“Impressive,” said Jackson as she and Mark Robinson interacted with student Jude Matthew Suzuki.
Suzuki, 12, was working on his “Bingo Word Grid” as part of the Transitional Language Arts Summer Program, and on it where words that Suzuki and his classmates were to mark with circles after the definitions and synonyms were called out by their teacher Valerie Atalig.
Jackson is the senior consultant of the management improvement team of the U.S. undersecretary of the Department of Education. She and Robinson were on a day-long trip to Rota on Friday to meet with Public School System and Board of Education officials as well as parents and Rota leaders.
While on Rota, Jackson and Robinson visited Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Junior High School, Rota High School and Sinapalo Elementary School. These schools are home to close to 800 students.
“There is genuine concern and love for students in what we saw. It is evident that what you have is certainly a kind of (educational approach) that is legendary,” she told PSS officials, citing the yearly growth of student performance through the Stanford Achievement Test, the massive repair, renovation and rehabilitation of facilities, technology immersion and strong parental involvement.
The two U.S. education officials learned about Rota schools and the students’ academic performance during a presentation made by principals Annette Calvo of Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Junior High School, Sharlene Manglona of Rota High School and Vanessa Hocog of Sinapalo Elementary School.
“When we go back to (Washington) D.C., what we saw and experienced will validate what has been reported about PSS,” Jackson, said.
PSS, she added, emerged as among the school districts that continue to “make a difference.”
Robinson, a U.S. Department of Education management consultant, said one-laptop per student initiative of PSS and the Board of Education was “innovative.”
“We have districts in the U.S. that have resources but are not doing the things that you are doing here,” Robinson told PSS and BOE officials.
He added, “That is the message that we will bring to Washington, D.C.; that we will continue to be the advocate of what you do here.”
Jackson and Robinson also said the ongoing renovations and repairs of the Rota public schools funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
They said the use of ARRA money on all 20 PSS campuses is “fast and tremendous.”
Jackson also noted that since the 2003 lifting of the at-risk status imposed by the U.S. Department of Education on PSS’ audit/financial performance, it has “managed to maintain that status” and “credit must be given” to former Education Commissioner Rita H. Inos and her successor, Rita A. Sablan.
The lifting of the at-risk status “was the fastest” in terms of how the recommendations were made and implemented by PSS, Variety learned.
“You are making a difference and it is because you have decided to give genuine focus and emphasis on student learning,” Jackson told education officials.
She said PSS has “the best of both worlds.”
“We have beautiful buildings in D.C but there is no education that is taking place. There is no place of learning that is happening there. But what you have is the best of both worlds: beautiful buildings and great education. My hats off to the leadership of PSS.”
