Fixing our schools: "We know what needs to be done." We are... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

Fixing our schools: "We know what needs to be done." We are... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

Fixing our schools: "We know what needs to be done." We are unwilling to do it.  

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Mike Ritter, AJC

Education illustration by Mike Ritter

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By Maureen Downey

A highlight of my job is opening my email to thoughtful notes like this one from Dr. Stan Bernknopf, who was director of the Division on Research, Evaluation and Assessment for the state Department of Education.

With his permission, I am sharing his letter:

By Dr. Stan Bernknopf

For 20 years, from 1975 to 1995, I worked for the Georgia Department of Education. When I retired, I was the Director of the Division of Assessment, Evaluation and Research.

During my tenure with the department, I had the opportunity to work for three state school superintendents, three Georgia governors, various members of the Legislature, and several state boards of education. While the major part of my 20-year DOE tenure can be described as exiting, rewarding and professionally fulfilling, the job also had its frustrations, disappointments and, in too many cases, it highlighted the naivetés and/ or ingenuousness of our