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Lewis: In March 2006, 19 schools in North Carolina described as low performing were threatened to be closed if academic standards did not improve. Many of these schools are attended by minority students. We’ll show you how the principals of two of these schools are working to make sure their students make the grade as well as look at a grassroots effort taking place to ensure that students get the help they need. That’s next on Black Issues Forum.
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Lewis: Welcome to Black Issues Forum. I am Mitchell Lewis. In April 2002 Superior Court Judge Howard Manning decreed in his Leandro mandate that at the minimum every student must be taught by a highly qualified teacher. Every school must be led by a highly competent administrator and every school must have the resources necessary to provide every student with an equal opportunity to receive a basic sound education. In 2005, it was determined that 44 North Carolina high schools had performance scores lower than 60% qualifying them as low performing priority schools. In 2006 Judge Manning issued a warning that if the state’s 19 lowest performing high schools didn’t improve academic scores, above 55%, he would close their doors. So what has happened since the judge’s warning? Later in the program we will talk to two principals whose schools were on the judge’s short list for closure to find out how they are doing. But first we’ll talk with representatives from a Charlotte organization about their work to improve student performance. Margaret Carnes is the Director of the Parent Leadership Network. Alisa Jones is a member of the organization and has children in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system. Ladies, welcome to Black Issues Forum.
Carnes: Thank you.
Lewis: Ms. Carnes, I will start off with you. Tell us why was the network formed?
Carnes: We just really believed as an organization that if our schools were truly going to improve and if student achievement was going to be improved across the board for all students that we needed a different kind of adult relationships between the school staff and between community and certainly with parents. We really needed to develop a sense of shared responsibility.
Lewis: And, Ms. Jones, you have two kids within the Charlotte-Mecklenburg system and you are also part of the network. Why did you feel this was an important organization to be a part of?
Jones: Initially, when I became involved in the schools it involved-for my children. You know, involved just for them and their classrooms and I just saw the need for involvement on a broader level. And the Parent Leadership Network presented an opportunity for me to do that.
Lewis: And, Ms. Carnes, of course, what we are talking about is some of the low performing schools. Now you have had children to go through the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system as well.
Carnes: Absolutely.
Lewis: But now it seems like a lot of the low performing schools, a lot of minority students are involved, what do you see as some of the race challenges that are taking place?
Carnes: I think that what we have to be aware of is that all children can learn and learn well. I think we need to raise expectations across the board. And sometimes I fear that we don’t have the high expectations for all of our children that we should have. So I think that’s one part of it.
Lewis: And, Ms. Jones, as a parent what are some of your concerns with your children in school?
Jones: Just that they be met at the point of their need, that the teachers recognize where they are and try their best to meet them at that point for my kids and for all the kids in our schools.
Lewis: Have you ever faced any challenges so far within the school system?
Jones: Honestly, I have been blessed and have not faced major challenges with my own children but have seen other parents and other children face personal challenges as far as just feeling that their children are not being challenged or feeling that their children are not receiving the extra assistance that they need.
Lewis: Ms. Carnes, how crucial is leadership when it comes to trying to improve these low performance schools?
Carnes: Leadership from the principal or leadership from teachers? From community? From parents?
Lewis: Yes.
Carnes: Is that what you mean, from all different stakeholders? Certainly, principal leadership is key. An effective strong leader that inspires the students, the parents and the teachers is really able to create the kind of learning environment that people want to be part of. So that’s absolutely essential.
Lewis: And Ms. Jones, being a part of the parent leadership network, being involved with some of the other students, what are some of the things that you perhaps learned while being a part of the organization?
Jones: A wealth of knowledge. We went through six days of training through the Parent Leadership Network in order to become a member. And the training included disaggregating data on leadership skills, learning about the North Carolina standard course of study, learning about the history of education in North Carolina-you know, the judge and his ruling. There are a lot of things that we spent six days, over the course of three months, learning about and I think it was empowering to know how to look at my school’s report card and know exactly what it really meant, not to just look at the bottom line numbers but to be able to pull out, okay, we are an achieving school but why is there a 20-25% gap between minority students and other students?
Lewis: Ms. Carnes, what type of services or programs are provided for parents through the network?
Carnes: Actually, we are a leadership development program, we are an initiative and we train parents, we provide the six days of training, 60 hours of training about school reform, help parents really learn to analyze all the data from their child’s school. And then help them find the strengths and weaknesses, go back and talk to staff in their schools and to other parents and develop a project plan that they take back to their schools and put in place and work on for two years. So it’s a two year long program and the work that each one of our parents does back in their schools is unique to every school depending on what the needs of that school might be.
