EDUCATION: DISTRICT REPORT CARDS DUE OUT THIS WEEK

The details of public school financial, enrollment, salary and student achievement data for the past school year will be released by public school districts throughout the state Friday.

Missouri school officials will issue mandatory annual reports similar to the report cards students periodically receive detailing their academic progress. The reports were mandated with the passage of the Outstanding Schools Act of 1993.

The state developed the annual reports to share information with community residents about the successes and failures of their districts. The information must be made available to the public and media, but some districts also use the Internet and other methods to get the information out.

"We do want this available in all places where people would want to have access to it," said Dr. Dan Steska, Cape Girardeau schools superintendent. "I think most people glance through it to get an impression of how things are going at the school. I would hope they read it pretty closely because there's a wealth of information there."

Progress report

Local residents like Debra Hamilton, parent of a Blanchard Elementary School student, said they read the reports carefully each year to see what progress the district is making.

"It provides the parents with information that will help them have a better relationship with the school and see comparatively how the other schools are doing," Hamilton said.

Hamilton said she has friends who have moved out of state to the Philadelphia, Penn., area, who continue to monitor the progress of Cape Girardeau schools by reading the report, which is posted on the district's Web site.

"They said based on the academic achievement, our schools do a better job of preparing students than the private schools up there," she said. "To think that scholastically they're doing better than some of the urban private schools, that has to make you feel good about your school system."

Sherry Davis, president of the Missouri Parent Teacher Association, said she often uses district report cards to help parents determine if trends exist or important issues are apparent in their district. The reports empower parents to get involved and, if necessary, to use their influence to promote changes in their school district.

Of particular importance are the results from the Missouri Assessment Program and other assessments included in the reports, she said. Parents can use the data to determine how their child tested in comparison with the rest of the district and the state.

"From our perspective, every time the school communicates to and cooperates with parents, it increases individual achievement," Davis said. "Studies indicate when parents are involved at any level, student learning increases, disruptive behavior goes down, public support for education increases, and the community by and large supports districts by property tax increases, levy increases, and approval of bond issues because they feel the district is cooperating."