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by Copyright Anna Rudolph Canter 2004 The Dissertation Committee for Anna Rudolph Canter Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: "In the Middle of an Orange Grove, Across the Street From the Tortilla Factory": The Science Academy of South Texas Committee: O. L. Davis, Jr., Supervisor Mary S. Black Sherry Field Elaine Clift Gore Mary Lee Webeck "In the Middle of an Orange Grove, Across the Street From the Tortilla Factory": The Science Academy of South Texas by Anna Rudolph Canter, B. A., M. A. T. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin December, 2004 UMI Number: 3150553 Copyright 2004 by Canter, Anna Rudolph All rights reserved. UMI Microform 3150553 Copyright 2005 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346 Dedication For Frederick Byron Rudolph Maxine Leah Wood Rudolph and Glenda Myers Rudolph My Heroes Preface and Acknowledgments A major tenet of American society is that the achievement of the American dream is measured in terms of one's economic success. For Americans who are also members of minority ethic groups, it is a widely held belief that the primary vehicle through which one attains this success is education.1 As a former classroom teacher in two San Antonio public high schools, the Regular Senior English courses that I taught for three years were made up primarily of minority students. Regular courses were not what most "veteran" teachers wanted to teach; they wanted the honors and Advanced Placement courses because, as one teacher once told me, "Regular students won't do anything...they won't do their homework and you can't teach them anything." I think that this White teacher did not want to have to interact with students of color--people unlike herself, in her eyes. In my experience, it is rare to find a minority majority in an honors class. The stereotype is that a minority student from a low socioeconomic background will not succeed in school. Many times while teaching I saw this actually occur: students had to quit school so that they could work full time to support their families. According to the S. B. Williams, "A Comparative Study of Black Dropouts and Black High School Graduates in an Urban Public School System," Education and Urban Society 19, (May, 1987): 311-319. 1 v standard definition of success, they had not fulfilled it in school because they had quit before receiving their diploma. Many minority students do overcome obstacles and achieve their high school diplomas. As I learned through my teaching experience, regular students, and subsequently, minority students, are capable of succeeding and achieving high standards in school if the teachers are dedicated and believe in their students' abilities. This outcome certainly is the case at the Science Academy of South Texas (SAST) in the South Texas Independent School District in Mercedes, Texas. I learned about The Science Academy through the activities of my father, Dr. Frederick B. Rudolph, a Rice University Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology until his death in October 2003. Since 1992, Rice University has hosted a summer program for students from the SAST in which they spend two weeks learning about interviewing and presentation techniques and writing for college applications. Students also visit NASA, Shell Oil, and Texas Instruments in order to meet scientists and engineers who work in these fields and to see the real world applications of what they learn at the SAST. Science Academy teachers also attend sessions in which they meet researchers, learn about various research projects, and see technology demonstrations. They are usually able to meet with one of the two Nobel Prize winners vi who are researchers and faculty members at Rice. The teachers also attend Admissions Office presentations so that they will be able to help their Science Academy students in the college admissions process. I first met a group of Science Academy students and teachers at Rice in the summer of 1995. I was favorably impressed at how articulate and intelligent the students were and how obviously the teachers loved their jobs. As I learned more about the Science Academy, I recognized that many of the students came from low socio-economic backgrounds and were often the first member of their family to graduate from high school, certainly the first family member to attend institutions of higher education. When I began my doctoral studies at UT Austin, I studied, among other topics, minority students' failures and successes in schools. I always remembered the students at the Science Academy of South Texas. For one course, I conducted a pilot study of the experiences of teachers at the Science Academy. As I spent time in the Valley collecting those data, I became more interested in the story behind the school. As a result, I chose to write the history of the Science Academy for my dissertation research. My goal--to write a rich, detailed, multi-voiced account of the history of the Science Academy--is represented by this dissertation. vii Acknowledgments Thank you to my dissertation chair, Dr. O. L. Davis, Jr., for his guidance and caring support throughout my doctoral career. Also, I want to thank Dr. Mary S. Black, Dr. Mary Lee Webeck, and Dr. Sherry Field for their kindness, encouragement, and assistance in serving on the committee. A special thanks is extended to Dr. Elaine Clift Gore, whose study "Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts: A History of the First Twenty-Five Years" became a model for my study. Her unwavering support and guidance is much appreciated, and I look forward to the continuance of our collaborative efforts. Special thanks to George Gause, the Special Collections Librarian at the Lower Rio Grande Valley Historical Collection housed at The University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg, Texas. This dissertation would not have been possible without the constant support from the administrators, staff, and teachers at the Science Academy and the South Texas Independent School District. Each time I visited the Valley, I was welcomed with open arms and allowed (almost) free access to files and people. Dr. Ron Schraer, former Superintendent of STISD, helped to make my dream of studying the Science Academy a reality. Marla Guerra, the current Superintendent, was always available as a sounding board and a resource. Jeff Hembree, viii Deputy Superintendent and the second principal at Science Academy, was candid and open in his discussions with me about Science Academy and STISD. Without him, certain aspects of this study would have been untold. The administrative staff at STISD always made room for me to work, asked me how I was doing, and even treated me as "one of the girls." If it were not for Sonia Rodriguez, the history that lies within the STISD files would not exist. "There is a story within the files," she would tell me. She is the unfailing protector of that story. I was always welcomed at the Biblioteca las Americas by head librarian, Lucy Hansen, and Javier Jimenez in the IT department. During our "lunch dates," they would tell me stories of the district and school and gave me names of people with whom I should speak. The most important sources of information for this study were the faculty, staff, and administrators at Science Academy. Edward Argueta, Lisa Ashley, David Boe, Dale Coalson, Janet Hassan, Joe Lamas, Glenda Quintanilla and Josie Garcia, Bob Riggins, Mark Schroll, Betty Warrington, David Wood, and many others were generous with their time and memories. Without their recollections, this dissertation would not exist. I have Mary Lou Caraveo, an administrative assistant at Science Academy, to thank for the existence of Science Academy files. Like Sonia ix at central office, Mary Lou knew there was a story buried in those boxes and made sure that they were not destroyed with other district files. My family and friends have helped me in my doctoral journey more than they will ever know. My family's constant support, even during this most difficult year of our lives, has always kept me going. Thanks to Courtney Glazer for being my sounding board and sometimes editor. Without your friendship and support, I would not be at this point in my research. Thanks to Chelsea Caivano for her constant offers to edit my writing and for letting me play with her children, Kendra, Caelyn, and David, for stress relief and fun. My husband, Christopher Canter, deserves a gold medal for his patience, understanding, and support throughout my doctoral career. I would have been lost without him. And finally, thanks to my parents, Fred and Glenda. They instilled in me the love of learning and a desire to achieve my goals. Without Dad, I would not have known about Science Academy, nor would I have pursued a PhD. I can only hope someday to be half the educator he was in his short lifetime. x "In the Middle of an Orange Grove, Across the Street From the Tortilla Factory": The Science Academy of South Texas Publication No._____________ Anna Rudolph Canter, Ph. D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2004 Supervisor: O. L. Davis, Jr. The Science Academy of South Texas, one of four magnet schools in The South Texas Independent School District (STISD), opened in 1989 to bring educational opportunities in mathematics and science to students in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. STISD serves three counties and offers enrollment to any student who applies from any of the twenty-eight feeder districts. The Science Academy is the only mathematics and science magnet school in the Rio Grande Valley. Over years, Science Academy has developed partnerships with major colleges and universities in Houston, Texas and the Rio Grande Valley. University partnerships have provided funding for programs at the school and have created continuing summer study programs for xi Science Academy students. Graduates have been accepted to and/or attended some of the most prestigious colleges and universities across the United States, despite personal challenges including low socioeconomic status, English as their second language, and being the first in their family to attend college. This historical study seeks to answer two basic questions. How has the Science Academy faced its academic, political, and social challenges over the years? What factors appear to have contributed to its establishment, survival, and success? Chapter One, "Significance of the Study and Research Methods" describes the study's significance within the scholarly literature and the research methods used for this study. Chapter Two, "The Science Academy of South Texas" presents the history of STISD and the events which precipitated Science Academy's establishment. Chapter Three, "The Administration, Faculty and Staff of Science Academy," discusses administration and faculty of the Science Academy. Its focus is Science Academy teachers and their educational beliefs as well as the administrators and staff and their beliefs. Chapter Four, "Curriculum Continuity and Change at the Science Academy," focuses on the curriculum history of Science Academy and the changes faculty members and administrators have made over time. Chapter Five, "The Students of xii the Science Academy of South Texas," focuses on the students at the Science Academy, who administrators and teachers describe as "the whole reason we are here." Chapter Six offers concluding thoughts and ideas for future research. xiii Table of Contents Preface and Acknowledgments ........................................................ v List of Tables................................................................................xvii Chapter One: Significance of the Study and Research Methods............................. 1 Bringing Educational Opportunity to the Rio Grande Valley .. 3 Magnet Schools as Desegregation Tools ................................. 4 Research Method ................................................................... 7 Historical Research ...................................................... 7 South Texas ISD Archives ............................................ 9 The Science Academy Archives ................................... 11 Biblioteca las Americas .............................................. 11 The Lower Rio Grande Valley Historical Collection...... 12 Oral History ......................................................................... 12 Chapter Two: The Science Academy of South Texas ............................................ 15 The Rio Grande Independent Rehabilitation District ............ 16 Creation of The South Texas Independent School District.... 19 The Birth of a Magnet School: The Regional High School of Technology ............................................................. 21 The South Texas High School for Math and Sciences ........... 26 University Partnerships ....................................................... 28 xiv Chapter Three: The Administration, Faculty and Staff of Science Academy ........... 32 The Founding Faculty.......................................................... 33 South Texas High School for Math and Sciences' First Principal: Jorge Lopez ................................................ 34 Rice University and the Science Academy................... 36 High Expectations and Discipline............................... 37 The Science Academy's Second Principal: Jeff Hembree ....... 39 The Alternative Education Program ............................ 41 The Science Academy's Current Principal: Edward Argueta . 43 Dress Code at the Science Academy ........................... 45 Holding Teachers Accountable ................................... 47 Argueta's Hopes for the Future of Science Academy ... 48 Plans for the Physical Plant .............................. 48 Helping Students Achieve at Science Academy.. 50 Teaching at Science Academy .............................................. 51 Teachers' Experiences ................................................ 55 Hiring Issues .............................................................. 61 The Science Academy Custodial Staff................................... 62 Chapter Four: Curriculum Continuity and Change at the Science Academy......... 65 Original Curricular Plans..................................................... 66 Co-curricular Activities ........................................................ 69 Challenge Day ............................................................ 70 The Renaissance Festival ........................................... 72 A Challenging Curriculum ................................................... 73 xv Advanced Placement and Concurrent Enrollment Courses................................. 75 Changing to an A/B Block Schedule .......................... 76 Effects of Higher Education Institutions on the Curriculum. 77 The Rice Summer Symposium.................................... 79 Doc Prep .................................................................... 80 Project Lead the Way ........................................................... 81 Effectiveness of the Curriculum ........................................... 84 The Scholastic Aptitude Test and the American College Test .......................................... 86 The Advanced Placement Test .................................... 92 Research and Development Projects ........................... 94 Looking Toward the Future.................................................. 95 Chapter Five: The Students of the Science Academy of South Texas ................... 96 Recruiting Students to Attend Science Academy .................. 96 Entrance Requirements ..................................................... 104 Original Entrance Criteria ........................................ 105 Revising the Entrance Criteria.................................. 106 Why Students Choose Science Academy ............................ 108 Educational Opportunity and a Rigorous Curriculum108 The Freshman and Senior Handbooks...................... 110 Support for Students' Individuality........................... 112 School Safety ........................................................... 113 What Students Sacrifice to Attend Science Academy.......... 117 School-sponsored Sports.......................................... 117 Loss of Friendships .................................................. 119 xvi Commuting to School ........................................................ 120 School Pride....................................................................... 121 KQSA: Science Academy's Radio Station............................ 124 What Science Academy Students Think About Themselves 127 Chapter Six: Concluding Thoughts and Ideas for Future Research130 A High-Performing Hispanic High School ........................... 131 The Four Dimensions of a High-Performing Hispanic High School......................................................... 132 Ideas for Future Research.................................................. 137 Research on Other STISD Schools ..................................... 138 Special Education within STISD ........................................ 140 Appendix A: The Science Academy of South Texas Interview Guide Administrators, Teachers, and Staff ......................... 141 Appendix B: The Science Academy of South Texas Interview Guide Community Members ............................................... 144 Appendix C: The Science Academy of South Texas Interview Guide Alumni ..................................................................... 146 Appendix D: Special Education at Science Academy.................... 149 Bibliography ............................................................................... 172 Vita ............................................................................................ 208 xvii List of Tables Table 1: Science Academy Faculty Data from 1993-2003 .............. 54 Table 2: Science Academy of South Texas 2004 Grade 11 Science TAKS ............................................................. 87 Table 3: Science Academy of South Texas 2004 Grade 11 Mathematics TAKS ..................................................... 88 Table 4: SAT and ACT scores for Senior Students, tested 1993-2002 ....................................................... 89 Table 5: Science Academy Senior Students' ACT Mean Scores....... 90 Table 6: Science Academy Senior Students' SAT Mean Scores....... 90 Table 7: Advanced Placement Examinations at Science Academy, 1993-2004 ................................................................. 91 Table 8: Science Academy Student Enrollment by Hometown...... 102 Table 9: Science Academy Student Enrollment Data, from 1993-2003 ....................................................... 