Dear Editor,
As a parent with children in South Valley Middle School, I want
to offer my support to the school, its teachers and principal. I
must also express my concern about the interpretation of school
test results and the implication that it is the sole and total
responsibility of the schools teachers and principal.
Dear Editor,
As a parent with children in South Valley Middle School, I want to offer my support to the school, its teachers and principal. I must also express my concern about the interpretation of school test results and the implication that it is the sole and total responsibility of the schools teachers and principal.
Poor results do not necessarily mean poor teaching; more detailed investigation may reveal poor raw materials – students inappropriately promoted from below – or environmental issues outside of the scope of the school – parents stacking schools in their favor.
It would be interesting to look at the demographics of Solorsano verses SVMS. Some active parents manipulate the school assignment system to facilitate their children attending schools of their preference because it is perceived as “better.” As a result, the better schools get better, and the education gaps grow.
Also pertinent is how our society tolerates multilingual behaviors, but not multilingual schools. If we want proficiency in English language and math, then we need to encourage its use in everyday interactions. To see kids conversing by preference in Spanish shows they are not fluent in English. How is this the school’s fault, save for facilitating the non-assimilation of parents into English speakers? I support English as the language of test, and therefore the language of education and parental involvement.
As a six-year immigrant, and with three children in local schools, two in SVMS, I find that the schools and their teachers and the teaching material presented are adequate to allow students to learn and grow. All my children achieve proficient or advanced results, with no additional schooling beyond that provided by these “poor” schools. There is no issue with the teachers, but the bureaucracy does not address the root cause. What is needed is an investigation on the attitude of parents and their desire for children to learn fundamentals.
It seems ludicrous to punish a school for non-performance by reducing resources of staff or money. How much more disruptive will it be for children and parents to suffer from a school reorganization? If anything, there should be incentives to parents to help kids learn.
Dave Williams, Gilroy
