Dearborn Supt. Urges Parents to Take Active Part
Periodically the Dearborn Public Schools provides us a column from Supt. Brian Whiston as a means to communicate information to the Dearborn community.
His latest column begins below
Supt. Brian Whiston
Do you remember learning to ride a bike or teaching a child how to ride a bike? It usually starts with riding a tricycle, then a bike with training wheels. The next step is to take one of the training wheels off the bike, and finally, someone will steady the bike, only letting go once the rider is balancing on their own. The key to success, in not only learning how to ride a bike but in all types of activities in our work and social lives, is following a step by step process.
Our district has an enrollment process, an employment process, and a grading process, just to name a few, that ensure the smooth operation of our schools. When things don’t go according to plan we also have a process in place to solve problems and make corrections. As a parent, if you have a concern, question, or a more serious issue regarding your child, it’s important for you to know that the district has a process in place to help you resolve these matters.
Your child’s teacher is the best place to start. They are the expert when it comes to your child’s classroom experience and the best person to start with when you have a concern. If the issue is between your child and a teacher, then the next person who can provide help is the building principal. Principals have the advantage of knowing the teacher, student, and other building related conditions. Ninety-five percent of the time the teacher and principal, working together with the parent and student, will be successful at solving the problem.
However, in those circumstances where further intervention is necessary, the next step would be to contact the Associate Superintendent for Secondary Education for students in grades six through twelve and the Associate Superintendent for Elementary Education for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Working with one of the Associate Superintendents, parents will most likely be able to reach a reasonable solution that benefits the education of the child. In the unlikely event that a parent still doesn’t have a satisfactory resolution to a problem, then a discussion with the Superintendent would be the next step in the process.
Finally, there may be a time when a parent feels that they have exhausted all resources available to them and inform the Board of Education about their particular situation in order to reach a conclusion. This is usually done by sending a letter or e-mail to the Board or sharing thoughts during a Board meeting. Although it is understandable that some people feel “taking it to the top” right away is the best way to get answers, the Board of Education’s role is to refer the matter back to the Superintendent so that he can address the concern.
We encourage parents to be an active part of their child’s education and take full advantage of the tools that are in place to communicate with teachers, principals, administrators, and the Board of Education. Following a well developed process is the best way to get results and reach a successful outcome for everyone.
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Only words…
I contact the schools and teachers do not return calls or emails. When I called the office again to complain the counselor will not call me back I am told “they have a lot of students, they can not return every call”. When I get tests back with wrong answers marked correct, I am told the “teachers are too busy to accurately review all assignments” The schools make it impossible to have my child recieve the education necessary. When I say they have turned in crapy work, they come home with an A. Come on Brian, dont point at the parents. Clean your own house first.
February 5th, 2011 at 10:24 am
“When I say they have turned in crapy work, they come home with an A.”
Maibe there werk isnt that “crapy” at all.
February 5th, 2011 at 11:10 am
Joe: Please don’t paint teachers with that broad brush. What school are you referring to? I personally return every call and email, and check every assignment. If this is how your specific school is responding to you, you should contact the Superintendent’s office, not complain to a blog.
February 5th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
It is a sad fact that the public education system in Dearborn is sliding inexorably toward sub mediocrity. My experience with DPS is that most school administrators and teachers are working augustly under incredibly strained resources and difficult circumstances. That being said the public school system in America is not designed to meet the needs of a technology advanced global economy. Quite frankly teachers, administrators, and parents are limited by restrictive labor contracts, governmental regulations, and political orthodoxy. Furthermore there is a sizable number of public school employees, parents, and students who don’t give a damn.
The machine is broken, and conventional sloganeering will not fix it. So I put my child in private school.
February 6th, 2011 at 11:59 am
If one will take the time to read the latest MEAP and MME scores with DPS under Whiston compared to the prior scores under Artis, one will notice that DPS scores have climbed significantly under Whiston in a few short years. EFHS was at or near the bottom, along with Fordson and now EFHS is near the top with DHS. Fordson has climbed from the bottom to near the middle as well.
Below is a link to an article with more detailed information.
http://www.pressandguide.com/articles/2010/11/16/opinion/doc4ce2dd3c78d13876059057.txt
February 6th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
Dearborn 1975: OL Smith and Dearborn High.