103 xviii Chapter One: Significance of the Study and Research Methods The bilingual/bicultural, Hispanic/Latino community is the fastest growing and poorest minority group in the nation.2 In Texas, Mexican Americans living in the lower Rio Grande Valley, until recently, have enjoyed little political power, participation, or representation in local, state, or national government circles.3 Although Mexican Americans have made significant steps toward their full participation in Texas politics and policy making associated with the economic, social, and educational conditions, the Valley remains relatively unchanged since the 1990s.4 "Political inclusion has not been equated to economic assimilation and e. g., Julia V. Clark, "Minorities in Science and Math," (ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education, Columbus, Ohio: 1999); Julia A. Luft, Thais da Cunha, and Amy Allison, "Increasing the Participation of Minority Students in Science: A Study of Two Teachers," (Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, San Diego, CA, April 19-22, 1998); Sharon J. Lynch, Equity and Science Education Reform (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2000); Cheryl L. Mason and Robertta H. Barba, "Equal Opportunity Science," The Science Teacher 59, (May, 1992); James A. Telese, "Mexican American High School Students' Perceptions of Mathematics and Mathematics Teaching," Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences 21 (May, 1999). 2 Pedro Reyes, Jay D. Scribner, and Alicia Paredes Scribner, eds., Lessons from High-Performing Hispanic Schools: Creating Learning Communities (New York: Teachers College Press, 1999). 3 David Montejano, "On the Future of Anglo-Mexican Relations in the United States," in Chicano Politics and Society in the Late 20th Century, ed. David Montejano (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1996): 234-257. 4 1 equal educational opportunity. Schools in the Valley have been among the most underfunded in Texas and the nation."5 Hispanics and Latinos are disenfranchised mainly from scientific, mathematical, and related technological careers. Part of the reason that Hispanics and other minorities do not enter careers in these fields is that they frequently are unable to take the necessary courses in high school that will permit them to continue with the necessary advanced courses in college.6 Also, African-American, Native-American, and HispanicAmerican students typically score lower on science literacy assessments and take fewer science courses than their Anglo counterparts. Students of these minority groups also typically do not participate in elective science courses such as Biology, Chemistry, or Physics to the extent that Anglo or Asian-American students enroll in them.7 Even if Hispanic students are interested in the pursuit of mathematics and/or science, they face substantial obstacles. Secondary schools in urban areas with a high proportion of economically disadvantaged or a high proportion of minority students typically offer fewer science and mathematics courses than do predominantly Anglo Reyes, Scribner, and Scribner, eds., Lessons from High-Performing Hispanic Schools: Creating Learning Communities, 6. 5 e. g., Luft, da Cunha, and Allison, "Increasing the Participation of Minority Students in Science: A Study of Two Teachers." 6 7 Ibid. 2 schools. Usually, schools in minority communities also are understaffed and under-equipped, factors that can greatly affect students' interest in and access to mathematics and science. 8 Tracking, low quality of science and mathematics course offerings, teacher judgments about students' low ability, and students' access to qualified teachers and resources are all factors which can hinder minority students' access to and participation in science and mathematics courses. In addition to the aforementioned factors, limited exposure of Hispanic students to extracurricular mathematics and science activities and their failure to participate in advanced mathematics and science courses in high school affect their entrance into mathematics or science careers.9 Also, Hispanic students' lack of information about possible careers in mathematics and science as well as lack of information about how to become a mathematician or scientist affects their entrance into those fields. Bringing Educational Opportunity to the Rio Grande Valley The Science Academy of South Texas (SAST), a magnet school in the South Texas Independent School District, was created specifically to bring educational opportunities in mathematics and science to students 8 Clark, "Minorities in Science and Math." Beatriz Chu Clewell, Bernice Taylor Anderson, and Margaret E. Thorpe, Breaking the Barriers: Helping Female and Minority Students Succeed in Mathematics and Science (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1992). 9 3 in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas and to offer Valley students access to a high quality program in science and mathematics. STISD is the only all-magnet school district in the state of Texas. The Science Academy is the only mathematics and science magnet school in the Rio Grande Valley. STISD, created as a rehabilitation district in 1967 under Chapter 26 of the former Texas Education Code, is the only school district in Texas originally created as a rehabilitation district.10 Currently, the district operates under Chapter 11.301 of the current Texas Education code as a clause which grandfathers in any school or district created under the former Chapter 26.11 Magnet Schools as Desegregation Tools Unlike the Science Academy, most magnet schools were created in large city school districts as a way to desegregate schools and to avoid involuntary busing.12 Many studies on the effectiveness of magnet Ron Schraer (Superintendent, South Texas Independent School District) Interview with author, May 24, 2001, Mercedes, Texas. 10 Texas Education Agency, Texas Education Code (1999 [cited); available from http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/states/ed/ed001100toc.html. 11 e.g., Rolf K. Blank, "Educational Effects of Magnet High Schools," (Paper presented to the Conference on Choice and Control in American Education, Madison, WI, May 17-19, 1989); Mary Haywood Metz, Different by Design: The Context and Character of Three Magnet Schools (New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1986); Christine H. Rossell, "The Carrot or the Stick for School Desegregation Policy," in Concepts and Issues in School Choice, ed. Margaret D. Tannenbaum (Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1995); Claire Smrekar and Ellen Goldring, School Choice in Urban America: Magnet Schools and the 12 4 schools for desegregation purposes exist.13 Studies also have analyzed the effects of magnet schools on student achievement.14 However, no studies have addressed the use of magnet schools as a vehicle for educational opportunity for Hispanic or other minority students. Only a few scholars have mentioned that some magnet schools were created for the specific purpose of educational opportunity; the issue is usually briefly mentioned and not discussed further in their studies.15 Pursuit of Equity (New York: Teachers College Press, 1999); Lauri Steel and Roger Levine, "Educational Innovation in Multiracial Contexts: The Growth of Magnet Schools in American Education," (Palo Alto, CA: American Institutes for Research, 1994); Margaret D. Tannenbaum, ed., Concepts and Issues in School Choice, vol. 23, Mellen Studies in Education (Lewison, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1995). e.g., Blank, "Educational Effects of Magnet High Schools"; Metz, Different by Design: The Context and Character of Three Magnet Schools; Rossell, "The Carrot or the Stick for School Desegregation Policy"; Smrekar and Goldring, School Choice in Urban America: Magnet Schools and the Pursuit of Equity; Steel and Levine, "Educational Innovation in Multiracial Contexts: The Growth of Magnet Schools in American Education"; Tannenbaum, ed., Concepts and Issues in School Choice. 13 e.g., Blank, "Educational Effects of Magnet High Schools"; Cheri Lynn Fancsali, "Magnet Schools and Student Achievement: Equal Educational Opportunity for All?" (PhD diss., Columbia University, 1998); John Friedrick, "A Longitudinal Evaluation of Student Achievement in Science, Mathematics, and Other Selected Variables, Comparing Cohorts Attending a Magnet School with Those Attending Traditional High Schools." (The University of Texas at Austin, 1991); Adam Gamoran, "Do Magnet Schools Boost Achievement?" Educational Leadership 54 (October, 1996). 14 e.g., Robert D. Barr and William H. Parrett, Hope at Last for at-Risk Youth (Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1995); Blank, "Educational Effects of Magnet High Schools"; Denis P. Doyle and Marsha Levine, "Magnet Schools. Education Policy Studies Occasional Papers. Eps 83, No. 4," (Washington D.C.: American Enterprise Institution for Public Policy Research, 1983); "Magnet 15 5 Additionally, only a very few histories of individual American high schools exist in the scholarly literature,16 and only one17 portrays the founding and continuance of a public magnet school. A few studies about education and schools in the Lower Rio Grande Valley exist18, but the most recent was published in 1989 and focuses on schools in Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Mexico.19 Because the Science Academy is the first mathematics and science magnet school in the only all-magnet school district in Texas, it merits focused attention. A history of the Science Academy of South Texas is important, also, because it will document and interpret the creation and maintenance of a special Schools: Promoting Equal Opportunity and Quality Education," (Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, 1989). 16 e.g., Daniel L. Duke, The School That Refused to Die: Continuity and Change at Thomas Jefferson High School (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1995); D. F. Labaree, The Making of an American High School: The Credentials Market and the Central High School of Philadelphia, 1838-1939 (New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 1988). Elaine Clift Gore, "Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts: A History of the First 25 Years, 1971-1997" (PhD diss., The University of Texas at Austin, 1998). 17 See, for example, Robert Beane, "A Brief History of the Educational Development of Hidalgo County, Texas" (master's thesis, Texas College of Arts and Industries, 1942); Arnulfo S. Martinez, "History of Education in Starr County" (master's thesis, The University of Texas, 1966); Lily Rasco, "Providing High School Education for Rural Children in Cameron County Texas" (master's thesis, Texas College of Arts and Industries, 1952); Virginia L. Thompson, "The History of Education in Cameron County" (master's thesis, The University of Texas, 1930). 18 Milo Kearney, A. G. Arguelles, and Y. Z. Gonzalez, A Brief History of Education in Brownsville and Matamoros (Brownsville: The University of Texas PanAmerican, 1989). 19 6 magnet school for the purpose of educational opportunity for ethnic minority students. Although many interesting facets of the school might be studied, its history assumes a high priority at this point in time. Almost all of the original teachers who began the Science Academy continue to teach there or are working in the district's central office. As well, many of the original school board members remain on the Board of Directors. The district's former superintendent, Dr. Ron Schraer, retired in December 2001 thus ending an era of progress and innovation under his leadership. Dr. Marla Guerra, the current superintendent, wants to continue Dr. Schraer's vision of bringing quality education to students in the Valley. This historical study seeks to answer two basic questions. How has the Science Academy of South Texas faced its academic, political, and social challenges over the years? What factors appear to have contributed to its establishment, survival, and success? Research Method Historical Research "History is the act of selecting, analyzing, and writing about the past. It is something that is done, that is constructed, rather than an 7 inert body of data that lies scattered through the archives."20 According to Ronald Butchart in Local Schools: Exploring their History, history is a form of collective memory; both history and personal memories rely on interpretation and as a result are selective and susceptible to modification and extension. Through historical research, we find evidence that modifies and extends our knowledge, and we select from the vast quantity of available data those facts that seem to be the most important....As we construct history, we seek to extend our knowledge of the facts as far as possible, but in the process, select only those facts that appear important. We analyze evidence to attempt to understand its significance...Our interpretation affects our selection and analysis. But if we are careful, reflective historians, evidence and honest analysis guide our interpretation.21 In researching the history of the Science Academy, many sources of information were uncovered with which to piece together a rather complete historical portrayal of this school. Archival records, newspapers and oral history interviews were integral information sources for this study. The main sources for archival information came from the South Texas ISD archives, Science Academy archives, the Biblioteca las Americas archives, and the Lower Rio Grande Valley Historical Collection at the University of Texas-Pan American. Ronald Butchart, Local Schools: Exploring Their History (Nashville, TN: American Association for State and Local History, 1986), 3. 20 21 Ibid., 3-4. 8 South Texas ISD Archives Archival records are the records of agencies which are kept in a specific place. "Such bodies of records, maintained because of their continuing legal, administrative, or historical value after their original purpose has been fulfilled, are considered to be archives."22 The South Texas Independent School District (STISD) has its own archives within its filing rooms. Included in its archive are copies of School Board minutes dating back to December 1965 at which time the first board meeting was held. Within each board meeting minutes are Campus Reports from each month of school for each campus. The Science Academy was first mentioned in April 1989 under the Med High campus report. Other files include curriculum guides, campus improvement plans, and inter-office memos. Dora Lisa Gonzales, former Public Information Services Coordinator for STISD, was in charge of collecting records for STISD's files of the different schools and the district as well as promoting the district throughout the Valley. During her tenure at STISD, one of her responsibilities was to cull through the various newspapers printed in the Valley for any news relating to STISD and/or its schools, as well as David E. Kyvig and Myron A. Marty, Nearby History: Exploring the Past around You (Nashville, Tennessee: American Association for State and Local History, 1982), 88. 22 9 other educational news pertinent to the Valley. According to Ms. Gonzales, three major papers serve the area of Mercedes: The Brownsville Herald; Harlingen's Valley Morning Star, and McAllen's Monitor. Many other smaller papers, including The Mercedes Enterprise, The Edinburg Daily Review, The San Benito News, and The Mid-Valley Town Crier also carried news of the school. As a result, the newspaper archives in the district archive are rather comprehensive, with the exception of the years 2001-2002 when the position of Public Information Services Coordinator was in the process of being reconstructed and staffed. Also in the STISD archives is the opening ceremony scrapbook and all documents related to planning and organizing the event. Included with it are programs, photographs, letters, and inter-office memos about the organization and planning of the event. Another type of document which yields pertinent information are personal papers. Personal papers that exist are archived at STISD. The personal papers of Edward Argueta, the current principal of Science Academy, are still considered confidential because he is still principal. However, some of his correspondence is found filed within the STISD archives. In general, any memos or letters pertaining to an event, policy, project, etc. are found within the corresponding file in the STISD archive. 10 The Science Academy Archives The Science Academy also has its own archive of sorts. Unfortunately, STISD policy is for each campus to send its administrative files to Records Storage after five years. Then, after five years of storage at the facility, the records are destroyed. All of the early Science Academy and Med High documents are therefore gone forever. At Science Academy, the current files begin during the 1994-1995 school year when the present campus secretary, Mary Lou Caraveo, began to store administration files at Science Academy rather than the STISD records storage facility. The head of Records Storage confirmed all files from Med High and the Science Academy pre-1993 have been destroyed. For the most part, the Science Academy archives are rather incomplete. A few new documents were found within them but for the most part, documents found in the administration files were duplicated with the STISD archives. Biblioteca las Americas The Biblioteca las Americas is the library both Science Academy and Med High. The Biblioteca keeps a copy of each yearbook and each of the STISD Board Minutes beginning with January 1998 when the Biblioteca was dedicated. Lucy Hansen, Lead Librarian since the Biblioteca's dedication, found an original scrapbook stashed away in a 11 filing cabinet. The "South Texas Habilitation Center, Edinburg Texas, Scrapbook 1957-1958" chronicles the programs and students of the first South Texas facility and includes a copy of the school's charter and its mission statement. This scrapbook alone is a valuable find; it contains documents that are not included in the STISD archive. The Lower Rio Grande Valley Historical Collection The final noteworthy archive for research sources is the Lower Rio Grande Valley Historical Collection housed at The University of TexasPan American in Edinburg, Texas. George Gause, Special Collections Librarian, has a comprehensive archive of documents such as books, theses, and maps that are directly related to the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Gause directed me to the only theses and books of educational histories written specifically about various parts of the Rio Grande Valley.23 Oral History Oral history is one of the main sources of information for this historical study. The original teachers and administrators who opened Beane, "A Brief History of the Educational Development of Hidalgo County, Texas"; Martinez, "History of Education in Starr County"; Rasco, "Providing High School Education for Rural Children in Cameron County Texas"; Jacob Lee Stambaugh and Lillian J. Stambaugh, The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas (San Antonio, TX: The Naylor Company, 1954); Thompson, "The History of Education in Cameron County"; Valley By-Liners, ed., Gift of the Rio: Story of Texas' Tropical Borderland (Mission: Border Kingdom Press, 1975); Valley ByLiners, ed., Roots by the River: A Story of Texas Tropical Borderland (Canyon: Staked Plains Press, 1978). 