Education Noir

Finding principals gets tougher in Houston

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4999881.html

A few months ago, I would have scoffed at this article. I would have argued that it was NOT right for the best principals (and teachers) to leave HISD for KIPP or YES schools. I would’ve claimed that the best teachers should stay in the district to “fight the good fight.” My views have definitely changed.

Last week, I experienced one of the best educational leadership seminars I have ever attended. Held at Rice University, the seminar consisted of school leaders from KIPP and YES schools across the Houston area. It was the first time that I had the opportunity to meet members from YES campuses (many of whom I had known through previous affiliations but was unaware they worked for YES) as well as many other leaders from other KIPP campuses.

It was empowering to share ideas, dialogue critical issues, and enjoy the company of other educators committed to lives of Houston’s low-income children. In most schools, teachers who commit their lives to the advancement of children are often isolated and exhausted. This week was more than just sharing battle stories, it helped reassure that I am not alone in my struggle. It is difficult sometimes to see the big picture when you are charged with such great responsibilities in the classroom, but it is refreshing to know there ARE other teachers exerting as much energy as you are to help shape our world.

Beyond the camaraderie and delicious food, the seminar presented data that proved how successful KIPP schools have been. (I am learning to become comfortable with quantitative data. I’m a qualitative type, traditionally.) 97% of KIPP student’s nationwide graduate from high school. I won’t bother looking up the national graduation rates for Latino and Black students nationwide because I know they are abysmal. From that, 85% of KIPP students are “college ready.” That means that they have graduated from high school, taken all necessary tests (SAT, ACT), have been accepted to a four-year university, and have passed a rigorous standardized exit exam.

So again; you ask why I no longer scoff at this notion of the best going to charter schools? Well, a dear friend of mine told me that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Schools have remained virtually unchanged since Horace Mann conjured up the idea of compulsory schooling at the turn of the century and I am for anyone who is willing to shift paradigms in how we educate our children—especially marginal students of color.

Working at KIPP is not easy. You work longer hours, you handle more administrative duties commonly delegated to secretaries, and you are constantly expected to perform no matter what. But through it all, I have learned this week that KIPP and YES schools are on the right path. They have identified a problem, they have found excellent solutions, and they are forcing other schools to be more accountable to not only their students, but to their best teachers too.

Wheatley