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Seniors Elsha Harris, center, and Crystal Carter, right, walk down the hall between classes at Chaparral High School in Las Vegas Thursday, September 8, 2011.
Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011 | 2 a.m.
The Turnaround: Chaparral High School
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KSNV examines the Clark County School District's turnaround efforts at Chaparral High School.
David Wilson, principal of Chaparral High School, on Thursday, August 18, 2011.
This is another in a yearlong series of stories tracking efforts by the Clark County School District to improve student performance at five struggling schools.
Elsha Harris-Yolanda and Crystal Carter are having a hard time adjusting to the new sheriff in town at Chaparral High School.
The teenagers seem to be exemplary students — not the kinds who might find themselves in the cross hairs of a new principal who is charged with pulling Chaparral out of Clark County School District’s worst-performing list.
Elsha, who has a 3.2 GPA, and Crystal, who gets almost straight A’s, are athletes, cheerleaders and involved in student government. They’re talking about college and the workplace. They would seem to be the kind of students Principal David Wilson would get the least push-back from.
But they don’t like what Wilson is up to.
The first week of school, Crystal said, “was horrible.”
New rules forbid students from using cellphones during the school day or wearing ear buds to listen to music. Students are locked out of classes if they are late and forbidden from taking restroom breaks during class periods. There’s a midday snack break, but lunch does not come until 1:40 p.m., the end of the school day, the better to chase off students who start fights, deal drugs and cause any of a dozen other problems.
Wilson, who arrived over the summer to run the campus, says his efforts to clamp down on campus behavior are justified.
Just three in 10 freshmen who entered the school five years ago graduated last year — one of the worst graduation rates in the county. Indeed, years of troubling results on standardized tests at the national, state and local levels contributed to the transfer of the school’s popular principal, Kevin McPartlin, and half of Chaparral’s staff, as the School District’s new leadership designated Chaparral as a turnaround school, making it eligible for federal grant money.
Elsha misses the old staff, saying McPartlin and his team had helped her overcome many challenges.
“I’m supposed to be a statistic. I’m supposed to be pregnant. I’m supposed to have dropped out of school. I’m not supposed to be where I am, but I am because I push myself, because I’ve had teachers who believed in me, because I’ve had coaches who believed in me,” Elsha says.
Wilson, it seems, is dealing with students who are beginning the year carrying a grudge. His challenge: Transform the campus into an academic winner, even if it means offending student sensibilities.
“Mr. McPartlin put the pride back in this school,” Crystal says. “He made me proud to go to Chap when (outsiders) said this school was ‘so ghetto’ or ‘you go to such a bad school.’ I would say: ‘No I don’t. Come and walk my halls. Come and see what I see. Have my experiences.’ ”
Now she worries about the new school year with all of its changes. “If this is what it’s going to be like for the rest of the school year, I really question if I want to be at this school,” she says. “This isn’t the school that I fell in love with.”
Cheerleaders Elsha Harris, a senior, from left, sophomore Zaakirah Muhammad, sophomore Trynice Gordon and junior Quiana Forbes cheer for the team during Chaparral High School's first football game at Moapa Valley High School in Overton Friday, September 2, 2011.
Wilson, who arrived after serving as principal of Virgin Valley High in Mesquite and a middle school in Moapa, understands the emotional tug that a school, particularly a high school, has on students.
“Change is difficult,” Wilson says. “Relationships are everything. Principals, teachers, I understand that, and I get it. But it keeps coming back to that No. 1 goal, graduating kids. The changes are all about graduating kids. I wish I had a different, more empathetic response, but it comes back to that No. 1 thing.”
Wilson and the principals of the School District’s four other newly designated turnaround schools — Mojave and Western High Schools, and Hancock and Elizondo Elementary Schools — attended a weeklong seminar at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Management this summer for guidance on how to alter the culture, performance and results at academically troubled schools. Participation requires that each principal adopt a 90-day plan for the start of a school year.
LeAnn Buntrock, the program’s executive director, understands the emotions of students such as Elsha and Crystal, especially Crystal’s ties to Chaparral’s past principal and staff. “It’s like home for her, and that’s why David (Wilson) has to communicate a clear vision, that the changes aren’t because (any student) is being punished. There are still a number of kids who aren’t reaching their full potential, and we have to figure out ways to do that without putting down the reputation of the prior administration or teaching staff.”
There are emotional wounds to be healed, feelings to be calmed, but the focus must remain on students’ academic performance, which is more than a collection of standardized test scores, Buntrock notes. It is also about a child’s ability to read or perform math exercises at grade level, to think at higher levels, draw inferences from diverse material, to mesh concepts and not only grasp them but clearly explain their content to others.
“I don’t mean to boil it down to test scores, but when you’re part of an organization that has been chronically underperforming for several years, you are in need of a culture change because people become accustomed to operating in a certain manner,” Buntrock says.
The opportunity for change increases by 70 percent if new leaders are brought into a troubled school, Buntrock notes. “If you’ve been part of an organization for a long time it’s hard to come in one day and say, ‘You have to look at me differently; you have to look at the organization differently.’ ”
Buntrock’s program pushes the concept of “the quick win,” a rapid, positive transformation of a school that instantly grabs students, teachers, administrators, parents and the community.
For Wilson and Clark County Schools Superintendent Dwight Jones, Chaparral’s quick win came in the form of a $2 million investment in repairs to Chaparral’s battered physical plant. The school had few working toilets; filthy floors, walls and air ducts; deeply scarred windows; classrooms that required fresh paint; athletic fields and tennis courts that were torn up. School District work crews spent 80-hour weeks over a six-week period repairing the school, providing Wilson with what he described as a “wow” moment when students returned to what he has labeled: “The New Chap.”
Juniors Sarahi Berrelleza, center, and Tichina Savoy, right, tour the renovated bathrooms at Chaparral High School on Thursday, August 18, 2011.
Wilson’s administrative team also altered the class schedule, offering long and short classes in math, reading and other subjects, all designed to target teens with intensive instruction in classes where they have fallen behind.
Teachers meet in small groups to share some of the best practices in teaching math, reading, science and other subjects. Federal grant money has been used to bring in San Francisco consulting firm Teachscape, which offers classroom coaching to teachers with the aid of 360-degree cameras that allow teachers to see what they look like as they work.
Wilson has vowed to transfer teachers at the end of the third week if they fail to embrace and execute all aspects of the strategy. “Our No. 1 goal is to graduate those kids. That’s it,” Wilson says.
The new structure has shaken Crystal and Elsha, with the students feeling as though they are being punished for the school’s past academic performance. “I know we made mistakes last year, and sure those mistakes should be fixed, but it’s way too extreme,” Crystal says.
Wilson is aware of such concerns, but is confident that his changes will usher in a new culture of academic and social success at Chaparral. A week ago he visited every classroom in the school, inviting students to ask him questions about the transformation. He routinely walks the campus, fist-bumping teens before asking how they like the changes. Some say they do. Others do not. After his football team’s first game of the season, a 54-6 road loss to Moapa Valley High School, Wilson had the entire team to his home, where he and his wife, Karen, fed the boys and lit a huge bonfire in their backyard.
“People liked Kevin. Kevin’s very popular, and following him is not easy,” Wilson says of his predecessor. “I’m good at building relationships, so I’m not worried about it. Same thing with the teachers. Eventually the students will have built relationships with somebody else.”
Elsha remains cynical.
“A lot of the people who are coming back care about the school. We weren’t broken before, and it’s going to take time. You have to give it time, and I don’t think Mr. McPartlin or the old staff were given enough time. It’s just not fair.”
