On January 25, 2006, Mayor Jim Ardis proclaimed during his “State of the City” address:
Another plan I will pursue this year is one we may call the “Peoria Promise.†It is based on a similar successful program in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The premise is this: Any student graduating from Peoria’s Public Schools will be eligible for a scholarship to any Public University or College in Illinois.
The Kalamazoo Promise has been a stunning success so far. The South Bend (IN) Tribune reported recently:
In addition to the uptick in that city’s public school enrollment — 985 new students this school year, which translates to an additional $7.5 million in state aid — The Promise has led to the hiring of 50 new teachers. And as reported in a Nov. 27 story in The Tribune, the promise has upped the level of school involvement among students and parents.
In short, this innovation is creating a strong and growing sense of hope in a city where more than one in five of all families live in poverty.
Wow! With proven success like that, I’m sure even District 150 would agree with city efforts to implement such a program here. So how has it been going the past year? I e-mailed Mayor Ardis to ask him.
The mayor pointed out that fundraising for this effort has been especially difficult in a year that saw so many capital campaigns, from the zoo to the museum to the Children’s Playhouse and a host of other causes. Plus, as I pointed out in a previous post, the Peoria Promise is more costly than the Kalamazoo Promise because Peoria’s public school enrollment is 40% larger than Kalamazoo’s (14,700 vs. 10,500). Nevertheless, Ardis said he’s “hoping to announce significant progress on the Peoria Promise at this year’s State of the City.”
Of all the causes and fundraisers going on right now, I think this one holds the most promise (no pun intended) for making a true difference in our city. I hope the mayor is successful.
At the risk of repeating myself, the “Peoria Promise” plan in and of itself won’t fix the Peoria Public Schools. There has to be a corresponding commitment and effort to improving student achievement. What good is providing a college scholarship to kids who can’t read at the appropriate level? Or do math at the appropriate level?
This community has to wake up. The current BOE and administration has not been successful in improving student achievement. That has to be the focus for the city’s school for at least the next decade. This problem has been developing since the late 1960s. The current administration has neither the skills nor the ability to put a plan into place to address the issues.
The answer is not just to build shiny new schools in poverty areas – that will not seriously impact student achievement. Effective teachers working with good curriculum can be successful in any environment.
So, you think the administration is the root problem? How so? Lack of discipline/enforcement? Hiring unqualified teachers? Poor curriculum choices? I guess I need to know a little more specifics on how the administration is hampering student achievement.
Administration and instructional leadership are a large part of the root problem. The district’s core business is the education of children and they are not succeeding with their core business. If they were, would test scores and enrollments continue to decline?
A large component of student achievement is assessment – determining the students progress. The data must not only be collected and tabulated, it must be analyzed. The analysts must be experienced to correctly interpret the results and assist the curriculum and school staff in the development of successful instructional interventions. District #150 no longer has any one in place in the administration who has the background and skills to undertake this function.
Regarding discipline and enforcement, as long as there are teachers and administrators who would rather remove children from the classroom than deal with them, there is a big problem. How do kids engage in the learning process when they are expelled? Isn’t the whole idea of school that children attend? Rather than a punitive approach, wouldn’t it be better for the administration to develop interventions to keep the kids in school?
When addressing District #150, this topic must also include the discussion of racism. The schools are 60-70% minority. The instructional staff, support staff, and administrative staff are predominantly Caucasian. Racism is not always about overt comments and actions. It is more often about perceived stereotypical behaviors attributed to members of minority populations. People who believe and attribute stereotypical behavioral characteristics to members of minority populations are engaging in a form of racism. How many staff members at the district believe there is a difference between races? How many teachers and principals believe that “those kids can’t learn?” More than you might care to admit.
The District needs to be vigilant during the employee selection process to ensure they select staff members who are not only appropriately certified and qualified for the position, but believe all children can learn and succeed. The requirements for administrators have to be even more stringent. The “good old boy” network has to end. Staffing decisions and promotions must be based on objective criteria – not on friendships, allegiances, family connections, etc.
