"Graduation"

The commencement exercises for the Class of 2011 are this Saturday. What is unique this year is that commencement is not just one school. Rather, it is a county commencement with four schools participating together.

The purpose behind a united countywide commencement is that for nine (9) of their thirteen (13) years the students we celebrate as meeting or exceeding graduation requirements were together. It is fitting, therefore, that they conclude together their public school experience.

The separation at high school although with the best of intentions has created division, confusion, inequities, additional costs, and myriad pressure points of, by, and for students, parents, staff, and the community.

Our societal propensity to compare in the name of competition is ubiquitous. The need to determine a winner – loser, who is superior – inferior, stronger – weaker, better – worse relationship has never served the aim or purpose of education – especially now.

The numbers I shared last week with respect to the Class of 2015 clearly demonstrate that the playing field is not level. In fact, it is significantly uneven.

I have spent several hours leading to long days considering what we can, what we should, and what we must do.

The obvious is “fixing” the K – 8 to ensure that each rising 9^th grader legitimately and authentically has access to any program, school for grades 9 – 12.

This is our aim. This answers, in a significant way, why we have put so much emphasis on technology based supplemental instructional programs, human capital development, systems alignment, and assessment literacy initiatives.

However, we have created or at best exacerbated the competition between high schools by not truly making them separate. Though argumentative, one way to achieve what other school systems are doing to ensure that schools like Early College or New Technology are indeed unique, separate, and successful in achieving what they were intended to accomplish is students attend those schools – attend just those schools. They don’t participate in athletics, activities, or even classes at their comprehensive high schools.

To achieve what our Early College and New Technology are envisioned to do, we cannot continue to send conflicting and confusing messages – go to another school but participate in co-curricular athletics at Anson High.

Interpretation?

“I don’t want to attend Anson High but do I want to play sports.” Anson is the only LEA in the state that allows this to happen. I think it is something we need to seriously review.

Again, knowing this, too, will be argumentative – the numbers I shared last week about proficiency percentages, ethnicity, and economically disadvantaged students and their placement works against the very aim we desire to achieve.

To that end, the smaller learning environments, the use of different instructional methodologies, and etc. are exactly what many of the students described by the aforementioned demographics need.

These comments are in no way meant to slight or minimize the accomplishments of our present students. Rather, it is fact that many if not all of the students graduating from Early College or New Tech would have been successful irrespective of what school they attended.

Alas, Saturday we set aside or attempt to set aside these differences, these issues. But we must not be deceived, the comparisons – right or wrong, good or bad, real or perceived – will take place.

Until we can improve the quality of, for, and by all students to ensure that they do, in fact, have choice about high school, we will continue to compare, continue to compete, and continue to have conflict.

For the moment, we must take a step back and celebrate the successes and accomplishments from members of the Class of 2011 no matter what high school they attended.

As we look forward, we must envision what our system could become for all students when we reach the point that all schools are choice schools where students, all students do in fact have choice, opportunity and access to attend.

Our work continues next week at the Leadership Advance – but this Saturday we celebrate our graduates – Congratulations to all –