We would like to offer a hearty “Hooray!” to two elementary schools in nearby Walker County, Ga. They are not letting the financially disadvantaged backgrounds of many of their students stand in the way of making sure those students get a good education.
The schools are Stone Creek and Cherokee Ridge elementary schools. Both have been added to a list of 35 schools across Georgia that have a higher-than-average rate of students from families living in poverty, but that still meet the academic standards set by the federal No Child Left Behind law.
As a matter of constitutional principle, we do not believe the federal government should set academic standards for the states. But with the standards having been set, the performance at Stone Creek and Cherokee Ridge is simply remarkable.
About 73 percent of pupils at Cherokee Ridge are from families living in poverty, and that is true of about 75 percent of pupils at Stone Creek. Those rates are far higher than the state average. And yet, judging from test scores among their fifth-graders, they are in the top 10 percent to 20 percent statewide.
That wonderful achievement got them on the list of “No Excuses Schools” compiled by the Georgia Public Policy Foundation.
Coming from a family of very limited means may not be the easiest way for a child to start out in life. But educators at these Walker County schools have obviously made up their minds that students from all kinds of backgrounds can learn with the right combination of determination and involvement by students, teachers and parents.
They deserve congratulations and support.