23 12 the Science Academy were interviewed for this study. Dr. Ron Schraer, former Superintendent of STISD, was superintendent when the Science Academy was opened and has played an instrumental role in creating and shaping STISD into the district it is today. Jeff Hembree, the second principal of Science Academy, is now Deputy Superintendent of STISD. Several board members and other STISD support staff as well as current students and alumni also were interviewed. Some of the interview recordings will be donated to the Oral History Program at the Center for the History of Education at The University of Texas at Austin. All necessary human subjects' protection measures were used including informed consent of participants during the first interview. Interview guides for the oral history interviews of administrators, teachers, and staff, community members, and alumni are included as Appendices A, B, and C respectively. To address the first research question about the challenges the Science Academy has faced, evidence was gathered from oral history interviews and documents and were coded thematically and chronologically, then analyzed interpretively. Answers to the second research question about those factors that have contributed to the Science Academy's success and maintenance emerged through the themes created by analyzing and coding the data. This history of the 13 Science Academy cannot be generalized to other studies. Readers of this dissertation should understand the complexities involved in the creation of a magnet school for the purposes of educational opportunity in order that all students have access to opportunities for success in school and in their futures. In answering these research questions, this dissertation illustrates that the Science Academy of South Texas is educating minority students in mathematics and science at a high level of quality. It portrays to teachers, school administrators, and lay citizens how this environment was created and how it is maintained such that minority students are successful. The educational possibilities of minority students in mathematics and sciences is not a dream; it is a reality. Texans and the nation need to learn about the Science Academy of South Texas. 14 Chapter Two: The Science Academy of South Texas "When giving directions to the school, I tell people: We're in the middle of an orange grove, across the street from a tortilla factory."24 Located west on US Highway 83 from Harlingen, Texas, are small towns between McAllen and Harlingen as the highway continues towards Brownsville. At Mile 2 West, situated directly off the highway, is a building that resembles a school; it is The High School for Health Professions (Med High). To the west of Med High is a smaller building which holds the central offices for the South Texas Independent School District (STISD). Just northeast of the central office is the Biblioteca Las Americas, the library which serves two of the five schools in STISD. Across the two lane road to the west of the central office lie aloe vera fields, a trailer park, and the remnants of an old tortilla factory. Between Med High and an orange grove sits the Science Academy of South Texas. The Science Academy of South Texas is a magnet, public high school open to anyone who enrolls. STISD serves a tri-county area-- Hidalgo, Willacy, and Cameron counties, which include Brownsville, Mark Schroll (Technology Teacher, Science Academy) Taped interview with author, November 2, 2000, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. 24 15 McAllen, Harlingen, San Benito, and the small towns in-between. Unlike many magnet schools, Med High and Science Academy were created not to desegregate the school districts in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (the Valley), but rather, to offer students in the Valley educational opportunities and curricular offerings not found in their home schools. The origins of the school lie in the complicated valley politics of the 1960s. The Rio Grande Independent Rehabilitation District In the fall of 1964, voters of Cameron and Hidalgo Counties voted to establish the Rio Grande Independent Rehabilitation District (RGIRD), "a district confined at that time to vocational habilitation and rehabilitation of the mentally handicapped."25 Parents of handicapped and special needs children had joined together to create a school for their children because the local school districts were unable to provide services for many special needs children. On December 10, 1964, a small group of citizens met at El Sombrero Restaurant in Mercedes. Judge Milton D. Richardson of Hidalgo County presided and advised citizens from Cameron and Hidalgo county "to forget county lines and work together to serve children from the Rio Grande Valley."26 They created the Memorandum "Rio Grande Rehabilitation Independent School District" from Superintendent Magnifico to STISD Board, April 23, 1974, in April 1974 School Board Minutes, STISD Archives. 25 16 RGIRD to provide special education programs that were too specialized or too costly for home districts. Superintendents from school districts within Cameron and Hidalgo Counties could recommend students for placement at the RGIRD school.27 The District was run on private donations of office space and funds as well as property taxes. The voters had established a tax to collect money for maintenance and operation of the school at $.05 for each $100 of property value in the two counties.28 Local school districts supported the RGIRD by sending their handicapped students and the students' state funding to the district. In order to continue to help serve students, the RGIRD joined with the Rio Grande Association for the Mentally Retarded (RGAMR) and established a diagnostic and evaluation center as well as a residential day school. The District bought the RGAMR's South Texas Habilitation Center [sic] in Memorandum "Report on Thirty-Year Celebration Committee" from Ron Schraer to STISD School Board, August 16, 1994, in August 1994 School Board Minutes, STISD Archives. 26 Memorandum "Philosophy" from John Barron, Chair, Committee on Philosophy and Physical Plant to Board of Directors, October 13, 1965, in October 1965 Board Minutes, STISD Archives. 27 Memorandum: "Rio Grande Rehabilitation Independent School District," April 23, 1974. Currently, the tax rate is 3.92 cents per $100 valuation according to the finance section of the district's website, www.stisd.net. 28 17 Hidalgo County and updated its buildings to house a residential program and a training program for its students.29 The South Texas Habilitation Center, opened in 1957, was a regional training school for retarded young people between the ages of sixteen and thirty. Vocational training in homemaking, agriculture, and industrial shop was offered to its students. The RGAMR through its Board of Directors administered the center. The center was created as a pilot training program "to provide vocational training to retarded young people to enable them to return to their own communities whenever possible, to take their places as useful, adjusted members of society, and to be either partially or fully self-supporting."30 The school continued to grow as more students were recommended to the program, and by 1966 a residential-day complex was created at the Edinburg school.31 The members of the RGIRD realized the value of incorporating with the South Texas Habilitation Center and bought the school in order to combine forces and address the needs of special students in the Valley. Once the RGIRD joined with the South Texas Habilitation Center in 1967, the original House Bill 167 which created the Rehabilitation 29 School Board Minutes, April 27, 1966, in STISD Archive. "South Texas Habilitation Center, Edinburg Texas, Scrapbook 1957-1958," in Biblioteca las Americas Archive. 30 31 School Board Minutes, September 14, 1966, in STISD Archive. 18 District was amended in order that the district could operate as an independent school district for special education.32 This change allowed the district to continue working with vocational rehabilitation programs and allowed the district to serve students above twenty-one years of age who needed support services, training, and residential care. Creation of The South Texas Independent School District As time progressed, the District continued to expand its programs to serve more students within the two counties. Board members began to realize that funding was becoming an issue. Consequently, they went to McAllen senator Jim Bates and asked for his possible assistance. Senator Bates introduced legislation in the Texas House of Representatives that created the Rio Grande Rehabilitation District to serve students who, because of their special needs, were unable to attend the regular public schools. Senate Bill 26 was passed in 1971 and allowed the district to officially expand its programs.33 Senate Bill 26 states: To provide for the continuance of additional programs of instruction and training for handicapped persons between the ages of 6 and 21, inclusive, the District shall be eligible for and allotted administrative units, special service personnel, exceptional child teacher units, vocational education units, and other special Memorandum "Rio Grande Rehabilitation Independent School District," April 23, 1974. 32 33 Ibid. 19 education personnel, to the extent herein provided for independent school districts, directly through the Foundation Program of the Central Education Agency. With the passing of Senate Bill 26, the district continued to expand its services and began to help Willacy County with its special needs children. By 1974, Willacy County had officially been added to the district and in 1975, the district's name changed to the South Texas Independent School District, reflecting the fact that the district now served all students in the South Texas/Rio Grande Valley area.34 The South Texas Independent School District continued to grow until 1975, when federal law PL 54-142 required local schools to serve special education students in least restrictive environments (LRE). As a result, the student population in STISD changed from a mildly handicapped population to a more severely handicapped population.35 As the LRE laws were put into effect, the two segregated campuses in Edinburg and San Benito, which offered educational services exclusively to handicapped students, were beginning to see fewer and fewer referrals from the surrounding school districts. The students that were referred to STISD by the home districts changed in that more severely disabled 34 School Board Minutes August 1974 and September 1974, in STISD Archive. "Capital Improvement Plan--STISD, 1985-1989," in "Capital Improvement Plan" in STISD Archives. 35 20 students comprised the most frequently referred case for which the home district sought help. Although the number of students served by STISD declined, the district continued to serve students who were profoundly disabled and needed special care which the schools could not provide, such as round-the-clock care and nursing staff.36 For nearly a decade, the district struggled with its limited visions, but times changed abruptly.37 The Birth of a Magnet School: The Regional High School of Technology By 1982, Ruben Hinojosa, a member of the State Board of Education, became interested in magnet schools. He knew about magnet schools in Dallas (e.g., Skyline High School) and Houston (e.g., The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts). Within the preceding years, school districts created a number of magnet schools as a vehicle for voluntary desegregation of schools and school districts.38 However, 36 Schraer interview. At this point in the history of Science Academy, the STISD Board decided to focus its attention to the creation of new educational programs for regular education students. However, STISD continued to improve the educational opportunities available to the special education population. For an historical account of the special education programs in STISD and Science Academy, see Appendix D. 37 Blank, "Educational Effects of Magnet High Schools"; Metz, Different by Design: The Context and Character of Three Magnet Schools; Smrekar and Goldring, School Choice in Urban America: Magnet Schools and the Pursuit of Equity; Steel and Levine, "Educational Innovation in Multiracial Contexts: The Growth of Magnet Schools in American Education." 38 21 Hinojosa recognized that magnet schools could be vehicles for educational opportunities for students in the Valley. At his instigation, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in 1982 assigned Maxine Emery as an agent to determine the feasibility of magnet schools in the Valley.39 The TEA created an executive steering committee which included school superintendents from Hidalgo, Cameron, and Willacy counties and business people from the Valley. The districts in the area did not want to take on the responsibility of the creation of new schools and programs. Also, House Bill 26 provided the district with the ability to create and maintain "vocational education units" as a vehicle for teaching exceptional children. Thus, the steering committee recognized the possibilities of using the South Texas Independent School District in this situation.40 By December 1982 "A Report from the Feasibility Committee for Health Occupations Regional High School of Technology" was released. In the report, all twenty-eight districts in the Rio Grande Valley gave their written support to South Texas to open a Regional High School of Technology, specializing in Health Careers. Through extensive research and surveys, the committee found that Health Careers was the most chosen profession by the education and business communities. The Schraer interview. Ibid. 39 40 22 idea was that, as the Valley continued to grow, so would the health professions and the need for skilled health workers. The feasibility report also identified a consortium, including Baylor College of Medicine, the Houston Independent School District, The University of Texas-Pan American at Edinburg, and The University of Texas at San Antonio. These institutions would be instrumental in helping to guide South Texas as it began planning and implementing its new school.41 At the same board meeting when the Feasibility Report was publicly presented, Ruben Hinojosa explained that "plans were being made to present an amendment to Education Code #26 to the Legislature at its next session which would facilitate the opening of such a school" in temporary facilities by September 1984.42 By the spring of 1983, SB #336, a bill to establish and operate a regional vocational school in the Valley, began its journey through the Texas legislature.43 The district began planning in earnest to open the Regional High School of Technology in temporary facilities for the fall of Maxine Emery, "A Report from the Feasibility Committee for Health Occupations Regional High School of Technology," (STISD Archives, 1982), 14. 41 42 STISD School Board Minutes, December 7, 1982, p.4, in STISD Archives. STISD School Board Minutes, February 22, 1983, p. 4, in STISD Archives. 43 23 1984.44 The school opened in temporary buildings at Horton Elementary School in Weslaco with 140 sophomore students in attendance.45 A permanent site had been chosen and plans were to move to the permanent location in Mercedes for the 1986-1987 school year; portable buildings were constructed in Mercedes for the school during the summer of 1985 while the permanent facilities were being built. Once the permanent facility was constructed, students, faculty and staff left the portable buildings and moved into the new school building. January 1987 brought a major organizational change to South Texas ISD. Ron Schraer was hired in May of 1987 to become the Superintendent of the district because of Jane Duckett's resignation. One of the main problems that Schraer faced was decreasing enrollment at Med High. To counteract decreasing enrollment, Schraer began to look at student and faculty recruiting and conducted exit interviews with students. Schraer's "good personnel theory" is that the more applicants for a position, the more selective the hiring process can be. STISD began to recruit teachers in the northern United States in order to gain "an element of fresh and new ideas." Some of the school board was not in agreement with Schraer on this point; they preferred hiring local teachers "Regional High School of Technology Status Report: November 16, 1983" in November 1983 Board Minutes, STISD Archives. 44 Mary Gugliuzza, "Tech High School Will Open to 140 Sophomores," unnamed newspaper, August 12, 1984, "Newspaper Articles" in STISD Archives. 45 24 who could serve as role models to students. However, Schraer believed that in order to continue to build diversity among the faculty, teachers from other backgrounds were necessary members of the Med High faculty. Schraer understood that the most important change that needed to be made was that the needs of the students were to be met. He felt that once students' needs were met, more students would begin to stay as the curriculum became more focused, practical, and relevant to the medical fields that the school was originally created to address. Schraer and the Board of Directors began hiring teachers who believed that students are important and integral parts of a school and that a teacher's job is to help students succeed in school and go on to college. These personnel changes helped to begin to turn the program around and more students began attending and staying at Med High. To help continue changing the culture of Med High in a positive direction, Schraer and the Board hired a new principal during the 19891990 school year. Jorge Lopez, Principal at Port Isabel High School in Port Isabel, Texas, joined the faculty in December of 1988.46 For the first year that Lopez was at Med High, his main goal was to continue to make the program more healthy and stable.47 Once that program showed signs Jorge Lopez (Former Deputy Superintendent, STISD) Taped interview with author, March 20, 2002, STISD Central Office, Mercedes, Texas. 