Shocking news was reported recently in The Columbian under the “Local Angle” accompanying the May 8 story “Nation’s report card = Dismal grades.” With a note of misplaced pride, it reported that 48 percent of Washington state’s fourth-graders tested proficient in math with 40 percent in reading, while eighth-graders tested at 42 percent proficiency in both categories. Stated another way, 52 percent of fourth-graders failed in math while 60 percent failed in reading. Even more shocking, 58 percent of eighth-graders failed both math and reading.
Something is desperately wrong when public education so obviously is failing Washington’s children. Allowing our children to suffer the known consequences of feeble math and reading skills is clearly unacceptable. Apathy in the face of this crisis is equally unacceptable.
Lauraine Thomas
La Center
