Quote of the Day

Jefferson High School

Portland is talking about what to do about Jefferson High School. Last week's story stirred up people enough to write letters to the editor, which Willamette Week dutifully published. I like this one from Janice Archer:

Way to bury the lede, Oregon Journalism Project [“Schooled by Mississippi,” Dec. 10]! Mississippi fourth grade reading scores are best in the nation because any student not reading at a fourth grade reading level is held back for another year of third grade! (As mentioned in paragraph 24.) If all states did that, wouldn’t we all score 100%? And their eighth grade reading scores aren’t so hot. How do their eighth grade scores compare with ours?

Nothing wrong with phonics. And, by the way, what system, or systems, of reading instruction do Oregon schools use? If we’re going to praise and shame, let’s take a statistics class and compare like to like, not apples to rhinoceroses. 

P. S. Blogger doesn't like 'lede' but Google assures me it's just fine.