Rudecinda Sepulveda Dodson Middle School (6-8)

Los Angeles Unified, Los Angeles County

• 2006-07 Enrollment: 1,925

• Percent Free/Reduced-price Meals: 56%

• Percent African American Students: 12%

• Schoolwide Growth API (2007): 753

• African American Growth API (2007): 809

(Note: All data are current as of February 1, 2008.)

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Principal: Travis Collier
Length of time as principal at Dodson Middle School: 3 years

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"I think educators or policymakers really need to empower principals to meet the specific needs of their campuses."

Q: In your estimation, what are the greatest challenges facing African American students at the middle school level in general?

A: I would say there still is a pull to be cool, to relate to the hip-hop generation. A lot of times being a really good student, doing well in school, is not seen as being the "in" thing to do. So even though kids may internally and from their parents know that the best thing is to do well in school, there's a lot of negative peer pressure out there. A lot of times, the picture that is painted of African Americans is the cool, negative, hip-hop stereotype. There's a lot of pressure to fulfill that rather than fulfill the ideal of being a great student.

Q: From your perspective, what are three of the most important things your middle school does to support African American student achievement?

A: We're a very diverse campus. With that diversity, first of all, we have high standards. As far as your character and your academic achievement, we expect you to excel in all areas. Number two, we look at the disaggregated data from the AYP [adequate yearly progress], and we look at how African Americans and the other subgroups are doing. And we let the kids know. We tell them [African Americans and all the other subgroups as well]: "You have to represent yourself, your family, and your race well." We try to use that as an incentive. We say that the federal government and the state of California are looking to see how well you're doing.

Q: What instructional or curricular priorities in particular have been most important?

A: We concentrate on reading comprehension and students writing well, and thirdly we concentrate on critical-thinking skills. A fourth thing I would add is the ability to use technology well. We figure if a student can read well, if they can write well, and their use of technology is increasing, that they will be able to do well in any academic environment.

All homerooms are supposed to have sustained silent teading. Our homeroom is about 18 minutes in the morning. So we use that as sustained silent reading or we encourage the teachers to read to the students. And then, in our English classes, we concentrate on different things like narrative writing or persuasion. We work on the mechanics and the grammar of writing. At some point during their three years here, everyone should take a computer class, dealing with the Internet, doing word processing, PowerPoint, those different things. This year, we've really pushed getting involved with some educational websites like Study Island, where kids can do practice test questions and play academic games so they're having fun and learning at the same time.

Q: What challenges has your middle school faced, or does it still continue to face, in these efforts?

A: I think with middle school, there's always that sense of apathy. In all honesty, we don't have a graduation policy in the sense that if you don't pass x amount of classes you're going to get held back. Our district is going to start that for our 6th graders next year. So there's not that sense of urgency for kids to pass. And I just think with the adolescent--the transition from being a young kid to trying to find out who they are--it's apathy toward what adults think are the right things. Adults will talk about "responsibility" and "doing well in school." One way for adolescents to get back at us is to not do well. They have a passive approach: "Okay, if I don't like my teacher, I'm not gonna do the work." "If I don't like what my parents are going through, I'm not gonna do the work." Their favorite thing to say is, "I don't care."

So we try to meet with them more one on one, find an opportunity to talk with them and see what are the issues that are preventing them from being successful. With a school of close to 2,000, we try as much as possible to personalize our education by getting to know the students, because if not, they're left to live in their apathy and say, "School doesn't matter," and "I don't care." When the kids come in the 6th grade, they have an administrator and a counselor that is in charge of that grade, and they continue to be the administrator and the counselor for the next three years. So you have the same administrator and counselor for 6th grade, 7th grade, and 8th grade. By the time those three years pass, the administrator and counselor have worked with the students and have worked with the families in a three-year relationship. That allows administrators and counselors to know their students very well, particularly students who are having difficulties. We also do recognition ceremonies. We'll have the kids come out to the field; we'll bring a DJ and salute those kids who are doing well.

Q: What resources, whether inside or outside the school, have been most important?

