Report details BCSD's efforts to enact reform

BY LISA SCHENCKER, Californian staff writer
e-mail: lschencker@bakersfield.com | Tuesday, Apr 24 2007 11:10 PM

Last Updated: Tuesday, Apr 24 2007 11:17 PM

Bakersfield City School District trustees ruminated on two topics Tuesday night: change and improvement.

Bakersfield City School District Assistant Superintendent of Accountability Marvin Jones presented a report detailing the district's attempts to improve student achievement since July.

He said a team of educators has been working since then to figure out ways to boost the district's test scores. He talked about the importance of good leadership both within the district and at individual schools, staff development, data analysis and accountability.

"If we stick with it, then we will realize true school reform," Jones said of several strategies.

Trustee Lillian Tafoya said it concerns her that three of the district's schools were among the five lowest performing in the county this year based on last year's test scores.

Jones said the district is working to help those students who are most behind -- two grade levels or more -- by placing them in intensive classes. He said the goal is to get those students back into regular-level classes within two years.

"That may take a little bit of time," Jones said of drastically improving the lowest-scoring schools. "I think it will be about three years before we realize significant changes."

Twenty-three of the district's 40 schools ranked in the bottom 20 percent of schools statewide on tests taken last year, a slight improvement over the year before.

Jones said he's optimistic the district will continue to improve.

"We're not there yet, but August is coming and we're going to celebrate," Jones said, referring to the month when the state releases test scores and its annual progress report on schools.

It is trully sad that some of the smartest people regarding education were sitting in that meeting, and didn't address the obvious:

A child cannot solely rely on 5 hours of educational time in a big class, without it being echoed at home. You cannot argue that the public schools are the primary educator of kids.  That is the parent's job.  When the parents don't do their job, where does that leave the public school system?  obviously in the toilet, with the state breathing down their necks.

Parents play the biggest part of education in a child's life, not the school.  When the parents are educationally absent from their child's life, it leads to where Bakersfield City School district is now.

Those schools do not achieve the lowest test scores in the county because of the teachers.  The teachers that I personally know at those schools work hard to educate those students.  they pour their heart and soul into their job.  It isn't solely the school's fault that their students didn't perform well on a test

I wonder when our government will see fit to begin to release a parenting report card on everyone that has kids, especially those that are on welfare?  which brings me to my next point...

What do those schools in the BCSD all have in common?  Poverty.  Those schools are in some of the poorest areas in Bakersfield.  Why does that matter?  poverty can be equated to low parent educational level.  I don't think it is right for teachers to attempt to make up for the child's parent(s) lack of education.