But what she says also gives Wilson hope:
“This is a new Chap for me, and I’m not saying it’s a bad Chap, but it’s not what I’m used to, and it’s going to take some time.”
Chaparral High School has seen better days.
Once among the top performing schools in the Clark County School District, Chaparral High is undergoing changes to counter dismal test scores and the lowest graduation rate in the district.
The campus located near East Flamingo Road and U.S. 95 is one of five turnaround schools not meeting the expectations outlined in No Child Left Behind.
Chaparral is now looking to clean up its reputation, touching every aspect of the school from restrooms to test scores.
Changes weren’t received well by students who openly protested the cuts to faculty and the new order that banned the use of cell phones and music players during the school day.
Under stricter rules, tardy students are locked out of classrooms, bathroom breaks during class time aren’t allowed and the lunch hour was pushed back to 1:40 p.m.
Superintendent Dwight Jones told students he’s not settling for half successes.
“Right now, 50 percent of the kids in this school don’t graduate high school. Is that acceptable to you? Think about that. Right now, some of the friends that you’re with aren’t going to graduate. Is that OK? That’s unacceptable to me. I think you guys ought to kick all of us out.”
- Year built:
- 1971
- Mascot:
- Cowboys
- Principal (Year Hired):
- David Wilson (2011)
- Enrollment:
- Approximately 2,250
- School Report Card:
- 2010-2011
Compiled by Gregan Wingert
Students in school should never be treated as prisoners. This is school and ruling students with an iron fist is wrong and is actually holding students against their will. It is nothing more than how people are subjected to in concentration camps and therefore this action should be illegal.
Comment removed by moderator. Personal Attack
Comment removed by moderator. Personal Attack
No bathroom breaks during class? Uh, girls don't control when their periods start and do need to be excused. And are they just going to make kids with the flu throw up in class?
Delayed lunch breaks until the end of the day? There are laws that prevent employers from doing this to their workers. Just because you're dealing with minors doesn't mean that you're exempt from the law. This new principal David Wilson is opening up Chaparral and CCSD for some lawsuits. And I know that there are lawyers out there just waiting for some students or parents to initiate legal action so that they can cash in.
Locking students out of classrooms if they are late is a horrible idea. What happens is truancy officials will go around campus, and then escort the students to the library or detention hall where they get referrals for future detention and are then returned to class. It's awful because the students are then treated like common criminals and are literally hunted down as such. I remember stuff like this in my own high school years ago and can tell you it does no good. Plus is a huge waste of financial resources.
I am in agreement with the electronics policy that bans iPods and Cellphones from use during class, but that is as far as it should go.
If you start running a school like a prison by taking away students freedoms, then what do the truly bad students have left to fear? Like AP classes that prepare students for college, you're just preparing at risk students for an easy, seamless transition into incarceration with these ridiculous rules. That in turn leads to their further acting out and demoralizing the remainder of the student body who begin to sympathize with them when they too feel oppressed. It then places previously stable students at risk.
Bottom Line: If you have students that are acting out, then you need to remove them from regular classes so that they cannot disrupt the learning process. If they're constantly late, acting out, or otherwise failing or disrupting classes, this is what "At Risk" programs are for. This isn't "Full Metal Jacket" where the actions of one demand the punishing of all. Most importantly it doesn't sound like the staff are the problem:
"...Chaparral's quick win came in the form of a $2 million investment in repairs to Chaparral's battered physical plant."
Really? Toilets that didn't even work? Neglected athletic fields and buildings? CCSD neglected and demoralized both the staff and students, yet wonders why they didn't take school seriously? I wouldn't take a job somewhere that didn't have working restrooms, why would it be any different for a student?
@ troyjrjackson Being treated as prisoners, really? Schools in Nevada rank near the bottom, if not at the bottom compared to the rest of the nation. Cell phones? Ear buds/mp3 players? These are distractions and school is a place to receive education, not social play time. Every time a kids' cell phone rings in class it's a distraction, a distraction to all attending the class. If you've got a better plan I'd love to hear it.
DMC. I agree with you
I have a daughter in school and I always showed her why it is important to do well in school and take it seriously and she does making good grades but the schools can defeat all my parental training if they make it a prison or concentration camp in which my daughter will then hate school.
Bigwall i have a better plan
My child also attends Chaparral High. The resentment is in the little things. The counselors are all new, every other teacher is a stranger, the band and cheerleaders not able to attend away games, even after receiving $9 million in turnaround funds. Parents spending thousands of dollars on uniforms and equipment to be denied seeing their kids perform at away games. Seniors walking into the school feeling like freshman is not how your senior year should feel. The lunch time is ridiculous at the end of the day. Kids in marching band without uniforms. Sure we have a new track and bleachers, but that happened on McPartlin's watch, that doesnt happen in one summer. Cracking down on the drugs and truancy should be a focus, not cellphones and ear buds!
Bigwall
The problem with schools is that they treat students as $$$ signs and as long as they have enrollment they get funded dollars per students.
I been to sxhools where teachers are busy yelling at elementary students during lunch hour it seems to me that no person adult or child needs to be yelled at at all.
I treat my daughter as an adult and she understands and accepts things better it is how your brought up.
I already have a son who graduated high school with the same principle in life and he does quite well. Schools should not be like prisons and / or like concentration camps they will lose more students and will cause things to get worse.
@bigwall
Yes, really. When you place students on literal "lock-down" where their freedoms are restricted, their is no leniency for tardiness, and when they either show up late for class or not at all to school and you have truancy officers hunt them down like escaped prisoners, then yes, you are in fact treating them like prisoners. And you wonder why they don't fear the police or jail sentences?
MP3 players and Cellphones should be banned from use in classrooms, absolutely. If a student is caught using one, send them to the office. Repeat offenses go the route of suspension and start holding parents more accountable like we already do for truancies. You want to stop phones from ringing in the classroom? Easy. Install Cellphone Jammers like some movie theaters do that interrupt the signal to block incoming and outgoing calls. Tie them into the fire alarms so that in case of emergency calls can then be placed. Not a big deal, and costs thousands less to the school.
Confiscating MP3 players and Cellphones is not an option. It's too much liability for the school and faculty. From physical damage, to items that turn up missing, to even damaged software and incurred charges. Not to mention the big items say if a student had a cell phone confiscated, couldn't get it back, and then wound up seriously injured or was even killed because they couldn't call for help since their phone was taken away... You bet the school would then face some serious lawsuits.
The students need to be motivated, sure. And there are ways to do that. But you can't encourage positive behaviors in good and average students if you're punishing the good and average students for the actions of the bad ones. All you do is demoralize them all equally.
Chaparral wants to increase test scores and graduation rates? Not going to happen under this new principal. The great students who can will transfer out to the other charter schools where their eventual graduations will be counted under THOSE school's statistics. Chaparral will see a decline in graduation rate as well as test scores there through this inevitable "brain drain" (something that coming from Mesquite I'd think this guy should already be familiar with). Likewise average students will either sink or swim too if they can get away to graduate elsewhere. Even if they do stay, since the star pupils will already have left the schools test scores are going to lower. The rest of the average students will be demoralized further and will just act out more.
Bottom Line: Remove the problem students by placing them into "At Risk" programs where they: A. Can't bother other students. & B. Can get the focused help that they need to help them graduate.
@ troyjrjackson
Likewise I am in agreement with you. You absolutely hit the nail on the head!
