Like other school choice programs where supply is overwhelmed by demand, the school district in Pinellas County, Fla. offers an option that causes plenty of joy and heartache. Some kids win the “fundamental school” lottery. Some kids lose. Some go on to the high-performing fundamentals, where they’re surrounded by peers with super-engaged parents. Others go to neighborhood schools that struggle mightily.
Are their outcomes different? Matthew Chingos, a respected researcher at the Brookings Institution, is aiming to find out.
Last week, the district agreed to give Chingos the data he requested so he could examine the impact of fundamental schools on math and reading scores. Once he gets the data, he expects to issue findings within a year, according to his research application.
His study is worth watching because it involves a school choice option offered by a school district, not by private schools or charter schools.
The fundamental schools in Pinellas stress parental involvement and student accountability. Students who fall short on academic, behavioral and dress code requirements can be reassigned to neighborhood schools. Ditto if their parents fail to meet requirements, including attending monthly meetings.
The 104,000-student Pinellas district created its first fundamental school in 1976, but expanded them rapidly in recent years. It now has more than 7,000 students in 10 full-fledged fundamental schools and two “school-within-a-school” fundamental high schools.
The schools boast some of the district’s highest test scores and lowest disciplinary rates. They also cause a fair amount of angst. (more…)
by Kelly Garcia
In early spring of my first year teaching at YES Prep West, a high-poverty charter school in Houston, my school director shocked me with a list. It contained the home addresses of more than 20 incoming students, and I had about three weeks to visit each one. The undertaking turned out to be massive – 30 hours, a couple tanks of gas, and a couple pit stops at McDonald’s to feed my student helpers.
Teacher visits to student homes are still rare. But in my case, it planted seeds for partnerships that helped my students succeed.
The first step was to call each family and request a meeting when the parents and incoming student were both available. I learned quickly that the language barrier was going to make this challenging. Most of the parents spoke only Spanish. With some conversational Spanish skills, I struggled through several calls, unsure of whether I had translated the meeting date correctly.
I weaved through Houston with another teacher in the passenger seat and two current students in the back. At each stop, we were offered a treat: tamarindo sodas, homemade tamales, even fresh tortillas. Families gathered with nervous excitement over the journey they were committing to. At most stops, my students guided the meeting, translating my words from English to Spanish. We explained what made YES Prep so special - that every student, faculty member and administrator is working towards ensuring that each student is accepted to a four-college upon high school graduation. We promised the incoming sixth graders and their families that we would work tirelessly toward that goal for all seven years. Just this short introduction was often enough to make some parents tear up.
Once the parents internalized the extent of their child’s journey, they were excited and motivated to commit to a list of responsibilities they had to agree to in order for their child to attend. This list wasn’t a breeze. The school had mandatory Saturday classes. It also required students who did not complete their homework to stay after 6 p.m. the next day to finish it. The parents would have to provide transportation even though many of them were working two jobs and caring for small children. And yet, I never met with a parent who did not sign off on their responsibilities list. Any cynic who says parents – especially low-income parents - don’t care about their child’s education has never been to one of these meetings. (more…)
