The annual school performance report for the Duneland School Corporation appears in today’s Chesterton Tribune on pages six and seven. The report displays data on local schools in areas deemed critical by the Indiana General Assembly to assess the performance of schools in educating our community’s children.

The annual school performance report is an accountability tool for communities reviewing the educational progress of the state’s future workforce.

Indiana taxpayers invest $6.3 billion in education – an average of $6,760 per pupil. This investment is critical to the state’s and individual communities’ future quality of life.

The quality of education impacts the decisions of corporations and private entrepreneurs as to locations for new investments or expansions of current operations. Educational quality plays a major role in the decisions of families as to where they want to live.

And obviously, the quality of education in a particular school system or school building can have a life-long impact on individual children. The spark that is a child’s desire to learn can be coaxed into a roaring flame or snuffed out.

The school performance report should be an opportunity for a community to initiate a dialogue with its educational leaders – school boards, superintendents, and principals. The community and local school districts should be on the same page as to the direction of education.

The community should be seen as a resource to help school districts maintain positive trends shown by the performance report or turn around negative trends. Schools can not succeed in a vacuum. They need the support of not only parents, but the entire community.

Similarly, a community can not succeed without a strong school system. Graduates must be prepared for the challenges to be faced upon leaving high school, whether it’s higher education or the workforce.

Take the time this week to look at the school performance report. If you have questions, contact the school board, superintendent or principal. If you have concerns, ask what you or the community can do to help. If you have praise, give it to the appropriate educator and ask what you or the community can do the help continue the progress being made.

Posted 1/19/2005