Idaho's 23rd superintendent of public instruction, Marilyn Howard, has announced that she will retire when her term expires at the end of 2006. In an interview with the Idaho Mountain Express, Howard reflected on her tenure and the future of education in Idaho, which includes supporting Chief Deputy Superintendent Jana Jones as her successor.
"I believe that we have really restored the credibility of the state Department of Education as an agency that supports public education, and the people who do the work," Howard said.
As Howard looks to retirement, she supports Jones moving forward. Jones, a Democrat, and Tom Luna and Steve Smylie, both Republicans, have entered the race for state superintendent.
"She is a skilled leader in and very knowledgeable, not only about the law, but also about the components that make education," Howard said.
Howard was first elected as Idaho's superintendent of public instruction in 1998 and assumed office in January 1999. She was re-elected in 2002. She is Idaho's only statewide elected Democrat representative.
"I don't think it's difficult to be the only Democrat ... it gave me the opportunity to speak from an independent point of view," she said. "That independence has been of great value. I could bring forward not only the common sense, but the educationally sound decisions."
With a common-sense approach to decision making, taking into account the capability of districts, Howard focused on improving reading skills among young students in Idaho.
"The Reading Initiative really did create a major transformation in the way we talk about and instruct, and the ability of teachers to find the appropriate ways to teach the children (to read)," Howard said.
Implemented in 2001, the Idaho Reading Initiative required new reading tests for students in kindergarten through third grade, extra programs for children not meeting standards, and a new research-based training for teachers.
Upon the program's launch, less than half of Idaho's third-graders read at grade level. In the spring of 2005, 66 percent of those students read at grade level.
Howard said the Reading Initiative really paid off, as evidenced by the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress' "report card" for students. In the report, no state matched the gain of Idaho's fourth-grade students.
Actions taken to increase reading proficiency included securing a $6.7 million federal Reading First grant to expand programs. Howard also launched the "Dinner and a Book" program, which encouraged parents to couple daily reading efforts with mealtime conversation.
The advancements for Idaho's education have come with shortfalls in funding.
"I have been disappointed that we haven't been able to get the type of funding our schools need to meet the expectations that have been placed on them," Howard said.
Increased pressures on educators came with the federal No Child Left Behind law. Howard oversaw Idaho's compliance with law.
"No Child Left Behind has affected Idaho the same way it has affected other states," Howard said. "The difficulty for Idaho is more public notice of test scores because of the requirement to post the results and to assign a label to the results."
Idaho's educational leader said a lack of funding coupled with increased expectations sends an unbalanced message to educators. She said the imbalance might inhibit Idaho's ability to attract educators to fill the vacancies left by longtime teachers.
"Moving ahead we are going to see many of the veteran teachers retire. Our ability to recruit and train teachers to fill the positions that will be vacant is critical. I am concerned about our ability (to attract individuals) to the professions, especially to Idaho."
Howard emphasized the value of tenured teachers who develop teaching skills over years of working with kids. She said the Blaine County School District offers daily evidence of teaching excellence.
Idaho's educational system may be upset by an inability to attract and retain the outstanding educators.
"It is hard to maintain the strong morale for teachers if they are constantly under criticism," she said. "If we under-value, it has a damping effect on all of the things we really want to enhance."
Marilyn Howard
