This was a tool for accountability.

But it can't stop with that one tool. There are other promises, for example, students can make that will demonstrate their commitment.

For example, they can:

Learn all they can from teachers and parents. They aren't going to make any quick starts in today's world without trusting adults who happen to be in positions of control. "Adults have all the cookies."

Leave the cell phones at home. Students 10 years ago didn't "need" them. Today's students know how to use the phones to text their friends-using all the latest acronyms-but far too many of them have difficulty constructing a properly written paragraph. Socializing may be an important part of growing up; but secondary school is a place you go to learn.

Parents typically do not have a clear enough idea of what "necessary involvement" is. "We pay our taxes. It's the school's job to teach our kids." Yet whose job is it to help them cope with life's pressures? Who will help them stay focused when their peers would distract them? Our children don't come with an owner's manual. They are unique and complex. They have their strengths and their weaknesses. They will not wake up some morning to find a magical box of tools for success as adults. They need what can only be provided by understanding adults. Only when that "off limits" sign is torn down can support be given. That support comes in many forms and applications: homework help, career guidance, moral support. And let's not forget something very important: vision.

As someone once said, our children's education is not a spectator sport. In other words, we can't afford to be satisfied to stand by and wait for something good to happen. We can't just "sign off" on our children's' work without a good hard look at that work.

Another obvious step in the solution: Join the PTA. This is a place where parents can share their knowledge about the causes of failure-and of success.

How many times have you heard or even said, "It comes down to the teachers. They can ruin it for the student-or open their minds."

Teachers do the best they can, with the resources they have. Their effectiveness is directly influenced by class size and diversity.

And let's face it, some teachers are better than others. That's life.

That doesn't mean we can't expect our teachers to be as good as they need to be.

And yes, we should expect that they will bring an attitude that exceeds the requirements of their teaching credential. Just as a graduate student in college is urged to do his or her graduate work in another geographical region, so too should our teachers be urged to expand their vision by experiencing a variety of educational models and approaches.

We also need our School Board/Policy Makers to be the best they can be.

Without vision, there is no energy. Where are they getting their information?

If they are indeed looking, they receive guidance from the Superintendent of Schools, the Director of Curriculum, and the OSPI. There is no guarantee, however, that this information hasn't already been edited for local consumption.

How can they envision the future-how can they see what needs to be done-if they don't know all they need to know about what works and what doesn't work?

Surely we want to benefit from the successes of educational systems throughout the US and the world? When School Boards wait for ideas to come up the chain, rather than from creative leadership, we get what we have now.

Voices that say, "You can't please everybody" and "What would the community think?" rule the day, giving way to decisions designed to "meet the basic requirement." Progress is stopped in its tracks.

The solution starts with Board Members attending all Board Meetings. They should come prepared to discuss not only the issues on the agenda but any other items they've identified by their independent research.

Is there a requirement or goal of Continual Improvement?

Is there a robust Corrective and Preventive Action process? Without these critical pieces of the system, potential problems might get some discussion-but without the requirement to resolve the potential problems identified. Policies and Procedures need to be reviewed and revised on a regular basis. When a system is not perfect--and that applies to any system--it must undergo regular efforts to improve it. And it all starts with the vision and commitment at the top. Note that in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C. a full time School Board is appointed-with direct input from the Mayor.

It's not all bad news.

Last year Federal Way saw compulsory testing with the PSAT in the 9th and 10th grades, and the ACT test for the 8th graders. Since students who take the PSAT do considerably better on the SAT than those who do not, this change can only lead to good things.

In a sense, it comes down to us. All of us. Parents and Educators.

If simply maintaining the status quo is good enough, well, nothing will change.

If, on the other hand, we really want to be proud of our public schools, we need to be part of the solution. Criticisms are sometimes necessary.

But this situation calls for more than criticism. What we need is positive participation and activism. We need to join forces and get things done. We need to get to know the teachers and the Administrators and the Board members.

We need to find common ground, and agree that we're all a part of the decision making process here.

But make no mistake, it starts at the top. The Board is the engine.

It starts the process and keeps the momentum. We've elected and appointed our educational leadership-and the Superintendent is paid to produce results.

A comparison to our City Government is worth making here. There we have a group of part-time decision makers getting the input of full-time staff.

The City Council makes the ultimate big-picture decisions--but those decisions are only as good as the input they receive.

Accountability can easily fall through the cracks. In the case of the School Board, we have much the same thing. But unlike City Hall, the educational buck stops with the Policy makers-the School Board.

They look to their Superintendent to implement good ideas. He in turn looks to them for crucial input and support.

Without a Board that is informed, dedicated, and always reaching higher, what is there to implement but the status quo?

We know how to measure the effectiveness of the educational process.

The answer lies in those test scores, folks. That's the bottom line.

We can be eternal optimists if we want, and say that things are okay. Isn't that what positive people do?

Or we can say no to complacency and raise our expectations. And we can start by insisting that the Federal Way School Board raise theirs.

Mr. Murphy, we know you have the brains; now we ask for your vision. And we ask that you demand it of your colleagues on the Board. We want very much to support you.

But you must light the torch before you can carry it and ask us to follow you.

Show us the way, sir.