GILROY
– Unclear responses from administrators and teachers left the
final direction of Gilroy High School’s reading list task force up
in the air after last Wednesday’s meeting, and some fear progress
could be stymied by factions within the English department.
Confused parents are demanding that school
administration provide the group with a clear direction.
By Lori Stuenkel
GILROY – Unclear responses from administrators and teachers left the final direction of Gilroy High School’s reading list task force up in the air after last Wednesday’s meeting, and some fear progress could be stymied by factions within the English department. Confused parents are demanding that school administration provide the group with a clear direction.
In response to Wednesday’s uncertainty, Principal Bob Bravo said Friday that he will soon address members of the Reading Literature Advisory Group to clarify what the group will accomplish in the next two months. The group will continue to establish reading list criteria and will revise the list before next semester, Bravo said.
“I won’t wait until the next meeting. I’ll be talking to people in between now and then,” he said.
Confusion arose at the end of Wednesday’s meeting, after the advisory group continued its revision of the book selection criteria. GHS parent Bob Heisey, who was observing the meeting from the audience, asked what would happen once the criteria are complete.
English teacher Tom Simmons and group facilitator Juanita Contin said the group’s work will conclude when the criteria are established, citing the group’s purpose as stated on the meeting agendas.
The question of what will eventually come out of the group then fell to Bravo, who said at the meeting that the new criteria would be used to select textbooks to pilot, but did not say what would happen to the reading list in the meantime or afterward.
The purpose of the group, stated at the top of meeting agendas, is “to review/revise literature selection criteria.” The desired outcome, also expressed on the agenda, is to “complete literature reading list by Thanksgiving for presentation to the (principal’s parent advisory committee) and review literature selections so that they reflect agreed upon criteria.”
The group was formed by the high school this fall and includes teachers, parents, students and one ‘ex-oficio’ school board member.
Frustration is mounting for parents who doubted the efficacy of the advisory group even before its first meeting. They continue to question whether the group – which includes two students and four parents – is capable of generating a rigorous core reading list.
“I think what they needed to do was, they needed to try to balance the committee more honestly, and they did not do that,” GHS parent Mark Zappa said. “There are plenty of parties … who would like to see this work, but the way it’s set up now, it’s not going to work.”
The confusion over the group’s direction, Bravo and Contin said, stems from the fact that the group and English department are now interested in adopting a textbook to strengthen the department’s academic program.
“I think what we’re seeing is that the original instruction to them was to build criteria, come up with a reading selection and … they could recommend certain things for piloting,” Bravo said. “I think that the fact that we’re looking at textbooks is making it a longer process. It probably would be a shorter process if we were just changing some books.”
Another problem that could slow the process of developing criteria is a divide between those in the English department who are eager to examine and refine the curriculum and those who are not. English teacher Jane Singleton at Wednesday’s meeting told the group the two conflicting philosophies in the department could leave some teachers dissatisfied with the final criteria or reading list.
Other sources have said the philosophical split will make it difficult for the group to exact fundamental changes that would benefit Gilroy’s high school students.
Bravo said he remains confident the group’s final decision will be what’s best for the program.
“I think that the group does represent a diverse point of view,” Bravo said. “The tough thing is, when you have a diverse group put together … some people are going to be overruled. We need to make sure that everyone gets heard.”
Bravo expects the group will complete its criteria list during the next meeting. However, it could be difficult for the group to complete its work before the end of the fall semester so that a program can be piloted next semester. Bravo has said that a textbook and revised reading list could be in place as early as next school year if teachers have the opportunity to test materials out next semester.
The advisory group won’t meet its Thanksgiving deadline; the next meeting is scheduled for Dec. 3.
Sometime before that date, textbook publishers will present their products to the English department, which recently decided to pilot one or more textbooks next semester.
Advisory group members will be invited to participate in presentations to better prepare them to develop a core reading list, Bravo said. Group members also received information from several eighth-grade educators who were involved in textbook selection last year.
The composition of the list could change depending on which novels are recommended with each textbook, so the group might develop two lists for next semester.
