Quick, what is the first memory that comes to your mind when I say "school"? Mine is when I was competing in our eighth-grade conference track meet, and I jumped 18 feet in the long jump and won. Still have the blue ribbon. I went on to compete as a long jumper in high school but never came close to eighteen feet again. I am over it, and I am sure my coach is over it.
I imagine your first memories are also associated with athletics, fine arts, or other extracurricular activities, and you, too, have your ribbons, medals, and trophies in storage. Every year during your annual downsizing clean-out event, your brain just won't let you throw that third-place solo and ensemble medal away. Your brain has one mission in life: for you to thrive and survive. Your brain also knows that you have a limited memory storage capacity, so sometimes, it decides which memories to discard and which memories to hold on to without checking with you. That is why I cannot find my keys in the morning, but I can remember my coach trying to help me recreate my long jump record by putting a hurdle near the take-off board during practice. The long jump memory was over 50 years ago; I left the keys on the patio table eight hours ago.
Similarly, your brain decided that those memories of you that those memories of you performing in 11th grade as the candlestick in your high school's production of Beauty and the Beast were meaningful at the time and important to your future. It was so important that your hippocampus burned it into your long-term memory banks, and you have instant recall with great detail, including the night the orchestra played the wrong music during your solo.
Your brain is on to something that I wish politicians and policy makers would consider when developing the criteria and formulas for rating and ranking schools. School test scores do not measure the importance and impact that extracurricular programs and the entire school experience have on the student’s success in school and in their life after school.
Before you start typing your rebuttal letter to the editor, I am not suggesting that test scores should be totally discounted as a school effectiveness indicator. As superintendent, I took our scores and labels very seriously and worked hard with teachers and staff to address deficiencies. I just wish the score spreadsheet recently released by the Department of Education also included data like the number of students in the marching band and a list of extra-curricular opportunities or niches offered to students. I also wish there was a disclaimer that clearly communicated that test scores are not 100% accurate predictors of college, career and life success. True confession, my SAT scores did not reach minimum standards for admission to the University of Michigan, but the admissions counselor took a risk based on other extra-curricular achievements and experience in school.
I did not follow my dad’s footsteps as a lawyer, but sometimes I pretend I am making a closing argument for my case when I write.
Recently, the Flowing Wells School District honored Mary Holloway with a lifetime achievement award at the Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony. Mary is 97 and has had a long, distinguished career as a teacher, coach, counselor. and athletic administrator at Flowing Wells High School. Mary was a trailblazer and innovator in high school women’s athletics. . Well before Title IX, Mary recognized the need to develop a comprehensive women's athletic program at Flowing Wells High School. After she related her story at the ceremony, including the number of different sports she coached and the physical education courses she created, the emcee asked the audience members to stand if Mary Holloway had a positive influence on their life. Almost the entire audience stood!
The defense rests, your honor.
The author of the above article is Nicholas Clement. Nic is a retired Flowing Wells Superintendent and current McFarland Citizen’s Chair in Education with Northern Arizona University.