A: The majority of our African American students are in our gifted magnet program. So either you have to be qualified as gifted or you have to have an ability in one of the areas, such as intellectual or in the arts. A lot of African American students come from Carson, California, which is a pretty nice, middle-class African American area. So I believe they have a lot more support than you would see in an inner-city school. A lot of kids come from two-parent homes, and their families make a pretty significant income. They have their parents' support in terms of academic help or parent conferences that is probably missing in a lot of situations for kids, particularly in the inner city.

Number two, I would say our teachers. We have a veteran staff. I have a significant number of teachers who have been here at least 12 years. If you look at a lot of schools that are not performing well--inner-city African American schools--you have a lot of transiency--teachers going in and out, new teachers. I believe it takes at least three years for you to get to the point where you're teaching very well.

Another resource would be the willingness of our program to really push kids. We demand the best from our students, and we will continually push for it even if it means friction sometimes with parents. If you've got a gifted kid, you expect a gifted kid to do well. But if that gifted kid is now not doing well, parents will say, "Hey, what's going on?" Then we'll sit down and really diagnose what their deficiencies are and where they need to improve.

Q: What role does data disaggregated by student subgroup play in your middle school's efforts to support student achievement, including among African American students?

A: It plays a big role in that it's right there for the country to see. Anyone can go on the website and find out how are we doing in disaggregated data. We try to use it as a motivational tool to say to students: "You're being judged this way. Whether it's fair or unfair, this is how our school is judged. So if you want our school to look good and you want your racial group to look good--or even if you're socioeconomically disadvantaged, if you're in that group and you want it to look good--you have to do well throughout the year so that you can perform well on the tests."

Q: In what way does the demographic mix of your middle school's student population pose challenges or opportunities for supporting African American student achievement?

A: I think the diversity that we have really helps because it's a reflection of what our students are going to have to deal with in the workforce in this century. We emphasize working in groups and cooperative learning on a daily basis. It allows them to work toward a common goal, to become familiar with different cultures and races. I think sometimes when you're just in a monolithic group, you tend to highlight your strengths and not deal with your weaknesses. I think when you deal with a diverse group, you can pick up ideas and strengths from different cultures.

Q: Algebra I has been an intense focus of attention in recent years in California. How has your middle school responded to the idea that all students take Algebra I in grade 8, and what sort of credentials do the teachers who provide these courses hold?

A: We try to be real careful about who we put in Algebra I, based on test scores and teacher recommendation and grades. And within that course, we really try to build their skills so they will be able to grasp the concepts of algebra. Even though the state has demanded it, a lot of kids aren't ready because of lack of math instruction in elementary school. In our district, the [Harcourt Brace] Open Court reading program has taken up a large portion of the day for elementary kids. So there's very little time left for math or you may not have the math expertise in the elementary schools. A lot of kids come to our level lacking some mathematical skills. I know some of my colleagues will put all the kids in algebra, but we're very careful. If we have 600 8th graders, there are about 300 in algebra, 300 not in algebra. We try to build the skills through a lot of tutoring that the math teachers are willing to do, hands-on manipulatives (like a weight scale, using blocks to do equations), and then the Smartboard. I think the Smartboard is just excellent because they're able to pull up Internet sites and they can write on the Smartboard. Or you can give the kids a little easel, and they can write from their desk and it'll show up on the Smartboard. We try to scaffold a lot to get kids to get the concepts. When you start throwing kids variables, for whatever reason, they struggle with it. So we take the hit [lower scores] on the CSTs [California Standards Tests]. We think it's worth it because math is the one subject that if you get really discouraged, you stop trying. People have a tendency to say, "Well, I've never been good at math." So we don't want to put everyone into algebra and have them be beaten down by it.

Q: What electives does your middle school offer and why? Do these courses support student engagement or other academic coursework?

