Arkansas lawmakers visited John L. Colbert Middle School, Leverett Elementary, and Woodland Jr. High. These visits included presentations by the school principals, tours of the building, and interaction with the students “Meeting the students and getting to talk to them is just one of the best parts of our day,” said Sen. Greg Leding, the District 30 Senate minority leader.Senator Leding and others told me just how much these tours mean to him.“It is hard sometimes to get something meaningful out of these quick tours. But again, seeing the enthusiasm from the kids and the dedication of the teachers and the staff is always helpful,” Sen. Leding said.“Getting legislators in the schools is an important thing because many of my colleagues haven’t actually been inside the school since they left school 30, 40 years ago and if you haven’t been, you don’t understand how education works in modern America,” said Rep. David Whitaker, from House District 22.In September, the Arkansas Department of Education released grades for public schools in the state. These report cards sparked a conversation about how schools should be graded.“If I had a beef with it, is that in the decade I’ve been in office, I’ve seen the standards for what constitutes this grade or that grade change willy nilly. And it basically gives administrators and schoolteachers and school boards whiplash of the constantly changing standards,” Rep. Whitaker said.The Fayetteville Public Schools superintendent told me in order to make decisions about the education system, you have to see how it works.“It’s easy to make assumptions about what we think we know or what we think is going on in the world of public education. But unless you’re out in the buildings and you’re seeing what’s going on, you really don’t know,” said John Mulford, the superintendent of Fayetteville Public Schools.
Arkansas lawmakers visited John L. Colbert Middle School, Leverett Elementary, and Woodland Jr. High. These visits included presentations by the school principals, tours of the building, and interaction with the students
“Meeting the students and getting to talk to them is just one of the best parts of our day,” said Sen. Greg Leding, the District 30 Senate minority leader.
Senator Leding and others told me just how much these tours mean to him.
“It is hard sometimes to get something meaningful out of these quick tours. But again, seeing the enthusiasm from the kids and the dedication of the teachers and the staff is always helpful,” Sen. Leding said.
“Getting legislators in the schools is an important thing because many of my colleagues haven’t actually been inside the school since they left school 30, 40 years ago and if you haven’t been, you don’t understand how education works in modern America,” said Rep. David Whitaker, from House District 22.
In September, the Arkansas Department of Education released grades for public schools in the state. These report cards sparked a conversation about how schools should be graded.
“If I had a beef with it, is that in the decade I’ve been in office, I’ve seen the standards for what constitutes this grade or that grade change willy nilly. And it basically gives administrators and schoolteachers and school boards whiplash of the constantly changing standards,” Rep. Whitaker said.
The Fayetteville Public Schools superintendent told me in order to make decisions about the education system, you have to see how it works.
“It’s easy to make assumptions about what we think we know or what we think is going on in the world of public education. But unless you’re out in the buildings and you’re seeing what’s going on, you really don’t know,” said John Mulford, the superintendent of Fayetteville Public Schools.