46 47 Ibid. 25 of further strength, such as having to turn students away because of space issues, talk began of creating another magnet school for STISD. The South Texas High School for Math and Sciences The district's original Feasibility Report includes references to a "Technical Vocational" school. By the time that district leaders began to plan to open another school, they decided to create a school which focused on mathematics and science to address "the need to establish a more challenging math and science curriculum as part of the President's call for our youth to be first in the world in math and science achievements by the year 2000."48 After Superintendent Schraer, Principal Lopez, teachers from Med High, and STISD Board Members visited the Science Academy of Austin at the Lyndon Baines Johnson High School in the Austin Independent School District, the group was so impressed that Schraer officially took the idea of opening another magnet school to the school board. Thus, plans were made to add 165 additional freshmen to Med High in the Fall of 1989 for the opening of South Texas High School for Math and Sciences.49 "STISD 1990-1991 Performance Report" in "1990-1991 Performance Report" file in STISD Archives. 48 Nolene Hodges, "Math/Science Magnet School Accepting Applications," The Monitor, May 7, 1989, 6A. 49 26 Sci-Tech, as the school was called, opened as a "school-within-aschool" on August 1989 with eighty-eight students. They joined the 659 students enrolled in Med High.50 The school was housed within Med High and shared Med High facilities, its library, and some of its teachers. Lopez hired two Science teachers and two Technology teachers who worked only with Sci-Tech students. By August 1990, the total enrollment at Sci-Tech was 233 students; a new freshman class was added to the existing sophomore class.51 Because the first two years of the program were such a success, the Board decided that the school facility needed to be expanded. Discussions arose as to whether the two schools should continue to be housed under the same roof. Schraer and Lopez recommended that a separate building be constructed for SciTech. We recommended that because we understood that in order to keep the clear focus and the clear mission of a magnet school, it has to be, in its purest form, a separate faculty, separate curriculum. The English, and the history, and the mathematics, they are all under the umbrella of the mission of the magnet school, and not a generic program that covers more than one area of interest.52 High School for Health Professions Campus Report, August 11, 1989 in August 1989 School Board Minutes, STISD Archives. 50 High School for Health Professions Campus Report, August 17, 1990 in August 1990 School Board Minutes, STISD Archives. 51 52 Lopez interview. 27 As Sci-Tech continued to grow, portable buildings were added to Med High's campus to accommodate the growing numbers of students until a permanent facility could be constructed. In March of 1991, construction of the new Science Academy facilities was well underway. The Board officially named Sci-Tech the Science Academy of South Texas to reflect the academic focus and rigor of the curriculum at the school. Even though the name officially changed, the nickname Sci-Tech stuck with the students. The first yearbook of the Science Academy, issued in 1993, chronicles the adventures of "Sci-Tech Man" as he encounters the various academic milestones for each grade level. Even today the district's official web page refers to Science Academy as Sci-Tech in its news releases and information about the school. University Partnerships The academic program at Science Academy was further strengthened through a unique partnership signed on December 2, 1991, between Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, and STISD. The formal agreement outlined goals for the magnet school program, including a summer internship program to be held at Rice University. It would introduce students to the fields of science and engineering; Baylor and Rice faculty would provide classroom instruction, educational 28 materials and other educational experiences for STISD students. Assistance would come from Rice and Baylor in designing and executing other projects such as grant writing.53 According to Schraer, the agreement with Rice and Baylor was "a perfect way to christen our new facility and complement the growing curriculum offered to our students."54 With the help of the institutions, Schraer believed that the Science Academy would be able to provide students with "a vision of what is available if they work hard."55 On August 22, 1992, The Science Academy of South Texas' new facility was officially dedicated. More than 1,000 people were present, including students and their families, staff and administration of STISD. Representatives from Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine were also in attendance, including William Butler, Baylor College of Medicine president, and George Rupp, president of Rice University. During the ceremony Butler pledged $1,000 scholarships to the first five Science Academy graduates who attended Baylor College of Medicine.56 Butler Keith Matis, "Rice, Baylor Sign Co-Op Agreement," Rice News, December 11, 1991. 53 "Science Academy Joins Pact to Carve Careers," Valley Morning Star, December 3, 1991. 54 55 Ibid. "Academy Grads Get Chance at Medical Scholarships," Valley Morning Star, September 23 1992. 56 29 and Rupp presented a plaque, bearing the logos of both Rice and Baylor, with the inscription "The Science Academy of South Texas, a partnership of The South Texas Independent School District, Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University." This plaque hangs on the wall in the main hallway of the Science Academy, just across from the main administration offices. It greets each person who walks through the front doors of the Science Academy and is a reminder of the continuing partnership among STISD, Baylor, and Rice. The Science Academy of South Texas was created with students in mind: students were to be offered educational opportunities never before available in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The sincere desire for students to be given educational opportunities is evident in all aspects of the Science Academy: in the way that administrators and staff are hired, in the administrative policies that are created by the school and district, in the curriculum, and in the ways students see themselves and the opportunities that the Science Academy has created for them. Throughout the entire history of the Science Academy, every change from the creation of new physical buildings to the creation and implementation of new curriculum occurred because these changes and improvements directly related to the main focus of the district and the school: to give educational opportunities to students in the Rio Grande 30 Valley. The people who began with that main focus and continue to carry it through to the present day are the faculty and staff at the Science Academy of South Texas. 31 Chapter Three: The Administration, Faculty and Staff of Science Academy "The teachers and administration were the magic behind the scenes of my high school career."57 This chapter describes the administration and faculty of the Science Academy. It attends to hiring processes, expectations for teachers, and relationships between and among faculty, staff, and students. Once Superintendent Schraer and the School Board decided to create the Science Academy, teachers and staff needed to be hired in order that they could begin to help plan the program. Schraer recruited teachers from the entire Midwest as well as from Texas. This hiring practice was in place until the late 1990s when recruitment outside of Texas became too expensive for the district.58 In 1990, for example, teacher vacancy notices were sent to fifty-one Texas universities and Phillip Chairez (2002 Graduate of Science Academy) Online interview, February 9, 2003. 57 Jeff Hembree (Deputy Superintendent, STISD) Taped interview with author, May 8, 2002, STISD Main Offices, Mercedes, Texas. 58 32 eighteen out-of-state universities.59 In order to gain "an element of fresh and new ideas," teachers were recruited from all over the United States because Schraer believed that the more applicants for a position, the more selective the hiring process could be. Schraer's most important selection criteria for teachers, however, was that they needed to have the same philosophy as the rest of the district: "We have a certain philosophy, and that philosophy is that we're here to serve kids. We're advocates for kids."60 The Founding Faculty Because the Science Academy was begun within the school building of Med High, the principal of Med High became the principal of Science Academy. Jorge Lopez, former Principal at Port Isabel High School in Port Isabel, Texas, joined South Texas in December of 1989 as Principal of Med High.61 To start the new program at the school, Schraer and Lopez hired six new teachers: Betty Warrington to teach Physical Science; Bob Riggins to teach English; Mark Schroll and Dale Coalson to Memorandum "Procedures for Recruitment of Teachers" from Ron Schraer to STISD School Board, April 17, 1990, in April 1990 School Board Minutes, STISD Archives. The out of state universities are: Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Wisconsin. 59 Diane Smith, "School Mandate Creates Dilemma for County," The Monitor, May 12, 1996. 60 61 Lopez interview. 33 teach technology; Joe Lamas to teach Biology; and David Wood to teach Computer Science. The new teachers reflected the hiring practices in which Schraer believed: he hired three novice teachers who would bring "new, fresh ideas" to the school. Two of the three novice teachers were from various regions of Texas: Wood had completed his B.S. degree at Midwestern University in Wichita Falls, Texas, while Coalson had taken his B.S. degree at Texas A & I University in Kingsville, Texas. Schroll, however, was from Minnesota. He received his B.S. degree at Saint Cloud State University in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. He had heard about the job opening at his university's teacher job fair. Both Warrington and Lamas had been teaching in the Rio Grande Valley, and Riggins had been teaching at Med High and transitioned over to the new school. Once these teachers were hired, they were able to plan for the new schoolwithin-a-school program at Med High. South Texas High School for Math and Sciences' First Principal: Jorge Lopez As the first principal of the Math/Science school, Lopez had the task of hiring the faculty and getting the program in place. For the most part, he tended not to interfere with their work and trusted that they would do their jobs well. Teachers remember that Lopez was very good at delegating work to the teachers and holding them accountable for its 34 completion. This practice allowed the teachers to have a stake in administrative matters at the school. David Wood remembered how he helped Lopez create the students' schedules one summer. "I learned a lot about the little administrative things, enough to know that I don't want to be a principal or counselor. I want to stay in the classroom. But you know he really showed me a lot of things when he was here." Lopez's delegation of work allowed teachers to see other aspects of the school rather than their being responsible only for what went on in their own classrooms. Another way that Lopez included teachers in the creation of the vision for the Science Academy was through weekly faculty meetings. Teachers described these meetings as a way for them all to get together and to visit; as well they provided a time to plan for the school and to learn what Lopez and other administrators were doing for the school. Once the teachers were hired, Lopez and the faculty had to show that the new science and mathematics/technology program was worthwhile and one from which students would benefit educationally. Lopez explained that during the first two years of the program, we were able to demonstrate that there was a need, the success of the program and the growth of the program as far as student enrollment. That last year, the 91-92 school year, before we completed the new building, I had 1,200 kids under one roof, which was designed for 700.62 62 Ibid. 35 When the School Board questioned the idea of the creation of a new building for the Science Academy, Lopez was instrumental in helping Schraer convince the Board that another facility was a necessity. We recommended [a separate facility] because we understood that in order to keep the clear focus, and the clear mission of a magnet school, it has to be, in its purest form, a separate faculty and curriculum; the English, and the history, and the math, they are all under the umbrella of the mission of the magnet school, and not a generic program that covers more than one area of interest.63 Rice University and the Science Academy Another important development during Lopez's tenure as Principal was the addition of the Rice Summer Symposium to the Science Academy program. Lopez, Schraer, and a few school board members were instrumental in obtaining Rice's co-sponsorship of programs for Science Academy students. They made visits to the Rice campus. Also, they hosted delegates from Rice and Baylor College of Medicine at STISD. James Kinsey, Dean of Natural Sciences at Rice University from 1988 until 1998, flew to Mercedes once with other Baylor and Rice delegates in order to visit the schools and to meet with administration and faculty. Kinsey's impressions of the school and students were very favorable. "They had good laboratories, facilities, the students were focused on the 63 Ibid. 36 teacher, asking good questions. I thought, I'd like to teach these students."64 After lunch meetings with school board members and administration, Kinsey and the others were very impressed with the school and the people involved. "They were an absolute cross section of the community, and they perceived that educational opportunities were the future economic health of the region and they were committed to providing this."65 After this visit to the Valley, Rice officially joined in the partnership with Baylor to help support various programs for STISD. High Expectations and Discipline Even though Lopez is known as the first principal, he is most known by teachers and staff as the administrator responsible for the creation of the high expectations for Science Academy students and staff. Joe Lamas, one of the original faculty members, recalled: "In the early years, in terms of the discipline, the students were expected [to behave specific ways], and so were the teachers. We all knew that we had to pull our weight."66 Many unnamed teachers tell stories of various early Science Academy students who were sent back to their home high schools because of discipline issues. Lopez would have a conference with James Kinsey (Bullard-Welch Professor of Chemistry, Rice University) Taped interview with author, September 12, 2002, Rice University, Houston, Texas. 64 65 Ibid. Joe Lamas (Biology teacher, Science Academy) Taped interview with author, May 29, 2002, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. 66 37 a "problem" student, tell him/her that that kind of behavior was not tolerated at the Science Academy, and had the papers ready for him/her to sign out of school. If a student was not meeting academic standards, Lopez would "have a chat" with him/her, and that usually would solve the problem. Unnamed teachers reported that even minor infractions, such as excessive tardies or not completing homework, could be grounds for the student's being sent back to the home high school. Lopez explains that the Science Academy set no minimum requirements. Students were expected to perform higher than the minimum. We expect excellence. We demand excellence. And that doesn't mean that you have to walk in very well prepared, it means that you have to walk in prepared to work very hard. And that student, while not being bothered at a generic high school, and allowed to go through the system, and nowhere reaches his or her potential, that is an almost impossibility for that to happen for a youngster in our program. He or she will reach their potential. Where we make our greatest impact is in that middle group. Even the regular schools pay attention to the low group, they pay attention to the high group. But that middle group gets ignored. And there is no such thing as a middle group in our school. We expect them all to be the other end. And we push them, and pull them, and encourage them, and scold them, and do everything we can to get them there, because we just plainly expect excellence. 67 Many teachers report that the high expectations for discipline and academics that Lopez enforced on all students created an atmosphere in which students knew that they must behave. As a result, students 67 Lopez interview. 38 worked hard and were successful in their courses. At present, teachers now think that discipline has become lax over the years as new administrators have come to the Science Academy. One of the teachers who began working at the Science Academy in its early years explained: I feel that today the atmosphere is a little more lax in terms of our requirements, in terms of all of that. I feel that perhaps we tolerate a little more mediocrity than we did, and I think if you were to talk to some of the people that first came in with us, I think they would agree with that, because sometimes we get together and we mention that.68 Other teachers believe that, in the early years, administration "kicked out" too many students and that the process was underhanded. One teacher could not believe that administrators could "get away with" sending students back to their home schools. Seemingly, the cost of excellence became too high of a price to pay in some teachers' minds. The creation of a formal process by which students were returned to their home school was created during the tenure of the Science Academy's second principal, Jeff Hembree. The Science Academy's Second Principal: Jeff Hembree When the Deputy Superintendent position became open in STISD's central office in 1995, Lopez and Jeff Hembree applied for it. Lopez was Teachers who wish to remain anonymous are referred to as "unnamed teachers" and no further reference is provided. 68 39 chosen for the post, but Hembree was hired as Principal at Science Academy. Hembree was no stranger to South Texas. He grew up in the area, went to school in the Valley, graduated from McAllen High School, and had worked as an educator in the Valley. Hembree spent ten years in Raymondville ISD as a teacher, counselor, assistant principal, and principal. He had heard about STISD because he lived in the area, had seen advertisements, and some students from Raymondville attended STISD. Hembree became Principal at the Science Academy in July of 1995. He thought that the work environment would be a stimulating and exciting one: You have great faculty members to work with and the students are dramatically different from what you would find anywhere else, except that because they've chosen to come to this school, then that brings a little bit of motivation that you can work with them on. And the theme, you know having a theme to a school helps the culture, helps the focus, helps everybody to stay on track. All of that I was aware of and it appealed to me.69 When Hembree first walked into the Science Academy, he was impressed by the physical environment. The school was clean and students would leave their lockers open, book bags on the ground; their belongings were never disturbed. The teachers and staff also made an 69 Hembree interview. 