DOCUMENT RESUME ED 410 083 RC 021 099 TITLE High Poverty, High Performing Schools. IDRA Focus. INSTITUTION Intercultural Development Research Association, San Antonio, Tex. REPORT NO ISSN-1069-5672 PUB DATE Jul 97 NOTE 13p.; Photographs will not reproduce adequately. PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials (022) JOURNAL CIT IDRA Newsletter; v24 n6 Jun-Jul 1997 EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Economically Disadvantaged; Educational Environment; *Educational Improvement; Educational Quality; Educational Strategies; Elementary Secondary Education; *High Achievement; Minority Groups; *Poverty; *School Culture; *School Effectiveness; Student School Relationship IDENTIFIERS *Texas; Texas Assessment of Academic Skills ABSTRACT This theme issue includes four articles on high performance by poor Texas schools. In "Principal of National Blue Ribbon School Says High Poverty Schools Can Excel" (interview with Robert Zarate by Christie L. Goodman), the principal of Mary Hull Elementary School (San Antonio, Texas) describes how the high-poverty, high-minority school dramatically improved its scores on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS). Strategies included moving from a remedial model to a challenging curriculum, implementing a technology lab and a balanced reading program, creating high expectations for students, adding excitement to the school environment, 4r,111,14.1g 4-nall.rc. 4,1 eir.11.het4Tp. m,L4rIrg, 4nvalv4ng families, aligning the curriculum, and being proactive. "High Poverty, High Performing: High Hope!" (Hilaria Bauer) discusses the ingredients of high schoolwide performance: quality in the overall school experience, caring competent teachers, high expectations, and wise use of resources to fulfill the school's mission of excellence. "Low Income Does Not Cause Low School Achievement: Creating a Sense of Family and Respect in the School Environment" (Anita Tijerina Revilla, Yvette De La Garza Sweeney) summarizes results of three studies identifying major factors that promote high performing schools: creating a familial environment, educating the "whole" child, celebrating cultural and linguistic diversity, assuming responsibility for teaching, and involving parents. "Whatever It Takes!" (Joseph F. Johnson, Jr.) reflects on the success of low-income Texas schools in meeting state standards for TAAS scores. Sidebars outline critical elements of high performing schools and list 17 educational sites on the World Wide Web. (SV) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ********************************************************************************
Transcript
DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 410 083 RC 021 099
TITLE High Poverty, High Performing Schools. IDRA Focus.INSTITUTION Intercultural Development Research Association, San Antonio,
Tex.
REPORT NO ISSN-1069-5672PUB DATE Jul 97NOTE 13p.; Photographs will not reproduce adequately.PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials (022)JOURNAL CIT IDRA Newsletter; v24 n6 Jun-Jul 1997EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Economically Disadvantaged; Educational Environment;
IDENTIFIERS *Texas; Texas Assessment of Academic Skills
ABSTRACTThis theme issue includes four articles on high performance
by poor Texas schools. In "Principal of National Blue Ribbon School Says HighPoverty Schools Can Excel" (interview with Robert Zarate by Christie L.Goodman), the principal of Mary Hull Elementary School (San Antonio, Texas)describes how the high-poverty, high-minority school dramatically improvedits scores on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS). Strategiesincluded moving from a remedial model to a challenging curriculum,implementing a technology lab and a balanced reading program, creating highexpectations for students, adding excitement to the school environment,4r,111,14.1g 4-nall.rc. 4,1 eir.11.het4Tp. m,L4rIrg, 4nvalv4ng
families, aligning the curriculum, and being proactive. "High Poverty, HighPerforming: High Hope!" (Hilaria Bauer) discusses the ingredients of highschoolwide performance: quality in the overall school experience, caringcompetent teachers, high expectations, and wise use of resources to fulfillthe school's mission of excellence. "Low Income Does Not Cause Low SchoolAchievement: Creating a Sense of Family and Respect in the SchoolEnvironment" (Anita Tijerina Revilla, Yvette De La Garza Sweeney) summarizesresults of three studies identifying major factors that promote highperforming schools: creating a familial environment, educating the "whole"child, celebrating cultural and linguistic diversity, assuming responsibilityfor teaching, and involving parents. "Whatever It Takes!" (Joseph F. Johnson,Jr.) reflects on the success of low-income Texas schools in meeting statestandards for TAAS scores. Sidebars outline critical elements of highperforming schools and list 17 educational sites on the World Wide Web. (SV)
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IDRA Focus:HIGH POVERTY, HIGH PERFORMING SCHOOLS
IDRA Newsletter I
Inside this Issue:
4 Creating high performing schools
4 Whatever it takes
4 Quality and high hope
0 Education web sites
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TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."
ISSN /069 -5672 Volume XXIV, No. 6 June-July 1997
PRINCIPAL OF NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL
SAYS HIGH POVERTY SCHOOLS CAN EXCEL
Editor's note: Mary Hull Elementary School in San Antonio is one of 262 schoolsnationwide that has been named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. DepartmentofEducation. The high poverty, high minority school has seen dramatic improvements overthe last four years. In 1993, the Texas Education Agency warned the school that ifsignificant improvements were not made, the school would be closed. Led by principalRoberto Zarate, M.A., staff members were already collaborating to reform the school evenbefore the warning. As a result, students at Mary Hull last year increased their TAAS(Texas Assessment of Academic Skills) passing rates to 74 percent in math and 75 percentin reading. In an interview by 1DRA staff member, Christie L. Goodman, APR (C. G.), Mr.Zarate (R.Z.) describes how the school improved so dramatically. The following is the textof that conversation, which took place just before the national awards were announced.
C.C.: Why don't we start off with youdescribing the school and the students here?
R.Z.: There are 522 students at MaryHull this year, with grade levels from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Our schoolis approximately 92 percent minority,predominately Hispanic. About 88 percentof the kids are on free and reduced lunches.
We have been working on many goals,and a major one is parental involvement.We are very proud of our parentalinvolvement program. Extremely highparticipation numbers have shown us thatour parents care and have a lot of pride in theschool.
Mary Hull is very technologicallyoriented. We have at least three computersin every classroom, and are about to benetworked.
We are in a process of redefining theschool overall. When I first became principalhere, this school was basically a remedialschool. It was very low-achieving. Studentswere not attaining the type of success thatthey, their parents and their teachers wanted.Everything was based on a remedial model.Soon after I started, we accelerated thecurriculum in order to challenge the students.
Staff members and teachers decided to rejectthe status quo instead of perpetuating it. Wecreated new methods to replace the old waysof learning.
