Yesterday, staff development was actually very relevant.  However, it was painful.  The question at hand was, "Why did our school fail to make AYP?"  Looking back, I failed to differentiate between AYP and "Why is our school a failing school?"  They used those terms synonomously, while they are actually quite different.  The reason we failed standardized tests is absolutely irrelevant. The tests are biased, not authentic and fail to actually assess the standards.  They are a get-rich-quick scheme for McGraw Hill. 

What is hard is that the biggest reason we could figure out is a low view of the community (and student population) and low expectations.  The teachers at our school often assume students are gangsters, whose parents are drug addicts.  They assume parents are enemies, the community is ghetto and the goal for a child's education is to reject the community, go to college, earn a degree and isolate them in a stuff suburb. 

So, restructuring is not pretty.  It means meetings from the state department and district office and extra paperwork for us.  However, I am actually excited.  Our team has created a new school concept and it looks like it might flesh out into a reality.  Can you look at the link and then tell me what you think?  I'm open to feedback.  thesocialvoice.com/idea

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