PUBLIC SCHOOLS SHINE FOR NATIONAL CELEBRATION

With the release of every new study, America's public schools take a lot of heat. Schools are an easy target, and people tend to concentrate on what schools do wrong.

The fact is public schools do a lot of things right. They take all students the brightest and the not-so-bright and prepare them for a changing world. Today's schools are teacher, parent and social worker all rolled up into one.

This is American Education Week, and it's a good time for all of us to take a new look at our public schools. The Cape Girardeau Public Schools will host open houses today at the vocational school, Franklin and May Greene; Thursday at Central junior and senior high schools and Washington; and Friday at Jefferson and Alma Schrader.

Change has certainly been the watchword for public education. Unfortunately, not all the changes in our schools are for the good. Unlike private institutions, public schools are at the mercy of federal, state and local governments and that has brought a flood of red tape. Teachers can no longer just teach they must contend with governmental and instructional bureaucracy. Administrators are often buried in changing rules and regulations. But schools have done their best to adapt while meeting the basic mission of educating our kids. They have worked to keep updated as well, bringing new technology and information into the classrooms.

Perhaps the biggest challenge of schools is the changing family. The once traditional two-parent family, where the mother stayed home, is no longer the norm. Schools are no longer just teaching the ABCs; they are instructing kids in family values as well. They must deal with social issues as well. Schools must determine who ate breakfast, and which students have a place to sleep tonight. As society has changed, so have our kids. Schools face greater challenges in discipline and even crime. If you think dealing with one youngster can be trying, multiply that by at least 25, and spend day after day with them.

Schools have taken on the challenge of reform. Maybe they haven't gone as fast as we'd like, but they recognize there is a problem and have made strides toward improvement. Many schools are trying to encourage more parental and community involvement. They recognize that they can't do it alone. As families have fewer children, there are fewer people with direct contact to the schools. We need to become involved with our schools, whether we have children or not. The entire community benefits from good schools in terms of property values and industrial recruitment.

Public education has many success stories both in its programs and graduates. States and individual districts are working toward meaningful reforms. It's time we take a new look at the nation's public schools during American Education Week.