Lewis: Ms. Jones, especially with kids in the system, one of the complaints especially when talking about schools that are low performing, they say that standardized tests are to blame or partially to blame for some of these low performances. Do you agree with that?
Jones: No, I don’t. I think like Margaret said that every child can achieve if they are given the right tools and supported in the way that they need to be supported. I obviously have minority students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools and my daughter hasn’t reached Gateway year yet but my son has achieved exceptionally well. And there are other students, you know, minority students that I know who are achieving exceptionally well. Students some of which are free and reduced lunch. So I don’t think economic levels have a lot to do with it either. I think it’s just the child being able to get what they need from the school, from their teachers, from administrators and to me most of all from their parents.
Lewis: How important is the parent’s role? Because you have teachers trying to teach but sort of that home training, if you will, how important is that in making sure that a child is developing educationally?
Carnes: It’s absolutely essential. You know, home, family, parents-the parent piece of a child’s growth and development and success is half of the equation. So if you can think for a minute about taking away that half of that equation and leaving the other half which is the school, there are very few students who can truly excel to their potential without the kind of support from the other piece, from the home. And it’s just critical. A school can’t make up for. They can do a lot. But they can’t make up for the added value of having engaged parents that are taking the journey with them.
Lewis: I’m going to put you on the spot just a little bit. There was an article in Time Magazine and it referenced a person in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system who had behavioral problems but was at a high performing school but it was claimed that she was moved or was attempted to be moved to a low performing school. Is that a tactic that is taking place so that some of the high performing schools maintain that level or that grade level if you will of high performance?
Carnes: Well, it’s not a simple issue. And I would say no, that it is not a tactic and if it has been I can assure you that safeguards have been put in place to make sure that that wouldn’t continue. I think that for years that there have been some parents who felt that their students were gently or not gently urged to leave our schools. However, there are a lot of different situations that call for different approaches and there are some students that it may in fact be in their best interest to seek another alternative for them to be successful. So I think that’s been sort of the talk on the street with all of us. But I think that it’s been examined pretty closely and there is not real strong evidence that says it’s the case.
Lewis: And on the other hand, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system has been recognized for rapid improvement in overall student performance. What are you doing to try and improve those performance rates?
Carnes: Well, I think we have done a couple of things over the past decade really, is really to focus on academics very clearly. We put some system-wide strategies and programs in place because we have a lot of transients with our student body. They move many of our students. Especially our students who are not as successful, move from one school to the next. And so we have built in some consistency system-wide so that there is not so much difference in what kids experience as they move from school to school. Have done some strong professional development around reading instruction in previous years and I think we are really zeroing in now on the high school level and adding more time, greater intensity and more personalized kind of instruction at the high school level, at that ninth grade, eighth grade, ninth grade transition point to help students really to identify their challenges and help meet those.
Lewis: Thank you, ladies, for your comments. We have been talking to Margaret Carnes and Alisa Jones about their active involvement in improving student performance in their community. Now we are going to meet and talk to the leaders of two schools that have been identified among the 17 lowest performing schools in the state. Both principals have track records of success at previous schools and both have newly entered their perspective posts as principals. We had an opportunity to visit one of them in Durham recently to learn about his particular leadership style.
Pappy: My leadership style is one in which I try to let folks know that school is just an extension of home. And so when young folks come in the building they know they are coming somewhere where it is going to be nurturing by nature and we are going to meet their needs.
Pappy: What’s this matching outfits?
F: It’s twin day.
F: Senior week.
Pappy: I’m a straight shooter so what you see is what you get. I think the parents and the students and the community at large appreciate the fact that I do have an open door policy and I try to ensure that we are meeting the needs of their children coming in the door. But also meeting the needs of the faculty. I mean, this is a very tough population to work with. And so I have to ensure that my teachers are feeling comfortable in the classroom and we are offering all the necessary resources so they can be successful. One of the things that Judge Manning’s ruling did was to bring folks back together because first and foremost no one wants to see Hillside closed. And when you walked in the building today you saw to the right, I don’t know if you noticed, it was the school crest on the wall. And so we had that painted this year because what I wanted the statement to be when folks come in from the community, when they walk in the building they know they are walking into a building that’s about excellence. I try to get to know my students. I try to get to know my teachers and not only get to know them from the perspective of how they can perform whether it is a teacher in the classroom but how much students are doing in other areas. I try to build real strong interpersonal relations.
