere, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige said in St. Louis on Tuesday.

"We have to picture that no child in this school, in Missouri and in the other states is ever left behind," Paige said after visiting three classrooms and speaking at Commons Lane School at 2700 Derhake Road in Florissant. Paige also met Tuesday with members of the Post-Dispatch editorial board.

Commons Lane, in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, was recognized last spring for top performance under Missouri's Gold Star program.

Paige said the 2-year-old federal No Child Left Behind law carries a commitment to making sure every child has a quality education. The law provides that each student will score proficient or better in communication arts and math by 2014. " We are moving into a future that requires everybody to be educated," Paige said. "We have got to produce math and science students, doctors and lawyers and teachers, judges and others."

Despite concerns by some educators that the federal government has increased educational requirements without providing enough money, Paige said the government has provided sufficient money to help improve student performance.

Paige said federal spending on education had increased under President George W. Bush, but state and local funding is up to citizens to decide.

Paige said he is concerned that while the United States ranks high in spending on education, its educational performance still lags behind that of some other countries.

"I don't think we as a nation have realized how much better we need to get to educate our children," Paige said in a speech to students, staff and visitors in the gymnasium at Commons Lane School.

He said one need go no farther than the classrooms he visited at Commons Lane to see learning. He said teachers and students were smiling and friendly, they used the latest technology in the classroom, and they worked with a comprehensive and clear curriculum.

In Matt King's class, one group of first-graders wrote a story about how to make a snowman, another group of students read books, and another group worked on computers with the Waterford Early Reading Program™.

Last year the school became one of six schools picked for a nationwide best practice award by the Waterford Institute for the school's use of the Waterford Early Reading Program. The nonprofit institute specializes in the development of educational software.

The program is one of a number that Commons Lane uses to improve student reading performance. The school also uses the Accelerated Reader program. The school emphasizes reading, phonics, technology and parents' involvement.

At Commons Lane, nearly a third of third-graders meet state standards for proficiency, or above grade level, in reading, about the state average. The school exceeds the state average for students scoring grade level and above in reading.

Paige complimented the achievement at Commons Lane, where 44 percent of the 420 students in kindergarten through sixth grade qualify for free or reduced lunches, an indication of low income. Nearly 90 percent of Commons Lane students are minorities. He attributed the quality of the school to its teachers, principal and others.

"If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere," Paige said. Paige was introduced by Ethan Dudenhoeffer, 11, a fifth-grader who takes part in Ferguson-Florissant's program for gifted students.

Ethan gave Paige a gold pin that reads, "Someone who makes a difference." Ethan gave Paige an extra pin to pass on. Paige said he planned to give the extra pin to President Bush.

Florissant Mayor Robert Lowery Sr. gave both Ethan and Paige keys to the city. Lowery said, "I recognize the need for better education and that no child be left behind."

Bill Roberti, acting superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools, was among those on hand for Paige's speech at Commons Lane. Roberti said, "Anytime the secretary of education shows up, that shows he's concerned about what's happening and that's a positive thing."

Asked about requirements for testing special education students, Paige said new regulations have been written to give more flexibility for testing of those students. He said too many students have been identified as needing special education services, when many of them have not been properly taught to read.

Asked what families should do when their children are in a low-achieving school and a higher-achieving school in another district will not accept them, Paige said the families should consider supplemental tutoring. "It forces the spotlight on the system, and people will vote with their feet." He added: "I'm not trying to be Darwinian. Schools operate by the same principles as other enterprises. They should have clear goals, trained people and measures."

He said improving schools takes a long-term commitment to student achievement that may lead to some changes in the way schools operate.

"Public schools exist to benefit the public," Paige said. "That's different from public schools existing to benefit people in public schools."

NOTES:
Reporter Carolyn Bower/ E-mail: cbower@post-dispatch.com/ Phone: 314-209-1246