For example, one of the traditionalmethods of instruction through Title I is tohire reading specialists to tutor the students.Instead, we developed and implemented atechnology lab, where students are able toutilize higher thinking skills and workinteractively in a sort of logic problem-solving environment. For instance in math,instead of requiring students to practiceroutine math operations over and over, wechallenge the student's ability to think byrequiring him or her to use different processesto reach solutions. In doing this, the student'slevel of intelligence and ability to interactwith everyday math increases. So far, thismethod has proven to be very successful.
In reading also, instead of constantlyhammering away at isolated skills, wedecided to implement a balanced readingprogram. Teachers use a lot of stories andfairy tales in elementary school, and that iswonderful because children need that. Butchildren also need the expository instruction
Maria Robledo Montecel, Ph.D.IDRA Executive Director
Newsletter Executive Editor
Christie L. Goodman, APRIDRA Communications Manager
Newsletter Production Editor
Sarah H. AlemanIDRA Data Entry Clerk
Newsletter Typesetter
Permission to reproduce material con-tained herein is granted provided the ar-ticle or item is reprinted in its entirety andproper credit is given to IDRA and theauthor. Please send a copy of the materialin its reprinted form to the IDRA Newslet-ter production offices. Editorial submis-sions, news releases, subscription re-quests, and change-of-address data shouldbe submitted in writing to the NewsletterProduction Editor. The IDRA Newsletterstaff welcomes your comments on edito-rial material.
CHILDREN FIRST DECLARATION
The faculty of the department of curriculum and instruction at McMurryUniversity has endorsed the Children First declaration issued by IDRA in March of1995. The declaration initially gave civic organizations, business, community groups,school personnel and the general public the opportunity to voice their commitment tochildren in light of the Texas Supreme Court's January 1995 ruling on the Edgewoodvs. Meno school funding case. With the support of more than 70 individuals andorganizations, the declaration continues to outline our commitment to the creation ofa truly equitable funding system.
After voting to endorse the declaration, the McMurry University School ofEducation dean, Terry Northup, Ph.D. wrote: "We believe strongly that every child hasthe right to a high quality education, not merely a minimal education. The future ofTexas depends on educational opportunity for all that will allow students to rise as highas their aspiration and motivation will carry them."
For a copy of IDRA's Children First declaration and list of endorsers, contactIDRA at 210/684-8180 or view it on the IDRA Internet web site at www.idra.org.
Blue Ribbon School - continued from page 1
that teaches them to read for information, toretrieve information, and so on. We alsoincorporated phonics into our readingprograms. We found that many of theproblems resulted from the children havinga lack of decoding skills, not having theproper skills to attack words, sound themout and so on. With the added attention tophonics, we have a nice balance now. Ourbilingual program works in a similar manner.A substantial part of the bilingual programdeals with literature of all genres, and it hasincorporated a strong phonetics program.Basically, Mary Hull re-tooled everythingand raised its expectations. The result hasbeen all the awards we have received thisyear.
CG.: What are those awards?R.Z.: First we were designated as a
"recognized" school in the state of Texas.With the accountability system that Texashas through TAAS [Texas Assessment ofAcademic Skills] testing, there are four levelsa school can reach. The two highest are"recognized" and "exemplary." If all ofyour students including all of yoursubgroups like Hispanics, Blacks andeconomically disadvantaged students scoreabove the 70th percentile on the test, yourschool is considered a "recognized" school.Mary Hull achieved this last year, whichwas a big departure from where we wereabout five years ago. Then we were at about19 percent mastery in math and 30 percentmastery in reading. So we have gained 40 or50 points from where we were before. Lastyear our whole school was at 74 percentmastery both in reading and math. I realizethat 74 percent mastery does not sound realexciting to schools that are scoring in the 90s
and 80s, but for us this increase marks ahuge improvement achieved in little timeand with a lot of determination.
Then we were designated as a Title Icommended school, which means that theservice delivery to Title I children isexceptional. The Texas Education Agencyawarded us this distinction based on ourTAAS scores.
Not long after that we got involvedwith the Blue Ribbon campaign. Everyschool that has any kind of achievement todocument is encouraged to send in anapplication to the Texas Education Agency[TEA]. Our district suggested that we submitan application, along with six other schoolsin the Northside school district. TEA selected28 elementary schools throughout the state,and we were one of them. We were the onlyone selected in San Antonio and South Texas.After receiving that award at the state level,TEA sent the application to the U.S.Department of Education to be judged alongwith a pool of over 500 national applicants.From this pool, a national panel selectedabout 300 schools for visitations. Thenational panel visited our school in April,and now we are expecting notification anyminute. If we are selected, we will berecognized as a national school ofexcellencein the Blue Ribbon program, and we willtravel to Washington to receive our awardfrom President Clinton. It is real exciting.
C.G.: How do you create highexpectations for your students?
R.Z.: That is a very difficult question.I think what you need to do is stop judgingand making excuses. For instance, if youhave a group of students who are from a low-income environment and have all the
Blue Ribbon School continued on page 9
June-July 1997 IDRA Newsletter
HIGH POVERTY, HIGH PERFORMING: HIGH HOPE!
Mk& Bauer
Traditionally, poor students havebeen deprived of academicallychallenging opportunities. One writersummarized this phenomenon as follows:"We take students who have less tobegin with and give them less in schooltoo" (Olson, 1997).
Consequently, many high povertyschools are also low performing. However,high poverty, high performing schools havedemonstrated that, "Si se puede" [It can bedone]. Mary Hull Elementary is a goodexample (see interview on Page 1).
In addition to believing that all studentscan learn, high poverty, high performingschools are based on the belief that allstudents can excel (Lindsay, 1997). Theingredient most cited as being the foundationto high performance is quality. Highperforming schools provide students withmore academically oriented curricula andmore challenging tasks (Stringfield, 1994).
Thus, there is hope when there isquality. Quality refers to the overall schoolexperience. It covers everything fromteaching strategies, to expectations, toresources. Teaching quality is perhaps themost important strategy for achieving the
seems to be, "We'll do a better job if yousend us better children" (Olson, 1997).
In high performing schools, studentsare given challenging curricula anddemanding tasks, and they are expectedto succeed. High performing schoolsregard every child as an asset. Moreover,
nation' s educationgoals (Edwards, 1997). Although measuringteaching quality is difficult, one way we canlook at this issue is in terms of the kind ofteacher we would want for our own kids. "Acaring, competent and qualified teacher forevery child is the most important ingredientin education reform," argues the NationalCommission on Teaching and America'sFuture (Olson, 1997).