So my philosophy is if I can get them to believe in themselves and start to look at life beyond their immediate neighborhoods then that will translate into test scores going up.
Polk: He came in and got everybody straight. My test scores have improved a whole lot and he was real good principal.
Marrow: A lot of the students are more going to class and doing what they have to do and you know, it’s not being in the hallways and they are not. I see a big improvement.
Lewis: Now let’s meet our other guests. Earl Pappy is the principal of Hillside High School in Durham that was featured in the piece you just saw. He has been involved in education in North Carolina and Virginia. John Modest Jr. is the principal of West Charlotte High School. He was in charge of a high performing school in Raleigh before leaving for Charlotte. Gentlemen, welcome to Black Issues Forum.
Both: Thank you.
Lewis: My question to both of you because both of you have been involved in high performing schools and now you have decided to take the challenge to go to a low performing school. And I will start off with you, Mr. Modest, why did you decide to make that decision?
Modest: Well, for professional reasons. It’s a challenge to be in a low performing school. And one of the things that I know how to do well is to change that culture. So West Charlotte had had a history of being a low performing for many years and so I accepted it as a professional challenge and I am enjoying myself.
Lewis: And Mr. Pappy, why did you decide to make the transition to Hillside?
Pappy: Throughout my professional career I have always worked at low performing schools and we have had some remarkable successes in those schools and Hillside was a school that I felt that I could create some change and be effective.
Lewis: Mr. Modest, when you arrived at West Charlotte, what was the situation like? What did you start noticing especially some of the concerns that you had?
Modest: Well, first of all we have great kids at West Charlotte so that wasn’t a major concern for me. The thing that most concerned me at West Charlotte was just a lack of the overall quality of instruction going on. We have outstanding teachers, some outstanding teachers at West Charlotte High School, but what I want to see is excellence across the board in each and every classroom and we didn’t have that going on.
Lewis: And, Mr. Pappy, as the piece indicated there are students at Hillside who are doing well but it’s still considered a low performing school. What were some of your concerns?
Pappy: Well, our students are pretty much creatures of habit and there was a lack of consistency and continuity from year to year. We had a revolving door in terms of our teacher retention. And so each and every year as we had mandates it was hard to carry those mandates out because we didn’t know what direction we were going because we were having to retrain teachers each year.
Lewis: And speaking of mandates, Judge Howard Manning’s mandate saying that these 19, now 17, schools, needed to shape up or they were closing the doors to these schools. You met with Judge Manning. What was that like?
Pappy: Actually it was very informational on both party’s part. Judge Manning, his mandates, I haven’t had a problem with him because he is only giving us a charge of what we should be doing, increasing student achievement. And he has had the opportunity to go around to the various 17 high priority schools and I think he has come away from those visits with a new found outlook.
Lewis: And, Mr. Modest, you also had an opportunity to meet with Judge Manning. What was that like?
Modest: Well, Judge Manning, I think he is a great person. What he is verbalizing and articulating is that each and every child here in the state of North Carolina should receive a quality education. And if that’s not happening then we have issues and we need to address those issues. So I like Judge Manning.
Lewis: But one of the things that he stated was that the state of North Carolina was responsible for making sure that students get the education they need. Are you all getting the help that you need in order to make sure that comes to pass?
Modest: I think that is beginning to take place. This past year, for example, the 17 priority high school principals participated in a program, Principals Executive Program, sponsored by UNC-Chapel Hill and Kenan Flagler Business School, paid for by DPI. We are starting to see that type of synergy and action from major stakeholders. So hopefully at the district and building level we can see some of the changes that we need to see occur for student achievement.
Lewis: And, Mr. Pappy, what did you think about that training?
Pappy: Well, I would agree with Mr. Modest. It was a situation where the principals Executive Program along with the Kenan Flagler Business School learned a lot from us also. And so in turn when we go out and work with these priority schools and schools in general they know the necessary resources we need to be successful.
Lewis: Both of you have touched on this, the teacher involvement, teacher shortages. Mr. Pappy, what type of impact has that had on Hillside?
Pappy: The teacher involvement is very-it’s key because one of the things that I like to develop in my schools is very effective interpersonal relationships. Ninety-five percent of what we do is developing solid relationships with our students. And if they know that they are coming to an environment that is nurturing by nature and their needs are going to be met, you will see some positive outcomes on the achievement level.
Modest: And I am going to have to piggy-back on that. Everything that we do in schools is based on relationships. And in terms of a school helping young people achieve the teacher has to have the capacity and the ability to establish a relationship with that student or group of students they are in charge of. If they can’t do that they are going to have a lot of issues.
