Acton High School-one parent's perspective on what a better school it may be!
The current situation at Acton High School (AHS) is nothing new! In 2010 a short documentary “Waiting for 'Superman' won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Its title refers to a Harlem educator’s childhood belief that a superhero would fix the problems of the community. This short documentary is a remedial study for failing public schools in the US. In a weird way the current situation in Acton High follows its script – a failing school in which teachers fail to teach and students fail to learn, parents desperate to get their children into better schools that offer hope for the future, a proposal for an outside sponsor, the union’s opposition to this… For those who follow current Acton events, the situation in Acton High is dire at present. For years there have been ongoing concerns that, instead of meeting a student where s/he is and bettering them, the school seems to have been stifling progress and aiding in maintaining the status quo. I feel that the school and in fact the teachers have not contributed to students’ learning and strive to excellency. I feel that the bar has often been lowered, thus allowing students to fail taking responsibility for their futures. In my opinion, it is not about definitions such as bad vs. good school/teacher/child, but about experiences created. I am not an educations expert, but I have been to school and based on my experience there can define what I want my children to achieve while at school. Success should be grounded in the school’s focus on accountability and high expectations for all students, regardless of race, class, additional needs or previous academic performance. We need teachers who are committed to teaching our children how to recognize and seize a chance by increasing expectations, teaching life skills and holding students accountable for their choices. I want an output-oriented school concerned about what the graduates do when they leave Acton High, rather than a sole focus on what they accomplished while there. Teachers’ goal from year 7-11/13 must be to prepare their students to compete for and win the jobs of the 21st century and to remain competitive with other graduates. Therefore, we need teachers who are motivated and able to teach our children practical skills in the area of study. This will enable our children to develop a better understanding of what it takes to succeed at work— crucial knowledge for a student to appreciate in order to prosper in this economy.Most of us want our children to grow up prepared for the real world, rather than in a bubble, and yet many parents chose to bypass the community school and send their children to private schools instead. After decades of bad image and poor performance reports for Acton High I can see how one would easily be persuaded to not send their child there. In a way, this creates part of the problem for community schools, denying those schools of the possibility of raising attainment and reducing the gap between our community’s Acton High and the other schools in the area. As parents, we must have faith, stay engaged with the school, challenge it and help it improve and become a better place for our children. All this said, some of us have tried and failed miserably, as we feel many empty promises had been made by the school, and not because they have not necessarily wanted to. Some of us parents are now more than ready to challenge these and to push for a greater change to our school. I do not know if I am for or against academies. What I do know is that I want for my kids to have a fair chance in life, regardless is they went to Acton High or not. I want my children to study locally and to be able to take part in, enrich and contribute to their community, as I would expect of them as they grow up into responsible adults. What I also know is that there have been too many empty promises and years wasted so far and I am concerned about how this may contribute to my children’s future. What I’ve know from before joining Acton 3 years ago is that a change is needed and have tried to support the school in achieving this. Since Easter, we’ve had a leadership team of invested people, most of whom have been at the school for years and who now also realize that a drastic change may be what the school needs. We need to trust in these professionals and to support them to lead Acton High into the prospect of becoming a better school for our children. What I most definitely know right now is that Acton cannot do it all on its own and voice my support to the Local Authority and the leadership body at Acton High with the recent proposal. I vote for Ark not because I see them as a ‘Superman’, and not because they are the only option available to Acton, but also because the Local Authority and Acton’s leadership strongly believe that Ark is the right choice. As a parent, I will be joining forces and stand behind our school, as I do care and will continue to care for my child, for my school, for my community and for my responsibility to make this world a better place. I know that as parents we would want to do everything we feel is right for our children. That is how it should be and as a parent, I do not blame anyone for this. But I want you to consider the impact you can make on your community by engaging positively with your community school. One or two parents are not going to make a difference in fixing Acton High’s image and academic achievements. It is a community mindset that needs to permeate every household like the attitude found in all those other schools around beating us. We need to all rise and support Acton High to achieve being a safer, stronger, more focused, better-achieving community that fosters our children’s individuality. At this very turbulent time, Acton High needs the support of all those who truly wants to make things better for themselves and for the children. We know that a better educated cohort will uplift the image of the community, improve the safety, create new businesses and create higher paying jobs that will lift our entire economy. Every person I know wants that for their community and for their kids. The improvement of our failing community school is not merely an economic opportunity. It is a moral issue at the core of what a community with a heart owes its children and future generations.We need a school that aspires to high academic standards and I am pleased to say that just this week the school was granted a recognition of excellency from the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors. I know that the average teaching contract makes this kind of teaching far harder than it has to be. And I believe that class size, discipline and teaching load are the biggest impediments to teaching and therefore learning. In spite of this, I believe that we must find a way to build Acton High to a more progressive institution. And I believe we can, especially with the external support on offer currently if we want the movement to be sustainable in the long-term. I wonder if running the school as a business with an invested leader, a clear business plan with SMART goals and a committed team of experts may actually yield better results for the students’ achievements, the school’s reputational and the community’s output? In my opinion, just like a business, a high-quality school should pay attention to how they select, train, evaluate and motivate their staff, so they can work together to frame good practice and ensure that every student benefits from excellent learning opportunities. I believe that treating teachers as professionals who can enable our children to become lifelong learner and to manage complex ways of thinking, rather than promising them higher salaries, will make the job more attractive.I am told Ark aspires to this too and with a push from them I have confidence that Acton High will accelerate, regardless of its location and/or name. What I also think will benefit us is some professional teacher performance appraisal evaluations, to which Ark subscribes. I know NEU calls this ‘outrageous,’ but think about it -- it’s not just that the evaluations are tied to how much students learn; it’s that they involve actual feedback to teachers based on what great instruction looks like as a way of engaging and stimulating our youngsters’ minds. It is my belief that those teachers that care about their own development and the impact they have on their students would stay and perhaps even try harder, encouraged by the prospect of being rewarded by the positive contribution they make to the community. I believe that progressive education works for any number of reasons, but primarily because it dares all stakeholders to care about the work that they do every day. Similar to the students’ academic review process, through the appraisal process teachers and administrators all can take ownership in the work they do. And I believe that when they do, powerful stuff can happen.As seen by the recent award of excellency, good things can happen in our community school, but those success stories are fragile as pushback forces such as the recent industrial action by the National Education Union and their demand to oppose the change within Acton High means that many of the students may be left unable to perform and achieve to their full during the stressful exam period ahead. This may in turn lead to poor prospects around further education, idleness, increased unemployment and crime in the area. That is why the results achieved by the Ark Partnership elsewhere are so compelling. I am realistic that this change will not be without its challenges – for example further debates whether to have two Ark secondary schools side by side or to merge them into one springs to mind. And in a crazy way, the latter option makes perfect sense to me, regardless of name, logo, uniform. As long as there is a school with an ethos of best value, safe and positive experience for all students, as well as positive contribution to the community, I am not fussed. To me, the idea of one school, two facilities, better outcomes for all does not seem like such a bad idea. Those of us committed to see this transformation through will face pushback. But I am not afraid of pushing back too or of being accused of pushing too hard, as I feel that if we hold firm with the changes we feel right, we will see results! And in the words of the true Superman Christopher Reeves ‘I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strengths to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.’
Mil Bazelkova ● 2828d73 Comments