Putting Education Under Microscope

You recently published an editorial, “People Really Do Recognize the Importance of Education.” You would be hard-pressed to find any thinking person who did not recognize the importance of education.

If asked further, thinking people would also add that, yes, children need to be healthy and adequately fed in order to learn well. And their schools must provide a safe and comfortable environment--no leaky roofs, no malfunctioning toilets, no stifling heat, no graffiti, no major discipline problems, no oversized classes, no rats.

None of the above, however, addresses “What Is Quality Education,” the topic at the forum co-sponsored by The Times and UC Irvine. Nor was the question answered by the forum members. The quality of an education can only be determined by how well the students are learning. So far, tests have indicated considerable improvement is needed.

If a major learning block is an inadequate mastery of English, perhaps there are other questions one should ask. For instance: Are Latino children and others, for whom English is a second language, exposed to a sufficient amount of English to promote vocabulary building?

It has long been known that the very young pick up language with greater facility than those who are older. Would it be possible to have a control class of students in “English only” starting in kindergarten and continuing on through third grade? Their progress could then be followed and compared to their peers in classes taught bilingually.

It may be politically incorrect to suggest such comparisons of teaching methods. But unless questions regarding the effectiveness of these methods are answered to the satisfaction of the general public, those insisting on the status quo will be fighting an uphill battle.

E. BOCKIAN

Fullerton