Letters to the Editor
Quality, not quantity
Feb 14, 2008 11:52 AM
To the Editor:
The emphasis in the academic community on quantification over qualification should certainly raise warning signs to those of us committed to high academic achievement. More and more schools are hailing the amount of Advanced Placement students as if this numerical increase equates to an increase in academic excellence. Ironically, this emphasis on quantity degrades quality.
The influx of students who are ill-prepared for advanced work lowers the academic bar. Although important, standards must go beyond desire, hard work and political correctness.
Administrators, often with little or no classroom experience, have the misguided notion that a numerical increase in students taking advanced courses equates to a qualitative academic increase. Classroom teachers should be engaged in maintaining quality instruction, not data-obsessed administrators.
Larry Hoffner, LaGuardia HS
