2-Language School Draws Interest
Board hears reform ideas for high schools
A dual-language magnet school where classes would be taught in both English and Spanish was one option that received a favorable response from school board members after a presentation on secondary school reform at Tuesday’s school board meeting.
Board member Steven Carrillo and board vice president Linda Trujillo expressed support for the idea after the presentation by Chief Academic Officer Almudena “Almi” Abeyta.
“I’ve always supported that kind of concept,” said Trujillo, who added that it was part of her platform when she ran for the school board. “I can see the benefits.”
That was just one idea for a magnet school among several offered during the presentation that addressed how high school education will be shaped in the Santa Fe Public Schools in the coming years. The district plans to take the issue of secondary school reform to the community by sending out surveys to parents and holding a series of public forums during the early part of 2013.
“We’re looking to expand options for the community, so we want the community to determine what those options are,” Superintendent Joel Boyd said. “This is about getting feedback.”
Boyd said all the options presented are realistic, but whatever is decided won’t be fully implemented until the 2014-15 school year, after a full year of planning.
The options Abeyta presented were devised by a task force consisting of 13 people, including school administrators and two representatives from Santa Fe Community College.
Abeyta noted that the school district’s strategic plan now includes expansion of a ninthgrade academy and career pathways at the high schools and the launch of an alternative program for high school students.
Abeyta provided statistics
that bear out the need for reform. She pointed to the school district’s graduation rate of 56.5 percent last school year and noted that 30 percent of elementary school students leave the district.
The committee identified several key aspects that contribute to the “ideal high school experience.” At the core are three Rs, but not the ones traditionally associated with education. In this case they are rigor, relevance and relationships, which research shows result in student success, Abeyta said.
She defined rigor as a challenging curriculum that meets high standards, relevance as how school work is linked to what students want to do with their lives after graduation, and relationships as meaningful personal contact with caring adults.
Abeyta said the committee came up with a three-pronged approach to options for redesigning secondary school structure within the district. They consisted of comprehensive high school redesign; magnet school options, including International Baccalaureate for grades 7-12, a dual language academy, an arts academy, an innovation school and another admission only school; and alternative pathways to be included in all options.
The alternative pathways could include a twilight or virtual school, credit recovery and behavior support school for grades 7-12, she said.
The four options the committee presented for consideration were:
Strengthen and build the current programs at Santa Fe High, Capital High and the Academy of Larragoite with no additional school/ programming;
Strengthen and build the current program and add two magnet schools;
Establish career academies at both high schools, two magnet schools and a ninth-grade academy located at or close to a high school; and
Establish four career academies at one high school and International Baccalaureate 7-12, plus a magnet school at a high school and as a ninthgrade academy at or close to a high school
The next step in the process, Abeyta said, will be student facilitated community forums in January and February. Surveys also will be used to determine community preferences. The district would settle on a final selection of options in February or March.
After the presentation, board members asked questions and commented on some of the things being proposed. Many of the remarks had to do with ideas for magnet schools, career academies, or alternative pathways.
Board members seemed to agree that an arts academy would be a natural for Santa Fe, but Glenn Wikle said that perhaps a distinction should be made between fine arts and performing arts.
Barbara Gudwin and Wikle said they some of the concepts, like a behavior support school, could be in place as early as next year. And though Gudwin said she liked the idea of an International Baccalaureate magnet school, she said one year of planning may not be enough time to train teachers and get the required certification for teachers.
“It’s also an expensive program,” she said. “I think I.B., as much as I like it, it may not be realistic to implement that soon.”
Gudwin also mentioned technology as a subject area that could be considered as an option for a magnet school or career pathway.
Trujillo offered several other suggestions, including journalism, public administration and political science.
“You always hear about Santa Fe being an arts community, but we’re also the capital of New Mexico,” she said.
Carrillo offered the idea for a magnet school that focused on sustainability, especially green building. He said more kids would decide to stay in school if they had a magnet school that appealed to them.
Board President Frank Montaño was concerned about costs and asked Abeyta if that had been given consideration. She said there had been some preliminary examination of costs, but “until we know what the options are, we haven’t addressed that.”
Montaño also had questions about the student-facilitated public forums. Abeyta said the forums would be conducted in much the same way Boyd conducted public forums earlier this year and that she would attend each to help guide the discussion.
Boyd said he hoped to enlist the help of the three student representatives on the school board: Bree Hernandez from Santa Fe High, Jose Rodriguez from Capital High and Austin Tyra from Academy at Larragoite.
“We’re hoping the students will take a leadership role,” he said.
Boyd said the plan was to have options, including projected costs for programs, ready for the school board to act on in February or March.