Looking at More Than the Three Rs
Editor’s Note:
In our Feb. 4 “Smart Moves” story on advice to home shoppers on how to pick a good public school, we asked for your ideas. We got plenty of good ones, and they form this follow-up story.
An interesting note: Many of the letter writers are schoolteachers. Myra LeBendig, Elizabeth Gutierrez, Sharon M. Villarreal, Michael D. Schoos, Bernard Terry, Kevin Kennedy, Henry Paul Canales, Ismael Rosario, Cynthia Amos and Cecilia Peniche are Los Angeles teachers studying to become principals in a two-year master’s program taught by Linda Orozco-Martisko, PhD, at Cal State Los Angeles. Their letters are part of a class assignment.
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Too many people assume that location is the key to a good school, without looking beyond the exterior of the building or the address.
For the last eight years I have taught school in South-Central Los Angeles. Test scores are low. However, looking over our records and doing classroom observations would tell anyone that things are improving. The school is an oasis of calm in a area most people only read about.
Our school serves the community through after-school and weekend programs. We have outreach health services as well as adult campuses. I challenge any school to be more responsive to the community it serves.
MYRA LeBENDIG
Teacher
Foshay Learning Center
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I have been researching public schools for my younger brother, a seventh-grader at a school that should remain nameless. I am dissatisfied with his current educational program. Being a public school teacher, I know that there are outstanding educational benefits within the public school system; I just need to find the best for my brother.
Here are some of the things I am looking for:
* Does the school have high expectations for each student?
* Does the staff exhibit a sense of commitment to finding teaching strategies that enable the high expectations to be achieved?
* Do all students have access to a challenging and meaningful curriculum?
* Is the school fostering activities that are conducive to learning?
* Is the environment safe?
* Is the curriculum sensitive to the diversity of students?
* Is there a good school-home connection?
ELIZABETH GUTIERREZ
Pico Rivera
The writer teaches in East Los Angeles.
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My experience as both teacher and parent tells me that even in some “bad” neighborhoods exist some pretty remarkable schools.
In choosing both a school in which to teach and a school for my daughter, I looked at the climate of the school; not just environment but interaction among staff, students, parents and administration.
I am more convinced now, as a parent of a 9-year-old, than I ever was as a teacher that it is both teachers and parents, working with enthusiasm, who create the atmosphere needed for our children to excel.
* Is this enthusiasm shared among most of the staff?
* Did the principal greet you with suspicion or a smile?
* Are the parents interested in taking part in the curricular and extracurricular activities of the school?
* Is there a mission statement clearly posted where the students, teachers, parents and community can see that there is a purpose to be served?
* Is assessment measured only by standardized tests? According to the California State Frameworks in Elementary Education, authentic assessment is a requirement.
* It was important for me that my child be in a racially diverse school.
Even after you find the perfect school, there will still be things that bother you. It is about deciding what two, three or maybe four things are the most critical to you. Unfortunately one would, in fact, be hard-pressed to find many schools with everything.
SHARON M. VILLARREAL
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I think one of the best indicators of a good school is parental involvement. It has been shown through many studies that when parents are involved in their children’s schooling, the children do better in all aspects of education.
The racial makeup of the school would be important to me because we live in this world together, and my child should be exposed to many different cultures and ethnic groups. We live together as one people, Americans.
Other important factors are the organizations within the school and the businesses that provide financial support and other assistance. They can help schools provide more progressive programs that offer opportunities for the children.
MICHAEL D. SCHOOS
West Los Angeles
The writer teaches third grade in South-Central Los Angeles.
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My wife and I are both public high school teachers, and we are in search of a quality school for our 5-year-old daughter, Katie, who will be entering first grade in the fall.
We have visited several schools, examining their physical aspects and the communities around them. We have observed classroom activities and talked with teachers about their philosophies and goals and about the quality of such educational materials as computers, books and supplemental materials. Roosevelt High is on a year-round schedule. The day begins at 7:20 a.m. and ends at 3:10 p.m., and the school does not always match up with the holidays of some traditional and private schools. Most schools do not open their doors until 8:30 or 9 a.m. and usually dismiss first-graders at 2 p.m., so we have checked schools that provide day care before and after school hours.
