Hawthorne’s C gives Reedy reasons to OK PED plan
Congratulations to Albuquerque Public Schools’ Hawthorne and Los Padillas elementary schools.
It was an uphill climb, but the students and teachers at the two schools rose to the challenge and managed to go from six and five straight F’s, respectively, to Cs.
And the two elementaries did it without any additional resources from the state. Instead, APS’ focus was able to move the needle on the two underperforming schools, which are facing consequences if they fail to turn things around.
Hawthorne and Los Padillas were able to improve by two letter grades despite a host of obstacles, which, at least in the case of Hawthorne, include: Dealing with a high student mobility rate; Being located in a high-crime area of the city; Having many English language learners; and Having many students starting kindergarten at a much lower level than those at other APS kindergartens.
School grades are largely based on student growth, and the students, teachers, administrators and parents should be proud of what they managed to pull off in one short year. But everyone acknowledges there is still a long way to go.
Hawthorne Elementary had been facing closure at the end of this school year if it had received another F.
Its recent C gives it a reprieve until at least the end of 2019-20 — provided that Superintendent Raquel Reedy signs the school’s improvement plan proposed by the state Public Education Department. PED and APS have been feuding over that improvement plan, with Reedy refusing to sign it because it said the school could close at the end of this year. (She did sign restructuring plans for Los Padillas and Whittier elementaries, but with a longer timeline for possible closure.)
PED secretary-designate Christopher Ruszkowski says that if Reedy refuses to sign the plan, he will consider closing the school at the end of this year despite the school’s recent C grade. But if she signs the plan, the school is guaranteed to stay open for the next two years — and then faces closure only if it slides back to an F.
Reedy has gone to court contending PED does not have the authority to close the school, regardless of its grades.
The gains made at Hawthorne prove it can turn things around. Reedy can best acknowledge those gains and demonstrate her faith in the school’s teachers and leadership by signing the improvement plan.
Doing so rather than litigating shows the district’s energy is focused on helping these students make even more gains, and ensures the school remains open through 2019-20. Failure to sign signals a lack of confidence in the school’s ability to continue its upward path. That’s not the message this school needs right now.