Mr. Runcie,
I have written this letter mentally for the past three years, but finally decided to put it on paper. Like you, I began my education in Jamaica. At age 10, I entered the Broward County Public School system by enrolling in Plantation Middle. I continued my education at Plantation High School, where I graduated in 1987. Upon my graduation, I attended Davidson College, graduated in 1991 and returned to Broward County.
My teaching career began at Cooper City High School in the fall of 1992, where I spent 4 years teaching several subjects under the dropout prevention umbrella. The next 7 years were spent teaching Algebra at Flanagan and McArthur. My last seven years were spent as an assistant principal at Stranahan High and my current location of Northeast High School. As this is my 19th year, one year was spent as a behavior specialist at Stranahan High School.
That’s enough of my story. I’m writing to share my thoughts with you regarding the state of education in Broward County and, so some extent, the nation. I don’t claim to have every answer, but I have an answer to a significant question, that everyone seems to be dodging.
How do we serve the roughly 25% of students who enter kindergarten at age 5 with great potential but dropout somewhere along the way? Nationally, 40% of Black and Hispanic students do not graduate on time. I have long disliked the term dropout. We make the incorrect assertion that a child would just want to give up and quit on their education. However, that is what dropping out means to me. I prefer to call them unserved, instead of dropouts. Though unfortunate, it appropriately places the blame on the producer, us, rather than the consumer, the student. As I previously stated, no one just “drops out” and quits on their future. We have not been able to meet their needs.
Everyone is not going to college. I know, that’s not a very popular or politically correct thing to say. If we want to be honest with students, parents and each other, we would find it hard to disagree with that assertion. If I told all my students that they all capable of running the 100 meters in the Olympics and defeating the likes of Usain Bolt, everyone would call me insane or state that I have unrealistic expectations. I believe that those who think every child has the academic, social or economic support system that a college prep curriculum requires, bare that same level of insanity.
South Florida has the largest private marine industry in the world. South Florida is also the choice of millions who seek a warm climate to spend their retirement years. South Florida, the Sunshine State, is very hot, all the time. Do we have vocational programs that support those three industries? Can a child graduate high school with the skills required to gain employment in any of those areas?
I would answer no to all those questions. I say no, not because students are not applying themselves and pursuing those interests, rather, we have failed to identify those who have a particular vocational interest and steer them in that direction. A child who graduates high school with training and certification in the marine industry, air conditioning repair or home health service would never want for employment. Instead, we push students towards a goal or path that they neither want nor are capable of attaining. Furthermore, it is not until they have failed miserably that we reach out to them and provide adult vocational courses, like the ones at Northeast High School.
Northeast High School offers welding and AC classes to adults through the community school program. Imagine a freshman student who is able to study either or those programs throughout their high school career. At age 18 they would have a marketable skill and the ability to earn a comfortable income. A high school diploma has no earning potential because we have placed all our eggs in one basket, graduate high school and go to college.
I envision a district with vocational centers in each of the three areas. Vocational centers that cater to all students, instead of simply focusing on the high tech careers, like McFatter and Atlantic Tech.
My initial assertion was that I wanted to increase the graduation rate. I am looking beyond that. I would like to see the students graduate with true earning potential. We celebrate graduation rate and ignore the millions of students who wake the morning after graduation and realize the paper in their hands is worthless. They have no career, no marketable skills, no means of earning a living, and most depressing of all, no direction. They are essentially back to square one. Yet, we boast and beat our chests about graduation rates.
Mr. Runcie, I hope in moving forward, the Broward County Public School system will seek to serve all children. With the aid of a heavy hammer, we can force a square peg into a round hole. Unfortunately, both the hole and the peg will be damaged. Students and schools are being battered and beaten everyday by a system that needs a change of focus and direction. Schools are viewed in a less than flattering light and parents are seeking other educational alternatives.
Hopefully this honest reflection of my educational and professional thoughts positively serves the district and our Broward County families.