A: We have a pretty wide array of electives to choose from. We offer computers, horticulture, arts, drama, music, chorus, ceramics--those are our major electives. In the 6th grade, if a kid needs it, they will take a class in reading comprehension and study skills. I think electives definitely help. It's that creative, kids-working-with-their-hands opportunity that really gets that energy out. Now kids are used to'whether it's video games or another type of entertainment--visuals and things happening fast. So when we bring them to school and we sit them down all day, a lot of kids are just zoning out and can't take it. But when they're in a drama class or they're in ceramics making something with their hands or doing something that really allows them to focus on creating something of their own--keeping their minds and bodies busy--it helps with behavior. If kids are apathetic, a lot of times they'll keep their grades up so they can participate in activities. I know some of our kids who struggle the most never have problems in ceramics.

Q: What support or guidance counseling do students receive at your middle school to help them make decisions about which courses to take and about the directions they might take in high school, such as career/technical education, a traditional college-prep curriculum, and so forth?

A: Our district sent out a CD about colleges and the high school courses they need to every child in the district. But I don't think we've ever had one kid or a parent come back and ask us questions about it. Our district's website has a college-prep, career-education site that they can go to. But I don't know if kids use that that much. Because they're not really focused on that, our administrators and counselors meet with every kid and develop an Individual Culmination Plan. They go over all the classes they need to pass in order to go through middle school. Then in the 8th grade, we have a High School Planning Night in December because parents have to apply for magnet schools in January. We invite surrounding magnet schools--some private schools even come--to present their programs. We talk about "a-g" requirements and different choices that they have. We have not put it in place yet, but our plan is to start speaking about short-term and long-term goals and hold every kid accountable for that. The Individual Culmination Plan is more directed toward your goals here at the school and what you need to do to be successful and not so much career-goal oriented. As we're starting to talk with kids, they haven't really thought that far down the line. We want them to start thinking more about that.

Q: What support and leadership does your district provide?

A: The district has this program that they call Culturally Relevant and Responsive Education, and there is a list of requirements that we need to meet in order to address the issue of poor performance of African American and Latino students. There is curriculum for African American students that's very vocabulary-driven and directed toward writing skills, and there is a specific curriculum that's for bilingual students. The district has people who can also do trainings on how to engage students and have classes and instruction that is relevant to them. If African Americans have an oral history of stories and music and different things like that, how do we use our curriculum to meet that learning ability?

Q: What distinguishes the curriculum and resources for African American students versus Hispanic/Latino students?

A: One thing is a list of common grammatical mistakes that African American children make or Latino children make. I know the verb "to be" is one that we often have to deal with. Kids may say, "He be walkin' to the store" or "He walk to the store." You take the English that they've been speaking and you have to translate it--or sometimes what we call "code switch"--into standard English. The idea is you meet the students where they are and understand what's going on in that culture, and then you help them be able to translate it into standard English.

Q: What would you hope California policymakers, educators, and the public would understand about the academic achievement of the state's African American students?

A: Policymakers push to have all students achieve high academic levels. I think that's a great concept. But I think the policymakers need to allow us to have the resources to reach those goals. Because if the federal government wants us to be at 100% proficient in English and math by 2014, that's a great thing to say and people are going to applaud that. But they really don't give us the tools to reach that goal. They have to look at schools specifically, not just schools as a big group, to see what the needs of the schools are and allow principals to have some freedom in meeting the needs of their school. I don't need money for safety or crime. I need more money to be able to bring in more computers and technology and to be able to enhance the education of the kids. But a lot of times low-performing kids live in high-crime areas. So give that principal freedom to have more security, to have more after-school programs that can get their kids involved to avoid the pull from the streets and the gangs. I think educators or policymakers need to empower principals to meet the specific needs of their campuses.

Q: Is there anything that we haven't talked about that you think is important for us to know about your school or your students?

A: I would just emphasize that the parent support for African American students is probably more significant here than in some of your inner-city schools. And the stability of our staff counts for a lot. In some ways the motivation to compete to be your best is also a plus. If you're at a campus and it's majority African American and the adults say, "Okay, you need to compete with these other races and schools," you don't really see that. But when you have those kids right in the midst of you, right in your classes, then I think that internally does create some motivation.

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This article is a transcript of an interview conducted by EdSource staff in May 2008.
The opinions in this interview are those of the principal, and not necessarily those of EdSource, its staff, its funders, or its Board.