Hamilton County Department Of Education’s Student Goals Policy Does Not Include Academic Excellence (Op-Ed)

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By Scarlen Valderaz [Special to The Tennessee Conservative] –

Hamilton County Department of Education (HCDE) conducted its annual review of their Student Goals policy in April.

The proposed goals are as pictured:

Some of the goals picture include providing educational opportunities to every student, enhancing a student’s self-image, teaching personal and civic responsibilities, and providing for a student’s safety, health, and welfare. When reading this policy, one can’t help but notice that there is no mention of academic achievement or academic excellence. 

The Tennessee Department of Education’s 2021 report card shows that only 32% of 6th-8th grade students can read at grade level in Hamilton County and that number drops to 17% with black and Hispanic students.

The report card also shows that only 21% of 9^th-12^th grade students know how to do math at grade level in Hamilton County.  That percentage drops to 8% for black students and 11% for Hispanic students. This is not a report card any student would want to take home to their mother, but this is the report card that HCDE presents to Hamilton County taxpayers shamelessly. 

It is concerning to know that HCDE puts their focus and taxpayer monies towards efforts that will not give students an environment that focuses on academic achievement. Instead, the district continues to bloat their central office with employees that make over $100K in salaries. It is unethical for a school district to continue graduating functionally illiterate young adults especially when they tout equitable teaching practices to combat minorities falling behind. The 2021 report card clearly demonstrates minority students suffering the most from the equitable practices that HCDE religiously follows.

In addition, it is concerning to know that HCDE believes it is their job to teach a child about self-image or that it is their responsibility to instill civic responsibility. Americans across our country have seen what happens when a public school takes on the job of teaching children about self-image or civic responsibility.  The result is children questioning their identity and walking off the school campus to protest matters in which they have very little knowledge about. 

Based on a study on the correlation between self-esteem and reading comprehension published in 2019, it was concluded that, “there is a correlation between self-esteem and students reading comprehension.” This study indicates that when a student knows how to read and can comprehend what he is reading, that student will have a higher self-esteem than a student who cannot read or comprehend what he is reading. If HCDE is to follow the science, producing literate students would be a top goal for the students they serve.

If academic excellence is of importance to any Hamilton County taxpayer, it is strongly encouraged to reach out to your local school board representative to voice your concerns over the school district’s Student Goals policy. When enough people stand up and demand change, change can and will happen. Our county’s future is at stake but most importantly, a child’s future is at stake. We cannot and must not allow a school district to continue robbing students of a quality education.