Maggie attends Mission High which is the oldest school in San Francisco and a beautiful building in a beautiful setting. It has a reputation as a tough school and performs badly on the standardized tests. This information does not square at all with the experience Maggie has had there.
Hard to believe, I know, but Maggie did NOT make the article. Nonetheless, I can make this observation. The way Mission handles the disabled and special ed population is very much in keeping with the caring demonstrated in this article. The teachers and staff are very helpful and encouraging to all the students.
It's long but definitely worth reading. It just might challenge a few stereotypes
http://www.motherjones.com/media/2012/08/mission-high-false-low-performing-school?page=4
Mission High Rocks.
I really look forward to reading the article. I'm always amazed at the numbers of people who make statements about our public schools that have no basis in their experience -- they just assume that if it's public, it's terrible.
ReplyDeleteI did feel tears prick at my eyes, though, when you wrote how wonderful Maggie's experience has been -- that's a beautiful thing, and I'm feeling super emotional today.I also just finished reading an article about an Alaskan congressman who is calling for an end to special education because, "let's face it, some of them can't even figure our how to move their wheelchairs."