Another important ingredient is schoolexpectations. High performing schoolsexpect their students to succeed all of theirstudents. Too many teachers, administratorsand school board members think the problemlies within the children, not the school. Theyrefuse to believe that fundamental change isneeded, and they are unwilling, or feel unableto change the school system. The mecsage
PROMOTING EQUITY THROUGH STANDARDS
"THE HOPE OF THE "STANDARDS MOVEMENT" IS THAT STANDARDS CAN BE A
TOOL FOR REALIZING EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IN EDUCATION...IN SCHOOLS WHERE
'DISCRIMINATION BY EXPECTATION' IS THE NORM WHERE WHITE STUDENTS
BENEFIT FROM THE EXPECTATION THAT THEIR FUTURES INVOLVE CLASSROOM
SUCCESS LEADING TO POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION WHILE AFRICAN AMERICAN
AND LATINO STUDENTS LOSE THROUGH THE SILENT JUDGMENT OF THEIR
TEACHERS THAT THEY ARE NOT 'COLLEGE MATERIAL' ACADEMIC STANDARDS
CAN ESTABLISH A COMMITMENT TO HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR ALL STUDENTS."
"THE QUESTION IS SIMPLE: WILL STANDARDS BE USED TO PROMOTE EQUITY
AND OPPORTUNITY IN OUR SCHOOLS, OR WILL THEY BECOME NEW MEANS OF
SORTING AND LABELING THE MOST VULNERABLE STUDENTS AWAY FROM THE
EDUCATIONAL MAINSTREAM AND MEANINGFUL LEARNING AND FROM THE
CHANCES FOR LIFE SUCCESS THAT THEY OFFER?"
"AS A NATION... WE MUST ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF REPLACING A
PEDAGOGY OF POVERTY WITH A PEDAGOGY OF CHALLENGE... WE NEED TO
MAKE SCHOOLS PLACES WHERE EVERY CHILD MATTERS. WHEN WE MEET THESE
CHALLENGES, WE CAN EXPECT STUDENTS TO MEET STANDARDS.
Jo-Anne Wilson Keenan and Anne Wheelock, "The Standards Movement in Education: WillPoor and Minority Students Benefit ?" Poverty & Race (Washington, D.C.: Poverty and RaceResearch Action Council, May-June 1997).
each child is considered to possess a uniquegift to offer to society.
Schools that provide high qualityeducation invest their resources in thefulfillment of their vision. That vision is oneof students excelling. I have yet to meet aprincipal of a high performing school who isnot aware of the material and financial needsand resources ofhis or her campus. Althoughthere is no clear evidence to support acorrelation between the amount of moneyinvested in a school and its performance,one thing appears certain in the literature:the way money is invested in schools matters,and it matters a lot.
Despite much controversy, the fact isthat the quality ofchildren' s education todaydepends largely on where they live. Highpoverty, high performing schools seek waysto increase their resources. And once theyfingi thaw invest then: wisely.
High poverty, high performing'schoolsare organized and operated in the mannermost conducive to learning. Every individualin the school understands and supports theschool's mission. That is, each person workswith others to attain high performance levels.From students, to parents, to administrators,to the community in general, everyone isworking toward the same effort, and theircommon denominator is quality.
ResourcesColker, Laura J. (Ed.). Beyond Reading, Writing, and
Arithmetic: A Retrospective Look at How SchoolsHave Responded to Changing Societal Needs(Fairfax, Virginia: ERIC, 1993).
Edwards, Virginia B. (Ed.). Quality Counts, Asupplement to Education Week (January 22, 1997).
Lindsay, Drew. "How, Not How Much," QualityCounts, A supplement to Education Week (January22, 1997).
Olson, Lynn. "Keeping Tabs on Quality," QualityCounts, A supplement to Education Week (January22, 1997).
Stringfield, Sam, et al. Urban and Suburban/RuralSpecial Strategies for Educating DisadvantagedChildren, First Year Report (Washington, D.C.:U.S. Department of Education, 1994).
Hilaria Bauer is an education associate in theIDRA division of professional development.Comments and questions may be sent to her viaE-mail to [email protected].
June-July 1997 IDRA Newsletter
Low INCOME DOES NOT CAUSE Low SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT:
CREATING A SENSE OF FAMILY AND RESPECT IN THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT
rffpgtom Revilia, M.A., (cog W Mg ID eavav AmorAnita
Current research on the performanceof low-income schools has not only servedto dispel the myth that low income equalslow academic achievement, it has also proventhat when the certain schoolwide strategiesare implemented all schools and all childrencan be high performing. In this article, theresults ofthree major studies are summarizedand combined into a table on Page 5 thathighlights the five major factors that createdsuccess at these campuses. The results of thestudies can provide ideas for schooladministrators and staff, particularly inschools that are in the process of developingschool improvement plans and for low-income schools with low academicachievement.
Students in low-income schools oftendeal with obstacles in the school environmentthat stem from cultural and power dynamics.Antonia Darder, author of Culture andPower, states:
[Bicultural students] must contend with(1) two cultural systems whose valuesare very often in direct conflict and (2)a set of sociopolitical and historicalforces dissimilar to those ofmainstream...students and theeducational institutions that biculturalstudents must attend (Darder, 1991).
For example, most methods ofacademic assessment of students in U.S.classrooms are rooted in a middle-classmodel based on middle-class values. Thus,students who have learning styles,communication skills or home environmentsthat are dissimilar to this middle-class modelare believed to be disadvantaged or at-riskprimarily because they are different. Darderadvocates cultural democracy in theclassroom, a concept she defines as follows:
The right of individuals to be educatedin their own language and learningstyle and the right to maintain abicultural identity that is, to retain anidentification with their culture of originwhile integrating, in a constructivemanner, the institutional values of thedominant culture (Darder, 1991).
The same should be true for the parentsof these students. If schools and teachersexpect parents to be involved in the schoolingprocess, they must respect and encouragethe parents to maintain their own cultural
values and practices and to utilize them asthey come into contact with the schoolenvironment. Otherwise, students oftenbegin to reject the authority and knowledgeoftheir parents, resulting in lessened parentalinvolvement and the devaluation ofthe homeas a learning environment.
For example, in 1982 RichardRodriguez wrote of his embarrassment as a"scholarship boy." He wrote:
`Your parents must be so proud ofyou.' People began to say that to me byabout the time I was in sixthgrade...Shyly, I'd smile, neverbetraying my sense of the irony: I wasnot proud of my mother and father. Iwas embarrassed by their lack ofeducation. It was not that I ever thoughtthat they were stupid, though stupidly Itook for granted their enormous nativeintelligence. Simply what mattered tome was that they were not like myteachers (Rodriguez, 1982).
