Are evaluation and the rating of our schools of any value? Apparently not, especially if the 10- and 11-year-old kids at the school don’t agree with the results of the rating. This appears to be the crux of “School grades: a view from the classroom,” Editorial Page Editor Christina Nuckols’ Feb. 24 column.

Nuckols completely misses the value of a rating that helps parents to understand where their children’s school stands versus the other schools in the state. A responsible parent might want that information. Instead Nuckols treats the rating as a “dis” — her descriptive word for the rating.

We all know of the lack of objectivity of parents with regards to their children’s schools. They want their children to have the best, so they believe what feels good. Meanwhile, our children fall further behind world standards. Certainly the children quoted in the article are unable to give useful advice relating to their school’s relative efficiency and overall effectiveness.

What good do the ratings do? None, if you are an excuse-maker or just view it as a personal insult. But if you’re mature and honest enough to use it as a wake-up call that the school needs improvement, then maybe it’s not just an insult after all.

HERBERT C. CRAFT

WYTHEVILLE

Weather Journal

8 hours ago