Post by crudo on Oct 23, 2005 11:23:01 GMT -5
Minority report gathers feedback
Opinions given on 'racial injustice' to athletes' GPA
By KRISTINA SEWARD
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: October 23, 2005, 04:23:54 AM PDT
Modesto City Schools recently released a preliminary report that is drawing mixed reviews from parents and community members.
The report, Addressing Minority Student Issues, identifies potential problems facing black and Latino students and looks for ways to solve them.
Some feel it's a step in the right direction. Others say the proposals need fine-tuning.
John Ervin, interim director of minority student services, cautioned that the report still is in the draft phase.
Ervin, Superintendent Jim Enochs and other district officials have held two meetings recently with community groups to get feedback. Enochs said the proposals are based on data that show minority students are performing below their peers academically and are being disciplined at higher rates.
Last year, black male students had the highest expulsion rate, according to the report.
Mindy Lewis, whose son is a recent graduate of Modesto High School, said the expulsion rates are higher because administrators don't discipline all students the same.
"When it comes to minorities, they're not being equitable," Lewis said. She called the disproportionate expulsion rates "racial injustice."
The district's solution is to create a probationary period, giving administrators an alternative to expulsion or suspension.
But Doris Willard, also the parent of two recent Modesto High graduates, said racism still will exist in student discipline because the majority of teachers and administrators are white.
Last year, nearly 9 of 10 of the district's high school teachers and almost 8 of 10 of the elementary school teachers were white, according to the state Department of Education.
Ervin said the report has been in the works for about three years, ever since the forming of the Parker Committee, a local group of educators, community leaders and parents brought together to address disparities facing the district's minority students.
After updating the report with community feedback, Ervin said, the draft will be presented to the Board of Education at its Nov. 14 meeting. The board will not take any action.
Enochs said some proposals will require action by the trustees: changing the student conduct code, adopting singlegender classes and giving Ervin permanent status to his newly created position.
Ervin was previously director of after-school programs for the district.
Some in the Latino community worry that Ervin, who is black, won't be able to connect with Latino families.
Karlha Arias, who attended a meeting last week at El Concilio Community Center where the report was discussed, said Ervin should have a Latino counterpart.
"He doesn't speak Spanish, and Hispanic students are the most widely affected," said Arias, who works under the chancellor of the Yosemite Community College District. "I think it would make sense to hire someone who can relate to that part of the community."
This year, for the first time, Latino students make up more than half of the district's enrollment, according to the report.
Arias said some of the data is disheartening, but it's encouraging that district officials have developed a plan.
Miguel Donoso, who attended the same meeting, said much of the data is difficult for the average person to understand, and the district should create a simplified version. He also said the report is useless to most Latinos unless it's in Spanish.
Associate Superintendent Jim Pfaff said the report will be translated to Spanish, but he doesn't know when.
School board President Nancy Cline said she supports most of the proposals. Cline said she would like to see the community work together to make changes.
Dave Menshew, a science teacher at Mark Twain Junior High, said he thinks the report is a well-organized effort by the district. He said it will provide educators with more tools to enhance student achievement.
One of the proposals, to change athletic eligibility requirements for high school students, has received the most fervent opposition.
The current requirement is that student athletes maintain a 2.0 GPA, the equivalent of a C average. The report suggests letting athletes' GPAs drop as low as 1.5.
Ervin said the philosophy is that playing sports motivates minority students, especially males, to do well in school.
Jesse Willard, Doris Willard's husband, said the general belief that minorities want the bar lowered isn't true. He said letting student athletes' grades drop won't do them any favors.
Enochs said the issues addressed in the report are not unique to Modesto City Schools. He said ongoing data collection will be the best way to determine whether these measures are working.
"Part of what we're trying to do is to get the discussion and the programs so that they are based on hard data," he said, "rather than people's feelings and their own preconceived notions of what's going on."
Cheryl James, who coordinates Project Success Academy, a tutoring, mentoring and support program for the region, said the ideas in the report are good in theory but is not convinced they will accomplish much.
James said many of the people involved are wrapped up in meetings to discuss the report, but she sees little action.
"They say they are trying to help the community," she said, "but the best way to help is actually get out there and do it."
Bee staff writer Kristina Seward can be reached at 578-2235 or kseward@modbee.com.
ISSUE: Modesto City Schools recently released Addressing Minority Student Issues, a report that contains several proposals to deal with disparities facing minority students, specifically blacks and Latinos.
WHAT IT MEANS: The report is in the draft phase. District officials are meeting with community groups to get feedback.
