Dr. Gerald Dawkins has demonstrated significant courage and wisdom in pushing forward with his bold plan for the Caddo school system. This strategy seeks to right size the district and therefore make better use of all district resources.
Better resource deployment means an overall better opportunity for Caddo students to excel.
Change is always hard and significant change is only that much harder. I have long since given up on buildings in favor of people. The right decision is the one that favors people. In this case, the people most important in the calculation are the students themselves.
Calls for more time to study the plan and its implications were without merit. They demonstrated the usual paralyzing fear of the unknown.
As one board member astutely noted, if some elements of the plan are wrong, then admit the error and change it.
Congratulations to Dr. Dawkins for standing on his convictions in the face of an orchestrated community onslaught. Of course it is not over yet. Those who oppose change will not go away quietly. They never do.
But this important victory is a critical first step of a journey in the right direction.
Showing posts with label The Caddo Plan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Caddo Plan. Show all posts
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Data Availability
The state has made a final decision with respect to the low performing schools in the Caddo school district. Two schools, Linear Middle and Linwood Middle with be under state control effective July 1, 2009.
The remaining 8 Caddo schools identified as low performing are to be operated under local control but with tight supervision from the state.
This community should obviously rally around all Caddo schools with the idea of making them all successful.
We may, as a community, be called upon to make some difficult and controversial decisions regarding resource allocation etc., as we move forward. I am therefore creating two links below that will allow for easy access to critical data.
1. The District Composite Report is produced each year and covers all Caddo schools. Extensive information is provided about overall district operations as well as performance information on a school level basis. That link is:
http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/pair/dcr0607/dcr009.pdf
2. The state also issues an annual report on each school. There is a Principal's Report Card and a Parent's Report Card. The following link will bring you to that historical information:
http://www.doe.state.la.us/lde/saa/1639.html
The remaining 8 Caddo schools identified as low performing are to be operated under local control but with tight supervision from the state.
This community should obviously rally around all Caddo schools with the idea of making them all successful.
We may, as a community, be called upon to make some difficult and controversial decisions regarding resource allocation etc., as we move forward. I am therefore creating two links below that will allow for easy access to critical data.
1. The District Composite Report is produced each year and covers all Caddo schools. Extensive information is provided about overall district operations as well as performance information on a school level basis. That link is:
http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/pair/dcr0607/dcr009.pdf
2. The state also issues an annual report on each school. There is a Principal's Report Card and a Parent's Report Card. The following link will bring you to that historical information:
http://www.doe.state.la.us/lde/saa/1639.html
Friday, December 12, 2008
Mental Health Services
In a recent post, the availability of psychological services was identified as a key element in improving academic performance in some settings.
The Black Male Handbook, edited by Kevin Powell, makes an even stronger case for the need of these services. A chapter by Andrae L. Brown, PH.D, entitled Moving Toward Mental Wellness is certainly worth reading.
Dr. Brown talks about the prevalence of traumatic events in the everyday lives of black men and boys and makes the following observation:
"The most susceptible youth are young people from neighborhoods with high rates of female-headed households living below the poverty level, and low school attendance and employment rates. Research suggest, and my personal experience confirms, that up to 50 percent of youth involved in the justice system meet the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) This rate is up to eight times higher than in the general population."
He goes on to say "For instance, maltreated children (those experiencing abuse and neglect) are 59 percent more likely to be arrested before they reach age eighteen, and 30 percent more likely to be arrested for violent crime. Furthermore, 92 percent of youth involved in the juvenile justice system report some type of trauma, which then can result in hyperactivity, inability to pay attention, extreme impulsiveness, aggression, anger, paranoia, aloofness, and the inability to develop close relationships."
Our school district is now promoting The Caddo Plan as it attempts to jump start 11 low performing schools and improve academic performance. Does the plan consider the need for mental health services in view of the communities served by many of these schools?
This appears to be an area worth exploring no matter what entity ends up controlling these schools.
The Black Male Handbook, edited by Kevin Powell, makes an even stronger case for the need of these services. A chapter by Andrae L. Brown, PH.D, entitled Moving Toward Mental Wellness is certainly worth reading.
Dr. Brown talks about the prevalence of traumatic events in the everyday lives of black men and boys and makes the following observation:
"The most susceptible youth are young people from neighborhoods with high rates of female-headed households living below the poverty level, and low school attendance and employment rates. Research suggest, and my personal experience confirms, that up to 50 percent of youth involved in the justice system meet the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) This rate is up to eight times higher than in the general population."
He goes on to say "For instance, maltreated children (those experiencing abuse and neglect) are 59 percent more likely to be arrested before they reach age eighteen, and 30 percent more likely to be arrested for violent crime. Furthermore, 92 percent of youth involved in the juvenile justice system report some type of trauma, which then can result in hyperactivity, inability to pay attention, extreme impulsiveness, aggression, anger, paranoia, aloofness, and the inability to develop close relationships."
Our school district is now promoting The Caddo Plan as it attempts to jump start 11 low performing schools and improve academic performance. Does the plan consider the need for mental health services in view of the communities served by many of these schools?
This appears to be an area worth exploring no matter what entity ends up controlling these schools.
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