In rebuttal, B. Webster: Schools cannot succeed alone

Richard Sabine’s column, “Time to get tough with educators” (Feb. 15), misses the mark. He gauges schools on one measure — a test taken a year ago on a Saturday — and he puts the entire onus on educators. There is no mention of the impact of poverty on many in our community or the challenges brought on by a stagnant tax base in our city.

The fact is that schools cannot succeed alone.

Research identifies three major reasons for the lack of student success — lack of school readiness, summer learning loss and chronic absenteeism. Too many of our students begin school already a year or two behind their peers. Many of our students also lose the equivalent of two months of instruction during the summer, if they do not go to summer school. Students who get behind are also more apt to be absent, and 15 percent of our students miss 10 percent or more of school.

Our average class size in Lewiston is roughly 30 percent above the state average, and our teachers work long after the 7 1/2 hours they are in school. They also spend much more time in front of students and less with their colleagues than educators in Finland — a system I know that Sabine admires.

Blaming educators will not improve education. In fact, attitudes such as that held by Sabine only serve to drive teachers away from high needs districts such as Lewiston to the more affluent southern Maine neighbors where, miraculously, the same teacher can find that 90 percent of their students are proficient on the SAT.

Yes, public schools need to improve, and are improving. Our teacher evaluation program is identifying areas for needed professional development. The movement toward proficiency-based learning is improving academic rigor. Smaller class sizes and expanded after-school and summer programming will strengthen supports for students who are not proficient.

I hope that Sabine will join me in advocating for smaller class sizes, more extended school year opportunities, more community resources and supports to help students in poverty and parental involvement in every child’s education.