Against All Odds
More than a decade ago, no one held out much hope for the poor, immigrant children at Kennedy Middle School. Nobody thinks that now.
The warm desert breeze ushers in another morning here as 700 students descend by car and on foot to the grounds of John F. Kennedy Middle School, marking with characteristic chaos the start of another school day. As they enter the blue gates of the campus, a surprising order kicks in: The animated conversations, in a mix of English and Spanish, slow as boys and girls instinctively lower their voices, tuck in their uniform shirts, and shuffle faster toward homeroom. By the first bell, the courtyard is empty, and students are settling into classrooms.
In the office, a handful of parents and teachers chat, exchange paperwork, or wait for an administrator. Photos and awards adorn the walls. Among them is a plaque that boasts the school’s standing as a “School to Watch,” a designation by a national middle-grades reform organization in recognition of Kennedy’s drive toward rigorous academics, responsiveness to students’ academic and developmental needs, and equity for all students.
In many ways, Kennedy Middle School has become a model of middle-grades improvement. Test scores, though still inadequate and recently targeted by the state for improvement, have been rising steadily, despite most of the students’ language barriers and deficient preparation in schools in their native Mexico. Attendance is consistently around 97 percent. Classes are at the same time lively and orderly as students focus on rigorous lessons, in English. Teachers have a thorough grasp of each child’s progress, aided by the pages of individual and group data compiled in neat white binders. Parents interact with teachers and staff members regularly, both on campus and in students’ homes, in spite of the embarrassment it might...
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