(HOST) Commentator Tom Slayton says that in a recent report about education in Vermont, three schools stand out.
(SLAYTON) Here’s a sad truth about Vermont education: all too often, youngsters who come from broken homes or low-income homes don’t get a good education here. Kids in poverty, for example, are 10 times more likely to drop out of school than kids from stable, well-off homes.
But a report just issued by the state Department of Education says that some schools in Vermont do an excellent job of educating these at-risk youngsters. What’s really surprising is that it isn’t money that makes the big difference – it’s attitude – the attitude of these schools’ teachers and staff.
The report, entitled "Roots of Success: Effective Practices in Vermont Schools," studied more than 2,000 teachers in 87 Vermont schools. They did in-depth on-site studies of three schools that are doing a better-than-expected job with all students – especially low-income students. The three schools studied in depth were not identified in the report.
Here’s what they found. The effective schools believed that all students can succeed – and they believe it’s their responsibility – that it’s up to the teachers, principal, parents and school staff to make that happen.
The teachers in these three effective schools talk to one another and plan cooperatively with the school administration to make sure that all students succeed. They use data – tests, benchmarks, state assessments of individual students and the like – to back up their observations. They discuss the results as a team. They have a positive, helpful climate with plenty of support for every student. And families don’t get off the hook; they’re involved.
"We have a huge poverty-based achievement gap," said Susan Hayes of the state Education Department as she unveiled the report. She noted that Vermont does a very good job in educating youngsters that are from stable, prosperous homes. But it doesn’t do as good a job in educating kids from low-income homes.
Schools that succeed in educating all students basically have established a different school culture than other schools – a culture that assumes success and takes responsibility for it. In short, effective schools are different. Poverty in those schools is no excuse for allowing a student to fail.
According to the study, there’s no silver bullet – no single change that enables better learning for all students. It’s about changing the system. Not an easy task, but possible. In the words of the report, "Demographics are not destiny."
How important are these findings? I’d say they’re extremely important – especially when you consider that fully one-third of all Vermont school children are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches – one measure of low income.
It’s nice to know there are proven ways to beat the cycle of poverty in Vermont schools. Because, to put it bluntly, we can’t afford to lose the potential of one-third of our young students. It’s not fair to them – or to the Vermont that they will grow up in.