The March sadness of public schools

It's March Madness, America's unofficial sports holiday! All work comes to a halt as we sports fanatics watch university and high school teams from coast to coast chase their dream to be Number 1. We love the blood, sweat, and tears as they pursue various championships. Parents scream, coaches yell at referees, and athletes push it to the limit. Everyone knows what's on the line.

Or do we?

After the basketball teams of Ohio State and my own Dunbar High School pushed me to within seconds of a heart attack, I had to step back and put it all in perspective.

There's another March Madness, one we sinfully, and conveniently, forget about. This is the time in which students across the country begin preparations for the big one: the state proficiency test, the SAT, ACT, or exit exam.

Where are the crowds cheering our children on?

Where are the parents screaming, you can do it!

Where are the cameras as students prepare and take their tests--their eyes wide, palms sweating, and hearts pounding?

For too many students, this time of year has become March Sadness. Networks pump millions into covering athletes running with balls, kicking balls, hitting balls, and putting balls into baskets, yet those same folks refuse to support a tax level that would give a child a shot at life via education.

March Sadness 2007 sees more of the same; schools both private and public are falling short and the shot clock for students is running out. We are more concerned with high flying dunks than low flying flunks, starting fives instead of jumpstarting minds, PPAs (points per average) instead of GPAs and who's making 3s instead of who's earning 3.0.

The Nation's Report Card compiled by the National Assessment of Educational Progress reports the following dismal statistics:

"In 2005, the average reading score for high school seniors was 286 on a 0–500 scale. This score was lower than in 1992, although it was not significantly different from the score in 2002. With the exception of the score for students performing at the 90th percentile, declines were seen across most of the performance distribution in 2005 as compared to 1992."

"In 2005, female twelfth-grade students scored 13 points higher on average in reading than male students."

"The average reading score for female students was lower in 2005 than in either 1992 or 2002."

In mathematics, "Gaps between white and minority students [are] unchanged. Scores for both White and Black students have declined since 1992. Apparent declines since 1992 for other racial/ethnic groups were not statistically significant. The percentages of students performing at or above proficient have decreased since 1992 for White students, but showed no significant change for other racial/ethnic student groups."

In mathematics, "Asian/Pacific Islander students scored higher on average in 2005 than the other four racial/ethnic groups. The average score for White students was higher than the scores for Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native students. Hispanic students scored higher on average than Black students."

These declines have occurred since the implementation of No Child Left Behind! We should be hit with a technical foul. We're mad for basketball but not for the academic glory of our children.

It's time for all of us to put public education in a time out and reconsider our game plan.