By Brenda Sexton, The Courier-Herald
Enumclaw School Board members took the opening 30 minutes of their regular meeting Jan. 26 to address a recent series in The Seattle Times and several letters to the editor of The Courier-Herald suggesting Enumclaw schools, particularly Enumclaw High, are on an academic slide.
"We spent a number of hours personally, and as a board, looking through the raw data gathered by The Seattle Times report," board president Nancy Merrill told the small group gathered at the meeting. "We then spent our January board study session considering this information."
She said the board also solicited a report from Enumclaw High and the district reinvention team reviewing the research and curriculum that has been put in place the last few years. The board then talked with staff and parents of recent graduates.
What the board discovered, Merrill said, was that although EHS did not rank in the top 10 in any of The Seattle Times categories, the school was competitive.
"To somehow suggest our kids aren't ready for college isn't quite all there," board member Dale Holland said. He then quoted from "The Boxer" by Simon and Garfunkel, "a man he hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest."
The board admitted there were findings that did not please them.
"I want to be number one in all those categories, however, the sky is not falling," Holland said. "We are doing OK and we will do better."
During its investigation, the board discovered that grade inflation appears to exist to a small degree at EHS. One of the categories looks at the actual grade point performance of EHS students through the last five years of freshmen attending the University of Washington. EHS students averaged 3.05, however this is not the same level of GPA they had at EHS.
The board then reviewed EHS curriculum and confirmed there was rigorous coursework available to students. In fact, Merrill stated, overall EHS offers more advanced programs than at any other time. Sadly, board member Mike Goodfellow pointed out, the enrollment in advanced courses at EHS that would prepare students for college appears to be low.
On the up side, when the board compared EHS with schools in the South Puget Sound League, it found it ranked no less than fourth in any category, except one.
Among SPSL schools, EHS’s 3.05 average freshman UW GPA was third behind Kentlake and Kentwood. The Hornets were fourth in the league in SAT verbal scores for 2001-02 school year and was second at 33 percent behind Auburn in students enrolling in four-year colleges and universities. Holland pointed out EHS had one of the largest percentages of students who enter the military.
The biggest blow to the district, however, was the ranking of 1.9 out of five, nearly dead last in The Seattle Times survey and dead last in the league, of how admissions officers from nine area universities ranked EHS students preparedness. The board noted these comments were the opinions of the survey participants and were not scientific and did not count schools like Washington State, Western, Central, Eastern or Pacific Lutheran universities.
The board intends to contact admissions teams individually to learn how they think EHS students might do better.
"It's not enough. We’re not at the top and that's where we want to be," Merrill said. But, she said making a reference to the time and effort it took to create the great cathedrals of the past, improvement doesn’t come immediately.
"It is important to remember that nothing great and enduring gets built in a hurry, or on its own," Merrill said.
As part of the board's commitment to the issue, Merrill said, she invites members of the community to meet with her or other board members to discuss concerns.
Brenda Sexton can be reached at bsexton@courierherald.com
