Show Schools s Can Improve Although Utah schools are aregood aregood aregood good they are not as good as they could be or would be if board members and administrators administrators administrators ad ad- would identify weaknesses and set goals to overcome them Tins THIS CHALLENGE was voiced to board of education members today by Dr T. T H. H Bell state superintendent of public instruction Bell spoke at the opening session of the annual 1 I convention of the Utah School Boards Association I in the Salt Palace I CRITICS of the American public school system claim that the local school board isa isa is isa a dying institution Bell said They claim that our system is not responsive that school disc disI districts dis dis- to change c I are not dynamically self There can be little improvement improvement improvement im im- im- im provement Bell said UI unless ess school districts make a genuine genuine genuine gen gen- effort to discover their own which few like to doONE do ONE OF our weaknesses in education he said is our inability to ferret ferret out weak spots and to formulate I dynamic goald to eradicate problems To f fail fah l to point out oUr our I problems is to avoid the first step toward educational I reform I I II I I IA A PRIME function unction of school boards and school adI administrators ad- ad adI I I is to evaluate the i schools assess results of the I i evaluation and to set I and sand goals for improvement Bell said I Local control of education will fail and be replaced with state and federal initiative if boards of education do not I begin to perform these prime I functions more effectively and with much more dynamic insistence he said HE LISTED what he considered considered considered con con- 10 of the Uthe most critical problems 1 Lack of incentives necessary necessary necessary sary to motivate teachers and school administrators to go the extra mile to be extra extra- ordinary We Weare are inflicted with an system in a free enterprise society 2 2 FAILURE to use available available available avail avail- able human resources as effectively effectively effectively ef ef- ef- ef as possible 3 Schools are geared too much to group teaching and not nol enough to individualized instruction 4 THE DROP out rate although fifth best in the nation nation nation na na- na- na tion is too high at 17 percent percent percent per per- cent and much too high for Indian students at 80 percent percent percent per per- cent and Spanish surname students at 60 percent 5 The high school curriculum is geared too heavily toward college preparatory work 6 BASIC instruction in reading and mathematics is not effective for approximately approximately approximately 20 percent of the stu stu- stu- stu dents 7 There is no program to develop the extraordinary talents Df tf gifted students 8 TOO MANY children are arc housed in obsolete schools in districts rich enough to provide new or remodeled facilities 9 Some school districts are operating secondary schools which are too small to provide adequate curr curriculum curriculum culum cu- cu lum or instruction 10 LEADERSHIP P in some districts is one of reaction to pressure rather than ac ac- ac- ac tion By many measurements Utah schools lead the nation nation nation na na- na- na tion Bell said By UBy com- com we parison do have a fine school system HE WARNED however that if we do not identify our weaknesses and set goals which we strive to reach we become stagnant we are on a plateau instead of a steep climb He suggested some positive action toward solving difficulties difficulties difficulties dif dif- dif dif- he listed 1 GREATER use of teacher teach teach- er aides interns and parent assistants to give teachers more time to individualize teaching 2 Variable contracts so teachers of proven performance perform perform- ance can be employed longer long long- er to meet the challenge of the poor reader 3 A BREAK from the single salary schedule so some teachers teach teach- ers can be given leadership responsibility and be paid for forit it it 4 More attention to high school drop 5 KEEPING better pupil records so individual weaknesses weaknesses weaknesses weak weak- nesses can be diagnosed and treated early 6 A survey of l high gh school graduates to determine if the curriculum is meeting real needs A DYNAMIC school system system tem tern is like a growing human I being Bell said It It must musti i be constantly progressing A good school system is one I where no matter how efI effective effective ef ef- ef- ef I the level of accomplishment accomplishment i is rising each i year Are you experimenting I carefully with new staffing patterns new approaches to individualized teaching and the the use of media and technology technology technology tech tech- he asked NO MATTER MATIER how good we are we shouldn't be satisfied satisfied satisfied sat sat- Bell challenged Keep identifying your defects deI defects de de- and set goals that I raise the horizon of excels excel excel- s I lence If your school system i does this it will be a young j I vigorous and growing orI or or- I |