EDITORIAL:Not perfect, but it prompts action

For all the hand-wringing that has taken place over No Child Left Behind, the federal guidelines that call for sanctions on schools with low-performing students, we have come to a conclusion.

It works.

No, we’re not saying it works because no child has been left behind. We know all too well that many have.

But the success of No Child Left Behind, we believe, can be seen in the strides that school district officials and school teachers have made to improve test scores, and in turn improve the chances of those students they serve.

Newport-Mesa, it should be said, has unique circumstances. On one end of the spectrum are the more affluent Newport Beach schools, populated largely with English-speaking students. Those schools have always scored well in standardized testing. On the other end sits the more impoverished schools on Costa Mesa’s Westside, many of those populated with students who are new to English or have limited English skills.

It’s clearly not an even playing field.

But there are ways to make that playing field more even, and Daily Pilot staff writer Michael Miller’s five-part series on No Child Left Behind spotlighted the many heroes who have worked to accomplish that.

First and foremost are the school leaders and teachers who have implemented creative programs to boost test scores. They work tirelessly to educate students in complex subjects, students who are already struggling just to learn English.

The focus now in the Westside schools is on the basics: reading and writing and arithmetic. Arts and music education are now just rare escapes. While that may seem a sad development to some, we see that as a reality of today’s education environment.

Also a reality is the need for outside assistance. Again, the heroes are many. The after-school program at the Someone Cares Soup Kitchen, Wilson Elementary, Save Our Youth and the Estancia High School Tutor Corps help students overcome the huge educational hurdles they face.

Just last week, the school district revisited No Child Left Behind and decided to adopt sweeping changes in curriculum designed to help students in those schools in the district that have been deemed at risk of sanctions: Pomona and Wilson elementary schools and TeWinkle Middle School.

The changes, according to the Pilot’s story last week, would include such things as lengthening the school year, improving the English-learner curriculum at the elementary level, appointing outside administrators at Pomona and TeWinkle, and giving the district authority to replace staff at those schools.

Those are all good steps, but to us, there are three keys to ensuring that all Newport-Mesa children get the best of educations.

First is an involved and dedicated staff of teachers and administrators, striving to find more creative and innovative ways to educate their students.

Then, there’s continued community involvement in after-school programs and tutoring.

Finally, parental involvement.

There are some who would prefer to label the schools as byproducts of illegal immigration. And while that may be true, the solutions still need to be practical.

Regardless of why they are here, the fact is that they are here. These English-learning students need and deserve the best education the community can provide. If they succeed, it will only make them and Newport-Mesa a better place.

We acknowledge that the No Child Left Behind Act creates major heights for school officials to scale. And we urge local lawmakers, such as Rep. John Campbell, to look for ways to improve the law.

But even if that never happens, the success of the program is evident in how much we are talking about it.

No Child Left Behind is not perfect. But it’s definitely a goal we should all believe in.