Schools do in fact receive money from the state for their daily attendance rolls. So hiring on extra security staff to hunt them down like cattle is what they do. The cost of the staff is less than the money received for "capturing" each student and returning them to school, so it's purely a business move. Not to mention that by boosting attendance rolls this way also helps the principal keep his or her job let alone make any bonuses. As such the motivation for a school is more about finances than academics, and it hurts the students in the process.
If your employer treated you the same way students are treated would you stay workingfor that employer. I know I would not so how can people think that students will like school if they continue this kind of treatment against them.
"Elsha misses the old staff, saying McPartlin and his team had helped her overcome many challenges."
It's good to hear Elsha is doing well, but the old staff apparently did not do their job in creating a learning environment for all students. The new princple is doing what is needed, changing the conditions, to create a much needed learning environment for all student.
For Elsha Harris-Yolanda and Crystal Carter, the article is written to show that "some" students can excel in difficult situations. What these two student must recognize is they now have a responsibility to support the changes at their school to help other student be the best they can be.
Being featured in this article is nice, but what about the other students that have struggle in the past because the learning environment was not right, because the old staff did not provide the necessary learning tools or attention because of distractions outside the class room?
These students in this article are a good example of other factors that have supported their success in a difficult learing environment. Most likely, involved parents, community support such as church and neigborhood activities. And the obvious, Elsha Harris-Yolanda and Crystal Carter seem to support each other.
These two "now" need to support the princple and not seem to look selfish and asking for the old status quo which was part of the problem for all students.
The posters here are whining as much as the high school kids are.. and you wonder where they get it. School should be a structured, disciplined, learning environment, good on the staff. For the students, this means after school time is something to look forward to.
How many kids are now on time for class?
When I was in high school, no one and I mean no one went to the bathroom during class. There were very few exceptions. You go to the bathroom between classes. Are you trying to say that kid's bladders are smaller than bladders 30 years ago? No, I didn't think so. You kids have been spoiled and have a total lack of discipline. The world does not revolve around you! Spoiled brats!! Turn off the electronics, pull your pants up, SHUT UP, SIT DOWN and learn.
Troy
"Schools should not be like prisons and / or like concentration camps they will lose more students and will cause things to get worse."
WHAT? Are you serious? Do you even know what horrors existed in concentration camps?
Perhaps you need to go back to school to learn some history before spouting off about something you know absolutely nothing about.
Don't even think about using concentration camps as an analogy to this situation.
For all the parents whining about the perceived evil treatment by the freedom constricting CCSD, have you spent a day in a local teacher's shoes? Have you done anything to support your local high school besides whine on The Las Vegas Sun online on a chair to small for your @ss? I didn't think so. If you don't like it, home school your kids the way you see fit. It's refreshing to see the staff take these measures to reform the herd and churn out graduates.
I think you have to be careful in education that you don't think that students will behave the worse. If you expect them to disappoint and make bad choices then they will.
Of course many of the rules make perfect sense. However, the no bathroom break rule I think needs more consideration. If they are locking classroom doors to prevent lateness, then some students may be deterred from going then-passing periods are often just that time enough to pass and not enough time to go to bathroom.
I have encountered many situations where a student simply has to go-especially if said student is ill. The Principal at Chapparal needs to look at that policy with his student body and see if something can be worked out. Mostly it seems the Principal is trying common sense and I am sure he will look at certain policies over time. It is good that the students are providing feedback, maybe the principal should ask these two students to be on a student committee to help the administration.
@Longtimevegan
I love your quote:
"These two "now" need to support the princple and not seem to look selfish and asking for the old status quo which was part of the problem for all students."
Absolutely not, they don't need to life a solitary finger for the principal nor anyone else. Just because someone is in a position of authority doesn't mean that we're suppose to blindly endorse nor support them. By that reckoning you yourself shouldn't have been so selfish and should have supported the mayor. Instead I believe on 2/18/10 at 6:34 a.m. you wrote,
"The Mayor is a drunk who defended crooks and killers, how is the hell did he get elected?"
Not a personal attack, but what I am pointing out is the hypocrisy that these students should just shut up and do what they're told with no input as to what they're doing, when any other debate here clearly shows that whenever any sort of civic or governmental authority initiates a plan, no one ever accepts the notion that they should just blindly support the person and the implementation.
Once again, just because they're minors doesn't mean that they're wrong nor are they exempt from having any rights. And just because this principal and many others are older doesn't make any of you automatically right nor that you have any MORE rights than they do.
Robert 2 you likewise do not know anything.
There is avenues that can be a better environment for students and this environment that you speak of does not breed an environment of learning lets put you and any other person under the same rules and i bet that you or anyone else would not last a day undet the same conditions even at work. You or anuyone else would quit before the week.
Under
Anyone
School needs to be an environment for learning.
Schools failed at doing that and all students should be given the opportunity to learn without being subjected to these useless rules.
I applaud the principal; make this the template for all of our Junior/Senior schools. If you don't like it drop out and get home schooled. Then you can use your cell phone or listen to all the music you want. Americans want the cream without putting in the work. We better wise up and fast. Look at where all of our jobs are going. Ninety percent of American companies outsource to places like India and China. Get your butts to school and get an education and stop the crybaby crap. The CCSD is just a breeding ground for future criminals. I wouldn't send my dog to a CCSD school!!!
The modern, successful workplace whether private or public is full of rules that employees must abide by. If students cannot abide by the simple rules of no cell phones and showing up to class on time, how can they possibly be ready for the real world? The student whining is an indication that things are changing for the better. To me the staff is taking a Coach Carter approach to it.. to the whiners, what have you done to help out the local schools?
troyjrjackson: A concentration camp? Please do some reading and realize what a ridiculous and insulting statement you made. To compare making students actually follow the school rules with a concentration camp is to deny the horrors suffered by millions in said camps.
The fact is this article is about the students that are in the top 10% of their class. They are exceeding in their studies, participating in activities, involved in athletics. They are the students that volunteer and make this school special. The fact is the turnaround schools were guaranteed millions of dollars to improve and the best students aren't getting their moneys worth. The marching band and cheerleaders have always traveled for games, now they are denied. The marching band is award winning and the largest in the district, yet not every student has a uniform. When you spend all day in AP and Honors classes these are the activities that make it all worth it, fund these programs as they have always been! They shouldnt be labeled whiners because they expect the best without the punishment of the bottom 10%.
Troy
What planet are you on? Everything I mentioned was reasonable. Sitting down, being quiet, going to the bathroom between classes is not what I would call extreme.
You compare this to concentration camps?
You and your type is what is wrong with this situation. You are taking the side of irresponsible children who would rather play than learn. Meanwhile my taxes pay for this waste!
Delaying lunch until 1:40 is ridiculous. A lot of the students probably don't eat a good breakfast and then all they get is a mid-morning snack break. It might be easier to control trouble makers if there are no lunch breaks but all the students are being punished. Have Security and if there are fights, drug dealing, expel those student from the High School and the CCSD. Also, so what the band and cheerleaders can't go to away games, with the state of CCSD's budget, eleminating sports should be looked at.
Now this principal is seeing why American schools are such a mess. The students in many schools are offended that they have to work and learn. They want to come meet their friends and party. Their parents basically tell them this is daycare and they can play around. The administration will come down on him and tell him to tone it down. He will lose control of the school, like thousands of other urban principals have.
I can already tell him that it was a waste of money to fix everything up. It will all be ripped apart within a few years, if not months. These kids should not be forced to come to school. Furthermore, they should have to pay tuition. That way, when things are damaged, the school can tell the parents that their kids destroyed property they paid for, and that they are responsible for fixing it, not the taxpayers. That's the only way they will appreciate their education.