We are also looking for racial and cultural diversity.
Last but not least, we are looking at the qualifications of the teachers, including any awards they or their students may have earned and the expectations of the school community.
BERNARD TERRY
Science teacher/athletic director
Theodore Roosevelt High School
Los Angeles
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Strong administrative leadership is essential for effective schools. Here are some points to check in selecting a good school:
* Does the school have strong leadership? Can you observe the principal supporting the effective delivery of instruction and limiting the interruptions to the school day?
* Does the principal’s vision for the instructional development agree with the staff’s vision?
* Do you see the principal interacting with students on a regular basis?
* Does the principal visit classrooms to assist the instructors with rewarding student achievement?
* Does the principal facilitate the teachers’ sharing and cooperating with each other?
KEVIN KENNEDY
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What is a good school and how do you find one? Here are some questions I would ask:
If a private school is being considered, what is the educational background and training of the teachers? A teaching credential is not required to teach in a private school, so it is important to know if the teachers have had the training necessary to understand the complexities of teaching both basic and advanced subjects.
A good school should have a clearly defined curriculum so that parents can have an idea of what their children are going to learn.
What is the school’s philosophy about the best way children learn? Is the teacher going to stand in front of the class and lecture or are the students going to be actively involved in their learning?
One clue is how the classroom seating is arranged. If all the desks are facing front in neat rows with a teacher desk in the front, the school is probably traditional with a lecture approach to imparting information.
But if the desks are arranged in groups and there is no “front of the room,” the approach is likely to be more student-centered, with an emphasis on interaction among groups.
Does the school seek to meet the needs of children who have strengths and weaknesses in various areas, or is everyone expected to learn in exactly the same way?
What is the discipline policy? Even the best-behaved children sometimes get into trouble, and it is important to know if teachers are encouraged to work with students to develop self-discipline or if punishment is the primary form of discipline.
Visit classrooms while school is in session. The best test of a good school is how interested and involved the students are, be it a traditional or a more open school. Public schools allow for 20-minute observations. Private schools should also provide the opportunity to visit classrooms and observe lessons.
MARJORY WOOLF
Mentor teacher
Victory Boulevard
Elementary School
North Hollywood
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Education begins in the home and not in the classroom. If the Bidwells want a good education for their daughter, they should think about the “two-hour round-trip commute to work” that he must make each day that obviously cuts down on the amount of time that he can spend with his daughter.
Rather than having the attitude of “Let’s just move away and let someone else worry about it,” why don’t the Bidwells be proactive and make a positive influence in the existing neighborhood school through the PTA, parent volunteerism and community action groups?
JANNA KAY NEWSOM
Whittier
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The article omitted one of the most important criteria in rating schools: the library.
An excellent school has a well-stocked library with current fiction and nonfiction books, an up-to-date reference section, subscriptions to magazines on a variety of subjects appropriate to the age and interests of the students and technological access to a variety of CD-ROMs and other information programs for student and staff use.
Above all, the school has a credentialed librarian who instructs students individually, in small groups or in classes on the kinds of skills and concepts that are necessary for true information literacy.
A school may have all of the fine qualities you mentioned in your article, but if it does not have a good library with a credentialed librarian it is not the best school.
SANDY SCHUCKETT
Vice president/legislation
California School Library Assn.
El Sereno Middle School Library
Los Angeles
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The article’s emphasis was on the process and not on the ultimate goal of education. By walking into a school with the questions listed below, parents not only have a good chance of graduating an educated child but one whose character and values they can be proud of.
* Are such fundamental principles as individual responsibility and democratic government being taught in school?
* Does the school emphasize educational goals and objectives that educate our children in the basic skills?
* Are there standards and performance-based assessments in mathematics, science, English, language arts and history?
* Does the school emphasize acquiring sound reasoning processes rather than learning a body of serial facts?
* Does the school develop the child’s cultural values and perpetuate our American heritage?
* Does the school practice cultural pluralism?
HENRY PAUL CANALES
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When searching for a school for my 6-year-old son, my husband and I were concerned about the usual things like test scores; we wanted our son to attend a school that scored about the state average on state-administered tests.
In addition, though, there were other things I looked for:
* First, I visited schools in the morning before school and again in the afternoon, just as school was dismissed. I wanted to see if the kids were mainly bussed in or driven in or if they walked.
