EDITOR DISPELS PUBLIC EDUCATION MYTHS

Forrest J. "Frosty" Troy, an advocate for public education, spoke to more than 75 area principals and superintendents Monday night in Old Dominion's Webb University Center, sharing his thoughts on why public education is not a failure.

Troy, who is editor of the Oklahoma Observer, an independent journal covering government, politics and social issues, was guest speaker at a conference for the Darden College of Education's Prinicipal Center of Hampton Roads.

A longtime editor and editorial page writer in southeastern Oklahoma, Troy talked about how the media have altered the public's perception of public education.

"It's amazing what people in public education don't know about public education," he said. "Public education has to fight back, even if it puts us in a little media jeopardy." Troy shared statistics on how the United States now has the highest scores ever on the SAT and on math and science standardized tests, and he noted that the dropout rate is the lowest it has ever been.

He encouraged the educators to tell the public the truth and dispel the myths that surround public education.

"If they (students) are going to amount to anything, they'll have their chance in public education," Troy said.

"Our 'failed' system has never been more successful," he added.