CAPE UPDATE: NEW YEAR EDUCATIONAL ISSUES

As we enter into the new year, perhaps it is appropriate to begin to look at the critical issues which have continued throughout the year 1993 and will certainly maintain their prominence in 1994. These issues, complex and sometimes controversial, will ensure education will continue to be scrutinized by parents, politicians, the American public, and our Cape Girardeau community. It is hoped that in the coming weeks and months many of these issues will be featured in this column.

Educational reform will continue to receive much attention. Among many efforts, major focus by professionals and novices will be on the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA), perhaps the boldest educational reform currently under way in this country. Many other reforms will also be monitored; example, Michigan's reform on property tax, California's school voucher experiment, and closer to home, Missouri's Outstanding School Act. On the local level interest again will be centered on the future direction of the Cape Girardeau Public School District regarding the upcoming capital improvements and curricular changes needed in schools.

High quality education, as always will continue to be the center of discussions on educational policy. Principles of "Total Quality Management," are being applied to public school systems' delivery of services to students and parents. Student achievement will continue to be monitored. The difficulty of comparing student achievement by schools, school districts, and states will continue to puzzle and confuse many. It is hopeful these comparisons will give way to more fundamental issues as basic learning theories and the importance of how children learn.

As the analysis continues for the needs and characteristics of the "Next Century" schools we will continue to read, and hear public debate on the funding crisis facing both public and private schools. The issues of accountability, governance structures, and many other related issues heightens the concern for states and districts in establishing an equitable and stable funding mechanism that can support the delivery of high quality education for every child.

As number 2 pencils fade and give way to computers we can expect to see the expanded role of technology. In Missouri a pilot program exists utilizing computer and communication technology for distant and interactive learning. This trial will provide an introduction of technology to many schools and communities. This introduction of technology will provide teachers and students of rural and small districts to gain the benefits of large urban schools without the inherit disadvantages.

The issue of weapons, campus violence, and juvenile crime will continue to be a focal point for individual communities and the nation. This widespread issue will affect all segments of our society. Juvenile crime, victims' rights, respect for law and authority, and the list goes on, regarding the issues which must be addressed.

The following are some educational terms or issues you will undoubtedly hear throughout the new year: State reform, restructuring, national standards, campus violence, students at risk, school choice, for-profit management firms, school governance, decentralization, empowerment, total quality management, downsizing, leveling up, inequitable, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), outcome based education, site based decision-making, distant learning, computer assisted instruction, strategic planning, crisis plan, inclusion, grade centers, educational specifications......

Hopefully, somewhere there will be the reference to children.

This column is made available through the cooperation of the Southeast Missourian staff and is being presented in an attempt to provide accurate information to the community on issues related to education. Initially, the Cape Update will focus on actual events occurring within the local schools; however parents, grandparents, or others wishing answers to specific educational questions are encouraged to submit questions to Cape Update, in care of the Cape Girardeau Public Schools, 61 North Clark, Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63701.

Neyland G. Clark is superintendent Cape Girardeau public schools.