My Point of View, By Jennifer Vogt-Erickson

When I read the latest honor roll for Albert Lea High School, it struck me as problematic, as usual, because the list is so long. Why is that worrisome?

Take, for example, the senior class. Almost 30 percent is on the Straight A Honor Roll, and nearly 50 percent is on either the Straight A or the A list.

There are a number of reasons why many seniors tend to make this list, including weighted classes, more electives and focus on college admissions.

That’s still a lot, though. Do we have a Lake Wobegon situation where “all the children are above average”? Unfortunately, other measures don’t corroborate that.

Albert Lea High School did not rank on U.S. News and World Report’s 2017 Best High School’s list or merit a “nationally recognized” distinction. Among Minnesota schools, Mankato West is ranked No. 5, Rochester Century No. 32, Rochester John Marshall No. 37, Red Wing No. 40 and Waseca No. 41. (The top 70 Minnesota schools are ranked, and another 80 are “nationally recognized”.)

Albert Lea ranked No. 295 of 414 high schools in Minnesota by College Simply, a college search website. (It ranks Mankato West No. 33, Red Wing No. 49, Waseca No. 64, Rochester Century No. 77, Rochester John Marshall No. 78, Rochester Mayo No. 94, Winona No. 105, and Owatonna No. 113.)

And on School Digger, a school performance data website, Albert Lea High School is ranked No. 347 of 489 schools in Minnesota.

Does our school distinguish itself on ACT scores? In 2016, 208 students took the test and received an average score of 19.6, below the state average of 21.1. In 2017, 169 students earned an average score of 20.2, also lower than Minnesota’s average of 21.5.

When was the last time Albert Lea had a National Merit Scholar in its graduating class? This honor garners offers of free tuition or other valuable scholarships from many universities. The most recent ones I could find were two seniors in 2006. No one in this year’s senior class, flush with nearly 100 A or Straight A students, made the semifinalist list. Are our students taking the qualifying PSAT?

How many of our top students go on to the most selective colleges and universities?

While our honor roll may be unjustifiably long for our overall performance, I don’t think it’s a case of participation trophies or that A stands for average. It’s also on par with national trends, according to a study from researchers at the College Board and the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia. These authors attribute increase in GPAs to grade inflation, most notably at wealthier schools. At our school, though, having so many students with high grades when we’re missing other benchmarks of excellence may, in fact, be masking that we’re struggling to cover the basics.

This perhaps sounds counterintuitive, but one reason why Albert Lea has many students with high grades may be related to having many at-risk students. For example, over 40 percent of our high school students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Being at-risk also includes factors like housing insecurity, broken families, learning disabilities and exposure to abuse.

Helping at-risk students be successful is a high priority, and we have many heroes in the district in this regard. The flip side is that students who come without obstacles to achievement may not be challenged as much as they could be, because academic rigor demands resource intensity, too. (I say this as a former history teacher at the high school.)

I’m not stating this to criticize our schools, teachers, students, parents or community. I hold all in respect. What I’m arguing is that I think we’re coming up short on resources to develop our high-potential students, from any background. For exceptional students whose families aren’t able to provide extra enrichment privately, this is a big loss.

This is where the rest of us come in, and it’s pretty straightforward. Are we as a community pushing to provide basics like an adequate supply of lead-free, affordable housing? Living wage jobs? Affordable child care? Updated public facilities? Necessary medical resources?

When you see a child in town, do you see that child as “our kid” no matter what? I challenge you to practice that whenever you notice a child. Think, “She’s our kid,” or “He’s our kid.” Whether we know them or not, we are all partly responsible for their life chances. These are their formative years, and where a child grows up matters.

The school vote on Tuesday, May 8, is one way to help provide great facilities for our kids. It’s focused on improving athletic facilities, which is important for strong bodies. I am happy to vote “yes.” Let’s help all our kids grow up with strong bodies, minds and hearts. Our overall school performance will reflect it.

Jennifer Vogt-Erickson is a member of the Freeborn County DFL Party.