Wednesday’s Editorial: Good progress for Duval schools – Florida Times-Union

Leave a place better than you found it. This classic value that is part of the American psyche.

The adage comes to mind in light of the outstanding performance of the Duval County Public Schools.

The district maintained its overall B grade. So will those naysayers remember this fact?

In addition, A-rated schools surged from 31 last year to 46 this year.

And the proportion of schools that received an A, B or C grade increased from 75 percent last year to 89 percent.

Interim Superintendent Pat Willis credited hard work. Of course. Thats a requirement.

It also starts with great leadership, especially at the principal level.

Departed Superintendent Nikolai Vitti has to be credited with much of this. He replaced a large number of principals, which caused some angst, but it was based on a sense of urgency.

A school cant afford a down year, especially one with a large number of struggling students.

Vitti, now the superintendent in Detroit, took a school system that was already on the rise and led it to new heights.

Most of the districts 36 struggling schools improved to at least C grades.

Turnarounds dont happen overnight. A schools culture can change quickly with a dynamic new principal but when students are several years behind, the catch-up process is difficult.

Bringing up students in reading is especially difficult when there is little reading material at home.

The difficulty is illustrated by the Wayman Academy charter school. After 17 years, it earned its first A. You can visit schools like this and see the dedicated teachers, the hardworking students and yet the school grades sometimes take years to reflect the hard work.

Research from the University of Chicago has shown that for schools to succeed it takes five elements: school leadership first, then parent-community ties, professional faculty and staff, a student-centered learning climate and an instructional guidance system.

Each of these elements must be working in sync with the others.

One of Vittis legacies is to compare Duval with the other large metro school districts in the state, not with smaller, more fortunate suburban districts like St. Johns. Now Duval trails only Palm Beach among the seven urban school districts on school grades.

Lets thank all of the community partners of the school system, too.

INFLUENCE IN TALLAHASSEE

Duval Countys consolidated government has given it a great advantage statewide in being able to rally the community in mutual goals.

But in the Legislature, Duval has been overshadowed by South Florida legislators. Since John Thrasher left the Senate for the presidency of Florida State, the local delegation has been in a power vacuum.

With that in mind, Rep. Paul Renner is in line to become speaker of the Florida House in 2022. Thats a few years away, to be sure, but his influence certainly will be felt before he officially takes over.

Times-Union reporter Tia Mitchell, noted Renner would be the first speaker from Northeast Florida in about 20 years.

Renner, who represents the Palm Coast area, works in Jacksonville as an attorney.

The area Renner represents includes the St. Johns River, which has not received the same level of support as the Everglades in South Florida.

Its about time that this areas needs were more equitably represented in Tallahassee.

NO SEISMIC TESTING

Floridians are clear. We wont want oil and gas exploration anywhere near our precious beaches.

And so it makes no sense to allow seismic airgun surveys to be conducted off the coast.

U.S. Rep. John Rutherford pulled together an impressive roster of fellow House members to send a letter of protest regarding offshore oil and gas exploration.

The letter, also signed by Rep. Al Lawson, went to the Interior Department, which recently decided to move forward with offshore exploration.

Atlantic Coast economies dependent on a healthy ocean generate $95 billion gross domestic product and nearly 1.4 million jobs annually.

Fishing, tourism and recreation are huge businesses in Florida.

More than 120 local governments have passed formal resolutions opposing oil and gas exploration or drilling in the Atlantic or eastern Gulf.

So why would the federal government ignore the clear will of the people?

Is there some sort of national emergency? Far from it.

America hasnt been in a better position on energy in generations.

Thanks to the natural gas boom and fracking for oil, there is plenty of petroleum available. At the same time, renewable energy continues to grow quickly.

The other outrage is that any information gained from the seismic surveys would not be available to the public, only the oil and gas industry.

All in all, a terrible decision by the Trump administration. But it could be reversed in the time it takes to send a Tweet.

CONGRATS TO GIRARDEAU

Former State Sen. Arnett Girardeau just received a major award. He was enshrined in the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame.

Girardeau was the first African-American in modern times to be elected to the Florida Senate.

A graduate of Stanton and Howard University, he served in the Army during the Korean War.

He was awarded the American Spirit Honor Medal for his work with the armed forces and civil communities.

He was active with the local NAACP during the tumultuous 1960s when barriers of segregation were being broken.

Jacksonville is a better city because of the hard work of Girardeau during dangerous times.

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Wednesday's Editorial: Good progress for Duval schools - Florida Times-Union