Rodriguez and others haveexperienced great shame because of the factthat schools often do not value each child'shome language and culture. It is up to theeducator, the parent and society to assurechildren that their bicultural knowledge'andexistence is regarded positively, notshamefully. Therefore, parental involvementand schoolwide inclusivity depends onmutual respect on the part ofthe student, theparents and the school personnel.
A study by the Charles A. Dana Centerat the University of Texas at Austin,Successful Texas Schoolwide Programs,identifies several factors that account forsuccessful schoolwide programs for low-income students (Charles A. Dana Center,1997). One of the key indicators of successfound was the "sense of family" created inthe school environment. The researchersreported:
Beyond the inclusivity evidenced bythe schools,... [they] observed apowerful sense of family. Not onlywere students, parents and all schoolpersonnel included as a part of theteam, they were also included as part ofthe school family (Charles A. DanaCenter, 1997).
According to the Dana Center study,it was exactly that type of mutual respect
that aided the success of several low-incomeschools in Texas. The most common traitsofthe high performing, low-income schoolsare related to creating a sense of family.
The schools examined in the DanaCenter study achieved state recognition forhigh performance while having a highpercentage of low-income students. Theseschools, by example, showed that lowincome does not equate with lowperformance. On the contrary, students atthese schools, who were highly valued andrespected in the classroom regardless oftheir economic background or academicpreparation, proved to be high achievers.
Project Pathways was a statewide col-laborative formulated in 1993 between theIntercultural Development Research Asso-ciation (IDRA); the Center for Success andLearning (CSL); the Texas Association forSupervision, Curriculum and Development(TASCD); and Educational Services Cen-ters I, IV, X and XX, funded by the TexasEducation Agency (TEA), designed to ad-dress the needs ofthe students at the second-ary level who do not pass the Texas Assess-ment of Academic Skills (TAAS) test(Adame-Reyna, 1993).
IDRA created seven Project Pathwaystraining sessions emphasizing strategies thatbetter prepare minority students to be suc-cessful on the TAAS test.
To inform the development of theProject Pathways program, IDRA set out toidentify the characteristics and needs ofstudents and schools with poor TAAS per-formance by studying diverse school dis-tricts (rural and urban, small and large, highand low minority student enrollment, highand low performance on the TAAS) fromfour regional education areas.
IDRA published the study, entitledProject Pathways: Programs That Work,that found that state-recognized highperforming campuses share severalcharacteristics that have resulted in improvedTAAS test achievement (IDRA, 1993). Thecritical elements outlined in the study includethe following:
solid and supportive administrativeleadership;positive expectations of students;strong, integrated curriculum;
Creating a Sense of Family - continued on page 8
June-July 1997 IDRA Newsletter 5
CREATING HIGH PERFORMING SCHOOLS
Factor Examples Cited by Research and Experience
Create and Students were given respect.nurture a Counselors, nurses, social workers and family liaisons worked together to ensure that students' basicfamilial needs were met.environment The sense of family was all inclusive among students, parents and school staff. Each staff member was
highly valued as an individual.Everyone who came in contact with students participated in ensuring their success.Everyone on the campus was involved in the students' learning process.The school was considered to be a family more than just a system for learning.School staff ensured that students knew they were held in high esteem.
Educate the Each teacher's priority was the student's total development, not only, performance on standardized tests."whole" child Emphasis was placed on ensuring positive academic achievement for every child.
Failure was not tolerated, expectations were not lowered.Emphasis was placed on positive achievement rather than negative.Teachers avoided stigmatizing students and categorizing or labeling them.All accomplishments were praised and recognized.Students were allowed to become actively involved in decisions relating to their school experiences.Strategies such as cooperative learning and peer-to-peer tutoring allowed students to take possession of theirlearning.
Celebrate Cultural and linguistic diversity was integrated into school activities and curriculum.cultural and Teachers and staff provided a school environment similar to that of the local community.linguistic The home culture of minority families was respected and valued.diversity Students were encouraged to use their native language in order to communicate effectively.
Teachers utilized students' native language to help them develop proficiency in the new language.
Assume Teachers created their own assessment tools to determine which methods would contribute positively toresponsibility for higher academic achievement.teaching Academic success for every child was the highest priority when teachers developed lessons.
Curriculum was aligned with standardized test objectives.Teachers experimented with creative activities in an effort to improve student success while maintaininghigh expectations.Teachers practiced team teaching.Once particular goals were achieved, higher goals were defined.A stable environment was provided through continuum of classes.Limited-English-proficient (LEP) students were not segregated from native English-speaking students.Students practiced literacy development activities.Schools created a program that assists LEP students with language acquisition.Schools had a strong, integrated curriculum.Administrative leadership was strong.Campuses practiced shared decision making.Schools advocated high morale and schoolwide support for students' academic achievement.Schools provided master teacher tutoring and reading, writing and math labs.
Communicate Parents were highly valued members of the school environment, and they knew they were an importantand involve part of the school family.parents It was important to school staff that parents were able to communicate their views and concerns.
Educational jargon was avoided and parents were not spoken to in condescending ways.Teachers avoided forcing parents into traditional parenting roles.Outreach to parents was extensive, ensuring high parent participation.Schools maintained open door policies and created a welcoming environment, especially for parents.The cultural and linguistic diversity of office staff enabled LEP parents to feel more comfortable and apart of the team.
Developed by IDRA from research conducted by IDRA, the Charles A.Dana Center, at the University of Texas at Austin, and Beverly McLeod.
June-July 1997 IDRA Newsletter B
REMECT7ORT2 /
Joseph F.Johnson, Jr., Ph.D.
WHATEVER IT TAKES!I will never forget our principal, Bernadine Hawthorne, as she addressed her new school faculty for the
first time. With confidence and a gentle, but powerful determination, she explained: "Whatever you knowabout this school from previous years, whatever you've read in the papers about schools in this part of thecity, whatever you saw when you drove into the neighborhood, I want you to know that these students canand will succeed academically. You will teach them and I will be here to help and support you as you makeit happen. We'll just do whatever it takes."
Three years later, after much hard work, self-analysis, experimentation and refinement, our school hadgone from being one of the lowest achieving schools in the city of San Diego, California, to being one of thehighest. We proved to ourselves that issues of poverty and ethnicity did not limit our ability to teach, or ourstudents' ability to learn.