Troy Jackson is a big reason why so many kids, especially in inner-city areas, are out of control. Look at his attitude to raising kids. I can only imagine how his children behave at school. Your daughter, is not an adult! Does she pay bills? Does she have to make adult decisions that could change the rest of her life? I didn't think so.
I say lets give this guy a chance. Also his rules dont sound so bad to me at all, but I went to a catholic high school and the rules were harsh, but we survived and thrived. So I would suggest for these girls parents to sit them down and have a long talk with them about what school is suppose to be. They seem very cocky and know it all already. Can you imagine what these girls will be like when they get a job? They will be the ones complaining because they cant use their cell phone and text message on the clock.
You can complain about how he runs this school but in a couple years lets see what the graduation rate is. He has stated with 30%, one of the lowest in the country.
He has a hell of a hill to climb and it seems that many people that have never worked at any school here want to tell him how to run a school.
Why would he even want to take on a job like this? Many would feel he is being set up to fail and with the public the way they are about not caring about education maybe he is.
I wish him luck because these kids deserve much better then they have received in the past both from their school and their parents.
Catholic school harsh? What, because people are telling you what to do? You should go to school in a third world country that doesn't have the ridiculous "progressive" laws that Europe and North America has. You get corporal punishment for breaking even the tiniest rule. Parents aren't going to defend their kids against the principal or teacher for stupid stuff like they do here.
American parents take school for granted because it is free and at taxpayer expense. They take offense to the teachers and principals actually trying to instruct their kids. Once again, I say eliminate the child labor laws, stop making kids come to school, and make parents pay tuition. That's the only way to end this nonsense. If kids don't want to go to school, let them go to work and help their families out financially.
Samjung you really dont know squat about raising kids do you my daughter excels in things she does and she can hold a conversation with an adult better than most adults. So I have a working system in which I have proof that my system wotks. I can prove you wrong any and everytime.
Most that disagree with me really never had kids or failed in some way shape or form in being parents in which you lack in parenting skills
First of all schools should not be police officers for the students. All students should have the right to be able to enjoy school for learning. Those who decide to be a problem have them go to the job corps or some other type of scared straight school especially those students that their parents are unable to control but do not combine the good kids with the few bad apples and punish all of them for it. The Nevada schools are in last place because parents fail to work with their child giving them values. To go extreme is to cause problems it will cause revolt in some way or another. It will not solve the issue at hand which is how to motivate students to graduate and be proud of theie accomplishments not graduate because they were forced too as well as being demoralized.
if the kids and parents didn't want the new strict rules, maybe more than 3 of 10 should of graduated.
Troy,
You are wrong on so many levels they are hard to address.
I have kids and I applaud the efforts by the new principal.
They don't need friends; they need leadership
troyjrjackson said, "Most that disagree with me really never had kids or failed in some way shape or form in being parents in which you lack in parenting skills"
Amazing. How did you come to that conclusion? Was it the same way you figured that following school rules equals concentration camps? One can only hope that the parenting skills are stronger than the grammar skills.
...or the critical thinking skills.
Also, having some rules and structure in the High Schools is not a bad idea because when these student enter the work force they won't be able to use their cell phone whenever they want, listen to music all the time, dress anyway they want and their employer will tell them when their break/lunch time is, get use to it now.
There is a difference in school rules theoughout the district and school rules because that school is in a low income area lets have the same school rules where your child goes too. Unless you dont have any childeen shannonk. Then you dont have any say so in this matter.
Heretic
Leadership how? Being a dictator in the school. There is other options available.
No studemt should be prevented from being able to go to the restroom and if they do go to the restroom and get to class late because a long line and then be punished for it. Students should be allowed to have their music but i agree not in classes. Students should be allowed their cellphones but during class put it on airplane mode. Schools already have rules but if I have to get hold of my daughter because it is an emergency and I cannot get through the school to relay a message then I want my daughter to have her phone. If she needs to get a hild of me while in school then i want her to call me. That phone is for me to get a hold of my daughter in an emergency.
"There IS avenues...." Run on sentence after run on sentence.... oh PLEASE do not encourage someone who can't write a simple sentence to homeschool their child - PLEASE DON'T :)
troyjrjackson: I have kids and have also taught in this school district. The rules at Chaparral are the same as the rest of the school district. Sounds like you are trying to say that the kids at Chaparral are being picked on because the school is in a low income area. Do I have that right?
Troy
You bring up the use of cell phones for emergency use. Just how many emergency phone calls do high school students receive in a school year? I would guess very very few.
We didn't have cell phones when I was in school and we did just fine.
Cell phones should be OFF while in class. Your argument allows for kids to text.
Geez, are you really that blind?
Oh, I get it now, troyjrjackson. Because you want to be able to get hold of your daughter whenever you choose, to hell with the rules. That explains everything.
Shannonk.
If you taught in this school district then you would know the rules are district wide but, if you impose stricter guidelines on one high school and not the others than it is discrimination regardless of rules. All rules have to be the same throughout the district. So show me that the rules are the same for every high school. According to the article chapparral was the only school dealing with these issues.
Shannonk if it is an emergency your damn right to hell with the school rules regarding cellphones.
Robert2
Yeah back then they did not have cellphones but on every corner they had payphones. Try finding payphones these days.
Robert2
Lets take away your cellphone from you.
troyjrjackson: The rules are the same at all the high schools. Just because administration at a particular school refuses to enforce the rules doesn't mean that the rules aren't there.
Please point out to me where in the article it states that Chaparral is the "only school dealing with these issues."
Part of the problem that schools deal with are parents who think the rules don't apply to them or their children. Take, for example, your response to the cell phone issue. If there is a true emergency, you can always call the front office. The problem is that there really aren't that many true emergencies and there are parents who think it's just fine and dandy to get in touch with their kid whenever and wherever they choose, never caring about the fact that it causes a disturbance in the classroom. Your kid isn't any more special than anyone else's.
What's also particularly telling is your choice of using "concentration camps," "dictators," "discriminating," etc. when describing the school rules and enforcement of those rules. Reminds me of the parents who seem to think that teachers are "out to get" their kids when their kids get in trouble for doing something wrong. Schools have to deal with this type of nonsense from parents on a daily basis. It's no wonder that some kids don't do well in school when they have parents like that.
I volunter ten plus hours a week at Chaparral High School. It is an amazing place with so many students trying to get the most they can out of the school, academically and socially. This turn around transition has been very difficult for so many of them. The newspapers, public, administration and school district has made this change even more difficult. They have attacked many of the teachers and the previous principal who created a positive and loving school environment for these kids over the last several years. Test scores, attendance and graduation rates were increasing under the previous administration; just not quickly enough for the students that it was failing. Change is necessary, but you cant capture the students loyality when you are attacking some of the only adults that have ever shown that they cared. One of the glaring differenced between this administration and the previous one is that the entire country is watching. These teachers and administration are receiving funding and training in a way that the previous ones did not. Case in point -- The first glimpse I received of McPartlin was him outside in the Vegas summer painting the school himself to try to get it ready for the students when they returned, this administration received 2 million dollars and an entire team of people to remodel the school to make it a "new" place for the kids. This administration and its team have spent countless hours in training to prepare them to make the school successful, where was that help when it was failing? I truly, truly hope that this administration is able to turn the school around and I applaud all their hard work and effort. But please stop attacking the previous administration and teachers, the kids take those attacks personally.
