Open Letter to Highline: Resolving Racism Does Not Magically Improve Academic Results

"The vast majority of Highline students graduate with deficient skills and limited choices. What phonics-based methods is Highline using to correct the alarming under-performance of students in reading?"

This is public comment was presented by Patricia Bailey to the Highline School Board at their May 1, 2024 meeting.[NOTE FROM EDITOR: Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Burien-News or Daniel Media. If you wish to submit a story, photo, article or letter, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.]Good evening.For the past 25 years, reformers have convinced school boards that poor academic achievement is due to racism and if the schools could only solve “racism”, the academic inequalities in achievement would magically disappear. Of course, there is zero data available to show this simplistic concept is true.In fact, using these reformers’ methods, every year for the past twenty-five years, scores remain alarmingly low. You cannot improve academic achievement without improving academics. Period.“Walk throughs” and high sounding strategic goals like “students prepared for the future they choose” and “culture of belonging”, will not remedy the problem. The vast majority of Highline students graduate with deficient skills and limited choices.I recently had the occasion to speak with author and master teacher, Robert Femiano. He said he had offered his services, free of charge, to the Highline School District after seeing the extremely low language arts performance of students. Mr. Femiano is retired and has served as adjunct faculty at SPU in training teachers in reading methods, specifically phonics.His program has been praised by teachers as highly effective with traditionally low-achieving students. What a shame he never heard back from this board. It’s sad when a seasoned expert is passed over in favor of the vacuous approach offered by the Transcend Corporation which I reported on in my March 6th testimony.This is the question: What specific systematic phonics-based methods is Highline using to correct the alarming under performance of students in reading?Thank you.Patricia Bailey

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