It has been my privilege to observe many schools in Texas achieve even greater levels of academicsuccess. When the Texas Education Agency put forth the goal of 90 percent of all students passing eachsection of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) test, many assumed that this was an impossibledream for schools challenged by poverty. Yet, in the 1995-1996 school year, 428 Texas schools with 50
percent or more of their students meeting free- or reduced-price lunch criteria received "recognized" ratings, and another 54 such schoolsreceived "exemplary" ratings. Thus, the dream of having almost all students passing the TAAS test was actualized.
I have had the pleasure of visiting and studying several of these schools. My career as an educator has been powerfully affected andmy faith in public education restored. My belief in the potential of parents, teachers, principals and support staff to work together totransform lives has been renewed and deepened as a result of my interactions with these schools.
When leaving Scott Elementary in Houston, you walk away believing that any goal can be achieved. When you visit MilamElementary in Grand Prairie, you cannot help but be affected by their powerful passion for excellence. When you visit DovalinaElementary in Laredo and walk around the surrounding area, you inevitably will tell yourself, "If they can accomplish this here, it canbe accomplished anywhere!"
The less informed might assume that these schools have become "TAAS mills" places where students and teachers have resignedthemselves to focus on arduous rituals of drill and practice on TAAS-related issues. In general, these successful schools are not TAASmills. In fact, studies by the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin conducted through the STAR Center (thecomprehensive regional assistance center funded by the U.S. Department of Education to serve Texas, a collaborative of IDRA, the DanaCenter at UT Austin and RMC Research Corporation) indicate otherwise. The findings suggest that the great majority of these schoolsare places where creativity abounds, there is a rich and full curriculum, and students and teachers enjoy a challenging educationalexperience. Part of the reason these schools are successful seems to be that they recognize the centrality of human relationships in theeducational process. They recognize that students are not learning machines to be programmed, rather they are individuals with a broadrange of valuable interests, abilities, curiosities and needs. They recognize that parents should not be considered scapegoats or obstacles,instead they should be treated as respected partners who bring important perspectives and often the untapped potential to grow in theircapacity to support their children's education. Similarly, at these schools, it is recognized that teachers, principals and support staff arenot robots or drill machines. Instead, these schools are places where every educator is recognized as a valuable contributor with uniquestrengths and impressive potential to learn, grow and improve.
Again, the less informed might assume that these schools are satisfied with their accomplishment of state achievement goals. Inspite of their high rates of poverty, many of these schools have achieved better results than some of the most affluent schools in theirdistricts or regions. Yet, it does not take long to recognize that the passion for improvement goes far beyond state achievement goals andfar beyond TAAS scores.
Any conversation with the principal or staff members from Pietsch Elementary in Beaumont will reveal that their focus far exceedsTAAS. They work to change the quality of life for children. A visit to the school library at Hueco Elementary in Socorro IndependentSchool District (ISD) will reveal a mission that goes far beyond TAAS and focuses on developing strong literacy skills and interests amongfamilies. A visit to the HOSTS program (Help One Student To Succeed) at Marcell, Pearson, Waitz or Leal elementaries in MissionConsolidated ISD leads you to understand that their focus is not just on improving test scores, it is also on building a stronger communitywhere adults and children recognize and value their ability to contribute to each other's lives. At these schools, educators have dedicatedthemselves to whatever course of action they believe is necessary to make an intensive and sustained impact on the lives of the childrenand families they serve.
I am a better educator today because of my experiences with these high-achieving schools. I have a deeper sense of responsibilityregarding my work because I better understand the difference that schools can make. These schools have given me a great sense of optimismabout the future of public education because they prove what can be done. At the same time, these schools have given me a greater senseof urgency, because their accomplishments demand that we ask difficult questions of ourselves: "If it can happen here, why noteverywhere?" Whatever It Takes! - continued on page 7
June-July 1997 IDRA Newsletter
Reprinted with permission from the artist Kirk Anderson.
Whatever It Takes! continued from page 6
The number of successful schools is growing rapidly. I can envision a day when every child in a Texas public school regardlessof his or her income, race, ethnicity, language background or home situation will attend a school that establishes an educationalenvironment that enables that student to attain challenging levels of academic skills and secure the educational background that will allowthat student to pursue a wide array of exciting opportunities upon graduation. It can happen. In some schools in Texas, it is alreadyhappening, with whatever it takes.
Dr. Joseph F. Johnson, Jr. is a site director for the STAR Center and is the director of school improvement initiatives at the Charles A. Dana Centerat the University of Texas at Austin. Comments and questions may be sent to him vie E-mail at [email protected].
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Rationale for Bilingual EducationGuidelines for Bilingual EducationProgramsManaging the Bilingual ClassroomInstructional Strategies for theBilingual ClassroomPlanning Instruction in the BilingualClassroomResources for Bilingual Teachers
$25 each. To order, send a check or purchaseorder to: IDRA, 5835 Callaghan Road, Suite350, San Antonio, Texas 78228-1190; fax 210/684-5389; E-mail: [email protected]
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June-July 1997 7 IDRA Newsletter
Creating a Sense of Family continued from page 4
shared decision making; andcampus-wide responsibility for teachingand success (see box at right).
Many of the schools that had highTAAS performance also had highpercentages of minority and low-incomestudents. Contrary to the widespread beliefthat these students could not achieve hightest scores, the statistics showed that thehigh TAAS performance at these campusesincluded all students. This study once againdocumented that the value of a student mustbe held high if high achievement is desiredbecause any child who is devalued in theclassroom becomes a child "at-risk."
A study by Beverly McLeod fundedby the U.S. Department of Educationprovides a basis for understanding varioustypes of reforms that provide limited-English-proficient (LEP) students with"equal access to an academic program ofhigh quality" (McLeod, 1996). The studyfocused on various areas of educationalreform such as curriculum, parental andcommunity involvement, and studentdiversity. Eight primary and secondaryschools with high percentages of LEPstudents participated in the study. Each ofthe schools involved developed andimplemented several methods for achievingpositive academic outcomes in which everystudent received an equal opportunity foracademic success.
