Public schools in Pittsburgh—like most U.S. public schools—are failing to prepare students to compete in the increasingly global economy.
One-third of high school graduates from the Pittsburgh region lack proficiency in basic reading and math skills.
Harold D. Miller, adjunct professor of public policy and management at Carnegie Mellon University, writes:
We wouldn’t expect a business to thrive if one-third of its products were defective.
Miller offers a solution for Pittsburgh school districts that could work well in districts around the U.S.:
The problem is that parents, taxpayers and businesses aren’t demanding better performance. What can you do?
1. Ask your local school board to publicize both the proficiency ratings for the district’s students and the board’s plans for improving proficiency. (Try going to your school district’s Web site to find out how it’s performing; you probably won’t find the information, or at least not easily.)
2. Hold the school board accountable for the district’s performance. Your first chance comes Tuesday, when more than 500 school board seats across the region are up for election.