How We See It: White House Sends Kudos To Springdale

No matter who occupies the Oval Office, it's a big deal when someone from the White House decides to visit Northwest Arkansas to see what's working well. With the many organizations and events in the region, the White House could almost establish a Northwest Wing, so to speak, to collect all the good ideas and efforts emerging from our little slice of Arkansas.

It should be no surprise that the most recent visitors from the nation's capital ended up at Springdale Public Schools.

What’s The Point?

A recent visit by White House officials and the U.S. Department of Education reflects well on the good work done by Springdale School District administrators and teachers.

Representatives of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics and the U.S. Department of Education came to witness the school district's efforts to involve Hispanic parents in the education of their children.

Springdale has a huge population students of Hispanic heritage, and those students bring challenges for the education system. For some districts, the influx of a new populace might be viewed only as a problem. In Springdale, administrators and teachers for years have considered every young person who crosses their thresholds simply as a student, someone for whom they have the awesome responsibility to teach.

Teach them all. It doesn't get any simpler than that. But that doesn't mean the job is easy, and Springdale has over the years become very proficient at tackling the educational challenges arising from a diverse student population, whether it's Hispanic, Marshallese or those at the lower end of the economic spectrum.

The Washington, D.C., crew came to see the Family Literacy Program at Turnbow Elementary School. Similar programs are now in fourteen schools within the district.

Rather than just teaching the child, Springdale officials recognized long ago the need to build up the family. The literacy program focuses on learning English; parents spending time in classrooms with their children; bringing in community leaders who can teach parents about important community resources; and teaching parents about how the education system works.

Alejandra Ceja, executive director of the initiative, said Springdale's impressive work can serve as an example for school leaders across the nation. They would do well to discover it.

We recognize the real reward for educators comes from seeing students' faces light up when they finally grasp a subject or idea they've been studying. But the folks working so hard to drive education excellence in Springdale deserve to hear praise from the highest levels for the work they put into making sure every kid stands a chance.

We applaud the great strides the Springdale School District has made, and continues to make, in reaching the greater community for the good of tomorrow.

Commentary on 09/15/2014

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