I remember watching my dad work on farm equipment throughout my life. I can see him in my mind's eye, in overalls, with the hood up on a tired tractor. Greasy rags are scattered across the grass, as are an assortment of tools, and sweat pours down his face.

Though he seemed infinitely patient, there would finally come a look of pure frustration across his face. He knew exactly what the machine was supposed to do, but the parts were worn down by seasons of hard use, and the fuel line wasn't feeding right. He never lost his temper, but sometimes would have to give up and call a mechanic. Dad knew you can yell at an engine all you want, and you can rate its performance on a scale of 1 to 10, but until you understand who put the pieces together and whether they are getting the fuel they need, that tractor isn't moving an inch.

Lately I've been thinking about the heavy machinery of our state government, specifically the school accountability model we have had for years that continues and worsens under the Arkansas LEARNS Act. We haven't seen the new numbers yet so all we have to go on is last year's. I am wondering what is taking so long to get the new ones. I have a feeling it may be an avoidance of the increasing scrutiny Arkansans are finally applying to such matters, given that hundreds of millions of our tax dollars are being spent on private school vouchers with few enforceable measures of accountability.

When the state releases its spreadsheet of public school letter grades, stamping our communities with a neat row of labels from A to F, the mathematical formula behind it is always described as transparent, educator-driven, and expert-led. But a disturbing report has been circulating through the halls of our state Capitol. Word is that when the leadership at the Arkansas Department of Education was questioned by lawmakers about the precise calculations of how these grades are determined, they couldn't fully explain their formula. Instead,........

© Arkansas Online