This is the result of giving something away to people for free. That's all I have to say.
ok lock out a kid who is late for class...hmmm...regardless of the reason??? or do they even bother to ask? let me ask you. you're 30 seconds maybe a minute late for whatever reason. Admin doesn't want you to be what? a distraction coming into class late? If they're so worried about academics what good does that do for a student who IS working hard to just get by to be denied the days education of that class or the test that day or just missing that key piece of learning information they needed to finally understand a topic they've been struggling on? No just lock em out huh? "You were late, so we're not teaching you anything till tomorrow." "Then you have to work harder and struggle even more to catch up." "oh and by the way, You don't need to eat until after school because that must be what's getting in the way of your education!" Really people? Is this what we are coming to? I went to Chap and my kids goto Del Sol and I hear they are going through similar changes soon. I loved their principal Ms. Angelcore(sp), she was there for the students and for us as parents. She listened and responded effeciantly to concerns and ideas we had as a whole. She was the first REAL principal we have ever had in the 12 years of schools we have ever came across here in the valley. And she was ripped away from us because of the failing situation of the school. We need to WAKE UP PEOPLE and be honest with ourselves. It boils down to PARENTING!!! I ride my boys about school, I check online for their missing assignments, and ask why? and I follow up and I follow up again and I follow up AGAIN if I have to. And I'm not a jerk to them about it, I just let them know I care and that nothings gonna slip by us so just take care of it on their own before I get on them about it. They've learned to be proactive as solve most of their problems on their own now. My oldest is a senior this year, is in all AP classes, is on the football team. Me and my wife take a great deal or responsiblity for that, because we care what they are doing and why they are doing it. And before you say "well we don't have that kind of time to do that we have to work to keep a roof over our heads." MAKE TIME! I have been working 2 jobs for 16+ years, because I do what I gotta do. That includes raising and teaching my boys to be men and getting what they need out of school, not just the books, but discipline. They're YOUR KIDS! you can only raise them ONCE! If they fail in life...YOU FAIL! This is my rant. Not re-read or checked for spelling, so plz don't judge ;)
Shannonk
See and that is where you are wrong.
You give me every reason to not trust you in teaching my child because as a teacher you think of my child as another jane doe. See that is why i believe the school fails to teach kids because you dont believe they have what it takes to be intellectual or responsible. How can they with teachers that dont give a rats ass because they are some other persons child. You believe they need to be taught a lesson as by strict unyielding discipline because they have no freedom to enjoy school that their life is useless and they cannot be entrepreneurs because they need to follow rules that other people set and you are the person who enacts discipline.
I raised my son who is a very responsible person a person who graduated high school against very difficult circumstances. I have to say there is ggood teachers out there but, i do not know about you. I could not trust you with my daughter.
Many of the new rules have been enacted to make Chap a safer place. I agree with the ban on electronics - no class should be distracted like that. They should not however take phones away from students on their nutrional break or during passing.
At first I agreed with the no passes during class. But sometimes the students just do not have enough time during passing periods. There is no lunch for the students during the middle of the day to utilize that time for the restroom, which is what I told my daughter to do until she pointed out there was no lunch break. They have a nutritional break but then you are telling them to choose between eating something or using the restroom. Most days my daughter just waits until the end of the day to use the restroom, which is not healthy.
I am glad they are enforcing some of the district rules, but some of them might need just a little adjusting.
Troy
If there is an emergency I am sure a student could use a phone in administration. I bet they won't ask you to pay for the call either.
A high school can not be compared to a prison or a concentration camp. You are over exaggerating the circumstances. Take a breath and relax. The world isn't coming to an end because you can't text your child to remember to feed the dog when they get home.
Wow, troyjrjackson! That's quite an interesting take based on?...
Where do you get the idea that I think of children as just "another jane doe"? Where do you get the idea that I "dont (sic) believe they have what it takes to be intellectual or responsible"? If you are going to make outrageous claims about me, back them up by pointing out where exactly you got that idea from.
You also said, "How can they with teachers that dont give a rats ass because they are some other persons child. You believe they need to be taught a lesson as by strict unyielding discipline because they have no freedom to enjoy school that their life is useless and they cannot be entrepreneurs because they need to follow rules that other people set and you are the person who enacts discipline." I really don't even know how to respond to this mess. What the heck are you talking about?
I suggest you go back and reread everything I wrote because there appears to be some comprehension issues. I don't currently teach in the school district. I'm using my education to ensure that my own children get an excellent education. You can bet that my own children are expected to follow the school rules. I back up the teachers and don't think my children should be treated any differently than any other student.
When I did teach, my students learned because I expected them to excel. My students consistently scored higher on tests than those in other classrooms in the same grade level. But, please, go on thinking that I don't value students or that I couldn't be "trusted" with someone else's child. No skin off my back.
Our kids have gotten way too spoiled. When I was at Chaparral, cell phones weren't allowed and neither were electronics. Big deal. At school, you're supposed to do schoolwork. Waste your time listening to music and talking on the phone when you get home.
People always hate change. When everyone gets used to how things are now, they'll stop the whining and dramatics and maybe even realize some rules will make the school safer and more focused on education (for a change).
My only issue is with the lunchtime. 1:40? When I was at Chap, we were on block scheduling with a 20-minute break between each class. Is this still happening? If not, it needs to be. Everyone needs time to eat.
Robert2
I dont make useless calls and an emergency is what it is an emergency.
As i said i will call through the office first then i will csll my daughter if need be. Plain and simple.
Change is good as long as it benefits the students.
Cellphone on airplane mode or off during class yes
Electronics off during class yes
I disagree with not allowing for restroom breaks during class
I disagree of having a late lunch.
And I disagree with locking classroom doors to late students. Mark them tardy if you have to but, do not lock them out of class for the day.
As for disrupting students that dont listen to authority or their parents send them to job care or scared straight for several weeks or more.
I agree, MelissaLV, about the "nutrition breaks." It appears that three days a week, there is a 10 minute break to eat, a 15 minute one on another day, and half an hour for lunch at noon on another. That seems a bit screwy to me. There does need to be enough time to eat something and use the bathroom.
I am a parent (of a 3rd grader). I am also a native Las Vegan. I see both arguments.
Thankfully (and luckily), my son is a super bright kid, that tests well above the standard levels, but what scares me is the track record that CCSD has. It's been the lowest of low for quite some time now. But, I know as a parent, it is MY responsibility to work with him and make sure he stays on top of his homework. I think a lot of parents do not take an active roll in their child's education, and they should.
When I was going to school, the big thing for us was pagers (not cell phones). Regardless, we weren't allowed to even HAVE them, let alone, have them ON while at school. I think that letting the students have a phone is not a terrible thing as long as it is not on during class. I have to strongly disagree with the "no bathroom breaks" rule. The fact is they just don't give enough time during "passing periods" to get to your class on time. If they are locking tardy kids out, this policy needs to be revisited. Maybe some kind of a "pass" system would work. For example, they can give the student "punch cards" that allot for "x" number of breaks during "x" time frame, say a month, and if the student uses them all up, then they'll have to wait to the next "renewal" time. (I am just thinking of things; I am sure there are answers out there that will make all parties happy.)
On the other side, I feel like we as a society and a city, need to "man up" when it comes to our children. Stop with the whining and hand holding. We do need guidelines and policies that are a little stricter, especially when it comes to their education. I truly believe that if you give kids an inch, they will take a mile, WITHOUT PROPER GUIDANCE. There HAS to be compromises made, without compromising our children's future.
I like some of the rules this guy has implemented (cell phones, electronics, late to class, bathroom breaks, etc.) but I think he needs to tread lightly on other issues. From the outside, the late lunch seems like the wrong approach. Maybe it's not such a big issue since there's a "snack time" (thought that was a pre-school thing). I don't fully understand the policies surrounding sports, but it sounds like he could consider easing up on that.
