Manufacturing Education: Navigating the Public High School System minefields

 

I had an epiphany the other day – I am learning vicariously through my children. In fact, I realized that since becoming a parent I have been learning and gaining exposure to life, not just my kids’ lives, but the capacity to understand mine too. As the kids are growing I have to assimilate them in the education industry. I have realized that this requires more unorthodox skills and street smarts than any classroom education can give you. My learning curve is in realizing that America has perfected the manufacturing of education! As an entrepreneur I was thinking this is one commodity America could franchise. If we could franchise this education system to the world every child would be “educated”, i.e. have a high school diploma! The question is will that High School Diploma allow your child to be an officer in the military, OR enter a 4 year college; OR become an entrepreneur pursuing their genius? That’s what it’s about, but if you as a parent check out or blink, your child sinks.

Don’t get me wrong – what I am saying is the superior education curriculum content is there, the problem is some of the kids are being excluded from the elite course offerings! Like everything in our American economy there are different levels of consumption – each consumer according to his/her means – you can either shop at Wal-Mart or Sears or Sacks Fifth Avenue; or you can either eat at McDonald or Olive Garden or at Per Se (NYC), but you are still consuming something! At the end of the day everyone is dressed and fed – life’s basic needs are met! The public education system is set up the same way, and frankly I do not think a lot of parents realize or understand how it works or some of the implications of it! Inclusion is not necessarily equal!

However, my daughter who had spend the first two and a half years of high school studying abroad recently changed schools to a public school here in the US. The last time she attended public school was in grade 1 & 2. After that I pulled her out into parochial schools. Now we are back, and little did I know that the Public High School System is designed as a mass production manufacturing education factory! It’s been an interesting awakening and a major learning curve from the private school process we are accustomed to. Here was my learning experience: After the application process for my daughter to attend the local public school, I sent an email to my daughter’s guidance counselor requesting a meeting. Having learnt to manage IEPs processes for my son, I knew that I had to be proactive, act timely, be fully involved and engaged in her transitioning process.  (RULE #1 – BE THE NO.1 ADVOCATE FOR YOUR CHILD).

In requesting a meeting it’s always best to specify your agenda items for discussion in your email before your meet with the school representative (s) you are seeking to meet with. As a rule and for convenience I never call school personnel or communicate by phone to the school in the beginning or on important issues I want to discuss. I always write a letter or most often email first. It also saves as a reminder of the issue I need to cover in the meeting, after the meeting and months later when there is no follow through then I have evidence of having brought it up. (RULE #2 – PUT EVERYTHING IN WRITING FOR YOUR RECORD AS WELL AS TO ENSURE A PRODUCTIVE MEETING)

Well the IEP prior experience was very helpful in the situation now upon me with my daughter. We arrived in the guidance counselors (a very nice woman) office and she was ready for us and realized the email had also been helpful to getting her plan and focus on how we would proceed with the meeting. We hit the ground running. Started with reviewing her transcript from the other school – check; equated the subject credit list for the two prior years  she had done school abroad– check; discussed how the school worked – check; finally address her subject course needs for Grade 11 – pause! She reviewed her assessment test and told us “well she is slotted mostly for level 3”. NO! I had done my home work -Level 3 is the second from the bottom and was general education curriculum, it would not prepare her for a 4 year college and she was not going to a community college first! (RULE #3 – DO YOUR RESEARCH GET CORRECT INFORMATION AND BE INFORMED BEFORE GOING IN).

