Scott City's success

Schools are consistently looking for ways to prepare their students. And according to data from the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education, several schools in Southeast Missouri are doing an excellent job at doing just that.

While the statistics are not airtight -- they don't include all Missouri colleges -- the recent figures from the state board show that in 2009, Scott City students had the lowest incident rate in Missouri for taking remedial college courses. Only 3.7 percent of the school's graduates in the study had to take remedial courses in math, English and other subjects. As a comparison, the state average is 37.3 percent.

In addition to Scott City, the Jackson, Cape Girardeau and Scott County school districts ranked in the state's top 10 for having the lowest percentage of students needing remedial coursework.

While schools must continue to address overall graduation rates, this news reveals that progress is being made in our local schools when it comes to preparing future college students.

Preparing students for 21st-century jobs begins with offering a 21st-century education. And a 21st-century education should mean that students are adequately prepared to take college coursework without the need for remedial classes.

Congratulations to the four school districts receiving this distinction.