40 impression upon Hembree: he learned that they were knowledgeable and cared about their students. The Alternative Education Program Hembree continued in the path that Lopez had created, making sure that students and faculty continued to strive for excellence. One of the changes Hembree made, however, and one about which many teachers complain, was changing the discipline process for Science Academy. Hembree believed that the creation of a process for discipline whereby students had the option of going to an alternative center instead of being sent back to their home high schools was important. I felt so strongly about it that it needed to change. I have a question about a students' due process, and about whether we're in actuality being fair. I strongly believe that we have to have some formal processes in place and follow some due process procedures to allow for other people to take a look at what we're doing, and is it correct or is not correct. Some of our board members will say they liked it better when you would simply tell students to go back to their home district, because they didn't have to go through an expulsion hearing that was appealed to them. 70 Hembree, along with the principals from Med High and Teacher Academy, established the Alternative Education Program (AEP) which serves all schools in the district. The AEP is housed in one of the two classrooms inside the bus barn behind STISD central office. If a student has a discipline problem that is a non-expellable offense, he/she will be 70 Ibid. 41 sent to the AEP. Once the principal has a conference with the student and his/her parents, students are sent to AEP. Fighting, for example, is an offense for which students are placed in AEP. Some offenses, like drug possession at school, are expellable offenses which require an expulsion hearing. Within AEP are a teacher and an aide who help students with their work sent from their campus' teachers. The individual help allows each student to be able to keep up with work that they will be missing while in AEP. They also have computer access for research projects and other work that they may need to complete. Hembree describes it as a "one room schoolhouse situation." In general, Hembree believes that AEP has worked. The number of students going to the alternative center is always small, no more than thirty students district wide per year. The majority of students who go to the alternative center never repeat and while not becoming model citizens they do correct their behavior to the point of not returning. We do have a few who refuse to go to the alternative center, withdraw, and return to their home district. The home district is always notified that the student has an alternative center placement pending and the home district can decide to honor the placement or let them go straight into the regular classroom.71 71 Jeff Hembree, e-mail message to author, September 29, 2003. 42 Another reason Hembree believes that AEP is an effective deterrent for student misbehavior is that parents must drop students off and pick them up each day they are assigned to AEP. This is the biggest complaint the district receives from parents, because, for example, if the family lives in McAllen, the parent has to drive the fifteen or more minutes to Science Academy, then back to McAllen to go to work. Even though it is a hardship for parents, it seems to be effective because there are very few repeat students in AEP. Hembree's tenure at Science Academy was short. By the summer of 2000, Hembree was approached by Schraer to become principal at Teacher Academy. Even though he was only at Science Academy for five years, Hembree made significant changes to the curriculum and to the school's atmosphere that are still evident today. Once Hembree was scheduled to leave Science Academy, Edward Argueta, who was assistant principal at Med High, applied for and was appointed the new principal of Science Academy. The Science Academy's Current Principal: Edward Argueta Edward Argueta came to the Science Academy by way of Med High. Originally a science teacher at Harlingen South High School, Argueta decided in the early 1990s that he needed a change of pace and wanted to work at a different school. He had heard positive things about STISD 43 from friends who were beginning to work at STISD. At that time, Science Academy was beginning to split into its own school and facilities, and, as a result, some science teaching positions were available. Still, Argueta decided not to go to STISD. Over time, Argueta became principal at an elementary school in Weslaco. Med High telephoned him to ask if he would be interested in coming to Med High as an assistant principal; Argueta took the job. Once Jeff Hembree was scheduled to leave Science Academy, Argueta became interested in the position of Science Academy Principal. I was always fascinated with the Sciences and what they did and the Science Academy is a quality school that has quality programs, that are challenging for the students. Some of the students really strive to do well, and do well. And I didn't think twice about it. When the position came open I applied, and I got the job.72 Argueta's first impressions of the Science Academy were that the students were not as friendly on the surface as the students at Med High. Once he got to know the students better, however, this impression dissipated. He attributes his early impression to the fact that unlike Med High which has a higher percentage of female students, Science Academy has a higher percentage of male students. "The guys kind of stay to themselves...but they are just as friendly once they get to know you." He Edward Argueta (Principal of Science Academy) Taped interview with author, May 27, 2002, Science Academy Main Office. 72 44 also was impressed by the teachers at Science Academy: "they were very smart, very knowledgeable of what they were doing. They were selfdirected, they were very warm to the students. The relationship between students and teachers was very strong."73 When Argueta came to Science Academy, he was given the advice to "keep the well-oiled machine moving." For his first years at Science Academy, Argueta did not implement drastic changes. Instead, he stimulated changes in the dress code and, at the end of his second year, made teachers more accountable for students' learning. Dress Code at the Science Academy Students and faculty often cite the lack of a formal dress code at Science Academy as one of the reasons students choose to attend the school.74 Argueta's background as an administrator made him a "proponent of shirt tails in, clean cut" for students, rather than the relaxed dress code for which Science Academy was famous.75 Students report that when Argueta became principal, he wanted to crack down on the dress code. Students were no longer allowed to wear dog collars or 73 Ibid. This topic is further addressed in Chapter Five. Argueta interview. 74 75 45 wallet chains which were quite popular with students at that time.76 Argueta also wanted students to dress more appropriately for school, rather than wearing pajama bottoms, house slippers, and the like to school. Ultimately, students and faculty told Argueta, "You should be concerned about the student and what he brings to the school as far as ability, mental ability, academic ability, not what that student looks like."77 Argueta realized that maybe what the students were wearing was not as important as how they were performing in school. As a result, a dress code was created which met both students' and administrator's needs. There is a line that we will not allow students to cross, but that line is further up in the realm of acceptance than what it would be at a regular school, at a regular district, and we're fine, because we do not have problems, we do not have students wearing something that's way out there.78 The "line" is quite liberal, however, in today's school dress code standards. Students may have visible body piercings, but according to Argueta, no student has had more than one or two piercings.79 Students are allowed to wear shorts or baggy clothes and they do not have to tuck Science Academy 2002 Graduates Focus Group Taped interview with author, May 29, 2002, Science Academy conference room. 76 77 Argueta interview. Ibid. Ibid. 78 79 46 in their shirts. Footwear also is more liberal; students can wear sandals or flip-flop type shoes, but house shoes and house slippers are not deemed acceptable dress. "Our basic policy is if it doesn't disturb instruction, it's allowable."80 Argueta's "pro-student" approach, as it has been described by a faculty member, has helped students and faculty to understand that Argueta wants to do what is best for students and to ensure that students have every educational opportunity available to them at Science Academy. Holding Teachers Accountable Something that is not allowable in the eyes of Science Academy faculty, students, and administration, is teachers who do not teach, who do not do their job, but coast along as the year progresses and allow students to do whatever they wish in class rather than to follow the curriculum guidelines. According to one Science Academy teacher, because Argueta listens to students' comments and complaints, Argueta realized during the 2001-2002 school year that some truth might adhere to students' complaints about certain teachers at Science Academy. Argueta described some teachers as being "stuck" into a routine of teaching the same curriculum year after year, rather than looking for new ideas and innovations to infuse into the curriculum. Three teachers 80 Ibid. 47 did not return to Science Academy for the 2002-2003 school year. An unnamed teacher who is a current faculty member believed that Argueta had done his job by "getting rid" of the teachers who were "doing a disservice" to Science Academy students. Argueta's Hopes for the Future of Science Academy As Argeuta's first few years as a Science Academy principal came to an end, he had plans for the school's future. One major concern of Argueta's is the fact that within the Valley, when people talk of STISD, they automatically think of Med High. Many do not know about Science Academy. "Why can't it be Science Academy that is thought of first as the premiere school for South Texas I.S.D.?"81 To this end, Argueta wants to complete the facilities at Science Academy and to continue the tradition of academic excellence. Plans for the Physical Plant When Science Academy moved to its new building in 1992, portable classrooms were set up behind the school to accommodate classrooms that would not fit in the building. Those portables remained in use in the 2004-2005 school year. One of Argueta's hopes is to bring those teachers and students back into the building community. "Portables are okay, but they tend to isolate both teacher and students. 81 Ibid. 48 Although teachers don't complain, it's still kind of like you don't think of those teachers when you think about the basic building."82 Another lack in the physical plant is that Science Academy does not have a gymnasium or gym facilities. All physical education courses are taught at Med High and Science Academy students use its gym facilities when necessary. As a result, Science Academy students cannot go to the gym to play basketball after school or during lunch. Unfortunately, Med High administrators are not always as accommodating about scheduling the gym as Science Academy faculty would like for them to be. Argueta wishes that students had an outlet for their stress and creative energies: Academics are great, but students also need an out--one that is activity oriented. I feel that there is a good number of our students that wish they could go to the gym after school, during lunchtime, shoot some baskets, lift some weights, play volleyball, whatever the case may be, and yet it is not here. Science Academy students could do their intramurals, they can do stuff like that. [Exercise] alleviates the stress that the students have, because [our academic program] is stressful, and they don't have a place to release that stress.83 At the current time no formal plan for building improvements at Science Academy exists, but Argueta hopes that this will be a point of discussion for the future well-being of Science Academy and its students. One area 82 Ibid. Ibid. 83 49 in which Argueta believes he can help students is by making Science Academy more "student friendly."84 Helping Students Achieve at Science Academy One of the underlying assumptions of the faculty at Science Academy is that if a student cannot achieve academically, then he/she can choose to return to their home high school. As a result of this belief, some students leave Science Academy. Argueta believes that more can be done to help these students succeed at Science Academy--to make it more "student friendly." He believes that educators should be able to help students to live up to the expectations placed on them at Science Academy. If the school truly is to embrace the open enrollment procedures--that anyone can attend if they have the desire--then teachers will need to embrace more of these kids that come to us with something lacking, because as a teacher we can impact learning. And sometimes it's just a smile every day, and "Hello, how are you?" and "Look, you're doing good, but you need a little bit more," some of that confidence build-up instead of saying, "You know what? That's not my job. My job is for him to come, and bring it with him already, and if he doesn't, send him home." I think it's been ingrained a little bit. I've got to push it a little bit more next year, because we want to keep the kids. All the kids have basic skills and knowledge, I think some of them are a little bit higher up on the responsibility, and they're showing what they can do, and there's some that we need to nurture a little bit, and that's what I want to do. I want to be a little bit more nurturing. We can bring 84 Ibid. 50 them along, we can say, "You know what? Why are we here? We are here for kids." 85 Ultimately, each principal at Science Academy was driven by the same mission: to provide educational opportunities to young students from all over the Rio Grande Valley. Even though each principal had his own unique vision and impact on the school and its programs, those visions were always centered on doing what is best for students. This desire to help students succeed is not unique to the administration, however; it is also evident in the actions and beliefs of the teachers of Science Academy. Teaching at Science Academy Even though teachers at Science Academy are varied in their backgrounds and content areas, they share many similarities. Many of the founding teachers describe their feelings of anxiety about the new program. Warrington "felt quite anxious as she was leaving the known and coming to the unknown."86 Coalson and Schroll described their anxiety as "not knowing what to expect."87 All in all, the success of those 85 Ibid. "The Starting Six," The Catalyst [Science Academy Yearbook] (1993) vol. 1, p. 58., Biblioteca las Americas Archive. 86 87Dale Coalson (Technology Teacher, Science Academy) taped interview with author, November 2, 2002, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas; Schroll interview, November 2, 2002. 51 first years can be attributed to the very close knit faculty who shared their vision of doing what is best for students within the mathematics, science, and technology fields. As long as they offered curriculum that was not found at the students' home high schools, Schraer and the teachers knew that their program would be a success. Coalson and Schroll attributed their first year's success to the fact that they worked well as a team as they team-taught and created their curriculum together.88 As each new school year brought new students, new teachers were also hired for the new courses. The same principles of hiring operated as in previous years. By the 1993-1994 school year when the Science Academy graduated its first class of seniors, nineteen female teachers and twenty-two male teachers constituted the faculty. Twenty-nine of the teachers were Anglo and twelve of them were Hispanic. Forty-five percent of Science Academy teachers had fewer than five years of teaching experience whereas twenty-eight percent of them had between eleven and twenty years of teaching experience.89 For the 2002-2003 school year, there were twenty female teachers and twenty-four male teachers. Thirty of the teachers were Anglo and fourteen of them were Hispanic. Only four See Chapter Four for a detailed description of the Technology Department curriculum. 88 Texas Education Agency Academic Excellence Indicator System 1993-1994 Campus Performance Report, available at www.tea.state.tx.us. 89 52 percent of the teachers had fewer than five years of teaching experience, but forty-four percent of them had between eleven and twenty years of teaching experience.90 Many of the teachers hired from the Rio Grande Valley had heard about the "Science and Math school" from colleagues at their schools. Other teachers were hired from job fairs in the Midwest United States. All of the teachers who were hired described their excitement about working at a school with a mathematics and science focus where academics were of utmost importance, not football nor pep rallies. Janet Hassan, a mathematics teacher who joined the faculty in 1991, explained that there is a "protection of the school time, a protection of class time, contact time that the teacher has with the students...teachers fight to get more time with their students."91 The small size of the school was also intriguing to many of the veteran teachers, who had been working at comprehensive high schools for most of their careers, and was another reason for teachers' desire to teach at Science Academy. New and veteran teachers who choose to work at Science Academy are well aware of the expectation Texas Education Agency Academic Excellence Indicator System 2002-2003 Campus Performance Report, available at www.tea.state.tx.us See Table 1 for faculty demographic data. 90 Janet Hassan (Mathematics teacher, Science Academy) Taped interview with author, May 29, 2002, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. 