The people keep talking; while the GC BOE continues [b]NOT[/b] to listen!

Shalom

Let's all continue to contact board members and urge them to do the right thing with our schools. If enough people work to get the High Point plan reversed, it can happen. Busing is not the answer.

While it may be true that "One of the best indicators of student success is parental involvement..." the Guilford County educational system is not only resistant to parental navigation (because of the many layers of institutional responsibilities which have, of course, led to gross irresponsibility) but it is set up in such a way that only the passive (children and parents) will successfully be led blindfolded through the maze. While I applaud the attempt to adapt positive programs and strategies in too many cases they prove to have style and no substance. The credit is in their creation, they have life only in educational journals and the net effect for the student is negligible at best.

To get the attention of the school board, parents must find the strong point of the school, and then tout it from the top of their lungs! Hopefully, it will be high test scores and a diverse student population---the board will then be forced to deal with it.
If the school has nothing to tout, other than it should not be tampered with, then start digging for something better than that. If the school has nothing to trumpet, then the battle will be an uphill climb.
Other side:
If a school is really short on something, then tout how you are a neglected school!

DD, here's touting for you.

SWG High School was ONE of ONLY TWO GCS high schools to score more favorably on EOY tests etc. Then at the beginning of the Fall 2005 semester, one of their THREE assistant principles was transferred and NOT REPLACED. Why transfer people from preforming schools? That assistant was not transferred to another HS, rather to an ELEMENTARY school! What's up with that?

Now, SWG High is left with TWO assistant principals to handle over 1,600 students?

The other HP High Schools have more than that! HP Central has an assistant principal on EACH FLOOR! Instead of helping the passing schools to keep up the good work and move forward, the GCS System throws a "wrench in the spokes" to cease that.

So, how does one tout the praises of something like the situation that I just presented?

Shalom

DD,

Your posts confuse me. You have in past posts chastised NHP parents for objecting to the political manuvering of the SB as they dismantle one school for the benefit of another. NOW you say we should tout our school. Help us navigate the fine line you have drawn between whining and touting.

SW is a very diverse school and prior to this round of redistricting we were in fact one of THE most diverse schools in GC (52%white, 48% non white). We were one of only two schools in Guilford County to pass AYP's last year...and that's just for starters. Please enlighten us as to the benefits of further re districting at our school.

Is that tout enough?

We are a school that stuggles to retain our identity and to have any real sense of tradition, as each year brings yet another onslaught of choice plans, back room redistricting, and political posturing by Dot Kearns and Susan Mendenhall, with Walter Childs along for the ride.

The GCS website should read: "Our goal is to have all high schools FAIL AYP's except NW. That way they would be well on their way to achieving their goal.

Good points, anotherquestion.

I taught at SW for 16 years, and it seems that SW has always been the brunt of one issue after another.

For newcomers, SW opened in 1979. The Ragsdale district was split. Seniors could stay at Ragsdale and the first graduating class was small. School opened with the building not completed. Great parent support and an excellent faculty created a great school.

When I first started, our population was so small that Dr. Melton met with us and told us that they were considering making us a Middle School. To "save" us, they started the School of Excellence. I remember the principal called us the SOE teachers and the "regular" teachers, made for great morale. Very difficult for AP teachers in that many of the high achievers went the SOE route. But we survived.

Then High Point annexed the area, merger came about, and the rest is history.

In 16 years I had 6 different principals and so many different AP's that I cannot name them all. Educators will tell you that this is very detrimental to a school. We had an equally large turnover of guidance counselors. They barely had time to learn the kids' names, much less learn their needs. We had a large faculty turnover most years. And still we were successful.

Then comes the lottery and now busing. It appears to me that somehow the SW area got on a hit list and can't get off.

Good letter. One technique that wasn't mentioned was handing out meaningless awards. In Terry Grier's column today, he noted that things can't be that bad at Smith and Dudley since they've won Most Improved Awards or something in the past 2-3 years. That was while their test scores were declining. Perhaps if we reclassify them as "Schools of Stupendous Intellectual Achievement" and designate two SSIA Project Facilitators, that will solve things.

