Ask the tough questions about education

Regarding the April 26 story, “C.R. eighth-graders get head start on high school”:

I am disappointed in the one-sided story. The public, parents and taxpayers need to start asking the tough questions and all stakeholders should have been featured in the article.

The fact that most students taking high school classes do not take social studies was left out. Instead, they are entitled to a foreign language elective that is not offered to 85 percent of the other eighth-graders. The eighth-grade social studies curriculum is centered on the Constitution, citizenship and financial literacy, essential knowledge and skills for the 21st century.

The article does not report that there are high school certified staff at the middle school who could offer the math and science courses for high school credit and avoid the escalating costs of transporting students back to the middle school twice a day. It was not clear that the Cedar Rapids middle schools offer rigorous and essential curriculum by talented teachers that is mandated by the common core.

As the Cedar Rapids district cuts 24 core teaching positions, the article did not address that high school core classes can expect up to 40 students in each class as they try to accommodate the number of eighth-graders.

Start asking the real questions. To challenge students, let's do it at their middle school where there are qualified staff and can do so with some fiscal responsibility.

Dale Thomas

Marion