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West Virginia schools have a long way to go to meet the standards we expect for our children. But the reality is, if we want what we should for our future, education officials will never be able to rest on past gains.
Should you need proof we are getting at least some things very right, look to the recent state Science and Engineering Fair in Charleston. Public school students in third through 12th grades showed off science, math and engineering projects that would make many adults' heads spin.
Sydney Bostic, a junior at Spring Mills High School in Martinsburg, will represent West Virginia at the Regeneron International Science Fair in Los Angeles in May. Bostic's project was called "Bridging the Gap Using EdTech and Artificial Intelligence." It hinges on an app she designed that will translate college-level text into other proficiency levels.
"Everybody can use the same materials and learn at the same level at the same time," Bostic said.
Impressive, right?
Bostic's bright idea was just one of hundreds from the minds of youngsters.
"They have some pretty amazing science and it's exciting when they get to explain that to our judges, because again, it's about learning, we get to see just how much learning those students have done," said West Virginia Department of Education Director of Pre K-12 Academic Support Erika Klose.
It is good to know our students are learning to think, to ask questions, to explore their world and their own big ideas. Mountain State kids are showing us they've got what it takes to lead us into a bright future. Now we just have to let them.