Changing a community’s culture
– whether it’s a country, a company, a church or a school – is a
difficult undertaking. But it also underscores the amazing strides
Gilroy Unified School District officials have made in changing the
culture at Gilroy High School.
Changing a community’s culture – whether it’s a country, a company, a church or a school – is a difficult undertaking. But it also underscores the amazing strides Gilroy Unified School District officials have made in changing the culture at Gilroy High School.
Improving high school discipline may appear to be simple, but we shouldn’t underestimate the difficulty or the importance of the change.
At one time, students were so routinely tardy and infractions were so regularly unpunished that many GHS teachers didn’t bother to interrupt class to report latecomers.
GHS Principal Bob Bravo, realizing that, in his words, “discipline infractions are often connected to each other” instituted a zero-tolerance policy for tardiness. Tardy sweeps were conducted after morning brunch and lunch – two chronic periods for late arrivals to class. Teachers began giving citizenship grades that reflect, in part, tardies. Low citizenship grades can lead to ineligibility for sports and other extracurricular activities.
Enforcement of the rules has led to a change in the culture at GHS.
Not only have tardies dropped significantly – first period tardies plummeted by an astounding 70 percent in the 2003-2004 school year – so have other disciplinary actions. The number of student suspensions and work detail assignments have dropped.
Some report that the culture shift is even beginning to be seen in a chronic discipline problem at GHS – the dress code. The increased enforcement of too-low jeans and tummy-baring tops merited a mention in one student’s graduation speech this year.
Next year, GHS officials will implement Saturday school as an alternative to suspensions. It’s a way to enforce the school’s rules without having students miss school with a suspension. And we suspect students will find the prospect of spending a Saturday in school a much more effective deterrent to breaking the rules than the prospect of a day or two off school ever was.
Congratulations to everyone at the GUSD and GHS who has had a hand in making this key change to the culture at the high school. Your creative ideas and unflagging dedication to improving discipline will improve the educations of thousands of Gilroy students. Well done.
