Academic Magnet schools should be a thing of the past
Twenty-five years back to integrate our school district, the first academic magnet school, Stanton was created. Since then we created another academic magnet school Paxon and a handful of dedicated magnet schools too. Though schools like Frank Peterson and Douglass Anderson are more program based. There have been a lot of mixed feelings about the dedicated academic magnet. They brought a lot of positive attention to the city as two of the best schools of the nation but they likewise have been blamed for the demise of the neighborhood school and in some instances whole neighborhoods. I say it is time we put an end to this experiment and dissolved the academic magnet schools; their time has come and gone.
It used to be you couldn’t get the same programs at the neighborhood school that you could at Stanton or Paxon, all you could get was the occasional advanced placement class here and there. Well now the district has established advance academic programs at all the neighborhood schools, which begs the question, what is the point of having dedicated advanced academic magnet schools if the kids can get the same programs anywhere? Send the kids home; this would be a win-win in many regards for the students, the neighborhood schools, the district and the city as a whole.
First the neighborhood schools would see the return of some of their most gifted students. They could be examples and leaders to the rest of the school. They would likewise bring their parents, often some of the most motivated and active, with them. The neighborhood schools some of which are underutilized could also reach their capacity.
Then the kids themselves could benefit. First they would not have to travel to far away neighborhoods where they had little connection but they could stay and grow in theirs. Then many scholarships depend on a student’s class ranking, such as the bright futures scholarship, that they would have a better chance of receiving scholarships had they stayed home. Now some might argue that might hurt the kids that are already there but it might also further their potential.
Then the district would benefit by consolidating schools, eliminating expensive bussing and duplicated programs. Finally the cities neighborhoods would be put back together instead of continuing to be torn asunder by an idea whose time has come and gone.
I don’t write this easily because I am conflicted. If I had a school age child I would move heaven and Earth to make sure they went to one of the magnet schools and I work at a neighborhood school and know many wonderful things take place there. The main problem at the neighborhood schools is there are a few kids that have given up and sadly don’t care, what I think is a growing problem. But at the same time as a teacher interested in the health of the district I think we should be looking to improve all of it’s schools instead of having a few great ones and then a lot of mediocre or worse ones. There are thousands of kids that are districted to attend Jackson, Ribault and Raines who have gone elsewhere and maybe just maybe those schools wouldn’t be in the trouble they are had they chosen not to do so.
We could then use those schools, Stanton and Paxon to have more program-based schools. Preferably schools that specialized in the teaching of skills, trades and the arts after all if we are to have dedicated magnet schools shouldn’t they be for programs that you can’t get at the neighborhood schools too. Isn’t that both redundant and wasteful. The dedicated academic magnet school’s purpose has come and gone. Holding onto it only serves to weaken the district and it’s children.
Getting rid of the magnets and sending students back to their neighborhood schools would only mask the real problems of the failing schools. The students who are reading at 4th grade levels in high school would still be reading at 4th grade levels. The parents who have no desire to be involved in their child's education would still have no desire. My child's intelligence is not going to magically cause other students to become gifted as well. Unless I'm mistaken, that is just not how it works.
ReplyDeleteJust because a student is in an AP class, does not mean that the student is qualified or prepared to be in the class. Look at how many kids passed the AP exam at Raines. You cannot tell me that that class is the equivalent of a class at Stanton.
Unless the Bright Futures requirements have changed since June of 2011, they are not based on class ranking. My son just received his scholarship and it was based on his GPA and his service hours.
And finally, eliminating the academic magnets would not save the school system money on transportation. Transportation has already been eliminated. Many parents still choose to do whatever they have to do to get their children to the magnets because they believe it is the best choice for their children. A parent's job, after all, is to decide what is best for his or her child. Parents who take this responsibility seriously should not be punished. They should be applauded.