Why are some schools more successful than others? Is it the teachers? Maybe its the technology. Could it be that good facilities produce good students? All of these are pieces to the puzzle; however, some schools in Dallas are used as dumping grounds for the "undesirable" students from other campuses. This dooms certain campuses to failure and tells the students already there that they pretty much go to school in an educational dumpster. That causes problems for everyone at those campuses: students, teachers, and administrators.
I have several students that have shown up over the years from great DISD schools like Townview, Skyline, and even some of the leadership academies. I've had students come from other districts like Irving and Arlington ISD. I've had kids from out of state, kids from Dallas CAN, which I understood to be the school of last resort, and even students fresh out of jail. Why did they all show up at my school, in my class, at random times of the year? They couldn't cut it where were, so they sent them to me.
When they struggle in North Dallas, where do they go? Send them South and West!
If I was a vain teacher, I would say it's because I'm such a good teacher that they trust me to make a difference where everyone else has failed, but I know better. Those students were sent to me because their school didn't want to risk their scores on difficult kids. Their school actually enforces the rules and didn't want to keep students that couldn't follow them. Their school said enough is enough and sent them to a campus that would take them.
Why does my campus take problem kids from what seems like all over the country? Maybe the extra money per child is attractive to our administrators? That could be it. With so many truancy cases from our current students not showing up, I guess every child counts?
Regardless of the reasons, schools shouldn't be used as dumping grounds for what the rest of the district has decided is trash. If you have students that are challenging, deal with them at your campus instead of giving up and sending them somewhere already struggling, thus making it worse. If the student is truly too difficult to be at your school, perhaps they are too difficult to be in school period. You are only hurting already hurting schools and communities.
When they struggle in North Dallas, where do they go? Send them South and West!
If I was a vain teacher, I would say it's because I'm such a good teacher that they trust me to make a difference where everyone else has failed, but I know better. Those students were sent to me because their school didn't want to risk their scores on difficult kids. Their school actually enforces the rules and didn't want to keep students that couldn't follow them. Their school said enough is enough and sent them to a campus that would take them.
Why does my campus take problem kids from what seems like all over the country? Maybe the extra money per child is attractive to our administrators? That could be it. With so many truancy cases from our current students not showing up, I guess every child counts?
Regardless of the reasons, schools shouldn't be used as dumping grounds for what the rest of the district has decided is trash. If you have students that are challenging, deal with them at your campus instead of giving up and sending them somewhere already struggling, thus making it worse. If the student is truly too difficult to be at your school, perhaps they are too difficult to be in school period. You are only hurting already hurting schools and communities.
RSS Feed