From San Diego's North County Times
Americans have loved the underdog
ever since a ragtag bunch of patriots whipped a king's army. But a darker side
of our history reveals how often we label individuals who don't fit the norm;
creating the very obstacles to success we praise them for overcoming.
Newspaper opinionators can do a lot
to expose the damage done by stereotyping.
That's why it was disappointing to
read local columnist Thomas Arnold's take on Carlsbad Village Academy students,
("Decision
jeopardizes student safety," May 2).
Budget cuts have forced the closure
of the CVA campus next year, requiring its students to move to Carlsbad High.
That spurred Arnold to suggest CHS student safety will be at risk from those
who "couldn't cut it in regular school because they got pregnant, were
expelled, or have behavioral problems."
After quoting a Carlsbad High
student who's afraid his new classmates might establish a "turf" and
"start fights," Arnold concludes, "I'd be every bit as alarmed
as this 10th-grader is."
That sounded like stereotyping to
me, so I took a closer look at the school designed for students who fall
behind. The main difference I found between CVA and CHS students is that more
of them are English learners, Latino and economically disadvantaged.
Arnold may be surprised by what
else I learned about the school from Suzanne O'Connell, the district's
assistant superintendent for instructional services and CVA Principal Keith
Holley's recent report to the school board.
O'Connell assured me students are
not banished to the CVA for misbehavior. They enter the school voluntarily,
most often in the 10th grade, to recover credits after falling behind their
classmates in local middle schools. Their behavioral problems are no different
from those of their peers at CHS. Arnold's young friend can rest assured the
school's not a dumping ground for expelled gang bangers. He has nothing to fear
from the return of his middle school classmates.
Carlsbad Village Academy is proud
of its academic achievements, including a 98 percent graduation rate, a 100
percent passing rate on the High School Exit Exam, and an 86 point increase
last year in its Academic Performance Index. Latino students and English
learners led the way. Eleven percent of CVA students recover enough credits to
return to regular classes at CHS at midyear.
O'Connell told me that planning has
not yet begun on the details for transforming CVA into a school-within-a-school
on the CHS campus next year. The objective is to provide a wider, college prep
curriculum for CVA students, while retaining the individual support and fast-track
class scheduling that will help them catch up with their classmates.
You'd think Carlsbad's comeback
kids would be more cheered than feared.