This guy has a really tough job...turning academic performance around and dealing with the disciplinary problems. Honestly, most of the changes this guy has made sounds like what I dealt with when I was in school, and somehow we survived without cell phones and iPods. It's kind of sad to read comments from parents, when grammar is horrible, and they're more concerned about their kids "happiness" and social life than they are about their academic success. You want the district to spend money to install cell phone blockers in the classroom? Really? You guys need to handle your kids, and they need to know that there are consequences to their actions/performance. And yes, I am a parent. You're a bad parent if you fail to acknowledge when your kids are headed down the wrong path, and attempt to correct their behavior. I'm okay with being judgmental in that regard.
Based on the comments left by parents or other adults, I can see why the children of CCSD are in the state they're in. Stop coddling your children. Set boundaries and enforce them. Kids need and thrive in a structured environment. Expecting young adults to use the bathroom during passing period and arrive to class on time is NOT akin to prison. Are you allowed to leave during the middle of a business meeting to use the bathroom? Is it okay with your boss if you arrive late? It's unfortunate that schools are where many students are learning responsibility and discipline instead of at home.
Troy
The point I am trying to make but you don't seem to understand is that, if your daughter gets to have her cell phone on in airplane mode then so does everyone else. See...now you have a teacher in front of a class trying to teach and they are constantly observing students taking out their phones and texting someone. I am not talking specifically to your daughter but to everyone. All cell phones should be OFF.
We did fine without cell phones when I was a child.
Apparently, too many students are showing up late for class. Administrators are not robots. They are able to figure out the troublemakers that consistently show up late. I am sure the administrators are not attending their first rodeo. They know how long it takes to get from one class to another. They have probably cut down on the late arrivals to class since this all went into effect.
Robert2
I dont know about your cellphone but my phone and my daughters phone, airplane mode shuts off all data and phone mode.
samskin: Great points. I'd also like to point out that the teachers don't get to run off and use the bathroom whenever they need to. If the teachers can do it, so can the students.
Where are people getting the idea that students are locked out for the day if they are caught in a tardy sweep/lockout?
I am totally opposed to kids leaving class to go to the bathroom. However, passing periods are limited to 5 minutes. The administration feels that this allows the students enough time to get to class but minimizes that amount of time that students can talk or goof around, thus reducing the number of fights, etc. So if it is the perfect amount of time to minimize loitering in the halls, how is there enough time to use the restrooms? If you stop to use the restroom and are late to your next class, you will be locked out.
I have always told my children if they do not have enough time to use the restroom during their passing period then they should wait until lunch. They do not get lunch until 1:46 four days a week. My daughter has not asked for a pass because she will not break any rules, so she just waits until the end of the school day. Every day I hear the kids joking about someone bouncing up and down during class because they had to pee but wouldn't/couldn't ask to leave class. The sad thing is the students that this really effects the most are the good kids who would never dream of breaking the rules.
By the way your employer gives you breaks during the day, they dont wait until the day is over.
I understand why they moved the lunch break to the end of the day, but other schools have tried it and it didn't work so well for them either.
ShannonK:
It stated in the story that one of the new rules is the classrooms will be locked and any tardy students will be locked out. I don't think it's "for the whole day", but I think it's more on a "class by class" basis.
:)
Other schools that do tardy sweeps/lockouts have the students go to the dean's office to sign in so there is a record of them being tardy. They then go to class. That way, there is a record of the tardies so there is progressive discipline for those who are habitually tardy.
The Baby Boomers were failures as parents, and subsequent generations are getting even worse! We need to stop treating children like superheroes. We need to start being realistic and prepare them to survive in the real world. We need to stop giving our kids everything. They don't appreciate it. Unfortunately, America is going to be in a terrible state. We are playing chicken with a semi.
It's sad to see what has become of school. These parents let their kids get away with murder, then the ones with the means get them jobs at their companies and continue to let them do whatever they want. That's why American industry is going down. Corruption is ruining everything. Unfortunately, having held a position of leadership as a manager and in other roles, I have seen how useless the American work force has become. Managers and owners think that it's perfectly ok to sit in an office all day and play around on a computer, blaming their employees for every mistake, cutting their wages or stealing from them, while the average employee feels like they don't need to have any common courtesy and call in if they aren't coming in, answer their phone and pick up work when someone isn't available and not ask for ridiculous wages that they know they can't possibly get. The whole system is broken.
Who knows why? Maybe Democracy is a failure and people really can't rule themselves? That's just a theory. People need some sort of higher force, or order in their lives, much like we need water. Without it, things cannot function properly.
No lunch break is the dumbest thing Ive heard. Lunch is a great time to socialize, relax, eat, and recharge yourself for the rest of the day. No cell phone or iPod/iPad should be used in class, that's fair, but outside of class I see no problem.
I think the school is managed perfectly. It's supposed to condition the students to be consumer drones and laborers. They must be controlled by the media/government/wealthy and school prepares them for that.
People need to wake up. This man is correct in what he is doing. As an educator I can tell you that children are spoiled by their electronics, and have a serious lack of discipline. They are constantly abusing bathroom privileges, late to class, and tuned into their IPODS instead of their education. I love what Chaparral is doing and until you live the life of a teacher in the current education environment you have zero room to comment. All the public does is complain, complain, complain. The school district tries to respond to the complaints and are met with more complaints. Absolutely ridiculous!
@GURU, I can tell you right now that this man is going to LOSE. Kids will start leaving that school district to go to other schools. He will have a meeting with some administrators telling him that he needs to loosen up his rules because kids are leaving and taking their money with them. What is it, $7,000 a student? If he doesn't loosen up his rules and retain students, they will fire him.
That's why these kids are getting away with murder! They are like paying customers and are being treated as such. The only thing is that they don't want the product that they are getting for free, and they are disrupting the other "customers" that do value it.
We need to stop treating school like it's some sort of God-given right, and start treating it like a commodity. Don't want to go to school and foot some of the bill? Fine, go find a job or apprentice somewhere. You will see the kids respecting the school staff a lot more immediately.
I hate to sound like the old curmudgeon who says things like "when i was your age I had to walk barefoot through 10 feet of snow to get to school and I had to fight off grizzly bears with a pocket protector," but seriously, if these are the worst complaints they have, kids have seriously gotten soft these days since I graduated from High School.
Why do kids need ipods and cellphones with them at school anyway? These things weren't even invented when I was their age.
Take an honest look at yourselves and what really constitutes a "necessity."
No one wants to hear "suck it up and get through it," but thats exactly what they need to hear. I got pushed hard by franciscan friars in a college prep high school, got pushed hard by wrestling coaches, and made it through a tough sink or swim environment in graduate school and no one had any time for my tears. It will make you a better and a tougher person and when there is adversity in your adult life or in the workplace it will be like no big thing, because you already got through the "boot camp."
And believe this, I'm sure the local high schools in clark county are nothing resembling a boot camp, if they did the ACLU and their band of weeping followers would be all over it.
How hard is it to get a 3.2 GPA if only 3 out of 10 students don't even graduate - that means not only are they NOT getting good grades they aren't even getting poor grades! There is no competition - there are so many Fs that the school will grant an A just for effort.
This article is very misguided. The prior administration made this student proud of coming to this school? Why? Only 3 out of 10 students graduated!!!
This isn't being proud - this is being blind!
I don't necessarily agree with an authoritative approach to learning but some concessions must be made. No phones/earphones is a no brainer policy. Of course they should prohibit the use of these items during school.
The teachers should take this seriously and enforce this policy.
