One Guilford III
Just got back to the office following One Guilford, the Threequel, at UNCG's Elliott University Center.
Aside from losing Page 2 from my script (in the middle of introductions, no less) while co-moderated with UNCG economics professor Andrew Brod, I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion.
I was particularly impressed by the 11 panelists, who addressed the issue of preparing students for college and the workplace. Or not.
The bottom line: Guilford County Schools and the Guilford County community have got to do much better with this.
College administrators and professors cited ill-prepared students who need remediation when they come to college.
They noted especially acute problems with math, reading and writing (what does that leave?)
They discussed challenges with critical thinking.
They cited inequities among schools.
They challenged the community to invest more of its time, attention and money in the schools.
They complained that, while accountability is important, the heavy emphasis on testing is flawed. all-consuming and ineffective.
One bonus for this latest session was the presence of more young voices on the panel and in the audience -- including 2006 Smith High School graduate Jasmine Renee Mitchell, a UNC-Chapel Hill Morehead Scholar; Grimsley (2001) and UNCG (2005) graduate Megan Metzger, who now runs her own business; and GTCC student Ralph Yarnall-Rodland.
They were bright and thoughtful and forthright.
A group of Dudley High ninth-graders also attended, as did other students.
The other panelists, who also were very good, included:
-- Dr. Kathryn Baker Smith, vice president for educational support services at GTCC.
-- Jerry Camp, owner of C&D Industrial Tools & Supplies Inc. and 2008 chairman of the High Point Chamber of Commerce.
-- Dr. Joseph L. Graves Jr., dean of University Studies and professor of biological sciences at N.C. A&T State University.
-- Dr. Rosemary C. Wander, associate provost for research and public/private sector partnerships at UNCG.
-- Dr. Margaret Arbuckle, executive director of the Guilford Education Alliance.
-- Alan Duncan, chairman of the Guilford County Board of Education.
-- Dr. Noah V. Rogers, principal of Smith High School.
-- Malishai Woodbury, who teaches at Dudley High School.
It was disappointing to see so few elected officials there, especially school board, City Council and county Board of Commissioners members. It would have been nice to see more High Pointers as well.
In fact, the turnout in general was less than we'd hoped.
I know these meetings are not an end unto themselves. But we desperately need to involve more voices in these conversations.
We've also got to figure out tangible ways to transform ideas ino tangible actions.
We'll be writing more about that in coming days.
We'll also post a Web video we put together as part of the program.
Please stay tuned.
Comments (7)
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"In fact, the turnout in general was less than we'd hoped."
Maybe if this had been advertised in the Rhino rather than the N&R the turnout would have been higher.
Posted on March 12, 2008 9:16 PM
Thanks for the suggestion. Did you come? Did you know about it?
Posted on March 12, 2008 9:29 PM
Unfortunately I couldn't make it, in Atlanta on business. Gotta pay for private school somehow.
Posted on March 13, 2008 7:46 AM
Allen,
The Liberal Conservative is getting out of control again, being vile, and it's time to ban for using the N word.
Posted on March 13, 2008 9:48 AM
On the letters blog? Which comment thread?
Posted on March 13, 2008 10:47 AM
Yes - look at the letter to the editor written by ZuQorah Williamson
Posted on March 13, 2008 7:59 PM
Thanks to all--the panelists, the moderators, and the sponsors--for assembling to discuss the state of our public education. I was surprised less about attendance and more that the overall "grade" for our schools, as determined by administrators, elected officials, teachers, and students hovered at a C...and that was likely generous.
Clearly, everyone who participated in One Guilford wants our k-12 education grade to be an A and yet, frustration is aired at being stuck.
Is it time to challenge the "rules" that have brought us to our current condition? Two facts stood out. One, the growing number of low-income families, said some of the panelists, accounts for the decline of education readiness. Two, among the solutions we need to seek is providing students more opportunity to develop as full human beings which includes exposure to ideas, experiences, and people beyond the classroom walls. The students in the audience from Dudley HS, for instance, saw first-hand the struggles we adults face in working for them. It was at times a difficult message to hear, but as the students said, they have a better insight into the current condition from a perspective outside their own.
Standardized tests received a definitivie thumbs-down from virtually everyone...so why do we still have them? Why don't our elected officials protest the use of these tests, as do many citizens who have seen that these tests correlate with elevated child stress, decline of innovative classroom instruction, and disappointing outcomes. Our experiences in Guilford County could be the bell to sound for the rest of the country in opposition to federal legislation and policy, and state-wide priorities, that despite well-intended goals, fail to advance best practices.
Why don't we demand the money, the cha-ching, necessary to implment programs that we know work for remedial interventions, gifted advancement, and everyday student achievement?
Many good ideas were expressed at One Guilford, including explanations for the complexity of our problems. The success of this event will be judged not on what was spoken there or how many people attended, but on what actions follow. It was clear that local decisions and plans (recruiting talented teachers, reform action plans, etc.) are important, but also vital to improve our lot is to challenge the rules that dictate what actions we can even take.
Our children are too important to settle for anything less than excellence. One Guilford surfaced that sentiment loud and clear. It is up to us, parents, taxpayers, officials, students, and teachers, to work together, not just to make necessary, incremental change, but also to craft a plan that can inspire us all with its transformative change possibilities.
Posted on March 14, 2008 8:27 AM