Despite the tension in Cincinnati after April's riots, city residents should be proud of the direction the public schools are taking, Mayor Charlie Luken said Wednesday.

        “We're not there yet,” the mayor said after hearing of Cincinnati Public Schools' progress. “But under (Superintendent) Steve Adamowski, we're moving in the right direction.”

Adamowski

        Before a crowd of about 250 educators, staff and community members at Xavier University's Cintas Center, Dr. Adamowski on Wednesday gave his annual State of the Schools address on the district's achievements of the 2000-2001 school year.

        He praised the district's declining dropout rate and said all redesigned schools have improved under a district accountability plan.

        The greatest gains in proficiency test scores occurred at the high school level, particularly in grade 12. Walnut Hills High School was recognized by the state as the highest performing high school in Ohio, he said.

        Dr. Adamowski highlighted Kilgour Elementary in Mount Lookout for being named one of the national Blue Ribbon Schools — the first such award for the district in a decade.

        Fundamental to the district's success was passage of a 6-mill levy in November, he said. That allowed reduced class sizes and more money for neighborhood schools.

        “Less well known is the fact that this enabled our district to hire 346 new teachers,” Dr. Adamowski said. “It was the largest number of teachers we've ever hired.”

        Still, the district remains in the lowest of the state's four academic ranking levels — academic emergency — though officials hope when last year's test scores are announced, that rating will improve.

        Sue Taylor, president of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers, which represents about 3,000 teachers in the district, said new initiatives are working.

        “Teachers are working really hard and the evidence shows the results are being produced,” Ms. Taylor said. “I have every confidence that if teachers and the administration work even more collaboratively, achievement could skyrocket.”

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