Lewis: What are you doing to, say, keep the teachers motivated?
Pappy: Well, first of all teachers are professionals. They are going to need to bring a certain level of motivation internally to the job. But what we want teachers to be in is in a safe environment where they are respected, where we are supporting them and providing them with the professional development and the instruction materials and supplies that they need to be successful. We want all of our teachers to be successful. And I know that Earl and all the other principals will do anything they can to make sure that that occurs.
Lewis: And in Charlotte there is also sort of an incentive to help teachers especially when it comes to pay. Talk about that.
Modest: Right, this year in Charlotte we went through something called reconstitution and the major purpose of reconstitution was to retain those teachers who were in fact doing the job. And the second part was to dismiss those teachers who weren’t doing their job. So that’s been a very interesting process this year. Another major piece to the reconstitution is that anyone who is at West Charlotte or the other three challenged or priority high schools next year will receive a 15% salary incentive added to their regular salary and we also have some signing bonuses to help us attract teachers to come to our schools which is a major challenge. Not many teachers want to come to a school that has been deemed low performing.
Lewis: Mr. Pappy, you are nodding your head there. What are some of the things that are going on at Hillside as far as getting the teachers, say, in shape?
Pappy: Well, we are not fortunate enough to have the incentives as Charlotte Mecklenburg so part of my job this year is to market our school in a manner that will make it attractive for teachers to come. Because we are surrounded by districts that are offering these incentives so it makes it very difficult to attract top quality teachers. So my job this year has been to keep morale up and we have done some things within the building, incentives for teachers, let them know that we appreciate what they are doing so that we can ensure that we won’t have this mass exit out the door.
Lewis: And to sort of put you on the spot here, with the majority of the low performing schools being with minorities with a lot of minority students, do you feel that there is any type of racial challenge especially when you look at some of the other high performing schools?
Modest: That’s one of the reasons why I accepted the job. The majority of the schools that I have worked as an administrator have been 95-98% African American. So I would not let that be a barrier in terms of student achievement. Too many times society will place those types of constraints and barriers and excuses for lack of achievement. If you have got the right teacher pool there and you got the right administration and people in the building that are looking-have a shared vision to help move us forward, you will see success.
Lewis: Do you see any concerns with support of the school especially when you look at the racial makeup of the school?
Pappy: One of the uniqueness about Hillside High School and the West Charlotte-we have very strong alumni. It’s very rich. And they are very much more like community schools. I think Judge Manning did help us in the sense that it woke some people up and now they are coming to the table to assist us to help move the school forward.
Lewis: And a question for both of you because you got end of grade testing coming up and some of the things that you were doing at your individual schools some people refer to them as a bit radical and I want both of you to talk about some of the things that you are doing to try and build up the academic levels at your individual schools. I’ll start off with you, Mr. Modest.
Modest: Okay. Well, a major component for West Charlotte this year has been our professional development and one piece we had the entire faculty engaged in a book study on a framer for poverty by Dr. Ruby Payne. And another book that we studied as faculty is classroom instruction that works. But the framer for poverty I feel has particular relevance because that gets to the relationship piece. Teachers must understand the young folks that they are teaching and where they live, their circumstances, in order for them to truly be able to engage them. And I think that will make a difference for the faculty and for the school at West Charlotte. Classroom instruction that works, that is a no-brainer. We want to incorporate all the best practices for classroom instruction that works. So professional development piece is one of many things that we are doing because it is a very complex issue.
Lewis: Mr. Pappy?
Pappy: Well, some of the things that John has alluded to but one of the things that we have done is reconnect with the community. We formed partnerships with the various universities and with businesses. For example, we are becoming a professional development school and this year I decided to do a survey from the teacher’s standpoint and in turn we provide professional development opportunities provided by North Carolina Central. Also with the shrinking teacher pool we have reconnected with the school of education at North Carolina Central and so we now have interns coming in so that I can nurture them over a four year period. We would like to get them in their freshman year and as they matriculate to their senior year hopefully Hillside will be a viable option for them. So those are some of the things that we done this year.
Lewis: And I would like to thank you at this time. And much success to the both of you. For more information about tonight’s show, visit us online at unctv.org/bif or call us on the BIFline at 919-549-7167. For Black Issues Forum, I’m Mitchell Lewis. Thanks for watching.
Voiceover: Quality public television is made possible through the financial contributions of viewers like you who invite you to join them in supporting UNC-TV.
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