91 53 Table 1: Science Academy Faculty Data from 1993-200392 1993- 1994- 1995- 1996- 1997- 1998- 1999- 2000- 2001- 20021994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Female Male Total African American Hispanic White Asian/ Pac. Islander Native American Beginning Teachers 18.9 18.3 21.1 19.6 21.9 21.6 24.0 21.4 20.1 19.5 21.7 22.5 20.4 21.1 23.7 25.4 24.5 24.1 25.3 23.6 40.6 40.8 41.5 40.7 45.6 47.0 48.5 45.5 45.4 - 11.8 11.1 11.9 13.2 14.9 14.5 15.9 14.5 16.1 13.5 28.7 29.5 28.7 26.0 28.9 31.7 32.1 31.0 29.3 29.6 0.3 0.9 0.5 1.0 0.5 1.4 0.4 0.3 0.5 - 4.0 2.9 0.9 0.1 7.1 5.1 1.0 3.7 3.2 2.0 2.1 2.0 1-5 Years 18.4 15.5 11.7 Experience 6-10 Years 4.7 5.1 7.8 11.8 10.1 11.2 11.3 6.9 4.3 2.9 Experience 11-20 Years 11.5 14.4 14.3 15.4 19.3 20.4 22.5 21.1 22.7 19.1 Experience Over 20 Years 2.0 3.0 6.8 6.3 11.1 10.7 11.4 15.5 16.3 19.1 Experience Data from "A Multi-Year History for 1994-2002," Texas Education Agency, available http://www.tea.state.tx.us/cgi/sas/broker 92 54 that they are to help students succeed and go on to college.93 If they are not willing to help students succeed, the teachers either do not choose to work at Science Academy or they do not work there long.94 Teachers' Experiences When discussing the Science Academy, teachers described similar reasons for wanting to teach at this school: the focused curriculum, emphasis on academics, small courses, freedom to teach.95 Teachers are excited to be working with students at Science Academy. Still, many of the teachers described their feelings of inferiority or even fear. One unnamed teacher who began her career as a first year teacher at Science Academy, explained that she was afraid that the students would be smarter than was she and that she would not be able to teach them anything. What she realized, she explained, is that she has much to teach them about writing, problem solving, and how to conduct research. A technology teacher described how many of the Research and 93 Coalson interview; Hassan interview; Lamas interview; Schroll interview. Ibid. 94 Coalson interview; Hassan interview; Lamas interview; Schroll interview, November 2, 2000; Betty Warrington (Integrated Physics & Chemistry Teacher, Science Academy) Taped interview with author, May 5, 2002, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. 95 55 Development projects were "way above" his head, but that he learned much from his students' work.96 Even though Science Academy is a magnet school, teachers emphasize constantly that it is a high school and has its share of social problems (e.g. drugs, poverty, abuse) like other high schools have. Teachers describe their students as "regular kids" in that they are still teenagers with the same interests as "regular" teenagers. Bob Riggins, an English teacher, explained, "We get the whole range of high achievers and those who don't care much, and the social butterflies, a little of everything."97 One of the most prevalent beliefs among faculty and staff is that all teachers and staff should work as hard as the students work. "If we are a magnet school, we expect those students to perform at a certain level, and by golly, we should expect the instructors to operate at the same level as we expect of those students."98 Even though teachers expect to and will work hard in order to teach their students, the faculty has very little turnover. Veteran Science Academy teachers believe that the camaraderie among faculty and staff is one of the major reasons that teachers remain at the Science Academy. 96 Coalson interview. Bob Riggins (English teacher, Science Academy) Taped interview with author, May 28, 2002, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. 98 Lamas interview. 97 56 Lisa Ashley, the school's Journalism teacher, was hired in 1993 for her first teaching job. She believes that the administration's support of teachers is instrumental to a positive teaching experience at Science Academy: "That goes a long way to have the administration back you up and believe that you know what you are doing, that you are a professional and you know what is best. The administration has just been really supportive."99 Many teachers described how, for the most part, their colleagues are "professionals" and "experts."100 Teachers describe how they feel support from each other and can go to other faculty members for help in understanding problems such as student issues, or to run by curriculum ideas with colleagues to ensure that the activities they create and implement are for the benefit of their students.101 The former and current principals have been very supportive of the teachers; Schroll and Coalson, two of the technology teachers, described their feelings of ownership of their program and that they can teach what they feel will most benefit their students.102 Ashley related how none of the principals Lisa Ashley (English and Journalism Teacher, Science Academy) Taped interview with author, November 3, 2000, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. 99 Ashley interview; Coalson interview; Hassan interview; Lamas interview; Schroll interview, November 2, 2000; Warrington interview. 100 101 Ibid. 57 ever interfered with her classroom teaching: "They trust me."103 Ashley was not alone in holding this sentiment. Many other teachers described their feelings of freedom in their classrooms and the implicit trust that they felt from the school's administration.104 This feeling of trust and support is felt not only from the school's administration, but also from the district administration. Many teachers tell personal stories of their friendship with Superintendent Schraer.105 Not uncommonly, he visited the school and distributed compliments and "pats on the back" to faculty, staff, and students. Teachers tell the same kinds of stories about Jeff Hembree when he visits the Science Academy. One teacher described how Hembree often stops by her classroom as well as others to check in and to say hello.106 A special influence on teachers at the Science Academy, and quite possibly the most important one, are the students. Teachers describe how they learn just as much from their students, if not more, than they 102 Coalson interview; Schroll interview, November 2, 2000. Ashley interview. 103 Ashley interview; Coalson interview; Hassan interview; Lamas interview; Schroll interview, November 2, 2000. 104 105 Ashley interview; Coalson interview; Schroll interview, November 2, 2000. Ashley interview. 106 58 teach.107 According to a few of the technology teachers, some students understand computer software better than they do. Students taught the teachers when new computer software was introduced to the curriculum.108 Many faculty also described how they feel they receive "payment" from their students.109 Payment for these teachers is the "thank you's" and appreciation that their students give to them. Some students merely say "thanks" when they return as alumni to visit the teachers. Others send cards to the teachers thanking them for what they were taught. Such payment, for these teachers, is "almost like being paid." Teachers who have taught in schools other than Science Academy described that they are more aware of their helping students at Science Academy because more students there thank them through cards, letters, and visits as alumni than their students in their previous places of employment.110 Teachers at Science Academy are extremely dedicated to their jobs and to their students. Indeed, a few teachers described how they "worry 107 Ashley interview; Coalson interview; Schroll interview, November 2, 2000. Coalson interview; Schroll interview, November 2, 2000. 108 Ashley interview; Coalson interview; Hassan interview; Schroll interview, November 2, 2000. 109 110 Hassan interview; Lamas interview; Riggins interview. 59 too much" about their students. One particular unnamed teacher at Science Academy described how she tended to take school and her students' problems home with her--they are able to contact her via email or telephone if they ever need help with homework. Many teachers stay late after school to help students with their homework, but a few teachers allow students to call them at home if necessary. Other teachers described how they also worry about their students, but instead of worrying about students directly, they worry about the curriculum and how they can better teach their students. One unnamed teacher described how he felt about his courses and curriculum: "It's entirely yours and why that's the bane of your existence is because you can't set it down when you walk away from it. You're up at three in the morning and that kind of thing, going, dang, I really goofed that one up today." Another factor which ties the faculty together is their personal philosophies of education. Coalson, who was a professional cowboy before becoming a teacher, described his philosophy through a metaphor of working cattle being similar to working with students. He explained how, when he worked with cattle, his main purpose was to take care of the cows. He feels that his main job as a teacher is to take care of his students, which extends to his teaching them to be problem solvers as 60 well as teaching them material which will benefit them in the future. Schroll described how he wants his students to strive for higher goals and standards. "We'll shoot for the moon, but if we hit Cleveland, that's okay, but if you're shooting for Cleveland then we only got Cleveland, and it's kind of disappointing when you realize you could have had the moon."111 Both of these teachers believe that they should raise their standards so that their students can be the best people possible. Many teachers described how they feel their purpose is to teach students beyond the "basics" so that they will be successful in college.112 Hiring Issues Unfortunately in recent times, the Science Academy has had difficulty hiring new teachers for vacancies. One unnamed teacher described the problem as being rooted in small applicant pools as well as the over all-teacher shortage. As a result, "weak" candidates have been chosen for teaching positions because the positions needed to be filled even when only two or three applicants for the one position were available. However, unnamed teachers believe that this problem is starting to change because the current principal, Edward Argueta, has been helping the "weak" teachers to improve their instruction or to move Schroll interview, November 2, 2000. 111 Ashley interview; Coalson interview; Hassan interview; Lamas interview; Schroll interview, November 2, 2000. 112 61 on to other schools. Fortunately, teacher turnover is extremely low, a situation which helps to continue the school's vision of academic excellence and opportunity for all students. The Science Academy Custodial Staff The dedication to the welfare of students does not stop with the teachers and administration. Everyone at the Science Academy shares this position. Gregorio Hernandez, Science Academy's first Supervisor of Custodians, believes "Our first priority has always been the students, no matter what we are doing. My philosophy has always been the same. We work together as a team to do the best that we can for our students."113 The custodians try to do their best for the students, especially when they are conducting their bus routes and getting students safely to and from school. Unlike many high schools, the custodians at STISD are also the district's bus drivers. Bus routes are assigned according to geographical region such that the custodians will have a bus route as close to their own home as possible. Once students arrive at school and the buses are parked in the bus lot, the custodians work at the campus. Because the custodians work full days at school, custodians cover most "Commitment to Education: Med High and Science Academy Paraprofessional Recognition," Boardworks, February 29, 2000, in "Boardworks File" in STISD Archives. 113 62 of the traditional duty assignments that are assigned to teachers at other schools. They have a tough job because half the day they're playing disciplinarian on the bus, then they get duties in the hallway. They get their lunch breaks shifted so that they can watch the students at lunch, also during tutorial. Sometimes they are hall monitors, sometimes they are janitors. They get miscellaneous duties. If a light bulb is out, they change it. If a hole needs drilling, they drill it. They do everything.114 As a result of this constant contact with students, the custodians have personal relationships with students and the students have much respect and admiration for the custodians. Another thing that I think is really cool here is that we respect our janitors compared to other high schools. Other high schools, they mock them, they'll give the janitors or the police officers nicknames like peanut, and terrible things, worse than that, and we don't do that. We actually know their names. And here, we love our janitors. If you spill water in the hallway, they give you stuff to clean it up. Or if you spill something in the cafeteria, they'll give you a rag and you clean it up. You see students having conversations with janitors. And our janitors are like the coolest because they do everything. They are janitors, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, substitutes, gardeners, they do everything. It is really cool that you can be friendly with the janitors. They are people and we know they care.115 The custodians are such an integral and important part of student life at Science Academy that in the 1997 yearbook "Revolution," a page was Mark Schroll (Technology teacher, Science Academy) Taped interview with author, May 29, 2002, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. 114 115 Science Academy 2002 Graduates Focus Group Interview. 63 dedicated to Albert Mendoza, a custodian from Weslaco. One of Mendoza's favorite parts of his job is working in the student lounge. "When I'm working in the lounge I talk to the kids and sometimes they think I'm getting after them but I want them to take responsibility for their trash....Mendoza said, in a statement which we [students] can be proud of, 'The kids are cool. The bus is cool.'"116 The community at Science Academy includes faculty, staff, and teachers, who support and guide students so that they can achieve in school and ultimately in life. The goal of the school is to give students educational and curricular opportunities not found in the Rio Grande Valley. As a result, when the faculty and staff created the curriculum of the school, they did so with students' needs in mind. "A Day in the Life of a Custodian," The Catalyst: Revolution, vol. 5, (1997) p. 19, Biblioteca las Americas Archive. 116 64 Chapter Four: Curriculum Continuity and Change at the Science Academy "We speak English, Spanish, and Learning."117 This chapter examines the process by which the Science Academy of South Texas developed its first curriculum as well as major changes and continuity of the school curriculum over the past thirteen years. The curriculum of the Science Academy of South Texas is distinct in these ways: Original curricular plans were formulated by the founding faculty based on state and national standards as well as the faculty's shared vision and goals for the school. Co-curricular activities are an integral component of the curriculum. Both continuing and new faculty have refined but rarely changed the original curriculum. Curriculum continuity has been maintained due to the longevity of the founding faculty. Nolene Hodges, "South Texas district one-of-a-kind: Magnet schools encourage students to achieve career goals" (includes interview with Ron Schraer), in Valley Morning Star August 15, 1993, C10. 117 65 The strength of the curriculum is evidenced by students' achievements. The first major curriculum change is now occurring in the technology department. Original Curricular Plans When the Science Academy was planned, a decision was made that it would be housed as a school-within-a-school at The High School for Health Professions (Med High), the first magnet school in STISD and in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. A new building for Science Academy was not dedicated until three years later, in August 1992. The Science Academy started with only the 9th grade; each grade was added in subsequent years. Some of the teachers at the Science Academy moved from Med High, whereas others were hired specifically for the new school's program. Dr. Ron Schraer, the district superintendent at the time, hired Mark Schroll and Dale Coalson as the first technology teachers to fulfill Schraer's goal that the Science Academy create a technology program that was unlike that offered by any other school in the Valley. Schraer told Schroll and Coalson, "Frankly, a lot of schools have technology departments, so you are going to have to be different in your approach to this vocational high school. If you don't do that, then 66 you don't exist."118 Schraer told them that "they were the experts" and to create a cutting edge technology program, not a shop program which was the traditional technology program at that time. Schroll and Coalson believe that they were granted more latitude in creating their curriculum than were teachers in any of the other subject areas because other subject areas are bound by both tradition and by state rules than are technology courses. Schroll commented: "Technology education...some of these courses are the same only in name. The [curriculum] guidelines for what you need to do are very broad, so you can choose whatever direction you want to go."119 Using the modest state guidelines that existed for technology courses at the time, their own beliefs of what constituted a good technology program, and the materials they gained while they were college students, Scholl and Coalson created the technology department's curriculum. Schroll and Coalson began by their creation of the capstone course, Research and Development, and worked backward. Because each student who attends the Science Academy is required to take technology courses, Schroll and Coalson wanted to create a senior level class to encompass all of the skills and knowledge that the students would learn Mark Schroll Taped interview with author, December 18, 2002, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. 