whats really frustrating is that RISD always falls back on the methodology of the count as an explanation. This conversation does not address why LHHS is the worst high school in the district even though it does not have the most disadvantaged kids. Its just doublespeak.

does anyone think the real problem is communication with the freshman center? isnt it really that the teachers at LHHS are not qualified to teach in the 21st century or students of diverse backgrounds.

The hints of programs for improvement were encouraging. How do we find out more about these programs?

The continued decline in our school’s performance is having a long term negative impact on our childrens’ education. The primary problem is that no one is accountable for this poor performance. The teachers stay, the principal and others blame the tests, and in the end, the kids suffer. In the meantime, LHHS and RISD’s reputation suffers, home values decline, and the LH area continues to deteriorate and is a less desirable place to live. Many people need to come out of their insulated neighborhoods and realize LH is not as strong as it was years ago. It’s reputation has and is suffering.

Help me understand where the principal’s accountability and responsibility fall in this situation. In our jobs, we all have performance measurements and are accountable for meeting these goals. I’m sure some of this is highly political and they are protected by the powers that be.

I think we should give Principal Dillon a little leeway since she’s only been at LHHS one year. Having said that, however, it is the principal that sets the direction and tone of the school, and the one who hires and fires the teachers. She will be evaulated accordingly.

During the budgeting process I suggested that the high school and freshman center have one lead principal (instead of two) to save money and also to iron out the problems which exist between the campuses (as noted by Mr. Devoll). Obviously my suggestion was ignored.

DeVoll =”We use the National Student Clearing House, and in 2010, 66% of LH graduates attended college the fall after graduation. Of LH’s 2008 graduates, 91% of college freshmen returned as sophomore.”
Went to the RISD site to find this “National Student Clearing House” info since apparently our tax dollars are used to glean this info. No info readily found. Since “we” use the only info available to us through TEA Accountability reporting- how about sharing that Clearing house report? RISD has no choice but to use double speak but how about some transparency? 66% of what & 91% of what? Let’s see some raw numbers. I don’t think we can dispute the raw numbers of our students who are not life ready upon graduation.

There is one simple and almost no-cost means of improving the confidence and performance of the teachers and vastly improving the subject mastery by the students at the Rischardson ISD.

Many of the textbooks used in the classes are thick and complex, amd thus take substantial time to thoroughly comprehend.

A green, newly graduated and hired teacher in the RISD is at a decided disadvantage in comprehension of the textbook.

This is due to the practice of the RISD to NOT provide fresh college graduates who will be teaching for the first time access to the textbook until its otherwise excellent teacher orientation, which occurs some two to three weeks before classes start.

The typical newly graduated teacher probably has been scraping by financially for four to six years while in college, and undoubtedly is in need of proper apparal, a reliable car, and probably an apartment which would be suitable for the heavy load of grading homework and planning future classes. Each of these require funds not available priot to the teacher going to work and getting paychecks. Thus most of this has to be done at the end of the summer just before the start of school.

The teacher does not receive the thick textbook until the end of the summer, and thus in not allowed adequate time to read it in debth and to reflect on it and how to relate the contents to students.

An outstanding teacher would want to identify those textbook segments which are opaque, obsolete, or in need of simpification.
With time, it would be easy to go on the web to find credible sources which are both current and far easier to comprehend than the stilted textbook language more appropriate for academics than for high school students.

As RISD does not allow the fresh out-of-college new teachers access to the textbook until two or three weeks before the start of school, just as the shopping for appropriate clothing, a reliable car and an apartment conducive to the out-of-class work a teacher must there is little time for intensive study of the text.

Richardson ISD could improve the confidence of its new inexperienced teachers by following the “best practice” of the higher performing Plano ISD, which allows its newly hired teachers to check out the text that they will be using as soon as they are hired.

Thus a newly graduated but inexperienced teacher who works in the Plano ISD can go into the first day of class far more confident from having the textbook thoroughly mastered, while the Richardson ISD green teacher lacks the mastery of the textbook.

It is particularly significant that the many cultures who follow and respect the guidance of Confusius commonly purchase the text that their student will probably be using a full yaar in advance. The student is expected to be thoroughly familiar with the text well in advance of the start of school.

Thus RISD has created the scenario in which some of the students will have superior knowledge and mastery of the textbook than does the teacher who is fresh out of college.

The simple change to that of Plano’s allowing early and adequate access to the textbook could reap wonders in teacher confidence as well as marked improvements in student msstery of the subject.

This cost of this process improvement is virtually nothing.

559 words just to say, “Hey, the RISD won’t let teachers read their textbooks until two weeks before school starts?” Really?

Sir-

The taxes on the earnings of those now in high school will someday pay both your Social Security and your Medicare.

Would you like them making the earnings from having the mastery of being functionally literate, or would you want them to have the earnings from McJobs, taking your order fron the drive-through lanes?

If we want to improve the outcomes of those in our schools, we have to meet or beat the far more effective learning processes in place in other countries.

You might look at the country of origin for those consumer products most highly recommended by Consumer Reports.

Sir, enjoy your retirement.

These kids output will determine your level of comfort.

We need to be more than just “on the radar.” There needs to be an RISD “task force” focused on the specific needs of underachieving students in Lake Highlands.

While LH may not have the most disadvantaged students of any RISD high school, what is it about our disadvantaged students that make them perform worse than others?

Not all disadvantaged students are alike. They come from different backgrounds, cultures and even countries. How education is perceived and promoted within a family can vary depending upon all sorts of societal factors. It all makes a difference.

The sky isn’t falling. Home values aren’t dropping and the neighborhood is still highly desirable. But those things could happen if we don’t address needs specific to Lake Highlands and why it is the only RISD neighborhood to have lower ratings – especially when the LH area also produces some of the district’s highest achievers.

The outmoded and obsolete processes we have in place in our schools are simply not effective in developing students for the highly competitve global world of today.

If you would like to see what is possible with a truly enlightened
set of processes, do a search on “hobart shakespeareans”.

This amazing program which has been sustained for over twenty years, has taked fifth graders from the most disadvantaged homes, where few even speak English at home, few have both parents, and the area served by Hobart Elementary has fewer than one third of its students who graduate from high school.

Those who go through the Hobart Shakespearean program undergo a thorough transformation in which they learn that those who work hard and are nice can go far. This program puts its students into the nation’s most selective colleges, where they thrive.

If this can be done in the nation’s very poorest neighborhood, why is it not being considered for Lake Highlands???