Quote of note:

Without strong and sustained support for the superintendent's new academic standards, his plans to rebuild and repair schools, his determination to put better teachers and principals in the schools, and his desire to enlist more parents and volunteers to become involved in the schools, Mr. Janey will most assuredly join the list of other D.C. school chiefs who -- after being undercut by the board, overruled by the politicians, picked apart by school activists and abandoned by parents -- have thrown up their hands and departed.

Will D.C. Support Mr. Janey?
Tuesday, May 10, 2005; Page A20

CLIFFORD B. JANEY became D.C. school superintendent eight months ago, but the countdown on his stewardship actually began last week. That is when he unveiled his "Declaration of Education" -- his plan to raise student academic achievement "in every classroom in every school." Mr. Janey pledged to convert the school system's broken procurement, human resources, technology and other support activities into high-performing systems that undergird student achievement. And he promised to create a "culture of increased transparency, open communications" that will engage teachers, principals, parents and the community and increase participation in the schools. Achieving those goals, he said, will take three to five years. (In a meeting at The Post last month, he said it could take as long as seven years.) The overarching aim of Mr. Janey's plan is to improve student learning, beginning in the core subjects of English language arts and mathematics, and to boost graduation and attendance rates, while reducing truancy and dropout rates.

Similar goals, it must be noted, have been established by a succession of D.C. school superintendents, each achieving less than satisfactory results. What, supporters and skeptics alike may ask, are the chances of Clifford Janey succeeding where so many others have failed? The answers, we believe, rest with school board and council leaders, the mayor, teachers and principals (and their unions), parents, students, and the business and civic communities.