I can’t begin to express my shock and dismay after reading your Friday story, “Lofty goals set by CCSD.” According to the article, within five years the Clark County School District plans to graduate students with the skills and experiences needed to set them up for success. In my apparent ignorance about how schools are supposed to work, I had always assumed that preparing students to succeed in the “real world” was the fundamental purpose of public education.
For the past 70 years of the district’s existence, what has it been doing if not preparing students for life after graduation?
Why is this being presented as some bold new initiative rather than the basic responsibility taxpayers have been funding all along? Setting “lofty goals” sounds admirable, but ensuring students leave school equipped with essential knowledge, practical skills and the ability to think critically should not be aspirational. It should be the standard.
Our students, parents, and community deserve better than promises that what should have been happening all along might finally begin to happen.
