Talk about accountabilty. The school superintendent, school board members and principals in the Castle Rock, Washington schools have pledged to boost student performance or resign.

The Longview Daily News reports, "The district will meet next month to review the goals, which include increasing the percentage of students who pass the Washington Assessment for Student Learning scores by 2007. Officials also plan to improve graduation rates by 2008.

"The district will release a final copy of the goals at the Feb. 24 School Board meeting. Wilde said they will have a strategy hammered out by June and put the plan in place for the 2004-05 school year.

"School officials also say the plan is attainable, but it will require tenacity.

"'It's a very reasonable goal. .. It's going to take some work,'" said Ron Rodgers, the president of the Castle Rock teachers' union.

"Despite the deadline for improvement, principals say they see the pledge as a surge of support, not a threat.

"Ultimatum is not the word we see. It's a commitment. It's a district-wide commitment," said Faye Ashland, K-8 co-principal. "We don't see it as an impossibility. We're going to give it our best shot."

Here at Rosenblog, we'll be coming back to this story, and other examples of public educators interested in progress, not excuses.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at January 30, 2004 08:23 AM

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