SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT ON THE FREE THROW LINE
Published On 03-06-2009 , 10:06 PM
ONCE again top folk in the Pasadena Unified School District are scratching heads and adjusting their game plan to give the public some measure of understanding.
This time it's about how or why 42 percent of freshmen at Pasadena High School are failing in at least one class, 57 percent of freshmen at Blair IB Magnet in southwest Pasadena also have at least one F and how John Muir High School came in with 54 percent of the class having the same lack of learning going on.
The bright light in all of this is Marshall Fundamental High School coming in on the low end of the shameful pattern with only 18 percent of freshmen getting an F grade in at least one class.
According to news reports, our superintendent of schools, Edwin Diaz, says the high count of these failing freshmen were higher than he had expected. With this said, it now looks like he plans to discuss the issue with those in charge of high schools and see about some possible solutions.
In a recent Pasadena Star-News article, Diaz said, "I'm going to share this with our staff so we can assess what are the steps we need to take."
This kind of commentary is pretty hard to stomach. The man's cavalier attitude is beyond shameful given that $1.3 million went into creating a Freshman Success Academy at John Muir that focused, in part, on small classes being held in a separate building and specially developed remedial studies.
What might Diaz have in mind? What steps might we contemplate that he's going to take with his commitment to turn the situation around?
Well, I didn't read the word commitment in the article but I'm suspecting that's what he wanted the public to believe.
It's mighty hard for me to think our school district is going to improve the life of failing students. It doesn't take only my experience with them over the past 45 years to be doubtful.
How can you have faith when head folks allocate $1.3 million for a program but the failure rate among the students they created it for, according to officials, didn't change from the same grading period the year before?
But the district is not alone in baring responsibility for failing students and since Diaz is looking into the steps needed to be taken, somebody ought to pull his coattail and tell him behind every failing student there is a parent not quite doing their job.
High schools and high school classrooms are far from the learning arenas of yesteryear. Those in the work place who are in charge of educating our youth face a challenge that's not easy to describe.
I know about the classroom clowns - and I know their parents. I know about the students who want to do their work but don't want to be called nerds. And I know so many more scenarios that work against learning.
I'm not alone. You know some kids who aren't cutting the mustard. You may even know some of the kids who cut class and hang out in the park or at the party house. And what about their parents?
While life ain't easy trying to educate today's younguns and while many components figure into the equation of failing freshmen and other grade level students, the ball is in the school district's hands and the crowds have their eyes on Edwin Diaz dribbling down the court or maybe even shooting from the free throw line.
Either way, I'm not putting my money on the Pasadena Unified School District team.
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