Islands of Excellence
Hezel, Francis X. (2001-04-01). Islands of Excellence. Micronesian Counselor (Report). Kolonia, Pohnpei: Micronesian Seminar. p. 1.
- Has attachment: File:8F3TCSY4.pdf
Abstract: Undeniably, education in Micronesia has its problems. Few eighth- graders in island public schools can read above the third-grade United States standard. Over the past five years more than two out of every three Marshallese public school students failed the Pacific Islands Literacy Skills test. The average score for FSM sixth-graders on the national standards test for math was a low 37 percent. Throughout the region dropout rates are high. Only one of every four students beginning first grade will make it to high school graduation.
But it would be unfair to represent this as the whole of the educational picture in Micronesia, for some schools in Micronesia have made long strides forward against great odds. The schools presented in this article, while they are not the only good schools, are a sample of some of the very best–not just as measured in their test scores, but in their reputation for good instruction and creative programs. If education in Micronesia is sometimes presented as a “sea of mediocrity,” these schools stand as islands of excellence in that sea. In this article we would like to showcase these schools, while holding them to the light to help understand what makes good schools work.
The schools highlighted in this article represent every part of Micronesia. They are elementary schools because any serious attempt at educational reform must begin at the very basic level and proceed upward through the school system. All the schools chosen are also public schools. Private schools are expected to be high-quality, but very good public schools can draw the attention of educators because they are still regarded as something of a novelty. If a few public schools can achieve results like this, any school should be able to improve.
Extra details:
DOI: 10.1002/sea2.12225 MAG: 3199334168 CorpusID: 240547045 OpenAlex: W3199334168
