A dose of brutal honesty for Tacoma schools

The bad news about the Tacoma School District is, by now, old news.

The state’s second largest school district has lower than average student test scores, a higher than average high school dropout rate and a lower than average college enrollment rate.

One big reason why is the so-called achievement gap. When minority and low-income students represent more than half of the district’s enrollment, their classroom struggles loom large.

Or at least they should. Tacoma school officials have long known they need to reshape education to reach groups of students who lag their peers, but little has happened.

A new report offers a blunt assessment of the district’s failures. It’s good medicine.

Thelma Jackson, an Olympia-based education consultant, focused on the challenges faced by the district’s largest minority group, black children. But much of what she found wanting poses problems for all but the most motivated students.

Jackson paints a picture of a school district that has seen a revolving door of leadership and that haphazardly pursues student achievement, rather than making it a concerted, districtwide effort. Principals and other administrators have a great deal of autonomy, often to the detriment of student learning.

The district collects a wealth of data about students and their learning, but it’s unclear if the information is used to drive decisions. Programs that show great promise for helping reach disadvantaged groups of students are only sporadically employed.

The district also has neglected to evaluate, train and discipline teachers, in Jackson’s view. Chronic teacher absenteeism cheats hundreds, if not thousands, of students of learning opportunities every day. Few teachers are on improvement plans, a sure sign of laxity in a district the size of Tacoma’s. The district also lacks a comprehensive, coordinated program to help teachers build on their skills.

Jackson sounds a hopeful note in many places in her report, noting that Superintendent Art Jarvis seems headed in the right direction.

The district has no time to lose. While Tacoma still has plenty of work to do before black students are performing on par with their classmates, many Hispanic students have an even bigger hill to climb. They are least likely to go to college, have higher dropout rates and are a growing segment of the student population.

The responsibility for making schools more effective ultimately rests with the elected school board – which Jackson noted in her report, “must be a key player in establishing expectations and holding the district accountable through the superintendent.”

The public should demand as much from the board.