But you need more than pure authoritative rule. You need more positive incentives, after school programs, dissemination of these programs, etc., to help students improve.
Parents need to call Action 13 and get this Principal prosecuted.
olbuddy
I have disagreed with you on subjects, but we are on the same page with this one.
If my parents needed to get in touch with me while I was in school, they went through the phones in administration. We did just fine.
There is an ever decreasing work ethic with the younger generations. In the past I would bend over backwards when a youngster applied at our company. Now, when an older person applies I give them much more consideration. Older folks show up and are almost always on time. I just got tired of dealing with kids who would get hired and then continually have excuses as to why they could not be on time. These kids today really don't know how tough it is and the parents aren't doing them any favors. This is such an old story.
What really bothers me is these are the people who are supposed to be in charge of this country when I am older.
lobo69
Really? What criminal offenses have been committed?
Action 13 does not prosecute, perhaps you mean the DA's office.
Funny thing is that students at my high school 29 years ago (in Las Vegas) managed to get from class to class with a 5 minute passing period without being tardy. They also managed to run outside for a smoke during that time as well. ;-)
Anyone listening to me out there?
Take me up on my proposal: Stop requiring school, eliminate the child labor laws and start requiring parents to pay tuition for school. Schools should stop accepting taxpayer money and rely on tuition and donation money to fund the school.
All of this nonsense that we are seeing going on today will disappear overnight.
samjung23
I don't have children in school now. I believe as a culture/society we should all pay taxes to support our future generations education. If individulas had to pay their own tuition, not many could afford educating their kids. It is cost prohibitive.
My kids go to a private school, and those rules have always been in place. No cellphones can be on during the school day. If they arrive late, they must check in at the office first. Lunch isn't until 12:45 (no snack break). I don't know about restroom emergencies, but it is probably severely discouraged. Everyone has survived. It is no big deal.
@Robert2, it seems to me that very few children value or need the education that they are getting in school. A lot of blue collar folks are sending their kids to school with an attitude that an education is something not to be taken seriously. If that is the case, why are we forcing them to come? Let them learn the trade from daddy or work a job. I hate to say it, but while the rich in the past sounded harsh for saying that the poor didn't deserve or couldn't handle an education, for the most part, they knew what they were talking about.
Most importantly, why are taxpayers paying for public schools? Most of this money is just going to fund sports programs anyways. I've always thought this was ignorant. $7,000 per student is absolutely ignorant. Foreigners do a better job of educating their students for less, and America used to do so in the past.
I am in complete favor of not making school mandatory anymore and removing all taxpayer money from the systems. Let the schools fund themselves.
Wow sounds like Catholic school, but less discipline. They have nothing to complain about.
PROSECUTE? I want to give this principal a raise, lol these spoiled brats have had it so good, that now they want to whine. Well,to bad... your there to learn ...act like an adult.
Now how come the other schools are not doing this?
Let's begin with the purpose why schools exist: Education of children -- to make them contributing members of society. ALL students have the right to proper education. To serve this purpose, schools must do what it needs to do so long as children are not hurt and are safe. Parents must respect that.
To provide education, schools have teachers, books, computers, and electronic equipment used as tools to teach. Those have been sufficient all these years.
Cell phones, MP3 players, and the like are NOT necessary in school to get a good education. There are no acceptable excuses to have them in schools NO MATTER how grand the excuse may be. Children are in school for six/seven hours. They have the rest of the 24 hours -- 17 to be exact to play/mess with their 'toys.'
Lunch at the end of the school day (2:00 p.m.?) with nutrition breaks is enough. The school wants to utilize as much time as possible allowed by law to educate the children. Respect that. Give your children a hearty breakfast before they go to school. Wake up early and cook/eat breakfast. Nothing to eat at home? It is not the school's fault. It is your responsibility as a parent to feed your children.
Bathroom breaks? I work in an elementary school. I allow them one bathroom break in the morning and one in the afternoon and only when I am not teaching. No one has complained. You see -- when rules are established from the very start and are consistent, children normally get used to the routine and there are no problems. That is the hallmark of discipline.
Too much of the parents' responsibility are passed on to schools. This has to stop! You want good education for your children? Do your share. Teach your children RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, and RESILIENCE. If you are not doing it, or you don't know how to do it, let schools do what it must do. If you don't like what schools are doing, go to the school and observe -- not for one day -- but for as long as you can to gather enough data that will support your claims that indeed the school is causing children harm. You cannot just mouth off your accusations based on your presumptions. OR, put your children in PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
Nancy,
You have said all there is to be said, and eloquently.
Troy Jackson, you are doing yourself & your child a disservice with your less than "adult-like" rantings.
Speaking as a current Chaparral High student, one teen who's voice isn't heard of this subject. I have a lot of mixed emotions of this turnaround. I always understand that all the Mr Wilson is trying to change the school for the better, and I am more than happy to know that, I applaud his can-do attitude. Now my only problem is that I am a 3.7 gpa student, in the top 30 kids of my class, I've always done my best, and learned a lot, but sadly even as a good student, I am now suffering through this, along with every other of my fellow students at Chaparral. I know that the new ways are definitely needed for some of those teens that make the school have such bad scores and are that nearly 60% that isn't graduating, but now I one of the 40% graduating, one of the teens that passed all the proficiency test nearly exceeding the district standards am now suffering, I can't even message my own mother about something that is of importance to my family without the fear of a teacher or admin ripping my phone away from me. Once again I applaud and like the new Chaparral, but why make those teens that brought the best of the old Chaparral suffer?
@ilive4life, wrong attitude kid. You think that because you have a 3.7 gap and are in the top 30 at a failing school that you are special and exempt somehow from the rules? You think this is suffering? Wait until college and see some of the classes there. Wait until you have to find a job. Wait until you have to pay the rent, pay for kids, get sued, get prosecuted for something you didn't do or is just plain ridiculous. That's unfair! This is nothing! Who do you think you are?
The issue I see with the articles about Chaparral compared to the other turnaround schools, is David Wilson has gone and attacked the former principal and staff publicly. No other turnaround principal has done that and the other schools were in far worse condition than Chaparral. Otherwise why would he have rehired 50% of the staff from before.
It is interesting that this is mentioned from that special training he had.
LeAnn Buntrock, the program's executive director , " ... why David (Wilson) has to communicate a clear vision, that the changes aren't because (any student) is being punished. There are still a number of kids who aren't reaching their full potential, and we have to figure out ways to do that without putting down the reputation of the prior administration or teaching staff."
I guess he missed lesson since he is constantly bringing up the past.
The rules are just like that every other school in the district and the students can live without their electronic devices.
iliveforlife:
First: Good for you! You are ahead of everyone else, but suffering?
What is so urgent that can not wait for a few hours? Other arrangements can be done before school. Planning ahead is good practice.
Your education is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. It is a privilege and be glad it is provided to you FREE. Your good grades and graduation from high school are the REWARDS for your hardwork.
Because you are a good student, you should be ENTITLED? It does not say anywhere that the school should provide you with entitlements. The school's responsibility is to provide you with a good education. THAT IS ALL.
Rules must be CONSISTENT. It has to be to make it work.
@ASadTeacher, you are right, he/she should be glad an education is provided to them for free, because if I ran this country, I would have no qualms about charging tuition for every school and sending the children who couldn't afford it or deserved to be there to work in the salt mines, so to speak.
As harsh as it sounds, that's the only way these kids would ever value an education and respect their teachers.
Mr. Wilson needs to look at who provides the funding for his job. It comes through the Dept of Education, not the Dept of Corrections.
