Entry #25: Driscoll Middle creates a safe,
supportive environment for all its kids
Corpus Christi, Texas -- As we drove around Corpus Christi
this week, seeing the variety of neighborhoods, I was reminded of a request
from my wife Corinne.
She had wondered if the rest of our visits would need to be to urban areas
populated by lower-income, struggling families.
I had defended our itinerary by reminding her that many of the collaborative
practices I had heard about took place in or around larger cities.
We also took a side trip this week up to San Antonio, Austin and Houston
(an immense city!!). Corpus, like these and most other urban areas, is undergoing
growth of all kinds with many newcomers in the mid to lower-income range.
While we have visited some smaller, rural areas, the trend in America is
to migrate to the urban areas from the rural, family-centered towns.
In fact, the Census 2000 will reveal that, by far, the majority of Americans
live in or around metropolitan areas, exactly the reverse of a century ago.
In addition, the profile of the average family is very different from that
of even a half century ago. We all know the obstacles confronting kids on
a daily basis. Fragmented families with too little time and resources to
go around -- these and many more challenges are here to stay, at least for
the short-term. It can be quite depressing.
However, veteran Counselor Anna Benavides from Driscoll Middle School has
another way to look at this. Instead of our schools trying to change the
circumstances of the students, the focus should be on doing all we can with
students while they are on campus.
Thus, at Driscoll, many of the available resources are directed at increasing
students' success academically, through the school setting.
One such resource is the 21st Century after school program called C.A.K.E.S.:
(Communities And Kids Experiencing Success). Not only do they offer the
usual afternoon options of tutoring and recreation but they also offer a
Saturday school. I was surprised at how many kids I found on campus from
9 to noon on Saturdays -- what is usually considered a "day off."
While many come in because they are behind or need extra time, others are
drawn in for supplemental activities. I walked in to a 6th grade science
class and found a room full of kids designing and building "egg drop"
containers. (See photo) Some students came because
they were invited by teachers, some because they had missed class and others
just for extra credit. The atmosphere was one of excitement -- not necessarily
what you would expect from Saturday school.
Later in the week, I visited the Communities In Schools room. Here, there
is a safe haven for students to drop by and talk as well as come in for
one-on-one tutoring which takes up the bulk of the two case managers' time.
The ping pong table in the center of the room doubles as the tutoring center
and game table during slack time. They claim to have a 95% success with
the 150 kids they routinely serve. This means demonstrated improvement with
grades, attendance, or behavior -- or all 3. For many kids, CIS can be like
a "family" in the school setting, helping them to feel good about
coming each day.
I was amazed to learn that CIS is found in 33 states and 1,100 schools,
the nation's largest "stay-in-school" organization. As our urban
schools grow, I can imagine so will CIS. (You can find out more about CIS
at www.cisnet.org)
So, at least for the time being, the majority of our nation's public schools
will be working with students with difficult home environments coming from
less supportive communities.
While that won't change in the near future, what can change is our effectiveness
with students while on campus. That's happening at places like Driscoll
and the many schools in and around our cities.
I expect this won't be our last stop in a community that will be challenging
for us.
Darrell
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