School Reform

Re “The ‘Factory School’ Should Be Retired,” Opinion, Sept. 27:

Les Birdsall’s solution is exactly why we are in the education drought in California: Too many schools bought into exactly what he proposes. In fact, most students learn at nearly the same rate; adjustments for the slight variations are regularly done by all good teachers, and there’s peer tutoring by those who catch on faster than others. Honors classes exist for the more advanced, and there are classes to assist those who are most in need of assistance.

The problem with education lies squarely on the heads of those who sit in the classroom seats--the students. Achievers, who sit in the same classes with those who fail, may think the work is boring and dislike their assignments, but they do them, and no one ever disliked A’s or found success boring. And colleges remediate students with classes, not projects and group work. And businesses create classes to bring their workers up to their requirements.

Had students made the same efforts in school, they would have succeeded there as well. Perhaps a stop to social promotion will encourage more students to perform well in school.

ARLENE MANEMANN

Tustin