Marysville Comes Back

Here in Washington, the Marysville will be forever tied to "teacher strike" because of the breakdown they suffered in 2003. Under their new superintendent, though, things are improving. From the Everett Herald:-----------------------------------------

When asked if the schools are getting better, staying the same or getting worse, 39 percent said they are getting better this year compared with 19 percent four years ago.

Thirty-six percent said they were "getting worse" compared with 43 percent in 2002. The remainder answered "staying the same" or they don't know.

Four years ago, "administration, poor communication and superintendent" were identified by 20 percent of the survey sample as the district's biggest problems. None of those issues were mentioned as concerns this time.-----------------------------------------

Good for them; a 20-point increase in "getting better" responses is a happy thing.

One could question, though, if this sort of data is worth the $17,000 that they paid for it. Beyond the warm, fuzzy feeling, how does this help kids?