118 119 Ibid. 67 not only in their required technology courses, but also in the other subjects at The Science Academy. They created Research & Development (R&D) in which students would choose a problem and complete research and develop a prototype for their solution to the problem. The curriculum they created was unlike any technology curriculum offered at the time, they believed, and included courses along the line of electronics and architectural design, rather than the traditional technology courses such as woodshop and drafting. Teachers in other subjects did not have to create their curriculum from scratch. Those who joined the founding faculty already had been teaching previously. They used the curriculum that they brought with them, but changed it to focus it on mathematics/science/technology. In the English courses, for example, teachers included technical writing, science fiction literature, and the "usual" curriculum as mandated by the state. In history courses at Science Academy, they taught what is mandated by the state of Texas, yet always tried to relate as much information as they could to the technology focus of the school. The first principal of the Science Academy, Jorge Lopez, described their history curriculum focus: We go into the advancements of technology, or innovations, and we also discover why are there such advancements and innovations in technology during wars. Unfortunately it's because we try to get much better at killing each other, more efficient. And so along with 68 other historical information that is pertinent for a youngster to be better prepared to deal with issues today, he is also learning in an area that he has already expressed an interest in, and that motivates him.120 Co-curricular Activities Another way that students became further involved in the curriculum was through co-curricular activities. Unlike the "typical" high school which has extra-curricular clubs and activities outside of school that are not necessarily linked to the curriculum, the majority of Science Academy's activities were related directly to the curriculum. When the Science Academy first began at Med High, Sci-Tech students created the Technology Club, sponsored by the two technology teachers, to help build strong ties within the Sci-Tech program. All other co-curricular activities, such as University Interscholastic League groups and honor societies, were integrated with Med High's groups. By the third year of Science Academy's operations, new clubs focusing on technology and science had been added, including the Technology Student Association, Science Olympiad, and the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering.121 Once Science Academy was in its own facility, new groups were formed for specific reasons, such as the Atrium Club, a volunteer organization of students and staff who worked to 120 Lopez interview. The Journal: Revolutions [High School for Health Professions yearbook] (1992) p. 76, in Biblioteca las Americas Archive. 121 69 "transform the Science Academy atrium into a botanical showplace."122 Perhaps the most interesting group created during the early years of the Science Academy was "The Student Entity." This group's goal was to keep Sci-Tech students involved in activities within the school, such as spirit weeks, recycling programs, and book drives for the library. Because the Science Academy has no school-sponsored sports, the Student Entity created its own imaginary teams for fun, such as "The Alpine Ski Team," "The Mighty Sumo Team," "The Toxic Swim Team," and "The Norwegian Mud-Wrestling Team."123 Because the students spent so much time and energy focusing on academic courses, co-curricular activities enabled students to continue to learn outside of the classroom even as they had fun and relieved their stress at the same time. Challenge Day Another way that the tacit curriculum at Science Academy was stretched beyond the classroom walls was through Challenge Day. On November 11, 1992, for example, Science Academy held its first Challenge Day. This occasion was created in order that students might use all of the knowledge and skills that they had learned while at Science Academy in order to solve specific problems. During the first Challenge 122 The Catalyst, vol. 1 (1993) p. 65, in Biblioteca las Americas Archive. The Catalyst, vol. 1 (1993) in Biblioteca las Americas Archive. 123 70 Day, all students were placed into five mixed-age groups, headed by one senior student, to work together to solve a problem. One group had to build a weight-supporting bridge from balsa wood while another group had to build a bridge from dry spaghetti; both were asked to move a marble vertically a certain distance. Another group was asked to build a catapult out of a mouse trap and other household materials. The fourth group had to write, make props for, and perform a play about the Aztecs. The fifth group had the same task, but its play was a Greek tragedy. At the end of the day, students from groups with similar problems competed against each other for awards.124 For the second Challenge Day in 1993, students were grouped, given specific materials to create an invention that would be practical and useful for Elizabethan times, and then required to create a commercial by which to sell their product.125 The winning team created a hand-cranked food processor, made from the materials in their kit such as string, aluminum foil, wire, washers, cotton, rubber bands, cardboard, butcher paper, scissors, makers, tape, pencils, cloth and other items. Other teams created fan blades, chopping blades, swords, armor, hats, helmets, umbrellas, capes, beer glasses, and fly swatters. "Challenge Day," The Catalyst, vol. 1 (1993) p. 72-73, in Biblioteca las Americas Archive. 124 Francisco I. Rodriguez, "Much Ado About Learning," The Monitor, May 16, 1993. 125 71 Second place went to a bubonic plague-resistant suit, complete with silver lining and adorning charms.126 Challenge Day was held again in 1997. On this occasion, David Wood, the Computer Science teacher, was said to have been kidnapped. Students had to complete their challenges successfully in order to have him released. Challenge Day has not been held since 1997, but some of the faculty plan to revive the practice of Challenge Day. The Renaissance Festival The most famous curricular activity that takes place away from the school building is the annual senior trip to the Renaissance Festival in Houston, Texas, and the subsequent Festival that the senior class organizes for the faculty, students, and staff of Science Academy. In 1994, Cleo Martinez, an English IV teacher and his students had the idea to extend their learning of the Renaissance period in history and literature to include a field trip to the Renaissance Faire held near Houston, Texas. Hembree recalls that his first response was Do I want to send 100 students on a weekend to Houston to the Renaissance Festival? But you know, I bit my tongue and said well let's explore it. And the students and Mr. Martinez did all the work and got everything arranged. I was able to get the school board to approve it and they started going.127 126 Ibid. Hembree interview. 127 72 The trip was such a success that the event has become an annual occasion. Many seniors believe it to be the highlight of their academic schedule at Science Academy.128 In addition to traveling to the Renaissance Festival, the senior class organized its own Renaissance Fair. Every November, the students have a half-day of school before they attend the Renaissance Fair held on the lawn. Students have jousting tournaments, food, medieval plays and poetry for faculty, staff, Science Academy students and their families to enjoy. The Renaissance Fair trip is not only a capstone for students' experiences at Science Academy; Hembree believes "it's a really terrific example of what students and teachers can do together." A Challenging Curriculum The most important part about the curriculum development of the Science Academy is that the teachers always were instructed by administrators to go beyond the basics and to create challenging and interesting lessons that would help students on their road to college. Lopez explained that The mission of Science Academy is to promote youngsters with an interest in the areas of Math and Science, Engineering, Architecture, all those areas of innovation and technology--to pursue, and be prepared, and be successful beyond high school in those areas, to get their college degree.129 128 Science Academy 2002 Graduates Focus Group interview. 73 Even as new teachers were added slowly to the faculty as the school grew, the school's mission remained the same: "to provide an accelerated curriculum with a special focus on mathematics and the sciences to enable the student to compete successfully in post secondary education and in a technological society."130 This shared vision of this purpose has been continued across the years and stimulated by each of the six founding faculty members who still teach at the Science Academy today. The tradition of a challenging curriculum for students was continued by Jeff Hembree, the second principal of Science Academy. When Hembree arrived in the summer of 1995, he discovered that many seniors were not taking a science or mathematics course. Because of the curriculum focus at Science Academy, when a student takes mathematics or science his/her senior year, he/she gains a sixth credit of science and usually a fourth or fifth, or sometimes sixth, credit in mathematics. At Hembree's arrival, some seniors were not following this plan because taking a mathematics and/or a science course was not mandatory. With the help of counselors and teachers, in just one year, 129 Lopez interview. "Proposed Mission Statements," December 5, 1990, in "Mission Statements" in STISD Archive. 130 74 the requirement that seniors take a mathematics or science course was in place. Advanced Placement and Concurrent Enrollment Courses Another important curriculum change that Hembree implemented was the addition of Advanced Placement and Concurrent Enrollment courses. In the 1992-1993 Student-Parent Handbook, students were instructed that if they were interested, they should consult their counselors for more information about Advanced Placement tests. Hembree believed that the requirement that seniors take a mathematics/science course made teachers create a more valuable curriculum, one that would further push students into higher mathematics and science courses. As a result, Hembree implemented Advanced Placement (AP) and Pre-AP courses to the core curriculum. Hembree feared that, as more students took higher level mathematics and science courses, teachers might "water down" their regular curriculum so that the new "lower" half of seniors--those who previously would not have taken the advanced mathematics/science courses-- would be able to pass. Hembree believed that by adding AP courses, the quality of curriculum taught would remain high. AP courses were also another way to sell students and parents on the benefits of attending the Science Academy. Also, because many courses were taught using the AP 75 curriculum, students knew that they would work hard because the curriculum was of college level. The new courses also helped keep the teachers' level of instruction high because they would attend regular AP preparation and conferences. Along with the AP courses, concurrent enrollment courses were created and offered. The South Texas Community College (STCC) at Brownsville began to provide the college credit courses for students who enroll in concurrent courses and are successful in passing the end of course examination. Concurrent enrollment classes are taught in conjunction with "regular" education classes at Science Academy, except that there are specific assignments that students must complete and a final examination that they must take to receive college credit for the concurrent enrollment class. If students are diligent in taking AP and concurrent enrollment courses, they have the opportunity to earn upwards to twenty hours of college credit while they are still in high school. Not uncommonly, a Science Academy graduate enters college as a sophomore. Changing to an A/B Block Schedule Hembree also considered as a curriculum change the switch from a "traditional" seven period day to an A/B Block schedule. Thus, for the 1997-1998 school year, the teachers and administrators launched such a schedule. In previous years, some courses were combined, or "blocked" 76 for two periods within the seven period day. Such an example was Algebra class and a "laboratory" class in which students could receive extra help. With the A/B schedule, students could take one additional course than they previously could take within one school year. Hembree believed that some teachers thought that the switch to A/B block schedule was a major change because it forced them to "take a long hard look at our instruction." He explained that the schedule change allowed teachers to "do some things that will get to higher level thinking." Project based learning became more widespread among the faculty because more instructional time was available each day to work with students. So, instead of trying to "cover" all the material, many teachers focused on teaching students how to problem solve, how to do research, and how to use information and material that they find within their content area. Hembree believed that the switch to A/B was a success: "But, as I mentioned, the teachers at Science Academy are very, very good, and they made the transition work and made it very smooth." Effects of Higher Education Institutions on the Curriculum The curriculum of the Science Academy was not only shaped by the teachers and administration, but also by representatives of higher education positions with which Science Academy was partnered. Rice University in Houston, Texas, became a major partner in this endeavor. 77 When the Science Academy was first founded, Rice became an integral part of STISD planning by offering grant money and subsequent programs to help students. Leslie Miller, a Research Scholar at Rice University, headed many of the grants for educational outreach for Rice University. She described how, in 1995, through a grant with Southwestern Bell Telephone, Rice created OWLink, the first Internet network between Rice University, Houston schools with whom Rice also was involved, the Science Academy and The South Texas High School for Health Professions (Med High). OWLink brought the internet for the first time to a Valley school131 and became the "first known application of high school/university interaction classroom video in the Rio Grande Valley."132 Rice professors prepared teachers to use the computers, internet, cameras, and other equipment that was integral to the OWLink program. OWLink was used for distance learning in various programs for the school. Some of the projects in 1996 included: An AP Calculus review class taught by a Rice mathematics professor. A summer Web Camp at which a Science Academy teacher and student taught other students basic internet skills, how to use web Larry Rowe, "Valley Takes Internet Ride," Valley Morning Star, March 10, 1995. 131 132 "University Courses Go High-Tech," Valley Morning Star, April 23, 1995. 78 search engines for research purposes, basic HTML, and creating a home page. Enrichment courses such as statistics with a Rice professor of psychology and technical writing with an English professor. Writers in the Schools--a program in which professional writers offered courses in poetry, fiction, and non-fiction writing. In the Fall of 1997, Rice's grant funds provided enough money to create a Princeton Review college entrance examination preparation course via OWLink. Forty-five students participated in this program. By the time the grant expired, the internet was commonplace in the schools and the previously state-of-the-art equipment was outdated. Still, Rice continued its other programs for the Science Academy. The longest running program which Rice created is the Rice Summer Symposium. The Rice Summer Symposium The Rice Summer Symposium was created in 1992 as a two week enrichment program on the Houston campus.133 Students apply for thirty slots in the program--all reserved for Science Academy students-- Frederick B. Rudolph, Director of the Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering and a Rice professor until his death in October 2003, was the founder of the Rice Summer Sympsoium. After his death, Nanda Kirkpatrick, Director of the Science Education Program at Rice, and Diana Welch, Associate Director of the Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering at Rice, took over the organization and implementation of the Rice Summer Symposium. Currently, all files related to the Rice Summer Symposium are kept by Kirkpatrick and Welch. 133 79 in which they take courses and are "exposed" to college. For many students, this occasion is their first time to travel outside the Valley and their first time on a university/college campus. Rice professors teach courses on writing a college essay and how to give a good college interview as well as content area specific lessons. Students also are taken to cultural offerings in Houston, as well as touring the Medical Center, NASA, and Shell Oil headquarters. The curriculum guide for the Summer Symposium outlines specific concepts and skills that students will be taught during the two weeks. Students who complete the two week program earn local high-school credit at Science Academy.134 Doc Prep Another program which Rice sponsors for Science Academy students is "Doc Prep." Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas Houston Health Science Center-Dental Branch, and two other Texas school districts co-sponsor this program which was created to enhance minority access to careers in medicine, dentistry, and science. The components of the program are similar to the Rice Summer Symposium and include real world exposure to medicine, dentistry and science, communication skills, as well as an introduction to college Memorandum, "Curriculum for Rice University Summer Symposium" from Michael Haman to Ron Schraer, March 9, 1993, in "Rice University" folder, STISD Archives. 134 80 entrance requirements, financial aid, and college life.135 Unlike the Rice Summer Symposium which is restricted to Science Academy students, Doc Prep is open to students from the four Baylor-affiliated magnet schools, Houston ISD's High School for the Health Professions, Corpus Christi ISD's Moody High School, and STISD's Med High and Science Academy. Project Lead the Way The most recent curricular change at the Science Academy is the adoption of Project Lead the Way (PLTW) by the technology department. Project Lead the Way Inc., (PLTW) is a national, non-profit organization "forming partnerships among public schools, higher education institutions, and the private sector to increase the quantity and quality of engineers and engineering technologists graduating from our educational system."136 Currently, PLTW offers its programs in 1,000 schools in fortytwo states and Washington D.C. In Texas, Science Academy is one of only four high schools that have integrated all PLTW courses into their curriculum. In 1997, the Science Academy technology teachers realized that they needed to have more staff development and to change curricular "Doc-Prep: A Program to Enhance Minority Access to Careers in Medicine, Dentistry, and Science." 1993 Annual Report; Incoming MemosSuperintendent, Box #2, STISD Archives. 