To the best of my ability, I avoid negative feelings like envy. That being said, I have long dreamt of a day that I can buy pants off the rack. Regardless of waist size (I say that for the benefit of you who, like my daughter, think dieting would give me more options in length), the shortest inseam on the rack is 29 inches which, unfortunately, is one and a half inches too long for me. Sadly, my pants go from the rack, to a tailor, and finally,to my closet. I continue to hope that the market will respond to my needs and the needs of my vertically challenged brethren, but to date that is little more than a pipe dream.
Public education can be just as unresponsive to the needs of students, families and communities. Some school districts do the same things they have always done because that is the way they have always done them. The Morgan Hill Unified School District is not one of those. Our trustees are currently working with staff and stakeholders to determine if alternative configurations and programmatic variations will improve student outcomes and better meet the needs of our diverse community.
Before the early 1900s most public school districts had K-8 elementary schools and 9-12 secondary schools. Enrollment and theories that junior highs would better prepare students for the departmentalized schedules and rigor of high schools changed all that. School districts transitioned to elementary schools, middle/junior high schools and high schools. A recent Harvard study, however, demonstrates that K-8 schools can improve achievement and increase graduation rates for some, if not many. K-8 schools tend to reduce anxiety for students and parents, promote greater parent participation and provide looping opportunities that foster stronger bonds between teachers and students. Creating a K-8 school is one alternative to consider. Another configuration being considered by our trustees is the “sister school” design. Sister schools share student populations. Typically, students attend one school from kindergarten through third grade and then attend the other school for fourth through sixth grade although the designs vary from community to community. The sister school configuration has demonstrated an ability to improve student outcomes by promoting heterogeneous student populations. Heterogeneity is a research proven strategy for turning schools around and increasing student achievement.
The district is also exploring programmatic variations that have success improving student outcomes. Programmatic variations can be accomplished via magnet schools, academies, schools within a school and charters.
While we are studying the benefits and challenges of each model, we are most concerned with which programs would have the greatest success. One program we are evaluating is dual immersion, which promotes bilingualism, biliteracy and cross-cultural competency while promoting increased academic achievement. Visual and performing art schools have also shown success by increasing student engagement and improving numeracy and literacy. Another program with promise is STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). STEM programs promote 21st century learning skills while increasing student engagement. District representatives are also meeting with business leaders to explore the possibility of establishing career pathway academies as yet another possible programmatic variation.
It is important to reiterate that we are currently studying and discussing alternative configurations and programmatic variations. Our board of education has not taken action nor set a date for doing so. Besides studying the research, we are working with stakeholders to gauge interest in these and other options. We have held two of three community meetings to evaluate interest in a dual immersion program as this was the first program we studied. Later this month we will be sending a survey to parents regarding the aforementioned options and solicit other ideas. Once we have analyzed the surveys we will hold meetings to discuss the options in greater depth. Then, once all of the survey and community forum data is collected, we will share the results with our trustees and determine the next steps. Whichever option or combination we select, we will not deviate from the things that are producing great results in our district: standards-based instruction, benchmarking, data driven instruction and collaboration. Furthermore, we will not promote any one of these options at the expense of our other schools/programs. Our goal is to continue doing what is working while offering design and programmatic variations that improve student achievement, engage students, motivate educators and excite parents.
While I will almost certainly never be able to wear pants off the rack, the students in the Morgan Hill Unified School District deserve better. Our students deserve an educational system with options that engage them, inspire them and help them realize their academic potential. We are committed to working tirelessly to ensure they get what they deserve.
