by Fred Jackson
Legislators in Florida say they have had enough with school districts who are ignoring a law which says teachers must fail fourth graders who cannot read.
In 1999, Governor Jeb Bush and other lawmakers took action aimed at ending social promotion in the state's schools. But a just-completed investigation by the Orlando Sentinel newspaper shows most schools are ignoring the law. The teachers are apparently issuing what is called “good cause” exemptions and promoting thousands of students who cannot read properly.
The newspaper found that while nearly three out of every ten fourth graders fail the state comprehensive assessment test, only about three in 100 are held back.
State lawmakers, including the chair of the Senate Education Committee, say it is time to get tough with the negligent districts. And the report says one legislator suggests that withholding funds may be one way to force compliance.
Liberal educators have long argued that holding a student back hurts the child's self-esteem. But more enlightened voices say promoting a student who does not have the required skills ends up hurting them even more down the road.
See the Orlando Sentinel story here.
(This article courtesy of Agape Press.)
