The St. Petersburg Times editorializes, " A student is in school barely six hours a day. What happens during those other hours of the day matters at least as much."

The Times piece centers around a truth: when schools fail, individual students fail as well. But, we can't write off schools because we can't write off students, especially the ones struggling and in need of assistance. So, the argument goes- it's time for parents and local communities to honestly assess student performance and reexamine their commitment to "student achievement."

And in light of Florida's deficient FCAT scores, this argument seems like a good one. The numbers suggest that student performance is not on the way up, but down. The numbers suggest we aren't doing better for our kids as a state or a community.

If Florida is to seriously sit down and address education in the state, what more can we do? How can we make education not only a priority for our children but for our communities? How can we encourage our communities to more honestly assess the state of education locally?

Florida is working with the Department of Education to persue raising education standards. But, it will be up to the state to institute the new standards, which may not happen. Will raising standards help, if only 59% of current students can meet the graduation standards in place? How will new standards help the failing ones succeed?

There are so many important questions to be asked about education in Florida. But one thing is certain: once asked these questions must be answered. Florida must provide its students with the strong education needed in order to compete in an ever-changing and global economy. By taking an honest look at where we are as a state and by encouraging communities to do the same, viable solutions to enhanced student performance and achievement might likely be found.