Applying what students learn

ISSUE | TESTING

Case for standards

Any profession that wants to succeed and be taken seriously should adopt and adhere to an appropriate set of standards. As a school director in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, I insist that we have clear and challenging academic standards, and valid and reliable Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) testing to the standards.

So why is there such an uproar about standards and testing? Along with misinformation from those on the right and the left with their own agendas, too much of the school establishment seems unwilling to accept accountability.

Parents shouldn't fall for a smokescreen. They should read the standards, which they will see are not about rote learning, don't require teaching the test, and do not require extensive test preparation. These standards should be embedded in the curriculum. The formula for success in public schools is straightforward: an excellent curriculum plus great teaching equals student achievement. Success on the PSSA is a by-product.

|Jeff Hellrung, East Marlborough Township

ISSUE | CIVIC VALUES

Sharing burdens

The entry into the presidential race of Bernie Sanders for some reason brings back memories for me of the 1940s and wartime America. It's a time we need to teach our children about: a time when 11 pecent of the population joined the military to fight, when the wealthy were called upon to actually share in the cost of the challenges before us with progressive income-tax rates reaching 88 percent, and when the nation could revamp its roads and bridges.

Through all of this, we met our goals while the wealthy remained rich, the middle-class rose as never before, and even the poor were better off.

Today, less than 1 percent of citizens stand up and fight for us, and the cost of our many recent wars falls far heavier on the poor and the middle class as a result of continuing decreases in our progressive tax rates. It's time for all Americans to pay attention to our history and learn from it.

|Ian Wachstein, Collingswood

ISSUE | BRIDGEGATE

Childish actions with real-world consequences

Regarding the scandal of the bridge closing in New Jersey, how old are these people ("Defendants vow to fight bridge case," May 5)? The perpetrators were not punishing the Fort Lee mayor, but motorists, as well as schoolchildren and emergency responders. It's a wonder those involved can hold their heads up. I pray that this situation will be a lesson to others and will help people to grow up.

|Jane M. Hinkle, Lafayette Hill

ISSUE | PA. BUDGET

Removing uncertainty for city school funding

Gov. Wolf is proposing $538 million in tax relief for Philadelphia to spur much-needed job creation and give regular folks a break after years of paying more while the wealthy paid less. This is a truly equitable way to move beyond the effects of the Great Recession.

Under Wolf's plan, Philadelphia property owners would receive on average of more than $1,000 in tax relief. Relief for city employers would come in graduated wage-tax cuts for both residents and nonresidents. The $2 tax increase on tobacco products in Philadelphia, levied to fill a School District deficit last year when the state came up short, would be eliminated because the governor is proposing more than $159 million in additional funding for city schools. Meanwhile, the city's sales tax will remain flat.

Wolf's proposed budget is a bold correction after the Corbett years.

|Darrell L. Clarke, president, City Council, Philadelphia

ISSUE | URBAN UNREST

Treatment of African American men lacking

In an interview, Mayor Nutter suggested the unrest in Baltimore and violence-related deaths among African American men are a call for investments in education, employment, and training ("Nutter: Cities cannot fix problems alone," May 4). But Nutter and other local officials need to focus on managing resources under their control, starting with police.

Over the weekend, I went to the Sixth District to report a crime perpetrated against me while in Center City. I was met with a hostile and demeaning diatribe from the desk officer on duty.

I hold a master's degree and have never spat on a sidewalk, but African American men like me are treated like enemies of the state as a matter of course in the North and more frequently in the South. The treatment I received from the Police Department was nearly as hurtful as the crime I reported.

|Byron W. Woodson, Philadelphia

If cops pull back, safe streets at risk

The indictments of six Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray are an unfortunate step in assuring that police officers do not go too far to apprehend potential suspects. I strongly recommend that everyone seek out their local police and find out what you can do to help them in fighting crime. It is best to meet police officers before you need them in an emergency.

|Dave Savage, Collingswood