Letter to the editor
Dear Editor,
Much has been made of the academic achievement gap and below expected performance, among U.S. students when compared to the rest of the world. Of 80 developed countries in the PISA international survey, overall US students ranked above average in reading and science, and below average in math. Tennessee has made considerable progress and is now in the top half compared to other states in reading and math. That said, Tennessee still has lots of opportunities for improvement, particularly in rural areas. Fortunately, Farragut is well above average, ranking 9th among 376 public high schools in Tennessee. There have been various solutions proposed to reduce any gap and/or push U.S. and local students to better performance. Some suggest charter or private schools, or that higher pay and better facilities would attract better teachers and encourage better students. All this likely has a place, but I would suggest one more action that doesn’t require more money, and that is, setting high standards and expectations. As George Bush observed, there is a soft bigotry in low expectations.
Having grown up in eastern Kentucky in the 50-60’s and having attended grade school in a four-room schoolhouse without indoor plumbing and a pot-bellied stove for heat in the winter, I can attest to the value of high standards and expectations. Money was scarce, but I was fortunate to have had many excellent teachers who set high standards and expectations for their classes – discipline, homework, study of the classics, challenging math assignments, etc. And, I had parents who expected me to do my best. Despite the lack of money and facilities, I went on to attend West Point and receive multiple degrees, ultimately becoming president of a company, writing several books and traveling the world consulting with major corporations. While I may have been “disadvantaged”, I had the advantage of teachers and parents who set high standards and expectations
The late Robert Rosenthal’s work reached a similar conclusion, that teachers expecting better performance tend to get it. A review of 479 studies found that teacher expectations affect how students perform. High expectations raise performance up to 30%, while low expectations yield poorer performance. So, the key is not more money, though it might help. The key is the leadership in each school district setting high standards and expectations, and then holding teachers accountable to those, while rewarding the very best teachers.
~ Ron Moore
Farragut, TN