The five major factors practiced bythe high performing schools that contributedto the high achievement of low-income and/or linguistic and cultural minority studentsinclude the following:
Created and nurtured a familialenvironmentAnon-threatening schoolenvironment was created. The entireschool staff was involved in assuringindividual success while also maintaininga sense of family.Educated the whole child Eachindividual child's academic success wasimportant. No child could be left behind.Respect, support, encouragement and thechild's total development were allpriorities.Celebrated cultural and linguistic di-versity Sensitivity to diversity wasdemonstrated within the school popula-tion and community. Accommodationswere made to ensure two-way communi-cation among students, parents and schoolpersonnel.Assumed responsibility for teachingTeachers, administrators and school
CRITICAL ELEMENTS OF HIGH PERFORMING CAMPUSES
Certain elements are critical to assuring that high poverty schools become highperforming schools. Activities alone will not notably improve student performance.Activities intended as minimal or remedial responses start from weak premises,they assume that students "don't care," "can't learn," or "won't make the effort,"and they quickly lose strength. In direct contrast, activities gain strength from thecritical elements (listed below). This is because the elements themselves derivefrom sound educational precepts: the valuing of students, their education andteachers. The critical elements assume that properly supported, students can learnand teachers can teach.
Effective administrative leadership The principal sets the pace of change andpromotes standards, exemplifies and encourages a positive atmosphere and enthusiasmfor learning, expects creative problem solving from teachers, shares decision makingwith faculty, encourages academic leadership, supports professional development,evaluates programs, gives innovative programs time to work, and seeks faculty andstudent opinions.Positive expectations The principal is finely tuned to negative attitudes amongstudents and faculty and reverses them.Strong, integrated curriculum The principal works with the faculty to develop along-term campus plan with specific expected outcomes.Shared decision making The principal maintains close contact with the site-basedmanagement teams to coordinate goals and objectives. Decision-making teamsinclude department chairs or core teachers, counselors and at-risk coordinators.Campus-wide responsibility for teaching and success Within the contextestablished by other critical elements, successful schools initiate emphasis onreading, writing and mathematics across the curriculum.
Adapted from Project Pathways: Programs That Work (San Antonio, Texas: IDRA, 1993).
districts exhibited active participation instudents' success. Adopted techniqueswere continually assessed by a reflectivepractitioner. Students were given theopportunity to become actively involvedin the learning process.Communicated and involved parents
Parents were valued and involved inthe educational process. They wererespected and appreciated, and they wereactively encouraged to be a part of theschool family.
In summary, there is a myth that hasinappropriately been attached to low-incomestudents; that is, low-income students cannotreach high academic standards. The threestudies summarized in this article serve asconcrete examples that dispel the myth.Low-income and minority students havedemonstrated high performance in schools,yet there are several responsibilities thatschool administrators and staff must acceptin order to ensure that success. The factorslisted in this article are techniques that work.School families, highly valued students andparents, and strong, supportiveadministrations do create success.
Teaching Strategies for Improving LEP Students'TAAS Scores," IDRA Newsletter (San Antonio,Texas: Intercultural Development Research Asso-ciation, October 1993), pg. 3.
Cantu, Linda. "TAAS Math Performance,"IDRA News-letter (San Antonio, Texas: Intercultural Develop-ment Research Association, June-July 1996).
Charles A. Dana Center. Successful Texas SchoolwidePrograms (Austin, Texas: Charles A. Dana Center,University of Texas at' Austin, February 1997).
Darder, Antonia. Culture and Power in the Classroom:A Critical Foundation for Bicultural Education(Westport, Conn.: Bergin and Garvey, 1991).
Intercultural Development Research Association,Project Pathways: Programs That Work (SanAntonio, Texas: IDRA, 1993).
McLeod, Beverly. Educating Students from DiverseLinguistic and Cultural Backgrounds (Santa Cruz,Calif.: The Bilingual Research Center, Internetposting, 1996).
Rodriguez, Richard. Hunger of Memory: TheAutobiography of Richard Rodriguez (New York,N.Y.: Bantam Books, 1982).
Anita Tijerina Revilla is an education assistantin the IDRA Division of ProfessionalDevelopment. Yvette De La Garza Sweeney is astudent in the division of bilingual/biculturalstudies at the University of Texas at San Antonio.Comments and questions may be sent to them viaE-mail at [email protected].
June-July 1997 IDRA Newsletter 9
Blue Ribbon School continued from page 2
demographic factors working against them,you do not say, "These kids cannot do it soI am going to dumb down the curriculum."You consciously have to say, "There is achallenge here, and I have got a lot of workto do. I am going to make sure I give youguys more because you are already behind."You have to give these students a variety ofexperiences, stimulation, inspiration andmotivation instead of saying, "I know thesekids cannot do it, I will just sit here and shootthe curriculum to them and if they make it,fine, if they do not, well what can you expectfrom this kind of kid." This "sitting backwith low expectations" is a commonsyndrome in schools like Mary Hull, but itis not what we are doing here now.
Another way to create highexpectations is to add excitement to whatthey are doing. If you think this is just a joband you clock-in at 7:30 and leave at 4:00,you are not going to get much out of it. Andother people and students are going to pickup on that signal. But if the school is vibrant,exciting, and there is always a spirit ofrenewal and contemplation, then you aregoing to get a lot of positive things out of it.
I have a third grade section right nowthat is very low in terms of achievement.The students are having trouble with their
Principal Roberto Zarate shows the NationalBlue Ribbon School award given to Mary HullElementary.
math and reading. We have marshaled asmany resources as we can to that grade levelto assist those teachers and reduce theteacher/pupil ratio. Once you do that, youhave won it all. But when you fail to provideany assistance and simply keep the ratios atthe same levels, then you end up with ateacher who is very frustrated and a classthat is not productive. So we have workedvery hard to develop a team feeling. Whenyou do that, the expectation level goes up.
EDUCATIONAL WEB SITES
IDRA Desegregation Assistance CenterSouth Central Collaborativewww.idra.org/dac-scc
ERIC and AskEric ericir.syr.eduFedworld www.f4dworld.govIntercultural Development Research Association (IDRA)National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education (NCBE)Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs (OBEMLA)
www.ed.gov/offices/OBEMLAOffice for Civil Rights www.ed.gov/offices/OCROutreach and Technical Assistance Network (OTAN) www.scoe.otan.dni.us/Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE)
aace.virginia.edu/aaceSTAR Center *(Support for Texas Academic Renewal) www.starcenter.orgTexas Education Network (TENET) www.tenet.edu/Texas Education Agency www.tea.state.tx.us/U.S. Department of Education www.ed.gov/UCLA Center for Study of Evaluation gopher://spinoza.cse.ucla.edu:70/11/.CSEUrban Education Web eric-web.tc.columbia.edu/Webtour for Educators www.iearn.org/iearn/webtour/
*A collaboration of 1DRA, the Charles A. Dana CenterCompiled by Dr. Chris Green, IDRA.
at the University of Texas at Austin, and RMC Research Corp.
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C.G.: How do you address the qualityof teaching?
