Better Schools = Better Students

Summer’s getting closer. The school year is winding down for many students. Lots of people are going in and out of Kentucky’s schools for award days, field days, spring plays and the like. As you’re going in and out of the school buildings, most of you have probably thought that the environment that Kentucky’s kids are learning within is satisfactory. We always want more for our children but we know that there are limits.

We’ve had the chance over the past few years to visit quite a few of Kentucky’s public schools. Each school we’ve visited has appeared to be a nice facility. We didn’t see every square inch but what we did see suggests those schools had adequate lighting, were structurally sound, warm in the winter, cool in the summer and safe year round – basically places where anyone would want their child to be for 8 hours out of the day.

Research tells us that when our children are there cultivating their promising minds, having them in a decent facility is exactly what we should want for them.

According the United States General Accounting Office, “children attending school in a decent facility is crucial to high-quality learning environment.” The non-profit agency, 21st Century School Fund (www.21csf.org) provides that “recent research has confirmed what many educators have held as common sense – the quality of a school facility has an impact on students experiences and ultimately on their educational achievement.” Conversely “poor building conditions…are obstacles to academic achievement. (Further) if school facilities are unsafe, unhealthy and unable to support technology for the delivery of curriculum or services needed to succeed, minority and low-income children are further disadvantaged.”

So – better schools = better students. Hmm…where have we heard that before?

The bigger question is – what can we do to ensure that every Kentucky student is in a school environment that gives them the absolute best opportunity to learn and succeed?

What? You mean that every Kentucky student isn’t already in such a facility?

If you just posed that question to yourself – you will be surprised (and perhaps a bit outraged) to find out the answer….