Parents grill officials on 'No Child' plan Parents grill officials on 'No Child' plan (March 09, 2005)

** Letter-writing campaign is being planned.

By David Boyce

Almanac Staff Writer

The questions came thick and fast for officials from the Sequoia high school district and Menlo-Atherton High School at a meeting last Wednesday night.

The PTA at M-A arranged a March 2 meeting attended by some 80 parents concerned and confused about the impact of new federal oversight of the Sequoia Union High School District. Along with many questions on a wide range of topics, there was also talk of a letter-writing campaign to political representatives.

None of the parents said they disagreed with the goals embedded in the oversight of the federal No Child Left Behind Act -- to raise standardized test scores among under-performing students, a longstanding problem at M-A -- but many questioned the way it is being implemented and its impact on M-A's culture.

"We had heard that teachers are down (in spirit) and we wanted to know what's the scoop," said parent Julie Merk, who helped coordinate the meeting. "The federal government is imposing regulations that are too inflexible. Having the word come from on high at the federal government is not the way to work here."

At the recommendation of a team of education consultants working on behalf of the state and federal governments, the Sequoia district will be lengthening the school days and reducing the elective options for about 3,500 students by enrolling them in remedial classes in English and math.

Directly affected will be students whose test scores and skill levels are shown to be below grade level. At M-A, many of these students are tutored by parents.

Parent Pam Koch was at the meeting and sits on the committee that coordinates English language tutoring at M-A. She said she believes deeply in the intent of the No Child act and the need for improvement at M-A, but wonders about whether it is undermining 10 years of effort at the school.

"To have the federal government come in and put a big F on the school ... has been a very difficult process for the staff," said Ms. Koch in an interview. "To have that effort completely overrun by external evaluators has been very difficult."

"This is a very difficult and complex challenge," said Mary Etta Eaton, another M-A parent at the meeting. "I want to make sure that the teachers are not diminished or scarred in any way. We're concerned about the morale."

All teachers, regardless of academic discipline, will have to leave the classroom for 40 hours of training on how to help students with reading. Some parents questioned the wisdom of distracting an economics or biology teacher with reading issues.

"It's like telling a (Boeing) 747 pilot: 'You're going to have to fly the one-engines because we need some of those, too,'" said parent Randy Merk in an interview.

The hope is that this reading training will enhance M-A's curriculum to the benefit of all students, said M-A Principal Norman Estrada.

Sequoia district officials say they have put a high priority on minimizing the impact on students who are ready for high school work. The intent is to quickly get under-performing students up to speed and back into a regular schedule, said superintendent Pat Gemma.

At M-A, about 200 to 250 students will be in remedial classes, said Steve Lippi, the instructional vice principal.

Parents asked whether this use of forced remedial classes had been tried before. It has at Napa High School, said Francisca Miranda, the assistant superintendent for educational services. State standardized test scores show positive results in 2002-03 and 2003-04 for struggling students.
Seeking outside help

M-A parent Susan Gillman said a letter-writing campaign is in the early stages of development and would probably target state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Atherton, and Margaret Spellings, the new U.S. education secretary.

"We're going to organize the parents and get a sense of what people want to do," Ms. Gillman said.

Both Ms. Merk and Ms. Koch said they are aware of the plans for a letter-writing campaign. Ms. Gillman's husband, John Kadvany, is also involved.

"There are several of us who are talking and trying to figure out basically how to proceed," Mr. Kadvany said.

The group has to refine its arguments, he said, and involve parents of academically struggling students from East Palo Alto, who were present in small numbers at the Wednesday night meeting.

The letter-writing campaign should include letters to other high-school and middle-school districts in California, said Mr. Kadvany, given that the number of districts under No Child scrutiny is expected to rise dramatically over the next two years.

Ms. Gillman said she is following developments in Utah, where the state Legislature recently voted to ignore certain No Child rules and forgo federal funding, though the governor hasn't signed the bill. "We were very encouraged by Utah," she said.

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