STATE SUPERINTENDENT
VOWS SUCCESSFUL REFORM
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson admits she has considered not running for re-election, but says she now wants to stay in office and keep working with U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige until truly no child is left behind.
"My goal is that before I’m done, you won’t be able to predict the outcome of children’s education by the color of their skin or by the income of their families," says Dr. Bergeson.
Right
now, however, children of color are lagging far behind in their ability to pass
the state’s WASL test. The achievement gap between Anglo students and Latino
students who are migrant is 46.1%, according to the state's A+ Commission. The
gap between Anglos and Latinos whose primary language is Spanish is 43.2%.
Dr. Bergeson understands that children who speak English as a second language or who live a migrant lifestyle have a particularly difficult time keeping up with other children and in achieving state standards.
But, despite the challenges, Dr. Bergeson vows to provide adequate support so all children can achieve those standards. Standards cannot be abandoned so children don’t feel bad, she says. To do so would be to undermine the students' ability to succeed in U.S. society.
"I’m tired of pseudo-liberals. I’m tired of people saying we can’t have high standards for these children because they will just get discouraged," says Dr. Bergeson. "Of course we have to have high standards. We cannot abandon education reform."
Speaking at the Migrant and Bilingual Education Programs' August Institute, the state school superintendent said she cannot achieve these goals by herself, however.
"I need champions," she says, and indicated that Migrant Education Director Richard Gomez is one of those champions. "I was so excited when I interviewed Richard….
"I hear a lot of complaints, but what I'm looking for is what we can do to change the system," Dr. Bergeson says. Dr. Gomez, she says, has been bringing her very specific plans with strong scientific support for improving the education of migrant students and English language learners (ELLs) in the state.
Dr. Bergeson adds that she's been fighting to change the system since she first became a teacher 40 years ago. State education reform, which she oversees, is in its 10th year. And, despite the sagging economy, the state budget crunch and other major obstacles, she says, the state's education system is making "huge improvements."
"We weren't thinking about outcomes in a systemic way 10 years ago," she says.
Dr. Bergeson and other state leaders voiced concern that undocumented students who graduate from Washington schools have been restricted from going to state colleges under highly subsidized in-state tuition.
A Tri-City boy recently killed himself because he felt that without in-state tuition he would never be able to achieve his academic ambitions and subsequent career success.
"The young man committed suicide because he did not have access to the dream," says Dr. Bergeson. "It's a travesty that we wouldn't help students trying to succeed -- whether they are documented or not."
She vowed to change any laws that penalize students who are being held back for no fault of their own.
"How can we build laws that make it so that if such students do the work, they can become a full contributor? He can bring something back to his family, but he can also contribute to society," she says.
She invited staff and public input for such things as how to make the WASL fair to all students, including those who are learning English as a second language, while not undermining the reform effort.
"We're going to have to have individual exceptions, and you need to help me do that," says Dr. Bergeson. That is a flaw in the federal law, she adds. Children from other countries "are not ready to keep pace until they achieve English language skills."
She supports Dr. Gomez' efforts to eliminate pull-out ESL (English as a second language) classes and replace them with more effective programs, including dual-language immersion programs where all students learn two languages.
"We're going to change people's attitudes," she says, "and obviously anyone with two languages has many more opportunities."
Despite her objections to some aspects of new federal laws mandating effective education reform by states, she supports the "No Child Left Behind" effort overall.
"My heart soars at the goal, but the devil is in the details," she says. "And I don't want them to screw things up."
Dr. Bergeson is particularly supportive of U.S. Secretary of Education Paige. She calls him an "intelligent and caring person," and "the best person in the country to lead reform."
She had heard a rumor that he was not planning to stay in the Bush Administration beyond the upcoming congressional elections. But Dr. Paige assured her that he plans to see reform through to the end, and so does Dr. Bergeson.