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player ready...Republican gubernatorial candidate George Ryan, Illinois’ secretary of state, took his campaign Tuesday to Lincoln-Way High School, where he watched students and teachers bring technology into the classroom.
Ryan, who has promised to devote a little more than half of new state revenues to helping schools hire more teachers and expand their use of technology, is on a two-week tour of Illinois schools.
The candidate’s tour of the Lincoln-Way East Campus in Frankfort emphasized learning through technology in the classroom and library.
In his Western civilization class, teacher Paul Pesavento used a laser disc player to show the arches and towers of Gothic and Romanesque architecture.
Farther down the timeline, students in Colin Hopper’s American history class gathered around the social studies department’s computer cluster to search for information about the 1950s.
In the library, science students surfed the World Wide Web for information about genetics and diseases.
Life science teacher Bridget Lesinski said the Internet makes research more attractive for students.
“Just using the computer kind of excites them,” she said.
The school’s computers create another advantage, said sophomore Kim Chrusciel, 15.
“If you don’t have a computer at home, you can learn here,” she said.
But in some schools, computer access is the exception, Ryan said.
“We need to make sure other schools have the resources to make computers as much a part of the everyday educational experience as it is here at Lincoln-Way,” he said.
Ryan said he favors boosting the state’s contribution toward educational costs, but not with an income tax hike.
If 51 cents out of every dollar of new state revenue is devoted to education, “It’s got to be helpful,” he said.
Illinois contributes about 37 percent of the cost of education statewide. “We ought to at least be in the 50 to 52 percent bracket,” said Ryan, who had no figures on how long it would take for his plan to achieve that goal.
The candidate, who said he visited Lincoln-Way “because it’s a famous school” noted for excellence in national publications, called the school “a model for the state of Illinois.”
“They’ve got everything you need–good students, dedicated teachers, involved parents,” Ryan said.
The recognition was gratifying for the school’s students and staff, Supt. Lawrence Wyllie said.
“It’s good for our students to see one of our state officials,” he said. And school officials are interested in demonstrating their programs. “It all ties together,” he said.
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