The following is an op-ed from Bryce Fiedler, director of CALN.
A collective effort is underway in South Carolina to raise the bar for public education. It spans every level of our system, from the governor’s office to the S.C. Department of Education to our local school boards, all the way to classrooms where teachers drive daily learning.
It comes in the wake of pandemic-related setbacks, extended school closures, residual learning loss and a growing need to ensure children in South Carolina develop the skills and knowledge they need for life after graduation. Millions of families and children are counting on its success.
Today, that effort is guided by a clear target: ensuring that at least three out of four students are performing at or above grade level by 2030. We already see signs of progress. On last year’s state assessments in grades 3 through 8, reading and writing proficiency rose from 53.5 percent to nearly 60 percent. In math, however, progress is moving more slowly. Proficiency rates here nudged upward from 42.3 percent to only about 44 percent.
As we consider the roles of our education leaders in this ongoing work — teachers, district staff and state legislators, among others — and the commitment students bring each day, we must recognize that school boards sit at the center of it all.
To read the full piece in the Charleston Mercury, click here.