Rural schools usually spend less per child than their city
counterparts and often lack resources for arts, sports and
after-school programs. But they are also among the highest scoring
schools on statewide tests, where classes tend to be small and
parental involvement high.
Hollister – Rural schools usually spend less per child than their city counterparts and often lack resources for arts, sports and after-school programs. But they are also among the highest scoring schools on statewide tests, where classes tend to be small and parental involvement high.
“These are the last survivors of what schools across the U.S. used to be like,” said Tim Foley, San Benito County Superintendent of Schools. “They are the centers of their communities and where no kid falls through the cracks.”
Cienega, Southside and Bitterwater-Tully school districts have the highest Academic Performance Index results of any district in the county, according to data released in January. The API measures annual growth of schools and is one of the accountability requirements mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind legislation passed in 2001.
And with many local schools performing between 600 and 700 on the tests, these schools’ scores – all over 800 – are no small reason to celebrate.
“We’ve always been really strong on the API and there are several reasons for it,” said Eric Johnson, principal of Southside School District, where 250 students attend.
Johnson attributes the school’s 832 score out of a possible 1,000 points to aides in every classroom, a strong emphasis on reading and writing and parents who are always helping out, whether it’s at the school’s library, cafeteria or classroom. When a child shows up to class without having done homework, teachers make the student phone their parents in front of the entire class as well as give a written reason for skipping the assignment, Johnson said.
Southside, which has students ranging from kindergarten through the eighth grade, also provides a planner for each child where they are required to write down their homework and upcoming tests. That way, when kids come home, parents know exactly what is due the next day and when to start studying for a test. Parents, teachers and students also know each other and it’s not uncommon for the older kids to look out for younger students, even if they are not related to them, said Johnson.
“It’s an atmosphere of a little town rather than a big school,” he said.
Bitterwater-Tully Union School District, located east of King City, is another higher performer on statewide tests. Unlike Southside, the school has only 25 students and averages about 13 in each classroom. Despite the low teacher to student ratio, all teachers have an instructional aide to assist them during class times and focus a significant portion of the day on reading and writing, as well as showing kids how to research on the Internet. After spending several hours on the language arts and math, kids listen to books read out loud in class and do free writing almost every morning to practice expressing their thoughts on paper.
But the small student population can also be a curse, because the schools are more susceptible to individual student performance than their larger counterparts. That’s why instead of focusing on his school’s overall results, Tim Williams, principal at Bitterwater-Tully Elementary, looks at individual student scores to make sure they meet the state requirement of being “proficient,” which is equivalent to a B or “advanced,” equivalent to an A.
“Having a small setting is key,” said Williams, who also teaches grades four through eight. “If you had 200 kids going through the same class in one day, there would be no accountability” because teachers would not be able to keep track of all of the students.
Unfortunately, larger schools don’t have the luxury of having close relationships with all students and giving them undivided attention when they need it. But they can learn a few things from their rural counterparts, especially when it comes to keeping class sizes reasonable, said Lou Medeiros, principal of Tres Piños Elementary, another high performer of statewide tests.
The school has about 130 students and an API score of 776, which is higher than that of any school in the Hollister School or the Aromas-San Juan Unified School districts. That’s why Medeiros echoes other principals’ view that kids learn better in smaller environments and says big districts should take a cue from their rural neighbors.
“I see classes at Hollister School District getting bigger and I think that’s a fatal mistake,” said Medeiros. Although the teachers there are dedicated and hardworking, they are faced with an uphill battle in improving test scores, he added.
In spite of the results, however, most administrators agree the state and federal test scores only provide part of the educational picture at public schools.
“There are many other things that are equally important,” said Yvette DeView, principal of Cienega Union School District, which had the highest API score in 2004. “We don’t teach to the standards, but happen to be fortunate that are kids are shining through.”
Karina Ioffee covers education and agriculture for the Free Lance. Reach her at (831)637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected]