R.Z.: We allow the teachers to makedecisions about what we are going to teach.Once they become committed to it, then thequality is there. We also value teamwork.Teachers work with each other to developbetter units and to continue evolving. Anevaluation system comprises one componentof the teamwork system, but a larger issueis staff development trusting each otherand believing in creativity. A lot of peopledo not believe in creativity. They think it isjust a flash in the pan. It is not. It is vital toachieving the results we are having. Youwill see all kinds of creativity on our campus.
C.G.: How have you broughtresources to bear?
R.Z.: Well, you do not need a lot ofresources. I understand that computers andsoftware will cost money, and we have putthose resources in good places. But theteachers are the key, not resources. If theirattitudes are, "I am going to do the best Ican, I am going to be creative, I am going tobe caring, and I am going to have highexpectations," then you do not need a lot ofresources. A lot of times it is the teacher'senthusiasm and ability to carry the day thatis vital. I am more concerned about what wedo with what we have and how we maximizethat.
Another key factor in maximizingresources is staying focused andmaintaining specific goals. If someonecomes in with a request that is not based onour goals, we are not going to consider itvery seriously. I do not provide sole approvaleither. For example, one of my teachersbrought a proposal to buy some new readingmaterial to our school advisory team whichis comprised of parents, myself, teachersand community members. The teacherdeveloped and presented a rationale for theproposal, the advisory team approved theproposal, and now we are looking for waysto raise the needed money. It is that kind ofinvolvement and reciprocity that is importanthere.
C.G.: You mentioned the schooladvisory team. Tell me about that.
R.Z.: The state requires all schools toset up a school advisory team, and the teamhas turned out to be a viable tool at ourcampus. I serve as the chairman of the team,along with elected teachers to represent alldisciplines, four parents and two communitymembers. The advisory team sets theorganizational tone for the school. We
Blue Ribbon School - continued on page 10
IJune-July 1997 IDRA Newsletter
Principal Roberto Zarate works with Mary Hull Elementary students on their reading.
Blue Ribbon School - continued from page 10
discuss budgets, set priorities, establish goalsand determine activities. There have beenother suggestions that we have brought tothem, and they have said no because they didnot fit our goals. The advisory team at MaryHull is a decision-making group that remainsvery strong and viable.
C.G.: Are there other examples ofshared decision making?
R.Z.: We have day-longcollaboration meetings. In these meetings,for instance, we will discuss that a certainstudent is having a problem in the classroom.Every teacher who affects that student sitsdown to discuss the student's problem: Soinstead of each classroom teacher having todeal with it by themselves, they receiveinput from each other. Before you know it,a plan of action is determined and there is alot of communication between the staff interms of that particular child. During ourcollaboration meetings, we review a wholelist of children to see how they are doing.
We also have team leaders who cometogether from each grade level and meetwith me about everyday operationaldecisions and concerns. Each team leaderhas autonomy with his or her own team. Forexample, the first grade team leader meetswith the first grade team and they makedecisions about their schedule, trips,curricula and anything else that is happening.I do not get involved in the process otherthan to listen and make sure the decisionsare within our goal structure.
I allot each grade-level team a setamount of money to spend in any mannerthey decide which is unusual because inmost cases the principal maintains controlover such decisions. I do not believe in that.To me, teacher empowerment is critical,
especially in an environment like this. If Iam in a school where the population ismostly upper- or middle-class families, thestudents come equipped with a lot of learning,and you do not have to work as hard. Teachershere at Mary Hull have to cover more groundwithin each year. So in order for teachers tofeel that they have got the power to makethat type of change, you have got to givethem that power. We are going to have aretreat next month, and they will formulateour approach for next year. But that willcome from the teachers, it will not comefrom me.
CG.: Tell me more about how youare involving families and parents.
R.Z.: It is real tough to involve familiesat this level because the parents are working.Some of my parents are working two jobs, soyou do not see the "little ladies" runningaround with aprons making things forteachers or doing things for the principal andhis office staff. Every once in a while we willget a mother who can dedicate that kind oftime. On special days here when we have acertain activity planned, you will see a lot ofparents helping out teachers and working inclassrooms for brief periods of time, thetime that they can give us. We have hadspecial things like Family Math nights andFamily Literacy nights, where there arestanding room only crowds. We have alsohad the dies y seis de septiembre and cincode mayo celebrations, where every parentwho we have asked to come up here hascome and dedicated a lot of time.
The thing we ask of them that is moreimportant is to take part in their child's dailyhomework and what is happening at school.We send home things like what our "rightchoice objective" of the week is, which isour discipline program. Parents also get
folders every day discussing studentprogress, homework or related issues, andwe ask the parents to sit down and review thematerial with their child. We want them toknow what is happening with their child atschool.
We also have tried to help our parentsbecome more literate. We have the EvenStart program on campus, and through thatthe parents can come up here and take GED[General Education Diploma], ESL[English as a second language] orcomputer classes during the week. Thenwe have the Fast Family Program, aneight-week program that helps to buildstronger family networks that tie into theschool. We have had more than 60 familiescomplete the program. When you multiplythat by at least two children per family, wehave affected more than 120 kids and a lot ofaunts, uncles and grandparents. It has reallymade a difference here in the tone of theschool.
In terms of the GED program, forexample, one of our moms just graduated,and she is already attending nursing school.We have another mom who earned her GEDand is going to beauty college. She plans tostart her own business. So we are starting toget some success stories out of the program.The most exciting thing to see is when theycome in for the computer classes. Thoseclasses are not about how to use a computer,they are literacy classes. They have to dowith reading and writing and keyboarding,so the parents are becoming more literate.
The kids see their parents up here atschool all the time learning notvolunteering but learning. And so it clicksfor them, and they say, "Well, hey, if Mommawants to learn, I am going to learn." The kidssettle down and get serious about learning,and then they achieve positive results.
C.G.: What are some other ways thatyou have changed the curriculum?
R.Z.: We did a math alignment. Wetalked to each other to see what each gradelevel was doing in math. For instance, thefirst grade would talk to kindergarten andthen turn around and talk to the secondgrade, and the second grade would talk tothe third grade, and so on and so forth. Wefound out that we had gaps and had madeassumptions about what we were teaching.We were teaching some things too much andsome things not enough. So we aligned ourcurriculum and got a staff developmentprogram to go along with that.
In reading, we realized that, based onBlue Ribbon School - continued on page 11
June-July 1997 110 IDRA Newsletter 11
Blue Ribbon School continued from page 10
disaggregating our test data, we had someproblems (everybody does) with main ideasand sequencing. As a result, we worked onunits with those topics.