The other level were:  level 4 (honors); Level 5 (advanced placement) Level 6: College prep; Well my daughter was going to college we had already attended an open house/ orientation for the university I wanted her to go into so there was no way she would get in with a level 3 education! I put my negotiation skills and demanded that 1) nothing less than level 4 would do; 2) some of the courses she needed were in level 5 and I had already reach out to the subject area supervisor for approval for advanced placement. (RULE #4: Make sure as a parent you are talking to the right PERSON WHO CAN MAKE A DECISION ON THE ISSUE)

As we chatted while the counselor works on my daughter’s course selection for her schedule, we come to find out the high school has 2000 students (Grade 9-12). “What,” my daughter exclaims – her previous boarding school had a total student body of 450!  How do they manage to educate 2000 student a year? Couldn’t believe it. I am thinking “this is an education manufacturing plant to say the least” I am now finding out that public high school operates just like the universities. The students have customized course schedules created and they move from class to class based on that schedule and may never take a class with the same students for the whole year! A good course and time management experience for her near future years in college. My daughter’s guidance counselor had 200 students in her case file! I know as a public administrator, public service employees are usually overworked and under paid; I also know that they have rigid rules and regulations based on policies some legislator push through that they have to follow. But I also know that public administrator have enough room within the parameters of those rigid rules and regulations to exercise their own discretion in making certain decisions about your special circumstances based on what’s in front of them. The ideal is a one size fits all, but they can shave a square peg to fit into a round hole if need be or justifiable! (RULE # 4 –KNOW WHAT LEVEL OF DECISION MAKING DISCRETION THE SCHOOL REPRESENTATIVE YOU ARE TALKING TO HAS & ALSO KNOW THAT THEY HAVE ENOUGH DISCRETION TO MAKE CERTAIN DECISIONS)

Once the initial schedule was done, I stopped by the principal’s office and requested the student/parent hand book only to be told it was still at the printers and we would only get it after school started! This did not make sense. In my common sense, it should be made available during the summer before schools starts so that parents and students are fully informed about their options. Well it was not. Was this by design? My skeptical mind thought, but I quickly brushed the thought aside – it was distracting and a waste of energy for now – it would be my cause when my daughter is settled in school. Therefore I figured, it was now time to put my samurai sword away and use strategy skills – I would wait a few days till it comes. (RULE #5 – CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES).

But as soon as we got home I got a call from my guidance counselor we had a class conflict in period 6 so she had cancelled French for creative writing. I am thinking she needed a foreign language to get into the university program we wanted. It was now time to pull out my strategy skills. She needed French and we need to put it back! The counselor retorted but then she will not have an English requirement and the creative writing was it! She needed English so now she had to take Shakespeare in period 2not creative writing! I don’t mind Shakespeare, but my daughter as a music lyric writer, loves creative writing so her desire won. While the guidance counselor was stuck on the conflict in period 6 I am reviewing the transcript and seeing she there were other electives I did not care for. So I asked what other period is creative writing offered? She says, “In period 4 but she has supplement English reading and writing.” “What SuppEng was it for?” I asked. She tells me for an exam every 11^th Grader takes in March. Really, well let’s take it out and put creative writing, then give me the curriculum and I will teach my child to pass the damn exam! She knew I was not going to budge. Why is a child who has been speaking, writing and reading English proficiently since she was born need to take a subject for a one time exam? I know the performance measurement game in the public sector; I have a PhD in Public Administration!!! As it turns out that class can be taken after you fail the exam, not before, therefore she did not need to spend a year studying for an exam just to meet the State passing standard goals. I eventually read this in the student/parent handbook that we got after the fact, but my district was making it “mandatory” for some students before the exam! (RULE #6 – MAXIMIZE YOUR OPTIONS, ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS AND YOU WILL GET THE RIGHT RESULTS)

Surprisingly, my district high school is quite reputable in the State, and up there in the country! It has a music program which is not found in many high schools! Who knew? I sent my child to an oversees expensive elite boarding school to have the benefit of the music theory program yet it was right in my backyard. However, she learned piano there, got some global experience, made friends with kids from all over the world, learned about diversity, grew mature and grounded, that was a plus. Other than that, I am glad she is back home and not having to be pay tuition while paying taxes as well! At the end of the day, it was a win/win/win outcome. My daughter got a schedule that works for her and she loves her teachers and our public school; I got the level classes I wanted for her (&me too); and the guidance counselor did not get a headache from us. It all finally came together.