Brainstorm! Challenge

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Low SAT scores concern all legislators

The story, "Scores on SATs worsen in isles" (Star-Bulletin, Oct. 3), describes how Hawaii's public school students rate against their peers throughout the nation. The news wasn't good. For example, 34 percent of the reading scores were in the low category and only 6 percent in the high category, compared to the national norms of 23 percent and 23 percent.

This comes on top of the earlier news that Hawaii's public school seniors, when rated against seniors across the nation and using only states with 50 percent or more participation, finished dead last. These facts truly emphasize the great need for systemic change in the Department of Education and Board of Education.

In this regard, Governor Lingle put together an educational forum featuring leading thinkers on education reform, including UCLA Professor William Ouchi and Mike Strembinsky, superintendent of public schools in Edmonton, Canada, whose students had the highest SAT scores in North America.

Unfortunately, of the 56 Democratic Party legislators who were invited to attend, only two showed up. This is puzzling since many of them favor education reform as well.

Hawaii has good teachers and good students, but the overall SAT results indicate the system is broken. I sincerely hope that the Democrats will get involved and help make those systemic changes that are so desperately needed.

Rep. Colleen R. Meyer
(R, Laie-Kahaluu)
Minority Floor Leader

Scores begin sinking in pre-teen years

SAT scores drop off in the years when hormones are heating up. More schoolbooks and better teaching aids may be the smallest part of the answer.

What's the possibility of separating boys and girls in middle school classes? Shift male teachers to boys' classes; female teachers to girls' classes. Call it "tough learning."

Bring in master's and doctoral graduate students to assist and/or tutor. Overcome the "bookless" problem by organizing and supervising student team-learning groups in the classroom. It worked in college, why not start earlier?

Up the gradient each year by having either the "high average" or low "better than average" score for the entire class of boys and girls be the starting line for a passing grade in the next grade level. After all, this is the time when boys and girls start competing physically and emotionally; let 'em start competing academically, too.

They're going to have to compete for jobs after they graduate anyway.

Marjorie Scott
Kailua

Advertising on buses will get out of hand

I am strongly opposed to advertising on city buses. It will change the look of Hawaii from eye-pleasing to eye-disturbing, and once we begin advertising we're likely to lose control of what is posted on the buses.

Even if we set restrictions, eventually someone will use legal means to get their own moral or political messages on our buses, and this is not the appropriate place for them.

I was on the phone with my son recently, when he stopped in the middle of a sentence and said, "Oh my God! I just saw a picture of an aborted fetus on the side of a truck!" He was really upset. I don't feel this type of advertising is appropriate, especially for children, and certainly not on city buses.

Don't let this happen. Hawaii is too beautiful a place to have disturbing messages thrown in front of us against our will.

Joan Navales
Aiea

Can the "Do Not Call" list get hijacked?

There is no circumstance that would motivate me to submit my name and phone number to the "Do Not Call" list.

Before my retirement as a life insurance agent, I repeatedly got a complete listing of all persons -- nationwide -- who had asked the company not to call them. I always thought that it was an invitation, by those seeking not to be bothered, for mischief of some kind.

Now we have the Federal Trade Commission's "Do Not Call" pronouncement, which was temporarily stopped by a judge. Only two or three days later it was revealed that the judge himself had put his name and phone number on the list. How was that discovered? Can anyone just look at the list?

I do not know the specifics and timing of the unintended consequences of the "Do Not Call List," but I have every confidence they will be disturbing to say the least.

The lessons? "Be careful what you ask for" and "Beware of trusting government to do the right or prudent thing."

As for me, I'll just keep answering the phone and listening until I'm no longer interested, rather like what I do with regard to the doorbell.

Richard O. Rowland
President
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Media don't report successes in Iraq

After our president has produced two spectacular military victories, I'm alarmed at the perceptions of failure being promoted by Democrats and mainstream media.

In his recent address, President Bush reminded us that the war on terrorism will be long and hard fought. He has developed a rather elegant strategy in which the terrorists -- and the states that support them -- must focus their efforts on driving us out of Iraq.

They cannot stand the prospect of a democratic nation in their midst, so as they infiltrate Iraq to terrorize Iraqis and obstruct the rebuilding effort, we engage and kill them. If they stop coming, we win. If they keep coming, we kill them, and eventually we still win. And none of this is happening on U.S. soil or among U.S. civilians.

The reconstruction and democratization of Iraq is proceeding, although you won't find the successes reported in the mainstream media. Instead, they focus on critics in Europe and among the Democratic presidential contenders and members of the Clinton administration.

Vietnam is the analogy of choice for these critics. They try to create the perception of a demoralizing "quagmire" in Iraq. But when one reads the encouraging reports of success from Iraq, one quickly sees that the president is on the right track.

Robert R. Kessler
Waikiki

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