WA schools and students don’t have to settle for mediocrity

As experienced Washington district and school leaders, we read with concern The Seattle Times’ opinion that “Cheerleading mediocrity is not good enough for WA’s education department” [Sept. 18, Opinion]. We agree, and we’d go much further.

Mediocrity isn’t an abstract performance standard, and it doesn’t mean that things are middle-of-the-road fine. From 120 years of combined classroom, school, district, and system leadership successes, we know the impact of mediocrity on a million Washington public school students is severe.

Based on the Nation’s Report Card, we have recently fallen out of the top half of states when it comes to our students’ ability to read and do math. We’ve fallen to 40th when it comes to the mental health of our students, with one in 10 adolescents reporting they’ve attempted suicide in the last year. We’re about halfway through a projected 10% decline in enrollment, tied to a school funding formula that will gut many important programs. Some Washington schools can’t even afford to keep a working roof over students’ heads and yet our leadership is not sure where the $3 billion sent by the feds to help us deal with our challenges went.

If we continue down this mediocre path, more of our graduates will not be well-prepared to make ends meet, be career-ready and meet Washington’s and our nation’s workforce needs. Income inequality and homelessness will continue to climb. Threats to our democracy will increase as students are less well prepared to think independently about information and evidence. Education is the backbone of our democracy, the engine of our earnings and a major determinant of wellness and longevity.

We must do better for our kids, and we must act with urgency and much greater effectiveness now.

The good news is there are solutions within reach — affordable, accessible, and achievable ones. None is a silver bullet; none is easy. But we can do so much more for our kids, building on strategies that are working in Washington and elsewhere.

In some schools students are already ahead of pre-pandemic learning levels, thanks to innovative community partnerships.

Though many adolescents still lack access to behavioral health care, a recent Children’s Alliance paper documented districts all over the state that are creatively ensuring universal access to care.

We cannot accept mediocrity — our kids’ well-being and futures are on the line.

A few examples of what’s working:

Instead of giving 50% for incomplete work, Bridgeport High School, in Douglas County, went the other way. Principal Tamra Jackson’s team required students to earn at least 67% to pass classes: “We’ve ensured students do not have access to cellphones during the school day with a districtwide policy, and we provided innovative advisory support to meet students’ social and emotional needs and accelerate postsecondary planning. Though we’re rural, 97% low-income and 39% English learners, 87% of our students complete one or more dual-credit courses, and 20% of our senior class earns their AA degree on our campus.”

In Everett, Superintendent Gary Cohn and his team achieved unmatched graduation rates as high as 96%. “By raising the bar together and ensuring consistent and effective support for teachers, principals, and students, we significantly improved English, math, and science performance.” Instead of eliminating highly capable programs, “We doubled enrollment in them as well as in Advanced Placement, while eliminating demographic disparities.”

During his time in Kent, Superintendent Edward Lee Vargas introduced all kindergartners to college with field trips to help them visualize high expectations for everyone. Collaborating with the school board, principals, teachers and the community, all schools advanced to higher-performing schools in just three years with state and national award-winning initiatives.

It takes aspirational leadership to elevate our sense of what’s possible — bringing people together around evidence and mapping an achievable path toward shared goals. We agree that mediocrity shouldn’t be cheered in Washington. The impact of such an approach is devastating. We know we can do so much better. Our kids and our communities are counting on us to make it happen now.