WHAT’S NEXT: The report will be presented to the Board of Education for initial consideration at its Nov. 14 meeting, but trustees will take no immediate action. The next community meeting to review the report will be at Hanshaw Elementary School at a date and time to be announced
BACKGROUND
The report, Addressing Minority Student Issues, serves as a foundation for dealing with issues facing minority students, specifically blacks and Latinos. Most proposals, if approved, will take effect in fall 2006. Here are some of the issues and proposals:
ISSUE: The achievement gap between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds begins before kindergarten. Low-income kindergartners, a group that includes large numbers of black and Latino children, typically start school a full year behind other students in reading and vocabulary.
PROPOSAL: Recruit larger numbers of minorities for the district's preschool programs by raising awareness among black and Latino parents.
ISSUE: Recent studies show black and Latino students spend more time in special education classes and programs than students from other ethnic groups.
PROPOSAL: Introduce single-gender classes as an alternative to special education. The method is intended to accommodate specific learning and maturing differences between girls and boys. It would be open to all students with parent permission. It would start with fourth- and fifth-grade combination classes -- one for boys, one for girls -- at two elementary sites.
ISSUE: Statistics show a steady decline in the numbers of the district's minority students taking college- preparatory courses.
PROPOSAL: Expand the AVID program (Advancement via Individual Determination) by offering it in sixth grade, and by gradually adding AVID classes at all high schools until there are offerings at each grade level. Now, AVID classes are offered to all seventh- and eighth-grade students, and some high school students.
ISSUE: As students move between schools or districts, some are not receiving information about rules and consequences. Students now receive a copy of the Student Conduct Code at the start of the school year, but there is no districtwide orientation.
PROPOSAL: Separate meetings for all seventh- and ninth-grade students at the start of the school year to review the Student Conduct Code. Orientations would be given to students who enter the district after the first week of school.
ISSUE: A disproportionate number of male students and black and Latino students are expelled or suspended from the district every year.
PROPOSAL: Prevent gaps in student enrollment by developing a probationary program to be used as an alternative discipline to expulsion or suspension for serious offenses.
ISSUE: Low numbers of minority parents are involved in their child's education.
PROPOSAL: Start the Effective Black Parenting Program, and continue the Parent Institute for Quality Education, which serves mostly Latino parents.
SOURCE: Modesto City Schools
Opinions given on 'racial injustice' to athletes' GPA
By KRISTINA SEWARD
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: October 23, 2005, 04:23:54 AM PDT
Modesto City Schools recently released a preliminary report that is drawing mixed reviews from parents and community members.
The report, Addressing Minority Student Issues, identifies potential problems facing black and Latino students and looks for ways to solve them.
Some feel it's a step in the right direction. Others say the proposals need fine-tuning.
John Ervin, interim director of minority student services, cautioned that the report still is in the draft phase.
Ervin, Superintendent Jim Enochs and other district officials have held two meetings recently with community groups to get feedback. Enochs said the proposals are based on data that show minority students are performing below their peers academically and are being disciplined at higher rates.
Last year, black male students had the highest expulsion rate, according to the report.
Mindy Lewis, whose son is a recent graduate of Modesto High School, said the expulsion rates are higher because administrators don't discipline all students the same.
"When it comes to minorities, they're not being equitable," Lewis said. She called the disproportionate expulsion rates "racial injustice."
The district's solution is to create a probationary period, giving administrators an alternative to expulsion or suspension.
But Doris Willard, also the parent of two recent Modesto High graduates, said racism still will exist in student discipline because the majority of teachers and administrators are white.
Last year, nearly 9 of 10 of the district's high school teachers and almost 8 of 10 of the elementary school teachers were white, according to the state Department of Education.
Ervin said the report has been in the works for about three years, ever since the forming of the Parker Committee, a local group of educators, community leaders and parents brought together to address disparities facing the district's minority students.
After updating the report with community feedback, Ervin said, the draft will be presented to the Board of Education at its Nov. 14 meeting. The board will not take any action.
Enochs said some proposals will require action by the trustees: changing the student conduct code, adopting singlegender classes and giving Ervin permanent status to his newly created position.
Ervin was previously director of after-school programs for the district.
Some in the Latino community worry that Ervin, who is black, won't be able to connect with Latino families.
Karlha Arias, who attended a meeting last week at El Concilio Community Center where the report was discussed, said Ervin should have a Latino counterpart.
"He doesn't speak Spanish, and Hispanic students are the most widely affected," said Arias, who works under the chancellor of the Yosemite Community College District. "I think it would make sense to hire someone who can relate to that part of the community."
