Regarding the controversial implementation of ninth-grade academies at several Guilford County high schools. (Chalkboard's blog entry here, N&R story here).
I just received an email from a parent who is intimately involved in the flap, apparently Page High School has modified their plans for such an "academy" next year following parental input (read outcry). From the correspondence...
"As of last night, Page High School has apparently scrapped their 9th grade academy plan in favor of only a year-long English class for freshmen. Apparently several parents met with Dr. Worrell this week and raised a significant number of questions and/or objections about making such a major change for next year. At a 9th grade orientation meeting last night, the plan was announced as revised. Apparently there will be no teams for 9th graders, no “Success 101” class, and no other major change other than a year-long English/writing class."
This is a good sign, at least for Page. The GCS' central office continues to be accused of not listening to parents and this decision could be pivotal, but probably not.
The "academy" idea, just like the plan to shift money away from Title I high schools here in Guilford County have a common motivator. The utopian inspired federal No Child Left Behind Act.
If it seems like GCS just won't stop screwing around with our schools, it is because they can't. Dr. Grier and company are doing everything they can think of to avoid the stigma of sanctions outlined in the NCLB Act standards. If any school fails to meet the strict goals put forth by NCLB, all kinds of things happen to those schools Things that are completely out of the control of local decision making. So disrupt they must.
The High Point 'Choice' Plan, Title I re-distribution, ninth grade academies, new and changed magnets... all of them are NCLB driven. And NCLB is totally test score driven. So, if we want to put an end to all of this non-stop disruption, we should direct our ire toward Washington D.C. and Raleigh, NC.
Our local Board and Superintendent should make a clear and forceful statement to everyone who keeps getting so upset when changes are proposed or implemented: "Guilford County needs federal and state dollars to operate our schools. To secure them, we have to play by the rules of NCLB and North Carolina's ABC guidelines. We must keep shuffling students and money around in order to capture those dollars."
If I had the money, I think I am almost to the point where I would pull my kids out of public education. That way I could just sit back and watch as our school system disintigrates into complete and utter mediocrity because of NCLB and ABC. But such an option is not in the cards, so I continue to stand and fight alongside other involved parents.
In my not-so-humble opinion, the truth of the matter is this: In our altruistic and laudible attempts to educate every child equally, we are educating fewer and fewer children well. Mine included.
12:08:37 PM 
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