In nearby Lakewood people have gone to the City Council, not the School Board, to complain about the Clover Park School District.

Why might this be good news?

Evidently some of the residents of Lakewood have realized that the schools are not doing justice to the community.

Looking at some of the views expressed, it would appear that some of these concerns are coming from parents of children who have been exposed to the Department of Defense Dependent Schools (DODDS).

This school system is highly regarded in most educational circles.

Their observations about what the education their children are getting in Clover Park are not very positive.

I have long contended that "schools can be as good as the population wants" and evidently some of the population of Lakewood has found no success in discussing this with the Clover Park School Board.

Perhaps they are as reticent as our Federal Way School Board to engage in any open dialogue about improving the quality of schools.

Thomas Friedman, well known columnist for the New York Times, wrote this week about the inability of elected politicians to arrive at any decisions of importance.

His quote; "My fellow Americans: We are a country in debt and in decline - not terminal, not irreversible, but in decline. Our political system seems incapable of producing long-range answers to big problems or big opportunities. We are the ones who need a better-functioning democracy - more than the Iraqis and Afghans. We are the ones in need of nation-building. It is our political system that is not working."

Perhaps this is best illustrated in the actions of school boards throughout the country!

The problems are pretty clear and the possible answers all seem to cause offense to some of the constituents.

This causes a major problem of reluctance and inaction that in the case of education, and most other subjects, leads to an increase in the intensity of the crisis.

Just as we have seen our problems in transportation to be "insoluble" in this era as opposed to what happened in the late 1800 and early 1900's ,when much of the current system was built, without great litigation, in a very short time.

One might say "it is time to buckle up," and face these issues for the good of the "common" instead of the good for "all."

Locally we have the makings of either a fine example of this indecision, or if a decision is made, a real change and wonderful opportunity for a group of kids that have little opportunity in the present system.

The administration of Lincoln High School in Tacoma, with the endorsement of the Superintendent, have taken a look at the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) schools' success in providing a world class education to disadvantaged youth.

KIPP now has over 60 schools in some of the most disadvantaged cities in America with some outstanding results.

KIPP's motto, "There are No Short Cuts," pretty much tells it all.

"Education is Hard Work," Robertson Davies wrote many years ago, and I believe that it is the erosion of that belief that has got us into the mess that we are in.

KIPP schools have extended days, school is out at 5:30, extended weeks as there are several Saturday sessions, and an extended year.

No shortcuts here, just some plain studying and learning.

All students are in uniform as well.

Each student has a signed contract by their parents that requires home support as well. Those who choose to participate at Lincoln, will be in separate classes from those who have lesser ambitions for success.

Lincoln's administration has made it quite clear that there are some very severe risks in attending Lincoln.

More schools should be making parents aware of their success rates.

The current graduation rate for Lincoln is not impressive, and this frank discussion of what it will take to be successful with children and parents is sorely lacking in most of our schools.

Instead of this discussion of reality, we tend to be far too optimistic about what secondary schools will be like.

What does the Tacoma School Board think? The jury is out on this one.

Could it be that the Teacher's Union has on several occasions publicly denounced the KIPP schools?

Could it be that when a true KIPP school was a possibility, all KIPP schools are charter schools, Tacoma had no interest in this? Or could it be that such a dramatic departure from "business as usual, is too much for them to digest?

Time will tell. There are parents willing to sign up in Tacoma for this. What an opportunity!

Why not in Federal Way?

Probably too controversial for this board. However it would be a wonderful opportunity for a school district that has only two thirds of its kids graduating before we get to any measurable standards.

We should all be watching Lincoln for some interesting developments.