With First Day of Classes, School Starts Third Year of Comeback

There were the usual first-day-of-school nerves Tuesday at Whittier Elementary in Costa Mesa.

One little girl went to the bathroom and began sobbing when she couldn’t find her way back to her classroom. A mother broke down in tears as she kissed her kindergartner goodbye. Teachers wondered how well their new students could speak English, and who among them would be little angels and who troublemakers.

But like many at the school, Mireya Hernandez, whose daughter Priscilla is beginning third grade, said one major worry is gone from her mind: She no longer agonizes over whether the school is good enough.

Two years ago, Whittier’s test scores were so low that, along with about 400 other campuses in California, it volunteered for a risky state program that promises extra money but carries the threat of a state or local takeover if scores don’t improve. It was one of only five in Orange County that joined the underperforming-schools program in its first year; others signed on last year.

Come October, Whittier, a predominantly Latino campus on the west side of Costa Mesa, will officially find out whether it has improved enough to avoid state action. But teachers and parents are already euphoric: Test scores are far above their state-set targets, and the threat of a takeover is the furthest thing from their minds.

“Whittier rocks!” screamed principal Sharon Blakely, performing an exultant little dance while taking a break from passing out donated backpacks to students who can’t afford them. “I’m so proud of our teachers and our students.”

Teachers said the secret of the school’s success is clear: Reading and mathematics have become their twin obsessions. Every child’s work is painstakingly analyzed and lessons tailored to their needs. Police officers, firefighters and even employees at Starbucks have been recruited to tutor math after school.

No Time Wasted: Tests the First Day

To help children learn English before they start kindergarten, officials have established an on-campus preschool. And parents also are encouraged to take classes at which they not only learn English but also learn how to help with homework.

And uplifting slogans, such as “I will not let myself or my community down,” decorate the campus’ walls.

“We had to change,” said English specialist Patricia McFarland. “We had to. . . . We bought into the vision.”

Under that new vision, every minute of instruction counts. Indeed, on Tuesday, after she explained where the bathrooms are and what the rules are for going, Mary Becker jumped right in, testing students on whether they can write numerals from 1 to 100.

The exercise also showed how well the 7-year-olds were able to buckle down and work on a task--and who had had the foresight to use the restroom during lunch.

“Make sure you wash your hands,” the 12-year veteran teacher called out as yet another child broke off from work to make a run for the restroom.

“I’m always very nervous the first day,” Becker said. “You never know who you’re going to get.”

Down the hall, 27-year-old Alene Williams already had her students working on a reading assignment.

Williams, who taught for three years in a nearby district, said she chose to come to Whittier because of the success the school has had in teaching its mostly Spanish-speaking students. “If you have a student who is not doing well, all the teachers get involved,” she said. “No child is ever given up on here.”

As the afternoon bell approached, the scene outside the school gates resembled the international arrivals area of a busy airport, with parents anxiously waiting for loved ones who had been away a long, long time.

“The school is much, much better,” said Hernandez as she waited for her daughter to emerge. “I didn’t really like the school at first [four years ago]. Some of the teachers were rude . . . but now they have all these programs.”

When she finally made her way past the throngs of parent-child reunions, Priscilla added her approval of the school: “It’s good. We’re having lots of fun.”