Verbatim
Karen Schroder is responsible for putting together the Pathways
program at San Benito High School. The program would create a
campus located on the current campus for students seeking
alternative educational paths, either through vocational arts, or
trying to get an early jump on college credits. Schroder created
the program to help the students she saw as
”
falling through the cracks
”
and created a program geared more toward their speed without
easing any of the high school requirements.
Verbatim
Karen Schroder is responsible for putting together the Pathways program at San Benito High School. The program would create a campus located on the current campus for students seeking alternative educational paths, either through vocational arts, or trying to get an early jump on college credits. Schroder created the program to help the students she saw as “falling through the cracks” and created a program geared more toward their speed without easing any of the high school requirements.
Q: Describe what works and what does not with the current Independent Study program?
A: “The current Independent Study is serving students who have a variety of educational needs. Enrolled in the program are students who are concurrently enrolled at Gavilan College and are seeking to accelerate their high school program. There are a number of students who are credit deficient and are working towards their goal of “catching up”. Additionally, we have a number of students who work part-time for economic reasons and we have young parents who are caring for their children. Other students enrolled in the program have medical issues.
We survey Independent Study students and parents annually. Results rate the program in the 90th + percentiles for all categories. One strong component of the program is the individual contact that students have with one teacher. We have excellent, caring teachers and I think that students thrive when given one-on-one attention and support. Secondly, we utilize San Benito High School District’s adopted curriculum, so that students are receiving a solid standards-based program that meets state requirements. And lastly, because the Independent Study students are San Benito High School students, they may participate in athletics, student activities and senior activities including the graduation ceremonies.
Independent Studies, however, is not a good match for every student. There are definite advantages to attending San Benito High School with its extensive course offerings and programs. The majority of students are successful in the SBHS setting. Alternative programs are for students who need other settings and instructional strategies to find their niche.
Our current problem is one of getting information out to parents and students regarding program enrollment. Because Independent Studies is not for every student, we take applications in March and April and complete the screening process before school is out in June. This allows all programs to start in the fall with set numbers and it assists students and parents in planning ahead rather than relying on last minute decisions in August.”
Q: What are administrators doing to help at-risk students and those on independent study? Is that enough?
A: “In my opinion, there is always room to do more for at-risk students. They are the students who frequently “fall through the cracks” and who require a variety of interventions and support. At each grade level we have a number of students who become credit deficient. Many of these students would benefit from a different approach: a smaller school environment; opportunities to re-learn material as needed; course loads matched with students’ learning capacities; learning lab support; a one-on-one teacher advisory; and the opportunity to take on-line community college courses.
Presently, the options available to San Benito High School District students are a large, comprehensive high school, a continuation high school and Independent Study. In this day and age where there are so many choices for students after high school, it makes sense to expand the available educational options for them during high school following the premise that “one size does not fit all.”
Q: The Pathways program has been tabled so it can be studied further. Do you concur with a more measured approach?
A: “The Alternative Education Programs Task Force was anxious to get started. We had analyzed student data and examined present programs. Our conclusion was that there was a gap in available educational programs for our students. We believe that further study of available data will lead to the same conclusions. However, additional time will allow us to visit schools which may have similar programs and to take this draft proposal to San Benito High School faculty and staff, students and other key stakeholders.”
Q: Many teachers felt uninformed about the Pathways program – like they were left out of the loop in hindsight do you regret this decision?
A: “The Task Force was in a Catch 22 situation. We wanted to keep the Board of Trustees informed of our progress and ideas. After we developed a draft proposal for Pathways we asked for a green light to put the information out to parents to gather input. Our feedback was very positive and we were ready to go to the next step after board approval which was to initiate discussions with the entire faculty and staff.
There were three teachers on the task force and I had contacted the CTA president asking if he wanted to send a representative to the meetings so faculty members were involved throughout. To have presented the draft proposal to the entire faculty before our presentation to the Board of Trustees would have been seen as presumptuous on our part and not appropriate protocol. I look forward to working with the faculty regarding the proposed program and I know they will come up with some great ideas and recommendations for changes.”
Q: Not every student has the skills necessary for college – how do we guide them toward more apt career choices?
A: “San Benito High School has a wide array of elective and vocational courses. When students are successful in passing their required classes, they have room in their schedules to take advantage of these electives. By enrolling in computer, art, drama, multi-media, cooking, shop and agriculture classes (to name a few), students begin to discover their individual talents and interests. And, of course, career guidance provided by school counselors and guidance technicians plays an essential role in guiding students towards a career goal.”
Q: Besides wood, auto and metal shops, what vocational focus should we be preparing students for in the 21st Century workplace?
A: “Computer programming, multi-media, graphic arts, business courses, restaurant careers, child care, drafting are some of the many courses offered in addition to our auto, wood and metal shop classes. There also several agriculture courses which address a variety of vocational skills.”