Another important component is staff development. Whatever curriculum is put into place, the instructional staff has to be trained in its methods and processes. This is not an insignificant expense, but it directly impacts student achievement. The best curriculum will fail if teachers do not understand how to effectively implement, and monitor, the program.
These are not all the components required for successful student achievement but they are some of the important ones. Without strong, effective, experienced administrative leadership and staff accountability, the schools will continue to flounder.
Turning the school system around is going to take a lot of hard work and long hours. The community has the duty and responsibility to monitor the BOE and administration and demand higher standards of performance. Don’t let the momentum gained during the GOS/GOP debate escape – channel into demands for improved student achievement, staff accountability, and standards of administrative and BOE performance.
One of the things that the South Bend Tribune reported was that student and parent involvement had increased as a result of the Kalamazoo Promise. I always thought that was kind of like the holy grail of getting better achievement results — parental involvement. If that is truly a result of this kind of program, don’t you think that would help District 150?
I’m afraid I’m going to have to disagree with you about discipline. You say, “How do kids engage in the learning process when they are expelled? Isn’t the whole idea of school that children attend?” I would say, no, the whole idea of school isn’t that children merely attend. It’s that they learn. And if you have one child who is disrupting the whole class from learning, it’s better to remove that one child so the other 29 kids can learn than to try to “intervene” on that one child’s behalf every day. If there are no consequences for misbehavior other than more attention, what does that teach other children? That’s not to say I think any disturbance is worthy of expulsion — I still consider that a last resort after other options and interventions have been tried and failed. But I definitely believe there should be stricter discipline and real consequences.
As far as whether kids can learn, I believe all kids can learn. However, not all kids want to learn. In fact, I would say most kids aren’t real keen on school and homework and would rather play and goof off. If they aren’t being taught self-control, respect, or the value of education at home, I don’t believe public schooling can adequately instill those values in the child in 99% of the cases.
Regarding discipline and enforcement, as long as there are teachers and administrators who would rather remove children from the classroom than deal with them, there is a big problem. How do kids engage in the learning process when they are expelled? Isn’t the whole idea of school that children attend? Rather than a punitive approach, wouldn’t it be better for the administration to develop interventions to keep the kids in school?
Intervention? Who’s intervening for the kids who aren’t being disruptive? I know the discipline policy in one of #150’s failing schools and kids are NOT allowed to be sent out of the classroom for being disruptive (yelling, cussing, screaming, kicking, punching–and my wife has the bruises to prove it). She’s teaching at the school because she wanted to be at a place where she could make a difference, but that decision is being reconsidered since babysitting is hardly rewarding. Don’t expect good teachers where they aren’t supported.
As far as whether kids can learn, I believe all kids can learn. However, not all kids want to learn. In fact, I would say most kids aren’t real keen on school and homework and would rather play and goof off. If they aren’t being taught self-control, respect, or the value of education at home, I don’t believe public schooling can adequately instill those values in the child in 99% of the cases.
Quoted for truth.
I have a reponse to this but since I went off and it was too long, you can read how I feel on my blog. I decided it may make a good entry. You may not like it.
I think you’re right about incorporating the gifted students and arts into all schools instead of segregating them, Emtronics. Your article is sure to be controversial, but is thought-provoking. Here’s the link for anyone who missed it:
District 150 and the Fix?
Thank you for the comment and link CJ. Didn’t mean to use your blog as a jumping board but I have some deep feelings about this and I am sure some people will not like it.
CJ: If all kids can learn, what happens to make kids not want to learn? Who has the responsibility for, and receives the compensation for, engaging students in the teaching and learning process? That isn’t the students job, nor is it the parents. What about the students who come to school eager to learn but are quickly disillusioned and turned off? Aren’t the schools failing these children?
Parents are part of the problem. But parents who are letting their children down are not limited to those at or near the poverty level. Parents also let their children down by being too lenient and inattentive. And what about the parents who throw cash at their kids rather than pay attention to them? If children aren’t learning the value of education at home, where can they learn it? The only place left is school. For too many children, school is their only safe haven.
