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Competition Sponsorship |
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Mich. |
1,513 |
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Calif. |
1,009 |
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Ohio. |
780 |
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Ga. |
625 |
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N.Y. |
529 |
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Ill. |
435 |
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Ariz. |
334 |
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N.J. |
274 |
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Mass. |
259 |
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Pa. |
256 |
For many years now there has been a serious decline in the education of graduating high school students in this country. Curricula have been criticized for their paucity of cultural content and general lack of challenge.
State reports show that over 8,600 public schools in the U.S. have failed to show improved test scores, to meet state academic standards, for two consecutive years. See the adjoining table to see where Arizona stands nationally among the ten states with the most failing schools. (This table is from the U.S. Department of Education as published in USA TODAY, August 5, 2002.) It is also interesting to note that the Department's Blue Ribbon winners, nearly 4,000 private and public schools since 1982, are those judged to have challenging curricula and community involvement, among other things.
The addition of the Shakespeare Competition to a curriculum is desirable for three reasons, it:
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The Tucson Branch, together with about 70 other Branches throughout the United States, have had highly successful Competitions for many years now. We have about 22 high schools involved at present, one as far away as Douglas, and next year we hope to add two more from the border town of Nogales. We hope to increase the number further by:
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Joy's soul lies in the doing. |