I have gone to the Supt. Whinston, it was like pulling teeth to get in and I have seen NO change in the schools. I have written the School Board and heard no response back.
Teacher: Thanks for the typo correction. When the paper says “u have to reid the book to enjoy it like i did” and the teacher does not circle the u, the reid nor the i, I would have to believe the paper is not read. Especially when that paper comes home with 40/40. BTW, this is at the High School level.
Reality Bites: I would send him to private school if I could afford it, but also, he would probably fail out in 2 weeks since I am sure that the work given A’s in Dearborn Schools is not acceptable in the private schools.
February 7th, 2011 at 4:49 pm
Reality Bites–I could not disagree with you more!!! My children have had GREAT teachers and I believe they have received an excellent education. Dearborn teachers are dedicated and put in extra hours whenever possible. And the MANY students at the high school level who are taking college courses is extraordinary.
Please send your child to a private school–we do not want your negativity to be a reflection of what DPS is all about.
February 7th, 2011 at 10:36 pm
Parent 1971 read my post. I stated that the majority of teachers and administrators in DPS are accomplishing tremendous results. That being said the school system in Dearborn is becoming a Chaotic mess. Overcrowded classrooms, split classes, disruptive students, mid year teacher changes in elementary classes, music, art, and phys ed drastically cut, reading recovery programs cut, teacher layoffs, etc.
As for teachers putting in extra hours whenever necessary, that is certainly few and far between. I challenge any person to walk the halls of any DPS school 30 minutes after dismissal and count all those dedicated teachers. The MEAP scores of DPS are mediocre at best. Furthermore HFCC is overburdened by the the hundreds of DPS applicants forced into remedial math and English classes. Hundreds of these so called DPS graduates can’t even perform grade 10 algebra, or grade 9 English.
DPS is doing the best it can given the circumstances, but the MEAP, ACT, SAT, scores show a school system that is c minus material. Sorry c minus work will not cut anymore in a globally integrated, technologically advanced job market.
February 8th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Dear Joe,
When did you write the School Board? I either answer back directly or ensure that someone from the school’s administration addresses the issues-unless you did not specify a concern but rather just issued some generalized complaint. If you are having difficulty contacting the Board or have not had a satisfactory response and have attempted to resolve your specific issues thru the “chain” of responsible parties I invite you to come before the Board to share your concerns. Have you also discussed a more generalized worry with your PTSA/PFSO parents? They, too, can help advocate for your student. Unfortunately, some answers will never achieve a resolution that satisfies everyone. Public school systems work in an environment that is complicated by many layers that some times make “quick fixes” difficult to achieve, even when common sense dictates otherwise.
February 8th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
We love Dearborn Schools. Whiston is #1! Great free parking for my sons Range Rover Sport. Guard in lot. Free lunch with Halal meat is perfect. Nice long vacation set-up for Ramadan is too good for my family. Football practice at midnight works for us! Billingual classes helped all the way. Thank you Dearborn Public Schools! No way we would pay for private school when we have it so good in Dearborn, those people must be stupid! Save your money $$$ for vacation. Joe B. and entire family. Get real Reality Bites and Joe, this is the dream.
February 8th, 2011 at 8:57 pm
Micheal D. Albano- I’m sure you know…when MEAP scores show improvements then everyone rallies around this wonderful standardized test. But…when MEAP scores are less than adequate everyone involved in the educational system can’t find enough wrong with it.
I believe the state is voting or has voted to raise the bar when it comes to these standardized tests and students will be expected to work harder to get higher scores. I think I heard it may be effective 2011 or 2012.
Then lets see how Dearborn’s scores match up.
Parent1971- Both of my children are products of the Dearborn Public School system. Both are college educated working professionals and they would say that they DID NOT receive “AN EXCELLENT” education. In fact it was mediocre at best. Most students don’t realize this untill they are actually in college and their High School A’s are now considered C’s and D’s.
I will say my children had some good teachers and bad teachers.
I don’t hold any anymosity towards Reality Bites for sending his children to a private school. If I had school age children right now I would probably do the same thing. I hear the stories out there. One really big theme: Who is actually running the schools? Is it the principals/teachers or the students?
