Community Commentary:

Recently, the Daily Pilot reported on the remarkable progress of two Newport-Mesa public schools, Killybrooke and Victoria, which have raised test scores despite huge barriers those student populations face (“Educators laud achievements,” Feb. 12).

Both elementary schools once again have earned the state’s Title I Academic Achievement Award. Only 238 schools statewide win that award. Killybrooke has won it three times, and Victoria six. It’s a testament to those schools that they are meeting the expectations of parents and the community to educate students who face challenges of language and economic opportunity.

As one concerned with the performance of local schools, I am happy to see that most children in this county are in productive environments that will ensure the greatest chance of success.

Frankly, this should be a concern of all residents, even those without children or those, like me, occupied with the success of my own private school. JFK’s famous quote about a rising tide lifting all boats is applicable when assessing the performance of our schools.

Here at Mariners Christian School we are pushing for excellence too, something our parents also demand. Our students regularly go on to excel at top-flight private and public high schools.

In fact, we too were in the spotlight in 2007 when we received both National Blue Ribbon School and ACSI Exemplary Schools Program awards. We were the only independent Christian school in Orange County to win the coveted Blue Ribbon award.

Our prosperous and progressive nation has succeeded, in large part, because of a commitment to education on the part of our government and our citizens. Other initiatives may capture our attention for a season, but education is one area that endures.

Too often, artificial arguments are created between different segments of the educational community, including public vs. private or institutions vs. home schools. These arguments are largely manufactured for two reasons.

First, no one system, method or school can meet the needs of all students. The best public school in the county cannot provide the worldview of a Christian school, nor can it provide the type of experiential learning found in a home study group.

Likewise, the latter two do not provide the range of services available to students with diverse needs. A strong mix of public, private, and home-based programs provides the greatest range of educational services and the highest levels of student success.

Second, no school operates in a vacuum. As the saying goes, “iron sharpens iron,” and healthy competition leads to better schools. While it may be fun to be the only game in town, the best schools are those with friendly rivals.

A final reason for hoping for success is the high quality of life successful schools represent. Areas with good schools serve as models to others and exhibit a healthy level of civic pride, something that is sorely lacking elsewhere. Even when the news is dominated by the negative, much is still going well in Orange County.

TODD PERKINS is interim head of Mariners Christian School in Costa Mesa.