Friday, June 16, 2006

Student Quiz

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick paid a visit to Medford High School on May 13, where he took questions from students and chatted with some teachers and administrators. It's always instructive to watch a candidate in front of teenagers, both to see how he relates and to learn what's on the mind of the kids. I'd give Patrick good marks. He had a nice rapport with the students, he held their attention, and he was forthright enough to tell them that he supported a longer school day.
And as for the students? Their questions were pretty good ones. They asked about the reception he had gotten when he marched in the Gay Pride Parade recently; about in-state tuition for children of illegal or undocumented immigrants; about Title 9 (equal access for women in sports); about extra-curricular fees for sports and activities; about what he would do to bring more jobs to the state; about students who posed disciplinary problems; about better programs for advanced students; about improving the state's infrastructure without Big Dig-like cost overruns; and about a proposal to raise the minimum age for getting one's license.
As I listened, it struck me that there was one issue that wasn't coming up: the MCAS. Not a student mentioned the exam, which opponents would have you believe is the bane of their very existence. Indeed, the only complaints I heard about the exam came afterward, when several teachers spoke to the candidate.

Posted by at 01:03 PM

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