Guest Column: Alignment Rockford’s wishful thinking vs. reality
By Tim Hughes
Alignment Rockford appears determined to pry open the mother of all cans of worms with their high school academy proposals. If, as has been said, the proposal is motivated, at least in part, because students complain what they are learning in school isn’t relevant, that in itself should send up red flags, for what adolescents often think is not relevant to learn is the very thing they need to learn. Heck, everyone knows “brung” is the past tense of “brang,” so why bother with any more of that “irrelevant” English stuff?
This leads to a deeper problem the Johnny-head-in-wind advocates will face with their proposal. Just because high school students have reached a certain chronological age, doesn’t mean they have mastered comparable academic skills. To give one example, I used to post cursive alphabet charts on bulletin boards around my classroom for students to refer to as needed when writing compositions. I didn’t insist on strict adherence to cursive penmanship, but expected it to be used as a guide for uniform, legible penmanship. One student, noticing the charts, turned to a classmate, and I overheard him say: “It’s embarrassing to see one of those in a classroom. I haven’t been in a classroom with one of those since I was in the fourth grade.”
Later, while correcting his paper, I had to mark more than a dozen primer word spelling errors of the fourth-, third- and second-grade variety. There is much more of that than the public realizes, and just because adolescents think they are ready to take on the “relevant” subjects that presumably interest them, that doesn’t mean they are prepared to do so.
In addition, Alignment Rockford will come up against the “Feel Good Curriculum, Self-Esteem” crowd of teachers that insist a “positive image of one’s self” comes before all else, no matter how unrealistic it may be. I once had a student tell me her career ambition was to become a doctor. She said her science teacher advised her so because the highest grade on her most recent report card was a “C” in basic science. When I asked the teacher, a Golden Apple recipient, no less, about it, she admitted that was what she had told the student. “I thought it was important for her to think big.” How about thinking realistic?
Alignment Rockford is sure to have fun coping with that mentality.
Back in the 1970s, Rock Valley College conducted a one college credit humanities course in conjunction with District 205 high schools that gave students an earned college credit prior to their high school graduation. The course was carried out in conjunction with high school English classes, but had to be abandoned because of scheduling conflicts with other, mandated courses of study, that would no doubt be deemed “irrelevant” by some students, such as state-required courses in American history, government, and the U.S. Constitution, to name a few. And the Alignment Rockford proposal will face the virtually insurmountable difficulty in dealing with that same set of circumstances, to say nothing of what will likely be the need for remedial classes in basic academic skills to bring students up to where they need to be to take “relevant” career courses.
District 205 schools once offered at both middle and high school levels a viable, even enviable, vocational and industrial arts program for Rockford public school students, much of which got trashed during the People Who Care witch hunt. I think business and community leaders would be further ahead bringing their influence and prestige to bear on revitalizing those programs than in putting their efforts in “high school academies” that, for various reasons, are certain to fail.
Tim Hughes is a former teacher in Rockford School District 205 who coached debate and taught English at Auburn High School for 20 years. At Auburn, he coached three debate teams to first-place national championships.
From the May 23-29, 2012, issue
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4 Comments
Tim,
The PWC did not trash or eliminate the RKFD vocational programs, that happen in 1987 by the BOE and headed up by two high school principals that were home grown leaders (so-called) from East and Guilford High.
Preach on , my friend.We are losing sight of the basis of a good solid education. Reading, Writing, Math, and Science. There is such a lack of creative thinking, resources and student engagement in our public schools, it is almost criminal. Unfortunately, this narrow minded vision is not the best for ALL students. Once again, the vision is not the reality of our students.! Our schools are understaffed and non-certifieds ( the grunt workers- who deal with students on a dalily basis) and underpaid.! Our children, need real , dedicacated, supportive adults in our buildings. Bring back the hall aides, the parent liaisons and how about 2 adults( teachers – team teaching) in grades k- 12 , and then maybe we will begin to see some true academic growth and achievement.!
And Mr. Hughes, your point is…?
From what I have seen, heard, and read about the academies proposal, the primary motivation for implementing this nationally-proven learning structure is that our high schools have failed to deliver acceptable academic outcomes with far too many of our kids for far too long. The status quo isn’t working, and it’s irrefutably a serious inhibitor to Rockford’s educational, social, and economic growth.
As a debate coach, you know that using a straw man or red herring argument (take your pick as to how to define your position) as you have done, is usually used because the debater can’t refute the fundamental facts of his opponent’s argument so he resorts to one or more logical fallacy approaches.
In the papers and on the radio there’s been some criticism of the academy model from a few corners, and my observation is that it is generally motivated either by a personal agenda or ignorance of facts. I have read the research, which clearly demonstrates the positive impact of college/career academies implemented in a smaller learning community environment.
Here are the highlights of two recent federally-backed MDRC research reports analyzing academy/smaller learning community outcomes in public school systems with high poverty in urban areas—similar to RPS 205:
Nashville Public High Schools—While the research showed academies “didn’t have any effect on [academic] outcomes–positive or negative, [it] found remarkable and significant effects on post-secondary employment and earnings, labor results that did not compromise classroom achievement. Students in academies on average earned 11% more annually than their non-academy peers. That added up to about $30,000 in eight years. Not only that, [it] found that the largest effects were among young men. The Career Academies produced an increase in the percentage of young people living independently with children and a spouse or partner. Young men also experienced positive impacts on marriage and being custodial parents.” (full report: http://www.mdrc.org/project_29_1.html)
New York City High Schools—The MDRC’s analysis of “smaller learning communities,” a key feature of the academy model, showed “encouraging findings providing clear and reliable evidence that, in roughly six years, a large system of small public high schools can be created and can markedly improve graduation prospects for many disadvantaged students. By the end of their first year of high school, 58.5% of [small schools of choice] enrollees are on track to graduate in four years compared with 48.5% of their non-SSC counterparts, for a difference of 10.0 percentage points. By the fourth year of high school, SSCs increase overall graduation rates by 6.8 percentage points, which is roughly one-third the size of the gap in graduation rates between white students and students of color. (full report: http://www.mdrc.org/publications/560/overview.html)
Greater earnings, improved families, and higher graduation rates. I think the facts in this debate speak for themselves, which is why the RPS school board showed unanimous support, and why there seems to be broad and passionate support among employers, government officials, unions, juvenile judges, churches, parents—and , oh yes, teachers and administrators who have spent time investigating the academies/small learning communities model.
My major hope is that the school district will allow time for this program to develop and not ax it in one or two years as has been done with the ACE program and the Freshmen campuses. Programs need time to find their stride.
Not related, but the elementary class sizes are too large for our students. With all the surplus money in the district hiring enough staff to cut Kindergarten, First, Second and Third grade classes in half would go along way to elminating the math and reading problems. Also, add in more physical education and recess. The body need to be exercised as well as the mind.