To the editor:

In the October 31 edition of the Sakonnet Times, an article was written on ‘RICAS: Mixed bag results.’ The title should have read, ‘Common Core fails our students!’

In the article it stated that only 47 percent of Little Compton students met or exceeded the standards in English Language Arts — this is interpreted as 53 percent could not meet the standards. In Math, our students met or exceeded the standards with 46 percent, again interpreted to mean that 54 percent of our children did not meet the standards.

So what are these test scores telling the community? With smaller classrooms, compact teacher schedules usually teaching no more than four periods per day, every year spending more and more money on education, teaching the same constant tripe with Common Core, all we do is succeed in constantly failing our children.

Do students fail because parents do not help (if they understood what is being taught, many would try), class size is too small so there is a lack of challenge, teachers are failing our students, students need breakfast programs for all, lunch needs to be provided for all children? What are the reasons for Little Compton failing our children? I do not care about any other district, I care about Us, Our kids, Our future! How did we go to putting a man on the moon to lower level education where students can’t find their way out of Little Compton?

Across the nation, state scores are down! What do most states have in common? Common Core! Hang on, because now schools will invest in a new program — bigger, better, more rigorous and more confusing for parents and kids. Oh yes, retraining our teachers will be another cost for them to do their job.

I challenge the school committee to coerce the superintendent and principal to do their jobs and let teachers teach and develop standards that are not only educationally sound, but are good sound practices. Let teachers re-dedicate themselves to their teaching job and their students, and to what they know and can do better than some canned educational curriculum.

Parents need to wake up, be involved, make noise, and demand better for their children!Taxpayers need to take a stand for our children to have better education, more challenging and engaging activities and accountability to the students, parents, and taxpayers.

This is not a hang teachers out to dry article. They have had no choice in what they could do. What can our school committee do? What can our community do?

These scores are embarrassing to everyone. You can’t say you weren’t warned. I have given presentations to the school committee and to the public, warning of what will happen to our children. Will someone please stand up and help our community and not wait for the government to tell us what to do? Who knows our children best, the government or us?

Peg Bugara

Little Compton