What Makes Great Schools Great

LOS ANGELESBy 8:01 a.m. at the inner-city campus of Thomas Jefferson High School, students already have 'learned the first lesson about attending classes here: Be on time.

Starting at 7:30, Principal Francis Nakano is standing by to greet the school's nearly 2,000 predominantly Hispanic and black students as they arrive. Promptly at 8, Nakano locks the gates to keep out unwanted visitors. Tardy students are screened by security personnel and sent to a holding room to wait for one period so that they won't disrupt classes for others. Students who are late three times in one month arc assigned to 20 minutes of work cleaning up the campus.

"Now, we have students running to classes," says Alberta Moss, who heads the tardiness program. From February, the monthly number of late students dropped from 1,049 — more than half of the school — to 430 in May.

Getting students to school on time is only one of the disciplinary measures adopted by the 46-year-old Nakano that have changed the fortunes of a troubled campus. When Nakano, a third-generation Japanese American, came to Jefferson High two years ago, he found a graf­fiti-marred campus that openly showed its latest scars". The blackened hulls of three administrative offices gutted by fire. Students freely roamed halls that crackled with ' an ever present threat of gang violence about to explode.

"Climate for learning." Nakano immediately master­minded an overhaul of the buildings. "When people feel safe, you have a climate for learning." he says. The burned-out area was sealed from view, and a new $85,000 full fire-and-security alarm system was installed.

An aging sprinkler system was repaired, bringing back given grass and fresh plants to the campus. Students felt proud of their school again.

There have been no gang fights on campus for IK months, observes Eric Parker, who becomes student-body president this fall. Unlike before, he says, "I'm not afraid any day 1 go to school. Dr. Nakano is trying to make school a good place."

With physical changes has come a renewed, attention. to learning. Top scholars are recognized at an annual academic banquet where they receive Olympic-style medals for their efforts. Honors programs were started last year ateach of the three grade levels in English.

Still, serious academic problems remain Standardized test scores remain low, although the percentage of students scoring in the bottom quarter has steadily declined.

"Sixty percent of our 10th graders read at fifth-grade level or below." says Barbara Shelly, head of the English department. "But we're getting kids who care more about school and arc willing to work."

About 225 sophomores with low scores will enter the 8 month-old School Within a School program this fall. Participants sign learning contracts in which they accept responsibility for their own progress in exchange for special individual instruction.

More parents are coming to once sparsely attended school meetings, and local business is actively lending its support. Last spring. Hughes Aircraft Company provided a "quality circles" training program to help teachers identify and propose solutions to school problems.

The Knudsen Corporation, a large dairy 3 mile- from campus, provides on-site internships to students and donates dairy products for school fund-raising events. One morning when school officials needed paint to cover graffiti, the dairy delivered it within an hour.

In a school once plagued by fear andhopelessness. teachers, students and the community again believe that anything is possible.

Going First Class

Glenbrook South High School is a microcosm of the successful suburban Chicago community that surrounds it.

According to 1980 Census Bureau figures. Glenview with a population of about 31.000 boasted the ninth-highest median income of all cities in the country. Large corporations based here, such as Zenith and publisher Scott Foresman, further boost the local tax base. As a result, per pupil spending at Glenbrook South is nearly $ 6000 — about twice the state and national average. 'If there's a lesson to be learned here," says Harry Gottlieb a I983 graduate now attending Brown University, "it's that putting money into education is worthwhile."

The district has spared little expense in making learning attractive. The sleek two-story structure offers an indoor swimming pool and a greenhouse for its 2,100 students. The curriculum guide, which exceeds 100 pages, offers more than 200 courses, ranging from automotive re­pair to a special program of advanced study in English, social studies and foreign languages. A full time student-activities co-ordinator surveys students annually to sec which extracurricular clubs should be expanded or dropped.

Ready funding also has enabled the school to be at the forefront of educational innovations. The first computer was installed at Glenbrook South in 1968. Today, the school has a microcomputer lab with 22 computers, a minicomputer with 24 terminals and one of the few advanced-placement computer-science courses in the nation. Students can even use computers to compose music or simulate scientific experiments.

"There is something here for every student," says Associate Principal David Smith. "We put as much emphasis on the lower-level student as on the gifted student."

Success-oriented. Like the community in which it is located, Glenbrook South is geared toward success. More than X0 percent of last year's graduates went on to two and four-year colleges. "The kids are achievers because their parents are all achievers" says senior Stephanie Cotell. "Everybody is really motivated."

The emphasis on achievement at home and school presents problems for many students in their first year. To help young people cope, the school since 1973 has offered a peer-group counseling program in which upper-classmen help freshmen deal with personal and academic adjustments. More than two thirds of the freshmen participate.

Students also appreciate the individual attention many teachers give. Says Lisa Kivirist, student-council president: "A teacher I had for freshman history still keeps in touch with me and asks how I'm doing. I like that."

Because of the bounteous working environment and an attractive top salary of about $42,000 for teachers, the staff turnover rate is low. But an emphasis on innovation, with the financial wherewithal to support it, keeps staff stability from turning stale.

"Things are constantly changing around here," says English teacher Tom Valentin. "There's always a new approach, a new program. We're always aiming a little higher, pushing for improvement."

Date: 2016-03-03; view: 735