For many of our young people, we need to do better
As adults, we share a responsibility to ensure all young people have the tools to thrive. Yet, for many students — especially those who struggle in the classroom — we still have work to do.
The reasons for their struggle are varied. Some of them live in unstable homes and lack parental support. Some have learning difficulties, such as ADHD or dyslexia, that need to be identified and addressed. Others suffer from mental or physical health issues. Whatever the challenges, the fact is some students struggle while their peers excel.
There are several reasons we bring this up now. For most of the year, state lawmakers and other politicians, educators, lobbyists, parents and judges have been weighing in on the issue of school vouchers — whether public money should be given to parents so they can send their children to private schools. For the past two or three decades, Wyoming has been debating how to approve and regulate charter schools, which seem to be popping up with more frequency due to frustrations with the public school system. And, as more parents opt to home-school their kids, state legislators removed a requirement that these parents submit their curriculum to public school districts.
Clearly, people are frustrated with the status quo and looking for solutions.
The need for change was made even more obvious Aug. 28, when the Wyoming Department of Education released results from the 2024-25 Wyoming Test of Proficiency and Progress (WY-TOPP) and Wyoming Alternate Assessment (WY-ALT).
We should pause here and say we don’t think standardized test results are the only way to measure student success. Frankly, some people just don’t do well on these types of exams. Nor do we place the blame solely on school teachers, who work hard to juggle a long list of responsibilities, while also dealing with a host of behavioral issues.
Still, there’s no way to avoid being disappointed in results that show statewide proficiency in English language arts (ELA; primarily reading and writing) was 55.7%, math was 50.8% and science was 51.2%. Here in Laramie County School District 1, the state’s largest district based on student population, those numbers were 49.5%, 43.3% and 44%, respectively.
Yes, these results are better than last year, and, statewide, ELA and science are at or above pre-pandemic levels. We applaud teachers for being able to erase much of the damage done by the extended lockdowns and home-based learning that took place starting in March 2020. But we can’t be satisfied when more than half of our students are less than proficient, especially in reading and writing.
The scores also once again show us that smaller districts and charter schools like Cheyenne’s PODER Academy are seeing significantly better outcomes on these tests. Smaller student populations, which often result in smaller student-to-teacher ratios, are one advantage for these schools. Selective enrollment, extra resources, longer school days and other factors also surely contribute to the better performance.
With more than 80% of third-graders at PODER Academy testing proficient or advanced in reading and writing, maybe LCSD1 leaders should be digging deeper into the reasons and applying some of their methods district-wide.
Teachers often tell us they’re spending as much time on behavior as instruction. That points to a need for more parental involvement, stronger school supports and more community resources.
Maybe another solution would be creating more alternative schools or separate classrooms, where students with attention issues and other challenges can get more specialized training.
Obvious shortfalls in our existing public school systems ought to inspire objectively considering drastic change. All students win when our systems of education build on the successes of competitive alternatives. That applies whether their parents choose traditional, charter, private or some variation of home-schooling for their students. Society as a whole wins, too.
We need to do all we can to make sure kids are reading at grade level by third grade. We must ask questions of our children, meet with their teachers and support them when extra help is needed.
We also should be doing more to help high school students identify their vocational proficiency and interests, as well as expose them to post-graduation options through career fairs, where potential employers could talk to them about their options.
We believe the true measure of success is whether we’re giving all young people the tools they need to be successful members of the workforce, and, as much as possible, offer them a chance to remain close to home, if they want.
To achieve that success, we must work together — parents, teachers, administrators, community members, elected officials and more. Only when we do can we be satisfied that we’ve done everything possible to ensure future generations can experience the same (or better) levels of success and happiness as we’ve enjoyed.