Touting your school:

Now you are on to something! I went to a board retreat where the paid consultants told the board, "Leave the schools that are doing a good job, ALONE. Focus on the problem schools!"
That came back to haunt TG and others when the parents quoted that to the media.
Build on what you have. Do not start by using a defense! Build a good offensive strategy and the rest of the county will come along with you! So far, the rest of the county has heard nothing of how good the school is performing, but rather how the school board sucks! Do you see what I mean here?

DD,

"Leave the schools that are doing a good job, ALONE. Focus on the problem schools!"

More proof they should have left SW alone.

Nolies,
Use that logic and you can win. Continue to call the BOE members "idiots" and the like and you will become even more frustrated.
Start reciting stats you have memorized about the school--then ask the question, "Why is this school being broken, when it wasn't broken in the first place?".

The ABC group did more harm to your situation than good---as far as the rest of the county is concerned. If SW is as good as you think it is, then yell it from the mountain top and the public will then ask itself, "Why are they screwing with that school?".
Up until now, the public has just thought, "It's all about who's ox is being gored and doesn't concern me".

DD,

SW is not a "great" school. It's average. See past scores. One recent year I think they barely made AYP (or didn't make it). It is also a VERY diverse school.

The problem is certain groups in High Point keep saying SW is the best school of the three schools; all schools should be "equal". Their idea of equal is dummying down the current school viewed as the "stronger" school. HP school board members have said that it is not the fault of children if they don't live near the "better" school. We must give them the "same" opportunities. Thus the fixed "Choice Plan.". Now the lottery is gone. The focus arts theme is gone from SW after Susan M said "if these kids (at Andrews) want these programs we have to give it to them." Well, guess what. Dance is gone. Lottery is gone. Now Parkview is being bused to a "traditional" school. For what? The real agenda has always been to improve Central. Period.
Central gets better; SW gets weaker. Andrews does not improve.

The BOE has been told over and over for the past two years in speeches, phone calls, letters, e-mails exactly what you are saying You have added nothing new. They know the politics at play here an they gave into High Point's games.

In fact in January 2003 at Smith Stadium (long before "choice plan") a student from Ragsdale (when they were involved in the triangle proposal) compared it to taking 2 broken cars, 1 car that worked well; mixing up the parts and hoping all three would work. Guess what, none of the cars work then.

In the case of the three schools, this is similar. All three are losing parental support. The broken "parts" still aren't getting fixed with an education.

You are not telling us to do anything that has not already been said many, many times.

DD,

some additional points:

1. a school board member acknowledged long ago the HP redistricting was to more or less "spread out the pain" (i.e. "gangs")
Why don't they just address the true issues of discipline and deal with it?

2. the HP city leaders met behind closed doors with school officials to review "the maps"

3. since 1999 the old HP elite have wanted to spread out the children in housing projects (people witnessed this during mapping meetings then)

4. it was stated publicly that "it is hard to educate children in 'isolation' " (of course this is just being done in HP, for now)

5. recently a school board member was heard saying "this has NOTHING to do with education"

So if this has nothing to do with education, but everything to do with politics, you can't change that. Destroying a one "good" school in the name of "education" could be addressed. Not so when it is politics.

All of a sudden people in Greensboro want to "help". Seems like they might be afraid that Dudley and Smith will soon not be educated in "isolation" either. Maybe Grimsley and Page are afraid "their ox will be gored next".

All you have to worry about is children wearing school uniforms. NW parents worry is making sure their new middle school gets the new name they want. Neither one of these issue effects the outcome of children's futures like the High Point constant nightmare. We wish this was all we had to worry about.

btw, I am so tired of hearing the phrase "whose ox is being gored". You keep saying it. Grier has said it. Alan has said it. It has become a cliche. That and the "tipping point". Everyone needs some new material.

Sid, I know you are frustrated and with just cause. I signed the petition mentioned in a comment today. Hopefully all the county will help us bring reason to the BOE.

Thank you, Carol.
You are friend indeed.
You have written MANY wise words over the past few months.