Joe- Regarding “The Crappy Homework” statement; been there done that!
What scares me the most: Teachers in classrooms who can’t write or spell correctly(They are in our schools).
Hope this wasn’t too negative for you Parent1971.
February 8th, 2011 at 9:06 pm
Correction- I don’t hold any “animosity”…
February 9th, 2011 at 11:41 am
“And the MANY students at the high school level who are taking college courses is extraordinary.
Please send your child to a private school–we do not want your negativity to be a reflection of what DPS is all about.”
Yeah, it’s extraordinary alright. Have you seen the way too many of these “extraordinary” children (yes, children) behave in their classes at HFCC? I have. Not only will my kids go to private schools, But if they attend a community college it will be Schoolcraft even if I have to pay out-of-district rates while I’m living in Dearborn.
February 9th, 2011 at 11:54 am
I have one child who went to Dearborn High and another who attended a private high school. There is no comparison, not even close. And it’s not just in what they learn, it is HOW they learn, the environment and who is actually running the school. I can tell you it is not the Politically Correct Police! From what I hear from a long time and well respected Dearborn High teacher, the school and the system has gone to heck since we left in 2005. The Arab community is running the show. The holiday schedules, the halal meet, etc. And I will say that while my daughter attended DHS my husband did have to sit in the parking lot one day and threaten the band of Arab boys who were harrassing her for weeks after her care was hit in the parking lot by one of these boys. They surrounded her car, harrassed in the halls, and would follow her to her parked car everyday, demanding $500 to pay for their damage. It was unbelievable and I would not have believed this if we had experienced it ourselves. Parents…if you do not put up with ALL of this crap, the school board will HAVE to make change. Pull the kids out, teach them at home, do whatever it takes to save the school system. And nothing will get their attention more than a decline in enrollment. Just keep them home on the day they do the count for funding and see what happens. Just this morning I saw a news story about the PARENTS in a Virginia district taking a stand against their kids were being taught Arabic in school. This is a Federally funded grant and as with anything Federally funded, there are strings. In order to get the grant, you must teach the language the government tells you to. I wrote to 2 members of the school board last year when I heard this was going on in east Dearborn. One school board member sent a short and snotty email back to me. Another was very polite and explained what I stated above about the Federal funding. It is my humble opinion that Dearborn Schools should have declined the grant money. But that would take some principle. I think the public schools need to reflect on where they are headed and what the long term ramifications of wreckless decisions are. We are seeing it in our culture today. As I say so many time on this blog, people had better wake up. The point to all of this is that you need to get involved. You need to speak up and not let these elected board members have complete control. They are there to represent YOU, not themselves.
February 9th, 2011 at 8:49 pm
Reality Bites:
I am a teacher. Just because I am not at school 30 minutes after dismissal does not mean I am not working for my students. Right now I have three dozen essays sitting next to me, and I will get them done before I go to sleep tonight. Since I came home from my 2nd job at HFCC, I have emailed four students, graded another set of assignments and planned my lessons for the rest of the week.
Also? Part of the problem is the parents. If a child is struggling in English or math or science, I have them one hour per day. I can stay after and offer tutoring, but it is very common for me to get no responses from parents about their struggling students. Last semester I had 149 students. 23 parents showed up at parent/teacher conferences.
Teachers are not solely to blame for the apathy and lack of success found in our students.
February 9th, 2011 at 11:12 pm
Dearborn 1975, You are 100% correct and thank God for teachers like you. The apathy in the parents ranges from being involved in their own child all the way to not challenging the school board. The biggest offense, however, is the former. We spent every single night at the kitchen table for each of the 12 years my kids went through school. It was hard, it was stressful, and I would have much rather been watching Seinfeld than reviewing the days lesson and helping with long division and English. So many parents today are really lazy. How frustrating. Don’t give up, those 23 parents are glad you’re there.
February 12th, 2011 at 9:07 pm
After reading all these post I would like to ask a question…Why does everyone always talk about sending their kids to a “private school”….but no one ever mentions which one?? Please enlighten me. Because if you actually believe that those private schools do not have any problems then you are sadly mistaken. The only difference there is that those parents are so TIGHT lipped about their problems…WHY?
