Wallace A. Smith Elementary is doing it right in the area of student equity, members of the Hamilton County School Board were told on Monday night.
In a session at Hillcrest Elementary, the board members spoke about various ways they could improve academic performance. On graphs and charts shown throughout the meeting, it was shown that while minority students and/or economically disadvantaged students make up the majority of test-takers in Hamilton County (around 70 percent), they only score half as well as students who do not fall in these two categories.
But one school bucked the trend, with students at Wallace A. Smith all performing equally well, regardless of background. The school board members had varied ideas about why that is, and how those results can be replicated in other schools across the county.
“They handle things quickly and they don’t put up with a whole lot of nonsense,” board member Rhonda Thurman said in regard to discipline at the school. “And I think they stand with the faculty, and the teachers have been there a long time.”
Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson wondered if the high standard set by administration within the school compels students to succeed academically. He said, “The expectations are high, and being there, the relationships with the kids are great. It’s also personal, and there’s a balance. She knows the kids by name. There’s the sense of urgency and expectations that are there that just permeate that entire building. I think there’s a lot to be learned from that across our district.”
Board member Karitsa Jones pointed to the ‘diversity’ when it came to faculty at the school. Because they have worked in multiple environments, the faculty at Wallace A. Smith may have an uncommon level of what she called “cultural competency” when it comes to teaching students from various backgrounds.
“I was thinking of the uniqueness of the backgrounds,” Ms. Jones said. “It is not typical in our district that we have people cross from opportunity zone schools to suburban schools, and in between.”
Board member Marco Perez said that while Wallace A. Smith is a shining example of a well-run school, there may be other factors involved that make it so successful. And that these factors are not easily replicated by other schools who have to overcome obstacles Wallace A. Smith has not needed to.
“My fear is that we are looking at a situation with other characteristics that are not replicable across the entire district,” Mr. Perez told the board.
The school board also looked at other counties’ equity values, such as Jefferson County in Kentucky, in order to determine what Hamilton County should look at and focus on in order to work toward improving equity in their own schools. Ms. Thurman said she was not a supporter of copying Jefferson County’s equity statement, saying it made it seem as if Hamilton County has conspired to harm public schools. Meanwhile, board member Joe Smith also voiced his disapproval of the statement, noting that it said nothing about having parents involved in their child’s schooling.
“What I don’t like about Jefferson County’s is that it’s a statement of the obvious and a statement of the current situation,” Chairman Joe Wingate said. “I want a statement of position of the board. A statement of the obvious is the blame game, and a statement of position says “Here’s our expectation for what is going to transpire in the school system.””
Marco Perez agreed with Mr. Wingate’s statement, and said it is important to understand that the board does not want to bring every student up or down to “the middle.” Rather, the school board wants to raise every student and school to a higher level. He said, “I want to see us raise all of our standards as a whole. Our goal is that anyone who walks into our district will sense a culture of high expectations.”
The board did not formulate an equity statement during the meeting, as they agreed they needed time to look at other district’s statements before coming up with one of their own. After the meeting, board member Jenny Hill spoke about the importance of equity and for every student to receive a quality education.
“For Hamilton County schools to achieve our goals, we’ve got to work on it and do our darndest to figure out the answer to that question. Not only do we have to acknowledge that (a lack of equity) is a problem, but as a community we have to really believe and want for every child to be well-educated in every school in every district.
“Our public schools are the foundation for Hamilton County’s long-term economic success or failure. The children who are being educated today will be the adults who work at our businesses in the future, who purchase from those businesses. High-quality public schools are imperative for our entire economy.
“It is critical for a child in district one get a great education just like a child in district five. Because you know what, both may want to go out to dinner one day, or buy a Honda one day. And if you don’t have the economic capacity to do that, then the economy is going to be subsidizing adults later on. So let’s get it right when they’re young.”