Last month, parents in one of the most affluent areas of Virginia (Alexandria) decided to rise up against a principal who attempted to dumb down education by eliminating the "F" in his school's grading system. He made the initial decision before consulting parents. Instead of rolling over and having self-esteem win out over education, the parents at West Potomac rose up to challenge the new policy.
More specifically, the principal decided that Fs for those who were caught cheating were no longer acceptable. Instead, he instructed teachers to give them Incompletes and permit them to finish the class later. This is equivalent to catching a shoplifter and permitting him to return the item and come back to the store later to shop.
Amazingly, this no F policy went beyond the cheaters. Indeed, before the parents stopped this harmful policy, according to WUSA Channel 9, this same principal "reportedly told teachers to not give F's on recent report cards and instead give incompletes so that students would have time to make up the work. Many parents say that also coddles students and prevents them from learning 'real world' consequences."
If a parent actually cares about his children's education, the one thing he can take away from this story is to watch those who teach your children. If those "educators" attempt to sacrifice education on the pillar of self-esteem, go to the media and the local board of education. If the board is tone death, go to your state's department of education.
