What follows is not my opinion.

During election season, our Commonwealth released SAT scores for all public schools in the state. Delaware Valley is, at best, average in Pennsylvania. The conclusion one might draw about a school district that is academically average in a state that is near the bottom of the list nationally, in a nation that is at the bottom of the list of developed nations, is left to logic alone. One could not be faulted for reasoning that Delaware Valley is one of the worst performing schools in the industrialized world. From the graduating class of 2008, for example, not one, not a single graduate was admitted to a highly selective college. We seem to have become accustomed to believing that of 300 or so graduates, not one was of Stanford caliber; no math whiz measured up to MIT or RPI standards, and we didn’t even produce a student interested enough in money to pursue admission at Wharton. (please note: Penn State accepts 70% of its applicants, and two-thirds of those graduate from the Main Campus). Everyone knows what needs to be done. Education contains no mysteries. Some schools are employing methods and programs -- smaller classes, longer school days, more contact hours on Saturdays and during summer, meaningful homework, etc. -- that yield startling results (search “Knowledge Is Power Program” or “KIPP” to learn more). Why we are not moving toward improving education at Delaware Valley leads to one of two reasonable hypotheses: One, that we are dedicated to mediocrity; or two, that we are incompetent as educators. How else to explain this? There are no excuses anymore. Delaware Valley is spending as much or more per student as some of the most successful schools in the nation. If someone asks, “Where is the money supposed to come from for revamping education at Delaware Valley,” one of us, perhaps someone on the School Board, has to have the courage to reply, “That’s a question we’re paying our administrators to answer, not ask.” One might think the Finans would want to do something positive to ensure their legacy as they slide toward the door. And I’m not talking about dead-end sports championships that mislead students and parents into thinking we have a great school. By any academic measure, we don’t. Tony Splendora Milford