You and Steve both made a valid point about interventions. However, you are assuming that these programs are in place. Unfortunately, options and interventions are absent from District #150. They had a very effective PBIS (Personal Behavior Intervention Services) program in place. This program was designed to increase student achievement and decrease behavioral problems. The administration decided not to renew the contract of the expert administering the program. Since that time, there has been no emphasis placed on that inititiative or to keep kids in school. The District’s strategic plan calls for each child to have an individualized instructional plan. This was to have been implemented about 3 years ago. So far it hasn’t been done.
Disruptive behavior does have to be addressed. Teachers and other staff members should not be expected to endure abuse. They have to be supported. But this takes us right back to my main point – who isn’t supporting the teachers? The administration.
There are approximately 10-15 expulsions presented at each BOE meeting. That is what, roughly about 240-360 expulsions per year? If the children aren’t attending school and engaged in the teaching and learning process, pretty soon you won’t need a public school system. Or, at least, a much smaller system will be required.
I did not mean to imply that I oppose a plan similar to that implemented by Kalamazoo. Quite the contrary. But a lot of work has to be undertaken to make Peoria Public Schools successful. The emphasis and effort has to be focused on increasing student achievement and decreasing behavioral issues. That has to be a top-down driven initiative. Once the schools are performing up to or surpassing state standards, then programs such as the “Peoria Promise” can be implemented. But until that time, won’t we be putting the “cart before the horse?”
It is simply too bad that this idea has gone a full year without any real progress. How many more students have not gone to college (or been motivated to try harder in high school so they could) because of a money issue?
I’m interested in any and all ideas to stop the exodus from District 150 and the central city. I lost count of the number of my contemporaries who attended District 150, or lived within its borders, who have moved to the Dunlap district or Tazewell/Woodford counties to raise families. Recently I’ve had a teacher friend move outside 150 borders, and another 150 friend plans to do so when her child is of school age.
This would be a worthy cause, though money would be tight with the museum, zoo, St. Jude, etc. competing for funds. I’d make a donation to Peoria Promise.
“In fact, I would say most kids aren’t real keen on school and homework and would rather play and goof off.”
I keep thinking about the recent broujaha over Oprah’s school in South Africa — or rather her comments on why she chose to build it there instead of here. She said that when she went into poor parts of the US and asked kids what they wanted, they said iPods and expensive sneakers. In South Africa, they said uniforms so they can attend school. (Common requirement in African schools is that students must have a uniform, and the cost can be prohibitive for many families.)
There really is this, like …. glorification of ignorance in the United States. It doesn’t matter if you have a PhD in biology, my opinion on the origin of life is JUST AS GOOD AS YOURS. It doesn’t matter if you’ve studied political systems for 40 years, my shot-from-the-hip opinion is just as good as yours — in fact, probably better, becuase I’m the fresh-faced innocent with the big ideas and you’re the corrupted and jaded expert — you’re, horror of horrors, epithet of epithets, an elitist. The Deer Hunter. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Even Huck Finn. American culture glorifies the uncorrupted innocent, but we’ve turned that into glorifying the ignorant.
I grew up on Chicago’s North Shore where it was EXPECTED that we would go to a 4-year college. Community college was for people who failed. 99% of my graduating class went directly to a 4-year college (1 went to the Navy, 1 had a booming internet business). Yet EVEN THERE where virtually everyone’s parents were college-educated professions and where higher education was basically mandatory, doing well in school was something to be mocked, not praised. Intelligence had to be hidden if you wanted a social life; good behavior in class made you a brown-noser.
It’s such a mixed message. We constantly get TOLD that people go farther in life with education, but we constantly get SHOWN through our prevailing culture and its media and our attitudes towards students that being an ignorant smart-ass is good; being a well-behaved, achievement-oriented student makes you a loser.
That’s a cultural issue, and I can’t imagine where one even BEGINS to change that kind of a culture, particularly when Madison Avenue spents billions upon billions of dollars a year to turn children and teenagers into CONSUMERS who want THINGS. School budgets can’t compete with that.