I think you can get a good education at a private school. But if everyone believes that a private school is the answer then why is their enrollment dropping? Just wondering.
February 14th, 2011 at 1:09 am
Tuition based private schools score significantly higher on most aptitude tests and always have the highest graduation rates and most college bound students. Wherever you go there will always be complications and problems such is life. That being said, when cash is proffered both sides have an incentive to excel. Furthermore private schools weed out riff raff, and are not burdened with free lunch mentality grifters, and non English speaking bilingual basket cases. So yes private schools provide an environment much more conducive to academic matriculation than anything Dearborn public brings to the table. Rarely will you find a student from Divine Child registering for remedial math or English freshman year of college. The reason why enrollment is dropping for tuition based private schools is for two reasons dollar cost and competition from charter schools. Parents are sold on the brilliant marketing and slick sales presentations of charter schools, and their zero cost. Many parents find out the sad realities, and poor quality of most charters only when it is to late. The real question that we should inquire about is why are the best students and most involved parents leaving the American public school system in droves. Lastly top tier private high schools such as Detroit Catholic Central, Cranbrook, Ladywood etc. are hardly hurting for enrollment even at costs exceeding 13,000 per year up to 24,000. In education as life you get what you pay for.
February 14th, 2011 at 9:37 am
Before anyone decides I’m painting all public school parents with a broad brush, please read what I say and not what you think I mean. I went to Haigh/Bryant/DHS and my mom was a public school teacher in Garden City. So, regardless of whether I attended public or private school, my mom would make sure that our homework got done FIRST before anything else. Even in high school, when I had a job, the homework got done as soon as I got home. I know there are a lot of other public school parents out there who do the same thing.
That being said, I think one correlation between private schools and a higher performance rate is due to the fact that if you are spending that kind of money to send your kid there, you’re going to make darn sure they’re not slacking. Enough of my kids’ friends have gone from DC to a public school, and they have seen a change in those friends in attitude and aptitude, that “if you’re not going to take your schoolwork seriously, we will take you out of this school” is a valid threat. And a lot of that responsibility falls on us as parents as well. Too many parents either don’t (or can’t) spend enough time keeping tabs on their kids’ homework, grades, etc. I think when you are paying taxes for the public schools AND tuition for a private one, your priorities get realigned and you make sure you’re involved with what’s going on.
Again, I’m not saying all public school parents are slackers. I just think your commitment gets stepped up a notch when there’s money coming directly out of your pocket.
February 15th, 2011 at 11:27 am
Ditto to everyone above who noted that parents should be involved. As someone who is helping to raise two teenage boys, I so appreciate when my nephews have a dedicated teacher that really knows the material and wants to teach it. The main reasons I decided against going into any sort of teaching was because I did not want to deal with , couldn’t care less, completely apathetic parents.
It is also important, though, to recruit people who genuinely want to be teachers and care about their students. I went to Fordson, not too long ago actually. I can, obviously, only speak on behalf of my experience there. I had some absolutely terrific teachers there. Although I disliked some of her quirks and how she picked on certain students, I can also appreciate that my spanish teacher did a thorough job of teaching the language, especially given the size(s) of the class. On the other hand, there were many teachers that were, well, very poor. By my senor year, I was taking mostly classes at Henry Ford Community College just to avoid some of these poorly taught classes at Fordson. I can’t say my counselor was really helpful either–I was dissappointed by this too because I had worked with the woman for three years on student council, as her “right hand man” so to speak. From my experience, I really came to believe that one teacher can be effective and, yes, make a difference but it probably more effective to have every one on board–teachers, administrators, etc.–than some teachers here and there. Although I don’t agree with a lot of Arne Duncan’s statements, I do think we need to elevate the teaching profession in such a way that makes it as desirable to become a teacher as it is, say, a lawyer or medical doctor. I think we need to preschool-grade 12 education far more seriously. It wasn’t until I started undergrad at U of M Ann Arbor, after graduating from Fordson, that I saw how grossly unprepared I was compared to other freshmen. I hope, too, that we develop more creative, less rote and test, ways of teaching material and encourage smaller classes, and more parental awareness and involvement.