jackiedoherty.org

Once again, the Lowell Sun has twisted facts, ignored reality, and taken a shot at the schools—all under the pretext of an editorial about establishing “a first-rate screening committee.” Response to the search process for a new superintendent will be in a later post. For now, my focus is the cynical, unfairly negative view this paper presents about our schools. The article claims Lowell’s per pupil expenditure is $3,666 above the state average—a discrepancy I couldn’t verify on the Mass. DOE website. From my research, the state average was only $400 less than Lowell, and when compared to other urban districts (see table below), the city’s spending is similar. Also annoying was the editor’s harshly negative conclusion about the results of all this spending. The editorial fails to mention facts that demonstrate progress in the schools, such as 29% more Lowell students scored advanced or proficient on MCAS in 2007 than in 2005, while 18% more moved up from failing. Or that Lowell was one of only three urban districts statewide to have 50% or more of its high school students score proficient or advanced on MCAS. Many of our students are poor, learn English as a second language, and score lower on tests than kids in Weston, for example, where they spend about $3,000 more per student. Yet, the Sun ignores this reality, uses facts selectively, and refuses to compare fairly. Obviously there is need for continued improvement, but why is the school glass always empty for the only paper in town? 

Urban School Districts Per Pupil Expenditure (2006)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 9th, 2008 at 1:15 am and is filed under Education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.