This year, for the first time, Latino students make up more than half of the district's enrollment, according to the report.
Arias said some of the data is disheartening, but it's encouraging that district officials have developed a plan.
Miguel Donoso, who attended the same meeting, said much of the data is difficult for the average person to understand, and the district should create a simplified version. He also said the report is useless to most Latinos unless it's in Spanish.
Associate Superintendent Jim Pfaff said the report will be translated to Spanish, but he doesn't know when.
School board President Nancy Cline said she supports most of the proposals. Cline said she would like to see the community work together to make changes.
Dave Menshew, a science teacher at Mark Twain Junior High, said he thinks the report is a well-organized effort by the district. He said it will provide educators with more tools to enhance student achievement.
One of the proposals, to change athletic eligibility requirements for high school students, has received the most fervent opposition.
The current requirement is that student athletes maintain a 2.0 GPA, the equivalent of a C average. The report suggests letting athletes' GPAs drop as low as 1.5.
Ervin said the philosophy is that playing sports motivates minority students, especially males, to do well in school.
Jesse Willard, Doris Willard's husband, said the general belief that minorities want the bar lowered isn't true. He said letting student athletes' grades drop won't do them any favors.
Enochs said the issues addressed in the report are not unique to Modesto City Schools. He said ongoing data collection will be the best way to determine whether these measures are working.
"Part of what we're trying to do is to get the discussion and the programs so that they are based on hard data," he said, "rather than people's feelings and their own preconceived notions of what's going on."
Cheryl James, who coordinates Project Success Academy, a tutoring, mentoring and support program for the region, said the ideas in the report are good in theory but is not convinced they will accomplish much.
James said many of the people involved are wrapped up in meetings to discuss the report, but she sees little action.
"They say they are trying to help the community," she said, "but the best way to help is actually get out there and do it."
Bee staff writer Kristina Seward can be reached at 578-2235 or kseward@modbee.com.
ISSUE: Modesto City Schools recently released Addressing Minority Student Issues, a report that contains several proposals to deal with disparities facing minority students, specifically blacks and Latinos.
WHAT IT MEANS: The report is in the draft phase. District officials are meeting with community groups to get feedback.
WHAT’S NEXT: The report will be presented to the Board of Education for initial consideration at its Nov. 14 meeting, but trustees will take no immediate action. The next community meeting to review the report will be at Hanshaw Elementary School at a date and time to be announced
BACKGROUND
The report, Addressing Minority Student Issues, serves as a foundation for dealing with issues facing minority students, specifically blacks and Latinos. Most proposals, if approved, will take effect in fall 2006. Here are some of the issues and proposals:
ISSUE: The achievement gap between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds begins before kindergarten. Low-income kindergartners, a group that includes large numbers of black and Latino children, typically start school a full year behind other students in reading and vocabulary.
PROPOSAL: Recruit larger numbers of minorities for the district's preschool programs by raising awareness among black and Latino parents.
ISSUE: Recent studies show black and Latino students spend more time in special education classes and programs than students from other ethnic groups.
PROPOSAL: Introduce single-gender classes as an alternative to special education. The method is intended to accommodate specific learning and maturing differences between girls and boys. It would be open to all students with parent permission. It would start with fourth- and fifth-grade combination classes -- one for boys, one for girls -- at two elementary sites.
ISSUE: Statistics show a steady decline in the numbers of the district's minority students taking college- preparatory courses.
PROPOSAL: Expand the AVID program (Advancement via Individual Determination) by offering it in sixth grade, and by gradually adding AVID classes at all high schools until there are offerings at each grade level. Now, AVID classes are offered to all seventh- and eighth-grade students, and some high school students.
ISSUE: As students move between schools or districts, some are not receiving information about rules and consequences. Students now receive a copy of the Student Conduct Code at the start of the school year, but there is no districtwide orientation.
PROPOSAL: Separate meetings for all seventh- and ninth-grade students at the start of the school year to review the Student Conduct Code. Orientations would be given to students who enter the district after the first week of school.
ISSUE: A disproportionate number of male students and black and Latino students are expelled or suspended from the district every year.
PROPOSAL: Prevent gaps in student enrollment by developing a probationary program to be used as an alternative discipline to expulsion or suspension for serious offenses.
ISSUE: Low numbers of minority parents are involved in their child's education.
PROPOSAL: Start the Effective Black Parenting Program, and continue the Parent Institute for Quality Education, which serves mostly Latino parents.
SOURCE: Modesto City Schools