Families flee school's sinking scores 'Underperforming' label exacerbates problem in Concord

sfgate/SF chronicle ^ | Tuesday, February 1, 2005 | Carrie Sturrock, Chronicle Staff Writer

[KneelBeforeZod]

Oak Grove Middle School has low state test scores, and for many parents -- and teachers -- that's all they need to know.

It doesn't matter that the Concord school once was honored as a California Distinguished School and has classes for gifted and talented students, a state-of-the-art technology program and even a psychologist on campus to support the kids.

What matters is that widely publicized state test scores and the federal No Child Left Behind Act have labeled the school underperforming, giving parents a reason to leave. Enrollment has dropped from 915 last year to 750, and the parents of another 180 students have requested transfers by the fall. The act also has figured in the loss of 40 teachers in recent years, Principal Lorie O'Brien said.

SNIP

"I'm not prejudiced, (but) the school became English-as-a-second-language, " she said. "You would be taking my kids from a great environment to a ghetto environment where they're struggling with other needs ... The test scores at Oak Grove are terrible."

[Nov3]

Makes me wonder how "outstanding" they really were before accountability standards were imposed.

LOL that was my very first thought also.

[mathchick]

Bingo. The article leaves a lot out, including the fact that ANY parent who is involved could choose to transfer and send their kid someplace better. The way the article presents things, anyone who transfers their kid is being heartless, racist and ignorant. It's not about race; it's about parents using the system in the way it was intended to be used, in order to send their kids where they want them to be. I posted about it here.

[coconutt2000]

Did you read the NCLB?

[Nov3]

We have the same problem in Memphis. A lot of the problem lies with the leadership in this city.

Yeah our schools have been going downhill ever since King Willie stopped being superintendant - NOT

I remember going to summer school at White Station in the late 70's(now supposedly a good school) The teacher was functionally illiterate. I am not kidding. She had trouble reading.

[Lancey Howard]

Makes me wonder how "outstanding" they really were before accountability standards were imposed.

Bingo!

[Clemenza]

Walnut Creek = VERY expensive real estate.

[TontoKowalski]

"Sometimes the better-educated parents take advantage of the school choice option."

The phrase "take advantage of" subtly implies that the parents are doing something underhanded, subverting the law for their own fiendish purposes. In fact, the law was expressly designed to give parents the "bail" option.

My college roomie is a high school teacher, and a pretty good one, I think. He tells me that the single most important factor in student success is parental involvement. Race, gender, income... they are all less reliable indicators of student success than parental involvement.

I have nothing to back that up other than his anecdotal stories, but I tend to think it's true.

[umgud]

During my daughter's last few years in private school, a young Indian boy fresh from abroad, joined her class. He was amazed that the school classes were only 6-7 hours/day and only 5 days per week with time off during the summer.

[cinives]

I'm sure it is, but if you have a child who doesn't want to participate in "cooperative learning" where all the work in the class is done in groups for a group grade, and said child has a mind of her own, then said child, no matter the amount of parental involvement, will not get a good grade from that teacher.

Of course, the other kids will get good grades but will learn very little in any case.

Teaching methods matter as well, probably just as much as parental involvement if not more. It's one of the reasons many kids do well one year but may have problems the next in an area of their strength.

[homeywhite]

I live a few blocks from this school and frequently walk the dog past it. From the outside the school appears normal with very normal kids.I have never seen any gang activity or violence. There are a large number of Hispanics. There are are also at least a half dozen or more severely handicapped kids who are pushed or walked around the school grounds and nearby streets by faculty or volunteers. These kids are being mainstreamed and the 6 or so kids I encounter can not even say dog when prompted by their caregivers. I don't know how many more there are on school grounds but if these kids are included in any testing data then the results will be pulled down some. It was policy to include them a few years back.
As for the Hispanic issue if it can be called that there are a number of streets with single family homes owned by Hispanics in that school district. Construction and improvements are a 365 day a year activity. The owners display a great deal of pride in their neighborhood. Does this imply that improved academic scores might be a generation away? This school is not in a poor section of town. The house next store is on the market for $1.2 million. Across the street is a home owned by Hispanics that could easily fetch $2.5-3 million if it was on the market. Nearby are two excellent Catholic High Schools - You may have heard of one of them, DeLaSalle, the number one high school football team in the country for about 3 or 4 years. This is just to give some of you a glimpse of the environment this school operates in. Parents generally have the economic wherewithal to move their kids if they so choose.If my kids were that age I would do what our younger friends do, send the kids to private schools.

[Jason_b]

Ok you got me. No. I haven't read the ACT. Everything I think I know about it comes from articles like this one. Even if people like the nut in this article misinterpret it something is wrong. Where there's smoke... Language needs to be clear. There is no such thing as no child left behind regardless of how the act reads. All children are different. You hope by pushing them to excel some will but some just can't. Libs who are prone to distorting the intent of words see no child left behind and do things like this. It is as they do with zero tolerance banning chicken legs. If the act is great as it is, fine, but change the name so as not to provoke the stupid to action.

[coconutt2000]

As far as the name thing goes, you're not too far off. The bill was named purely for marketing purposes.

In actuality, NCLB is about accountability. It could also be renamed, "No Educators Get Away With Crap".

It is actually a very good piece of legislation, and when you hear about it being underfunded, you're hearing a spin. Much of the money hasn't been spent because resistance from the teacher's unions and DOE's in many states has resulted in nowhere for the money to go.

Just think of it this way... If the NEA hates it, it must be good.

[Alia]

I used to live near there. As early as the mid-90s, many of the schools had stopped regular math and science in the gradeschools. The war was on between phonics and "sight-and-memory". Reading? I've gotten to look at some of the "prize winning" books recommended for students -- THESE ARE UNREADABLE; no wonder the students are having trouble. PE? What PE? Diversity programs? PLENTY. Then we get to the "language" issues.... Some of the schools are watering down regular programs and teaching ALL students in "multi-languages" per session.. no wonder the student grades are not on par with where they should be. I wonder what the ratio of students on ritilin-like drugs is?

Sure, "politics" factors in.. but money talks louder. A lot of funds get "underwritten" in state to include a lot of BS, in order for the school to get funding. Gotta keep teacher union members employed, know what I mean?

[Alia]

I know the area. I had to walk two students through the "apartment complex" (in the back, too!). I'd never do it again, unarmed.

[BullDog108]

Walnut Creek = VERY expensive real estate.

Not in the 60s. Our house was a tract house built by Eichler, very lower middle class. Now everything in California is overpriced/valued.

[Junior]

Well, at least they'll have smaller class sizes...

[Jason_b]

It could also be renamed, "No Educators Get Away With Crap".

Forget marketing! It should literally be named that! I'd love that! The Accountability In Education Act. I like it!