I hope you’ll take a minute to read Luke Davis’ column in the newest Advocate Magazine. If LH schools had performed poorly on standardized tests, it would sound like "sour grapes" to hear a Richardson ISD school board member say "our government’s accountability system is failing our students." But it is because he urges us to have this "long overdue" discussion now, with our TAKS ratings at very high levels, that we can understand the urgency of the matter and the mistake of relying on these rankings as our only guide to improving schools.
TAKS scores can’t account for some of the very best things going on in LH schools, and they don’t show some of the issues that need the most work. Yet administrators use them to promote (or fire) teachers and principals, and realtors use them to guide buyers into certain neighborhoods. Today, as we bask in the glow of our "three-peat" year of Recognized status as a district, Luke is right when he urges us to have a community-wide – even nationwide – discussion. In soccer, coaches teach the kids not to just see the ball at your feet, but to "pick your head up" and see the bigger picture of the entire field. For all of us who care about public schools, it’s time to pick our heads up.
