Yes We Can! summit brings parents, teachers, students together
Yes We Can! held its first education summit Tuesday night in Dothan, featuring community leaders and students providing information about and rallying support for the group’s co-owned strategic plan.
Students from Dothan and Northview high schools presented different aspects of the plan, and Yes We Can supporters promised a bright future for the students of today and the future.
“Dothan City Schools is no longer standing at a crossroads, debating about which road will lead our school system toward significant gains in student achievement,” said Dothan City Schools Superintendent Sam Nichols. “Collectively, this community and school system have decided to take the road leading to a bright future for our students.”
Dothan Mayor Mike Schmitz was on hand to support Yes We Can’s vision for Dothan.
“As gung ho as I am, I still didn’t imagine a turnout like we had tonight,” he said. “The city commission and I will continue to support this, financially and otherwise, and the commissioners are here tonight, because they care,” he said. “There are people saying Yes We Can is just another group of people talking, but we’re focusing on the positives. The day of talking is over, and the day of action is now.”
According to Nichols, one of the keys to improving the school system is embracing the diversity of the student body.
“Our school system is represented by a diverse population of students, all of whom have a proud heritage,” he said. “We must embrace that diversity and view it as our strength. Our common vision must be inherent in the belief that all children matter and can learn rigorous and relevant 21st Century knowledge and skills.”
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Reader Reactions
Teacher , i did fail to clarify one term i used. I used a persons IQ as a reference. I don’t know if schools administer IQ test in schools or not . I was just using it as a reference point for my example . We are both aware that students IQ will go hand in hand with all test administered to determine academic achievements in education. I have taken IQ test and alot of whats on them has nothing to do with academics whatsoever. They are designed to measure cognitive and analytical abilities more than “book learning” But without the IQ a person cant attain the “book learning”.In my humble opinion , its like the chicken and egg scenario. you must have the IQ to start with and the higher the number the higher degree of academic education can be attained .
Teacher , no i was not aware that Dothan’s magnet schools were set at such low standards.Most magnet schools offer special curriculum for the more intelligent students. Of course they have to maintain the standard ration of student balance as the other schools in the system. For example your not supposed to have 25 black students and 1 white student in a class unless the average of the school system is a 25 to 1 ration. The concept itself is a great one but sometimes grade standards have to be lowered to maintain the proper ratios.The underlying purpose of this concept is to prevent racial segregation. I would imagine that ratios cant sometimes prevent a magnet school from actually becoming a school that would or could only accept the pupils with higher academic abilities.
James,
I’m not sure if you are aware or not, but the magnet schools in Dothan are not “truly” magnet school especially when you compare them to magnet school in other cities. There is not an IQ requirement to get into the magnet school. They only have to maintain a C and above average in the academic areas. That’s not too hard to do when the grading system is now 10 points. Also, they are chosen by a drawing. This “magnet” school concept was design for DCS to come from under the court order they had been under for decades.
Sunshine55, you stated: Some schools are still receiving significantly less support than others, but I am positive that will change and it needs to be very soon. One of the speakers made a profound statement saying, all schools should have the very same resources as the magnet schools. How does a system provide for a few schools/children and not for all? Do not compare one to the other without providing the exact same things; which includes central office support, discipline requirements, technology integration, literacy materials, music, art, and support for the teachers and afterschool programs. This is a magnanimous statement but far from logical in a real world environment. All students do not require equal resources of materials and technology.For example a group of children with an IQ of 85 would not require the same resources as a child with an IQ of 110.We’ve tried that in the 70’s. It didnt work.We learned that the child could not keep pace with the child with higher intelligence. Then the system attempted to lower standards whereas the lower intelligence child could keep up.That didnt work either and we were graduating kids that could barely read, much less pass the sat or act test. We then tried seperating the more intelligent kids into what was known as advanced diplomas. That did work better but is still inefficient . We are now into the concept of magnet schools. The premise of this program will possibly work. Not only does it appear to be seperating the more intelligent kids into different classes but also seperates them into a totally different learning environments.It allows them the resources and education that they cannot possibly get within the confines of the vast diversity of the general population of all students.These higher achievers deserve more resources and are capable of benefiting from them. For example the kids with an IQ of 85 do not require a computer course and other resources involved to be taught how to write programs in excel. If they dont understand math then they cant write an algorithm that will work.
Another example that might be easier for someone to understand is : Take two auto mechanics for example. One rebuilds automatic transmissions and the other cannot. We all have seen this in daily life. Would it be logical for the one that dont have the ability to do the job to go out and purchase the thousands of dollars worth of tools and equipment required to rebuild said transmissions? The same thing applies in education. Students require different resources based upon what they are capable of learning.Some teachers are qualified to teach 6th grade math and others are qualified to teach 12th grade trig.Would you find it somewhat wasteful for the trig teacher to be teaching the 6th grade math course? I personally would. I’m sure most all students could learn most anything given enough time . But we are dealing with the restraints of time . We are dealing with 12 yrs of basic school. We cant hold back the more intelligent kids in order to teach the slower kids within that given restraint in time.The higher the learning curve the more resources and better instruction these higher kids will require. Therefore it is an injustice to society and the children to afford all kids an equal amount of all the things you listed in your comment.To do that would either restrict the learning ability of some or over supply the ability of others therefore equating to more waste in the educational system. These economic times are certainly not in a position to be more wasteful.
The person that originally made the statement that you quoted and i pasted obviously isn’t very intelligent to believe that all kids can learn at the same pace and requires all the equivalent technology integration,and literacy material . We must seperate kids by their intelligence and each groups ablilty and desires to learn in order to advance the human race. Everyone cannot be equal and identical in life when it comes to education and knowledge just as they can’t be identical in looks , personalities and goals.To attempt to make them identical thru education is not only irresponsible and foolish but detrimental to the advancement of our overall society. Thank you for your time.
I attended the Education Summit and found it an extremely worthwhile event. If the previous poster had attended, he or she might have had a different perspective about the Yes We Can Program. There were not just educators or business people there, but community advocates, church groups, and most of all parents and the students who are the main ingredient in all of this. Many had to search for a seat among the approximately 200+ attendees. When this project began several years ago, I had doubts that the focus would be on all schools, but that is slowly changing as I learn more and become involved. Some schools are still receiving significantly less support than others, but I am positive that will change and it needs to be very soon. One of the speakers made a profound statement saying, all schools should have the very same resources as the magnet schools. How does a system provide for a few schools/children and not for all? Do not compare one to the other without providing the exact same things; which includes central office support, discipline requirements, technology integration, literacy materials, music, art, and support for the teachers and afterschool programs. You don’t know what is happening in these schools until you go. I encourage everyone to get involved and see how your support will positively turn our city, state and country around. The Yes We Can program in partnership with the schools is offering that. Don’t complain without first becoming involved.
I’m surprised they had a good turn out. I’m sure alot that showed up will talk the talk but not walk the walk when they return home.
I was not at the forum last night since questions were not allowed.
I do have one, how many people attended that were not employees of the system or elected politicians.?
Could we get a numbers estimate?...the TV report showed a slim crowd but I know sometimes they do not scan the audience. The Eagle quoted Mayor Schmitz as saying “as gung ho as I am, I still did’t imagine a turnout like we had tonight.“
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