Web Log
May 9, 12:07 PM | Author: jane kim | Category: schools
Great Coverage on June Jordan School of Equity
Congrats to the incredible staff at June Jordan, a small high school by design, and co-principals, Matt Alexander and Shane Safir!
East Bay Shool District Hopes To Improve Test Scores
Priority For Contra Costa School District
KGO By Lyanne Melendez
To watch the video segment, click HERE
May 4 – KGO – Educators and parents in an East Bay School District that’s not performing well, took an unusual approach today to start fixing the problem. They’re concerned, because a fourth of the seniors in the west Contra Costa School District did not pass the Exit Exam.
Some Parents from west Contra Costa County went on a field trip today and it was not your typical excursion.
ABC7’s Lyanne Melendez: “It’s unusual to come to another school for a field trip. What are you here for?
Leerma Paterson, Parent: I’m here to learn about the model that this school has to take back to our school.”
This school is June Jordan, a small, San Francisco public high school that is having some success with students who come from low performing middle schools.
Shane Safir, June Jordan School For Equity: “We have the largest African American community of any school in the district and our second largest group is Latino.”
Richmond, for example, has similar demographics but as these parents will say, Richmond has a lot more problems.
Laurie Chinn, parent: “The drop out rate is high, the kids aren’t interested in learning, they don’t want to go to school.”
The school superintendent of west Contra Costa County also came to listen. The student/teacher ratio at June Jordan is 25 to one. There is one advisor for every 16 students, and kids here say the staff doesn’t let you fall through the cracks/
June Jordan School For Equity Student: “When parent-teacher conference came, my mom would say I can’t go I’m working. He would say don’t worry I’ll come to you, he came to lunch and ate…in my kitchen! I said wow.”
Students take the traditional subjects like math, science, English and social studies but the school grades students not by their test scores but by their portfolio—a compilation of essays and reports based on courses they select themselves.
As these parents found out, this model is producing results. 70 percent of seniors are expected to go to a four year university, and 98 percent of the graduating class will go on to some kind of college.
Donald Lemons is a parent who liked what he saw.
Donald Lemons, parent: “These are bright students but they have a wide, large rage of support, the advisors, the community, parents. It’s amazing here. ”
Copyright 2007, ABC7/KGO-TV/DT.
For another more in-depth article on JJSE, read San Francisco Weekly’s
A Study in Size.
Three years ago, San Francisco launched an experiment with a new kind of school. It worked. So why isn’t the district pursuing it?
By Ryan Blitstein
Published: May 3, 2006
Travis Fenech struts down the hallway of the June Jordan School for Equity in the Excelsior, copping the self-assured swagger of a rapper. Read full article HERE.
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