* Next I checked to see if multiculturalism was embedded in the curriculum or if the school’s idea of multiculturalism was still the old paradigm of a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. on the wall of every classroom.
* I also checked into whether authentic assessment strategies as well as diverse teaching strategies were used with all children. When observing, I tried to ask teachers how and when they assess children and whether their expectations and objectives were clearly stated to and understood by the children.
* Most important, I wanted to learn if character-building was part of the curriculum. Were children clearly told they have a responsibility to conduct themselves according to certain parameters set forth by society? Were they taught responsibility for their actions?
Are children given a chance to provide insight and input into their learning? Is the learning that is taking place powerful and meaningful for them? Does the teacher work closely with parents in engaging children in learning?
In short, I look for a shift from the conventional “sort and weed” mentality of the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s to a philosophy of “All children can learn; smart is not what you’re born with, but how well you use what you’ve got.”
CYNTHIA AMOS
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Here are some other areas that parents may take into consideration when searching for good schools.
* Visit the local police station and get a feeling for the crime rate in the area. This is also a good place to ask about gang activity.
* Talk with the local pastor about the community and its residents.
* A sloppy-looking school is often a sloppily run school. Is the community surrounding the school clean and well-kept or is there trash everywhere and graffiti on the walls?
* Ask about the average length of service of the teachers at the school. High teacher turnover might signify a problem.
CECILIA PENICHE
Kindergarten teacher
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I am a teacher and parent, and here are some of the things that I looked for in a school when I was house-hunting:
* Good test scores are an indicator of an all-around good school, but poor test scores do not indicate a poor school. Some students can score very well on tests, but overall test scores depend on the student population and the average of all test scores.
* Having visuals in the classroom is not an indicator of a good teacher. Most teachers make those bulletin boards and buy all those extra things themselves. An older teacher is bound to have more than a new teacher or a teacher who has just switched a grade level.
* If you pick a school based on the amount of parental involvement, be sure you have time to volunteer yourself.
* Not having parent-supported after-school programs is not an indicator of a poor school. At my children’s former school, the PTA wanted to offer an after-school science program for which the parents covered the costs. We were refused several times because it was felt to be discriminatory to bussed children as there was no bus for them to take home.
* For parents to go in and clean up and paint schools is a violation of the maintenance workers’ contract. This is not an indicator that parents and teachers don’t have pride in their schools.
When I went school shopping, I drove by the school during the day to see if the children wore gang attire. I went to an open house. I observed the students’ work, the number of parents present and how crowded the classrooms were, the pride or lack thereof the families took in their personal appearances.
KATHY HARRINGTON
Cypress
I took umbrage at one point in the “Smart Moves” article.
The story stated that if you see “a bunch of cars” at the school well after school is out and on weekends, this means the school has a “staff that’s hard-working and cares.”
Many schoolteachers are women and many of them have small children. I have to rush from my school to my son’s school every day. I routinely carry home heavy bags of student work to be graded, work that can keep me occupied until 10 p.m. I also do most of my lesson planning and grade recording at home, where I have the convenience of my personal computer.
You will never see my car on the school lot after 3 p.m., but that doesn’t mean I don’t care.
LINDA S. BROWN
Bellflower
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As president of Greenfield Educators’ Assn. and representative of 223 dedicated professionals, I take issue with one point in “Smart Moves.”
If teachers’ cars in the parking lot after 4 p.m. and on weekends make for a “good” school district, then perhaps the author needs to look again.
Because of a special grant, my school district was able to install security systems in our nine schools. Most are turned on at 4 p.m. daily and run all weekend. We have to take our work home with us because we’re literally locked out of our rooms after school and on weekends.
If any potential home buyer would care to make a few home calls, they would find my teachers’ kitchen tables and family room coffee tables laden with texts, plan books and student work.
Let’s look a little deeper than occupied parking lots before we label schools “good” or not!
ANNE W. GIDDINGS
Bakersfield
Is Anyone Online?
Is there an electronic bulletin board or chat line for anyone searching the Internet for information on Southern California schools? My interest is in high schools, but I am sure there is much interest in private or prep schools.
ISMAEL ROSARIO