We also found out that comprehensionwas our main problem. So we took all thecomprehension skills and identifiedteaching strategies that would promote thelearning of that particular skill. For instance,we are using KWL (a process where kidstake what they know, what they want toknow and what they learned), withkindergarten through fifth grade students. Ifyou are going to use KWL forcomprehension, then you need to use it in allgrade levels.
We also have a process called SQ3Rthat involves taking a reading sample apartand analyzing it for comprehension.Everybody in our school from second gradeto fifth grade knows that method. Theyknow exactly what to do, how to do it, andwhen to do it. It is a thinking process thatthey can apply not only now but later. One of
our teachers is trying to become a bilingualteacher and had to take her exit exam theother day. She said, "I used the SQ3R, andit works!" So, it is having other benefits.
The strategies are valid and theyare lifelong. If we can get those strategiesbuilt into our students' minds, they are goingto be thinkers, and they are not going to bejust sitting there waiting to have contentdumped on them at the secondary level.They will be able to take the content, organizeit, take it apart and find whatever the teacherwants them to find.
So we have aligned the curriculum,developed consistency in application, andintroduced strategies that the kids can use,not only for testing, but for thinking. That,again, has been very successful for us.
C.C.: What would you say to schoolsthat are trying to think of ways to becomehigh performing, particularly high povertyschools?
R.Z.: Get excited about what you aredoing. And let the teachers take the lead.I do not know of any school that will move
unless the teachers are working together,making decisions and feeling like they haveownership of whatever the conditions are.My role here is to be a giant cheerleader andto try to stay a little ahead of the teachers interms ofnew methodology, etc., and to try tobe astute in terms of when we are doing toomuch and when we are not doing enough. Alot of schools try to do too much sometimes.They just keep adding things instead oftaking what they have, examining it andrestructuring like we did. So, if the teacherscan examine and restructure, and if theteachers can feel like it is their plan and notjust the principal's plan, or the central office'splan, or the state's plan, then they are goingto be more effective and committed to makeit happen.
The other issue, too, is that we havegot to quit judging. It is very easy for me topick you apart as a human being, while I amsitting here with all of these faults of myown. We cannot do that. All judging does isdestroy whatever positive element there is
Blue Ribbon School continued on page 12
HIGHLIGHTS OF RECENT IDRA ACTIVITIESIn April, IDRA worked with 7,248 teach-ers, administrators and parents through123 training and technical assistance ac-tivities and 109 program sites in 12 statesplus the United Kingdom. Topics in- Activity Snapshotcluded: Through its Community_Leadership for Standards,-BasedReform_pmect
A- . ..---1 -----...---------- _ . it 1 il .---.-1+ Fourth Annual IDRA La Semana toRA is,creating-a-national-rnodebforinvolving parents and communities-2 ,.....-- ---... 'N., . \ \ -..... I .1Del Nino Early Childhood in the development ofacaderruc standards. Participating schools, community/ / 1\ \ \ 0 I IEducation Educator's Institute orgaInizationsand-IDRAxare\ Drming \a priership_to create afoncertied+ Welcoming the Computer in the effort that will result in the designnitiation and evaluation of successful
1 1Classroom family involvement strategies.1IPRA's role in this initiative, funded by the+ Implementing a Dual Language Edna McConnell Clark FouidAtion,'invOlve school-community planning
sessions I I 1 I I ' !Program sessions on conducting outreachp families bilingually, leadership trainingfor l+ Families United for Education for community organizatidisilfocus groups in which parents interview\ / .1 / / /Conference for Parents by other parents, and a community forum for parents designed by parents. The\ \ ---, ..-/ I i / J /Parents project will fill-a-national through the development of bilingual, non -
-L jargon- tiled materals-tz,/ xpla( n academic standards to parents.Participating agencies and school ____----'districts included:
4. Arkansas Education Agency + other decision makers in public 4 publishing research and
4- West Orange Cove ISD, Texas education professional papers, books,videos and curricula.
For information on IDRA services for your school district or other group, contact IDRA at 210/684-8180.
June-July 1997 nil IDRA Newsletter 1 2
Blue Ribbon School - continued from page 11
on the campus. So instead of wondering whyyour teammate is doing something, you havegot to look at what she is producing. If herresult is positive, then that is her style, andyou have got to let that happen. And we haveto quit judging the parents. Their conditionhas nothing to do with your ability to teachthose kids. Also, when those kids come toschool, their condition has nothing to dowith what you are going to teach them. Youhave got to quit judging and just do your job,do it to the best of your ability, be creativeand quit suffering. A lot of teachers workingin schools like ours "suffer" a lot. They saythings like, "Oh I wish I could teach kids thatcan learn to read, and if I wanted to talkabout Shakespeare they would not go,`Huh?'" If your students do not know aboutShakespeare, expose them to it.
We have a benefactor who offered totake us to see the musical My Fair Lady. Assoon as I mentioned the offer, some of thestaff said, "There is no way. These kids arenot used to this, it is just not going to happen."But my staff rented the video, showed thevideo, discussed the story line and listenedto the music enough so that by the time thekids got to the theater, they were eager to seethe show because they had it memorized.The children sat for three hours, all of them
third, fourth and fifth graders three hourswithout moving or begging to go to thebathroom. They sat through a beautiful
presentation at the Josephine Theater, andnow the kids are begging the teachers to playthe soundtrack while they do their work inclass. So you walk down the hall, and youhear CD playing "I Could've Danced AllNight." But if my staff had insisted, "No,they cannot do that, we do not want to do thatbecause we are worried about the way theyare going to behave" (judging, judging,
judging), we would not have had thatbeautiful experience.
I think that is the thing that schoolsneed to do quit being judgmental, get pro-active and enjoy what you have. These littleguys are fun to play with. They may not havesome of the advantages that other peoplehave, but they have their own experiencesthat are just as valid. And they can learn.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S 1997 REGIONAL CONFERENCES
IMPROVING AMERICA'S SCHOOLS
A Call to Action: Working Together for Equity and Excellence
October 16-18, 1997 Town and Country Resort San Diego, CaliforniaHost Center: Southern California Comprehensive Assistance Center (Region XII)
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November 16-18, 1997 Hyatt Regency Reunion Hotel Dallas, TexasHost Center: STAR Center (Region VIII)
(Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada,New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin)
December 14-16, 1997 Washington Sheraton Hotel Washington, D.C.Host Center: Region HI Comprehensive Center
(Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana,Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina,Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Temiessee, Vermont, Virginia, WestVirginia, Virgin Islands)
For more information call: 1-800-203-5494
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