Wednesday, January 16, 2013
The Students Are Not The Problem!

When a school has been designated as "failing" or "low performing"..it's not the students! As adults, we need to look at where we have failed the students! Recently, an article in the LA Times featured a story about an overhaul in structure at Crenshaw High School. See below: No school has meant more to the African American community in Los Angeles than Crenshaw High. For most of its 45 years, it has been an established neighborhood hub, known for championship athletic teams and arts programs, sending graduates to top colleges. But the Leimert Park campus has declined in recent years. Dropout rates have soared and student achievement has plummeted. L.A. Unified school Supt. John Deasy calls it one of the district's biggest disappointments. In an effort to turn the school around, the Board of Education on Tuesday approved Deasy's drastic proposal to remake the campus into three magnets — and require teachers to reapply for their jobs. Deasy's critics, including those at Crenshaw, were quick to complain. They say he is using an ax instead of a scalpel, that his approach would jettison talented people and abandon efforts that show some promise and deserve his support. The school, with more than 1,300 students — nearly all from low-income families — has made virtually no progress in increasing achievement in English and math. The percentage of students at grade level in English has declined slightly over four years, from 19% to 17%; in math, the figure has inched up — but only from 2% to 3%. This year, there was an increase in Crenshaw's overall Academic Performance Index score, which includes results from all students tested. It rose from 554 to 569, which still leaves the campus among the lowest-performing in the state and, Deasy said, the worst in L.A. Unified. The school has also lost students, with many choosing other district schools or independent, publicly funded charter schools. Crenshaw is not an isolated situation. There are urban schools across this country that are "low performing" and not meeting the needs of students. Here are some suggested factors that can create a "high performing" school: * Set high expectations * Use data to drive continuous improvement * Utilize early intervention and prevention * Hold schools responsible for improvement * Seek external assistance * Establish professional development that focuses on instruction and curriculum * Recruit and retain highly qualified teachers * Recruit and retain stable and competent leadership * Maintain focus on academics * Provide opportunities for extended learning time i.e. tutoring, Saturday school * Provide smaller learning settings * Engage parents, families and communities as partners The victims in all of this are the students! They end up with no high school diploma, no marketable skills, low SAT scores, nonacceptance letters from colleges, unemployment, poverty...and the cycle continues. Let's not talk about it...but...be about it! The students are not the problem!