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September 8, 2002
Section: Editorials

Award winners have ideas worth sharing

Two Stark County educators whose efforts are having measurable success were given exceptionally generous awards by the Timken Foundation last week. Just as exciting as this remarkable gesture of well-deserved recognition is the potential for the work of these educators to spark similar efforts in other area schools .

The foundation gave $35,000 each to Brenda Neel, principal of Canton City Schools Freshman Academy, and Richard Hull, principal of Fairless High School. Both have led teams that are making or are likely to make marked improvements in graduation rates.

In the bigger picture, they have applied innovative ideas to real-life settings. Public schools are facing stiff challenges, among them eroding support among parents and legislators for public education. There has perhaps never been a greater need for educators to share their best practices, so that ideas that work can be quickly introduced into the classroom.

What Neel and Hull and their teams learn through trial and error can make it easier for other districts to match their success.