Disagrees with column
I respond to Slim Smith’s column of Nov. 30, “Decorating a sinking ship.”
For your information the dropout prevention program as proposed by Dr. Liddell and the preparation to pass G.E.D. testing are horses of a different color. Dropout prevention keeps kids in school so that they can graduate from high school. The Columbus Learning Center and others offer dropout remediation programs to help folks already dropped out of school pass a high school equivalency test (G.E.D.). I fail to see possible competition here.
The methods to guide children through K-12 have been studied, researched, experimented with, and tested, by professional educators in every university of reputability in our country. These studies have evolved a system, that when implemented, will produce a positive result. Dr. Liddell’s proposal and her doctoral study is solely based upon these principles. There is no experimentation going on with the implementation of her ideas. They are based upon already tested and proven procedure and rule. The WSJ article for which I referred in my last letter to you is further indication that these methods are reproducible.
Dr Liddell has had the superintendent’s job for only 1-1/2 school years. The first of which was an interim “lame duck” year, without a mandate to effect change. That means that she inherited the sinking ship, and needs all of the help that this community can muster in order to save the pitiful educational situation in our city. Please realize that she can only be successful when nay-saying is stopped, and all people in our community join together her to keep this ship from running aground. Your newspaper can be a strong leader in this effort. Please report only data driven factually based stories, not politically motivated hear-say.
By-the-way Ginomai Ministries is an operational ministry for a church located in the Memphis Town section of our city, and its purpose is to work with the local school system and parents sending their children to our public schools to overcome individual differences of each child.
Claude Simpson
Columbus
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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