14 | Commentary
Reporter Newspapers
Our mission is to provide our readers with fresh and engaging information about life in their communities. Published by Springs Publishing LLC 6065 Roswell Road, Suite 225 Sandy Springs, GA 30328 Phone: 404-917-2200 • Fax: 404-917-2201 Brookhaven Reporter | Buckhead Reporter Dunwoody Reporter | Sandy Springs Reporter www.ReporterNewspapers.net Atlanta INtown www.AtlantaINtownPaper.com Atlanta Senior Life www.AtlantaSeniorLife.com
C O NTA C T US Founder & Publisher Steve Levene stevelevene@reporternewspapers.net Editorial Managing Editor John Ruch johnruch@reporternewspapers.net INtown Editor: Collin Kelley Editor-at-Large Joe Earle Staff Writer Dyana Bagby Copy Editor: Donna Williams Lewis Creative and Production Creative Director Rico Figliolini rico@reporternewspapers.net Graphic Designer: Soojin Yang Advertising Director of Sales Development Amy Arno amyarno@reporternewspapers.net Sales Executives Julie Davis, Jeff Kremer, Janet Porter Jim Speakman, Janet Tassitano Office Manager Deborah Davis deborahdavis@reporternewspapers.net Contributors Evelyn Andrews, Kate Awtrey, Grace Huseth, Phil Mosier, Megan Volpert
Free Home Delivery 60,000 copies of Reporter Newspapers are delivered by carriers to homes in ZIP codes 30305, 30319, 30326, 30327, 30328, 30338, 30342 and 30350 and to more than 500 business/retail locations. For locations, check “Where To Find Us” at www.ReporterNewspapers.net For delivery requests, please email delivery@reporternewspapers.net.
© 2017 with all rights reserved Publisher reserves the right to refuse editorial or advertising for any reason. Publisher assumes no responsibility for information contained in advertising. Any opinions expressed in print or online do not necessarily represent the views of Reporter Newspapers or Springs Publishing, LLC.
Facebook.com/TheReporterNewspapers ■ twitter.com/Reporter_News
Community Survey/ Grading our schools Question: How good a job are your areaʼs schools - public or private doing to prepare students for careers and civic life? While federal and state leaders propose 2.5% various types of education reform, local res6% idents say our schools deserve decent grades 16.5% — but could be teaching more practical skills. Although 44 percent of the respondents 31% to our most recent 1Q survey said local public and private schools are doing an “average” job of preparing students for careers and civic life, nearly twice as many respondents said the schools were doing a “good” or “great” job 44% as felt they were “poor” or “terrible” in readying graduates for the future. Still, when asked what skills or subjects local schools should teach more, the 200 respondents to the cellphone-based survey had Great job 12 (6.0%) plenty of suggestions. And their ideas seemed to cover about every position in the educaGood job 62 (31.0%) tional debate. Some of the 200 adults in communities Average job 88 (44.0%) served by Reporter Newspapers and Atlanta INtown thought the schools needed to better Poor job 33 (16.5%) prepare graduates for jobs. “I think our schools need to have more foTerrible job 5 (2.5%) cus on skills and subjects that relate to 21st century jobs and skills required for those jobs,” a 46-year-old Sandy Springs woman said. “We fall behind other states and countries when it comes to science and math.” A 52-year-old Atlanta woman called for “technical skills to fill skilled labor jobs where there is a void of qualified personnel, such as plumbing, welding and electrical training.” And a 36-year-old Dunwoody woman saw a need for “real-life work experience.” Other respondents thought the schools should better prepare students for everyday life. A 37-year-old Buckhead woman proposed “more ‘real-life’ education scenarios: finances, investing, budgeting. A lot of kids graduate and don’t know how to balance a checkbook, but know how to do some math problem with only symbols.” Still others thought the schools should provide classes to make graduates better citizens. A 53-year-old Brookhaven woman saw the need for “journalism, because it would clean up the ghastly writing in America. They should have projects where they are interacting with the Legislature. Students should know the process for getting bills passed. We need a more hands-on approach to civic engagement.” Not every response was quite so serious, however. One 23-year-old Atlanta woman said that what the schools need to emphasize is simple: “Frisbee.”
1Q is an Atlanta-based startup that has developed a technology which sends questions and surveys to a cellphone via app or text message from businesses and organizations across the country. Respondents are paid 50 cents per answer, through PayPal, for sharing their opinions. Payments may also be donated directly to charity. Sign up to be included in our local community polls at 1Q.com/reporter or by texting REPORTER to 86312.
Here’s what some of those who responded to the survey had to say: “Life skills, cooking, computer programming.” 36-year-old Brookhaven woman “While I do believe in the core math, science [and] English, I believe that a broad understanding of history, civics, basic logical skills and other language skills are important. Critical thinking is important to be able to make decisions.” 62-year-old Buckhead man “Actual life personal expenses and finance. I graduated not knowing what a mortgage was.” 25-year-old man Atlanta “Why it’s important to vote in local elections and how to make your voice heard at the state and local levels.” 26-year-old Atlanta man “Just keeping up with the ages. Computers need to be taught much earlier, starting with typing.” 49-year-old Atlanta woman “More technical and general business transactional skills.” 27-year-old Brookhaven man “Wood shop, auto [and] construction jobs that need some skills, but not a college degree.” 55-year-old Buckhead man “Get rid of Common Core. Go back to basics and [an] age-appropriate curriculum. Stop the testing.” 47-year-old Sandy Springs woman “Chinese.” 48-year-old woman
Letter to the Editor Bravo to Conor Sen, on his thoughtprovoking commentary, “Why Trump order inspired my first political protest” [Reporter Newspapers, Feb. 3]. A mean-spirited exclusion order not only denies a lifesaver for those in need, as were my parents after World War II, but damages our economy. I still have my parents’ green cards to
remind me that this inspiring country welcomed them from Holocaust hell, after my family lost everyone, everything and hope. They were refugees; they were immigrants; and they purchased homes, paid taxes, raised a family and loved to their deaths their adopted country. I have no doubt that my parents, as other immigrants before
and after them, made this country a better place. Today, in addition to rejecting families running for their lives, we face a brain drain and medical practitioner deficiency with harsh and forbidding immigration practices. Thank you, Conor Sen, for protesting. — Edith Fink BH