This is too extreme, too harsh, and defies basic common sense. While the need to impose some control is understandable, this is taking it way too far.
I look forward to the Las Vegas Sun's reporting on Mr. Wilson getting the boot and reading about him whining out loud and asking why his plan didn't work. It's just a shame that his impending career FAIL is going to take a lot of good kids down with him.
This guy has a tough job ahead of him. Obviously he's going to have to institute some hard rules. Good for him. Cell phones have become the worst distraction wrought on this world. Go to any bar, all you see is people with their heads buried in the phone texting. I can imagine the disruption they can cause in the classroom.
Eventually these rules will weed out those who truly have no intention of finishing school and will help those on the edge. The good students will adapt.
I Sent this as a Message to some of you by accident-
This is on your comment on the Chaparral story:
Sure I understand students don't need cell phones and MP3 players in class but excuse us if we have to call for rides AFTER school and still get our phones taken away. If a Senior has an open period we seriously have to walk across the street before we use our phones.
Excuse us if we think its bad that school goes on until 2pm we can't use the rest room, we don't have time to do it before class, they lock them before school, there's no time to get lunch and still catch your bus let alone use the restroom, and when we finally can half of them still don't work. And when we finally get our lunch they still force us out because they don't want anyone on campus, so we have no time to eat and half the student are able to get lunch. Honestly, it's nothing but depressing.
Okay, it's a school, so it's about education and structure. Excuse us if we think it's a little extreme to instead of spending money to get the bells fixed to get us to class on time they decide to splurge on Megaphones to heard us into class like animal.
And the "Nutrition" Break is a bunch of vending machines with lines that take ten minutes and when you finally get to the front all of the sugary un-healthy snacks are empty and you're late.
They think they have such a great staff this year? Half of the security guard yell at the special ed kids. They block hallways filled wit 2,000+ students with scooters all day and treat you like everything you're doing is some type of criminal activity.
I'm sure you probably think "oh they're so bad. They need new rules," honestly school still needs to be a place people actually want to go to. I'm not saying people don't want to go now because of 'rules', but no one wants to go because of the respect they're receiving, or the lack there of. Sure call us kids, but if you're apparently teaching us to become successful adults, treat us like it. The new administration doesn't have respect for us and honestly I can't just give respect if I will never receive it. I get straight A's, I'm at the top of my class, I believe in rules, and I go to school to get an education but I don't believe in being yelled at constantly being put down by my so-called "New Family".
Chapsenior:
No. I do not think children are bad. They may make bad choices, but they are not bad. It's the parents or whoever raised them that failed to help them make/know which are the right choices. The environment they are in oftentimes exacerbates this problem.
As I have stated in my comment, CHILDREN MUST NOT BE HARMED AND CHILDREN MUST FEEL SAFE IN SCHOOLS. That is the school's priority and the school's responsibility. Failure of the school to provide this environment is inexcusable.
If what you say here is actually happening, IT SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED. Note down names, times, and dates and GO TO THE AUTHORITIES. This is very important because grown-ups tend to NOT LISTEN to children. This will be your proof.
Speak at the board meetings, send a letter to the SUPERINTENDENT, involve a few of your classmates. If there's many of you, there is strength. DO NOT BE AFRAID to speak out. As an A student, you be a leader for those who have no voice. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO PROVE your mettle. Again, DO NOT BE AFRAID. You are doing something to correct a situation. I urge you to do it. In my own way, I will use your letter and write to several people to investigate this. I admire your strength for writing to the paper and to me. We'll see. The law says children have rights to education in a LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT.
I stay firm on cellphones and such. Make your arrangements before you come to school. Learn how to plan ahead. This is an important skill in school and in adult life. Right now, the school is still getting the 'kinks' out of the process of change. Be patient. It will smooth out soon.
Teachers and students make connections. If you remove all the familiar people, I guess you get "reform" but it's like taking away a family member.
The sad thing will be when they go through this trauma and in 5 years, scores will not have improved. Significant change is not sustainable in areas where poverty, racism and disenfranchisement have caused generations of people to be discouraged.
It's not the teachers or the schools - it's the stagnant and discouraged COMMUNITIES that need to be addressed. Teachers only see students for 10% of their lives. It it hard to affect significant change if families and the entire area doesn't receive support.
I'm tired of people expecting teachers to do it by themselves. I will continue to do what I can - because I believe I make a difference. But if my students fail to score well - I have to take a deep breath and say, I could only do what I could do with the time I had.
On behalf of the Teaching Community, I wish to THANK Angie Sullivan, for her tireless support, for the students, educators, and community. You plant those seeds and they WILL grow in due season. "For everything, there is a time, purpose, and season, under Heaven."
Standing in FAITH that all things will work together for the GOOD for those who believe.
Blessings and Peace,
Star
Wow, what a discussion...publish these as a book. No other explanation will be needed to explain what is wrong with our educational system. The inmates are running the prison. (That is what it is referred to.) Now, there are rules in life. If, at the high school level you have not realized this, you are in trouble. The comments in this section, I try to identify the one's that are student and the one's that are adult. Seems to me, some adults are protecting an old way, instead of appreciating the fact that someone is trying to make a difference. Great students are not above the rules and if they are so great, they could be the leaders they claim, put down the cell phones, pee before class, get there on time, and for your own sake, learn about your period, you will have them for many years to come and you won't be able to leave the shuttle if it happens when you least expect it.
Great comments from the teachers, and even the Chaparral student (chapsenior12).
To chapsenior12, I'd tell you that anytime that major changes are made to any large institution, there are going to be problems with the execution. Unfortunately for you, the people that are making those mistakes won't be quick to acknowledge them. I think you should find a constructive way to communicate your concerns, without whining or attacking. Try to work WITH the administration, and understand that these changes are being made to make you more successful as a student, and ultimately in life. Their job is not to worry about your social life, or your issues outside of school. The problems you mentioned don't sound like systemic problems, they're just the result of flawed execution of some of the details, and minor tweaks can address those problems. I'm sure you've gotten used to using your phone to call/text whenever you'd like, and you now think that there are so many "emergencies", but you have to understand that most of us commenting didn't have cell phones in school, and we somehow got along just fine. In fact, we performed better than your generation is, relative to the rest of the world. If there's a true emergency, I'm guessing they'll let you go to the office and make a call. But I think that in this era of immediate gratification, many things that you consider to be an "emergency" are simply an inconvenience.
Good luck to you and your school, I think all of us that post are hoping that you succeed. Most, if not all, want to see your school, and the entire district, go from being one of the worst in the country to one of the most rapidly improving.
From the news article, the reader can ascertain that the school needs to be on a more organized track than previously. The new rules should be given a chance to develop some new standards. PMS is a problem that any teacher has the ability to relate to and if the teacher gives the permission to use the b/r then the school can go back on the teacher and not the students which is the most likely to help the students. If a student has the flu or other medical problems, the student needs to be escorted to the correct office for students who are ill. No school official has the intentional abuse syndrome written on their forehead. There are a few officials who do and these are primarily females officials who have a vendetta with their father ego. That's what happened to me and my schooling. My father ego was just so overwhelming in the ideology driven world of business that school officials just threw up their hands and said she is impossible to deal with because she has a mind that functions, not just a person who sits at the typewriter and types the writings of others.
I have a couple of observations about public school teachers and administrators. Some of these folks go into the field of education in order to make a positive difference in the lives of their students and attempt to instill a love of learning in them that will last a lifetime. Others go into the field to bully individuals younger than themselves. Also, it appears that in our public schools the phrase "zero tolerance" has come to mean zero common sense.