135 136 Available at http://www.pltw.org 81 offerings to match the ever-changing technology in real world industries. One of the goals of the Science Academy was to prepare students for college and the technology teachers believed that they were doing a disservice to their students because their equipment and software was becoming dated. Furthermore, these teachers were unable to find pertinent staff development for their technology program. Research into possible solutions for their perceived deficits in further preparation and curriculum development led them to the PLTW program. Technology teachers believed that PLTW paralleled their program that Schroll and Coalson had created when the Science Academy started. Subsequently, the R&D course which Coalson and Schroll created became PLTW's senior level course, Engineering Design and Development (EDD). PLTW offers ongoing staff development for the technology teachers as well as providing curriculum and outside evaluators who ensure that the curriculum and plans of the program are being implemented correctly in the school. As a result, PLTW provides all of the pertinent software and books that are needed. The school is responsible for the provision of computer hardware and classroom space. To an outside observer, the inclusion of PLTW into the Science Academy curriculum appears to constitute a major change. The Science Academy's website now has a prominent "Project Lead the Way" banner 82 on the homepage and the technology department's homepage is completely dedicated to PLTW. In reality, however, even the addition of PLTW is not a major curricular change for the technology department. According to Schroll, when the technology teachers were researching PLTW to decide if they wanted to pursue the program, the technology teachers realized the curriculum that they had written was very similar to that of PLTW's. When all the information was laid out in front of us, we found out that we were doing PLTW. They do some of it better, but as an example, in my electronics class, we were doing 60-65% of what PLTW was doing. It's not what we were doing that changed, it's almost like someone poured nitrous oxide into your tank while you were driving. You were going that way, but you were driving a Yugo, and all of the sudden you are handed a Ferrari. You're still going the same way, but it would have taken us years to get these kinds of computers in place, and then to get the training for it. 137 Adopting PLTW's curriculum was not difficult for the technology teachers at all. They were familiar with much of the content because they had been teaching most of it previously. Now, they had the updated tools and software with which to demonstrate in their courses. The change had some other positive benefits. The teachers received training in the PLTW curriculum, computer programs, and, in addition, receive "refresher" summer courses at various college campuses each year. The 137 Schroll interview, December 18, 2002. 83 nature of the program also creates networking opportunities for the teachers, as well as contact with institutions of higher education in the Valley such as the University of Texas Pan-American as well as with the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. Each PLTW teacher received a laptop with relevant software such that he may work at home if necessary. The change was almost imperceptible for students. The names of courses changed, but the content was altered very little. Students still call EDD by its old name, R&D, because of the school's culture and tradition surrounding R&D. Indeed, pages in the student yearbooks are dedicated each year to The Senior Project of R&D. Through PLTW, students have access to current and cutting edge technology and computer programs. PLTW, through the Rochester Institute of Technology, also offers college credit to students of four of the five PLTW courses who successfully pass a final examination in each course. Effectiveness of the Curriculum The effectiveness of the curriculum at the Science Academy is evident in the students' academic achievements. In 1990, the combined Med High/Sci-Tech school ranked among the top ten schools in Texas according to TEAMS scores, the standardized achievement test used in 84 Texas at the time.138 When the TEAMS test changed to the TAAS (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills) test in 1988, 100% of Science Academy students passed the test until 1993 at which time only two sophomores, one a foreign transfer student and another a February transfer to Science Academy from a local district, failed the TAAS. To that point, many students were somewhat afraid of the TAAS test; they did not want to be the first student to fail it. "When the senior class of 1994 took the TAAS as sophomores, they earned the highest score in the state for that year."139 This legacy of excellence, begun by the first graduating class in 1993, continues with administration of the TAAS examination. As for the 2001-2002 TAAS results, the Science Academy had the lowest passing rate in its history. Just 95.2 % of students passed all tests, a record that reveals that 590 of 620 students passed. Even though this number seems high, 93.1% of the school's economically disadvantaged students passed all sections of the TAAS. Because of the school's history of its economically disadvantaged students doing so well on the TAAS, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has awarded the school an exemplary 138 The Journal: Split Personality (1990) p. 2, in Biblioteca las Americas Archive. The Catalyst, vol. 2 (1994) p. 38, in Biblioteca las Americas Archive. 139 85 rating every year since the current accountability rating system was implemented in 1992. In Spring 2003, the Texas Education Agency began administering the TAKS test (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) in place of the TAAS test, and Science Academy students continued to excel on the state's achievement exam. Science Academy again received an exemplary rating from TEA for student performance on the TAKS exam.140 The Scholastic Aptitude Test and the American College Test Science Academy students are also successful in their SAT and ACT test scores.141 Historically, few students took the SAT or ACT when Science Academy began. As counselors and teachers pushed students to think about and to attend college, the numbers of students who took the examination began to rise. Students' higher scores also were related to the test preparation that teachers used with students, as well as the Rice University test preparation courses conducted through OWLink. Teachers reported that they believe the relatively high test scores reasonably may be attributed to the rigorous curriculum at Science Academy as well as the dedication of Science Academy students to doing "Sci Tech rates exemplary," Boardworks, October 26, 2004, available http://www.stisd.net; See Tables 2 and 3. 140 141 See Tables 4, 5, 6, and 7. 86 Data from http://www.just4kids.org 87 Data from http://www.just4kids.org 88 Table 4: SAT I and ACT Scores for Senior Students Tested 1993-2004 # of Seniors 50 83 97 103 114 125 138 114 113 110 % of Seniors Tested 75.5 100 92.8 93.2 97.4 93.6 92 98.2 98.3 98.5 Mean SAT I Score* 1013 989 1005 1056 1112 1144 1128 1126 1102 1147 Mean ACT Score** N/A 23.7 23.6 22 23.8 24.6 24.6 23.3 23 24.6 142 CLASS OF 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 % Above Criterion*** 44.9 55.4 62.2 37.3 55.6 65.3 61 58 47 56.4 * SAT I: Scholastic Aptitude Test **ACT: The American College Test ***For college admissions tests, the criterion scores are at least 1110 on the SAT I (total) and at least 24 on the ACT (composite). Data from "STISD District Improvement Plan, 2002-2003 School year." Available http://www.south-texas.k12.tx.us 142 89 Table 5: Science Academy Senior Students' ACT Mean Scores143 Year 1992-1993 1993-1994 1994-1995 1995-1996 1996-1997 1997-1998 1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 Science Academy 23.8 23.7 23.6 22 23.8 24.6 24.6 23.3 22.9 24.6 National 20.7 20.8 20.8 20.9 21.0 21.0 21.0 21.0 21.0 20.8 Texas 20.1 20.2 20.1 20.2 20.1 20.3 20.2 20.3 20.2 20.2 Table 6: Science Academy Senior Students' SAT Mean Scores144 Year 1992-1993 1993-1994 1994-1995 1995-1996 1996-1997 1997-1998 1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 Science Academy 1013 989 1005 1056 1112 1144 1128 1126 1102 1147 National 902 902 910 1013 1016 1017 1016 1019 1020 1020 Texas 885 886 893 995 992 992 989 990 987 986 Table 7: Advanced Placement Examinations at Science Academy, 143"Project Lead the Way: The Science Academy of South Texas: Proposed Transition Plan for Curriculum Improvement," February 16, 2001, in Science Academy Administrative Papers, Box 1 of 2, in Science Academy Archive. 144 Ibid. 90 1993-2002145 YEAR 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 # OF STUDENTS TAKING EXAMS 15 28 63 54 74 88 102 94 170 188 186 160 TOTAL # OF EXAMS TAKEN 15 31 82 69 113 194 208 198 406 445 409 435 TOTAL # EXAMS 3 OR HIGHER 7 16 55 35 64 122 121 131 218 251 230 221 SCHOOL AP GRADE AVG. NA NA 3.75 3.00 3.33 3.81 3.77 3.17 2.78 2.85 2.93 2.74 * *Although the average AP score decreases over time, it could be argued that this decrease is due to the increased number of students taking examinations as well as the increased number of exams being taken. Science Academy Campus Report, May 2002, in STISD School Board May 2002 Minutes, STISD Archive; Edward Argueta, e-mail message to author, November 1, 2004. 145 91 well in high school and their dedication to higher educational achievement in college. The Advanced Placement Test Science Academy students also have performed well on the Advanced Placement (AP) tests. Teachers and administrators at Science Academy believe that the AP curriculum has had a powerful impact on the academic challenges for students who partake in AP courses.146 In fact, the Science Academy was ranked number eight out of 100 schools in the nation on the 2003 Challenge Index.147 The Challenge index ranks 739 public schools nation-wide according to the ratio of AP or International Baccalaureate (IB) tests taken by all students divided by the number of graduating seniors. Any school which selects more than fifty percent of their students by examinations or other academic criteria are not eligible to be included in the index because they do not have "average students" in their schools.148 The 2003 Challenge Index results were published in the June 2, 2003 edition of Newsweek. Science Academy and its students were prominently featured in the magazine. In the table of contents was a 146 Hembree interview. Jay Mathews, "The 100 Best High Schools in America," Newsweek, June 2, 2003, 48-50. 147 148 Mathews, 48-51. 92 photograph of a female student sitting in a classroom full of other students. The caption was "At the Science Academy of South Texas, many students from disadvantaged backgrounds learn to defy the odds."149 Other pictures showed students performing laboratory experiments and students sitting in the library among books and journals.150 Clifford Adelman, a U.S. Education Department researcher, reported in a 1999 study that students who had mediocre grades and test scores in high school are more likely to graduate from college if they had some challenging high-school courses such as AP and IB courses.151 That finding was particularly true for minorities. The Science Academy of South Texas, a public school that draws students from three rural counties in the Rio Grande Valley, has sent several migrant workers' children to high-tech colleges by exposing them to difficult AP assignments. Norma Flores, a senior, says she often started school late in the fall because her migrant-laborer family needed her in the cornfields. "I had to work twice as hard to catch up," she says. But next fall, fortified by college-level courses, she will study aerospace engineering at the University of Texas-Pan American campus in Edinburg.152 The existence of the AP curriculum at Science Academy has allowed its students to excel on the AP examinations and even place out of college 149 Mathews, 50-51. Ibid., 51. Ibid., 53-54. Ibid., 54. 150 151 152 93 hours. Bea Chan, a 2002 graduate, reported that she took eight AP tests as well as five concurrent enrollment courses, which allowed her to have sixty-nine college credit hours before she ever stepped foot onto a college campus.153 Research and Development Projects Students' educational success is not confined to standardized tests. Through the R&D projects, many Science Academy students have become successful patent holders and inventors. In 1998, Yasmin Martinez designed a reversible wind breaker/life jacket for her R&D project. Through her research, Martinez found that there is a new special use category for life vests. Her life jacket/windbreaker fits into this category. After going through a series of tests conducted by Underwriters Laboratories, the jacket received the U.S. Coast Guard's seal of approval.154 She ultimately received a patent for her design, and teachers at Science Academy report that she sold the patent for an undisclosed six-figure sum. Other students also have been successful with their R&D projects. One student's research on playground safety resulted in her being an expert witness in a Texas legislative hearing about playground safety. Yet another student's invention of a tilting medical gurney earned Bea Chan (2002 Graduate of Science Academy) Science Academy 2002 Graduates Focus Group Taped interview. 153 Cheryl Smith, "Science Academy Students' Windbreaker, Life Jacket Combo Wins Coast Guard Approval," Mid-Valley Neighbors, March 11, 1998. 154 94 him a patent. Whether or not a student earns a patent, they all report that the process of completing their R&D projects makes them better researchers, planners, and thinkers.155 If nothing else, these types of outcomes are beneficial. Looking Toward the Future As the Science Academy of South Texas continues to grow and change, Edward Argueta, the current principal, believes that the school can continue to evolve with the original goal in mind: to do what is best for the students, and to provide educational opportunities to Valley children that are unavailable anywhere else. I have a vision of the Science Academy, and I have a vision of taking it where it is now, and making it better, and improving it. And that vision deals with improving the programs that we have here to take us to the next step within the technology program. But I see the same thing on the academics. For my first year here, I followed the advice that I was given: "It's an oiled machine, keep it going." But that oiled machine was going the same places that it has been for ten years, and that oiled machine has to get new tracks on that road, and start going different places that are good for kids. And that is where I want to take it. I'm pleased with what is here, but I also feel that there is room to grow.156 155 Science Academy 2002 Graduates Focus Group interview. Argueta interview. 156 95 Chapter Five: The Students of the Science Academy of South Texas "Our students are the best reflections of what we do."157 As discussed previously, the South Texas Independent School District was created to bring educational opportunities to all students in the Rio Grande Valley. This chapter focuses on the general education students: how students were recruited to attend Science Academy, why they choose to attend, as well as their thoughts about being Science Academy students and their impact on the school and its programs. Recruiting Students to Attend Science Academy STISD began as a rehabilitation district in South Texas and was a joint effort among parents and citizens in Hidalgo, Cameron, and Willacy counties. Because the district encompasses three counties in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, students from twenty-eight districts are eligible to attend any of STISD's schools. When the "High-Tech High School" was proposed in Spring 1989, the Valley Morning Star ran a news story about STISD and board approval of a new magnet school, pending an upcoming 157 Lamas interview. 96 STISD board meeting.158 By May of 1989, South Texas High School for Math/Sciences (the first name for Science Academy) was featured in an article in McAllen's The Monitor; interested students and parents were urged to go to the counseling department in their home schools for enrollment and application forms. Phone numbers for STISD were also included to facilitate direct contact to the district.159 By August 1989, Harlingen's Valley Morning Star reported that nearly ninety freshmen were scheduled to begin courses at Sci-Tech for the 1989-1990 school year.160 When early recruitment for Sci-Tech began, the schools in the twenty eight districts were willing contact points for STISD.161 Counselors visited the various middle schools in the area and conducted information sessions about STISD and Science Academy. In February of 1992, counselors from Science Academy were scheduled to attend fiftyfour different public and private junior high schools in the tri-county area. "There is a great sense of cooperation between most of the school Dick Bushnell, "High-Tech High School Proposed," Valley Morning Star, March 26, 1989. 158 159 Hodges, "Math/Science Magnet School Accepting Applications." "Mercedes Magnet School Attracts Valley Freshmen," Valley Morning Star, August 27 1989. 160 161 Lopez interview. 97 districts...it is only through united efforts between the districts that we are able to get students."162 Along with the counselors' campus visits throughout the Valley, STISD used billboards and some radio spots to advertise STISD and its magnet schools. In 1993, STISD branched out even more and held an Information Fair at La Plaza Mall in McAllen. Med High, Science Academy, and the Teacher Academy had students, counselors, and principals on hand to answer questions and display some of the school programs. Med High students also provided free blood pressure screenings to the public.163 With the exception of the information fair which was only held in 1993, recruiting at the Valley's junior high schools continued as usual until spring of 1998. As STISD gained recognition for high student achievement on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS test), the other school districts in the Valley were recognized for their low scores.164 In addition Science Academy Campus Report, February 10, 1992, in February 1992 School Board Minutes, STISD Archives. 162 163 "Information Fair Planned," Valley Morning Star, April 16, 1993. Rickey Dailey, "Valley School Ratings Better, Report Says," The Monitor, August 3, 1996; Lucy Hood, Schools "Valley Improve in TEA Ratings: Number of Highest-Ranked Schools Doubles from 17 to 34," The Monitor, August 2, 1997; Michelle M. Martinez, "South Texas Aces TAAS: District Boasts Nearly Perfect Test Scores," Valley Morning Star, May 29, 1998; Gina Perales, "San Perlita on Track: TEA Ranking Names It One of State's Best Districts," Valley Morning Star, August 2, 1997; Larry Rowe, "Local TAAS Scores Drop," Valley Morning 164 98 to STISD's exemplary test scores, in 1998 STISD began planning another magnet high school, this time with a focus on the arts. Valley-wide, the individual school districts publicly opposed the new magnet school fearing it would take away talented and academically successful students from the home districts.165 As a result, the other districts began to see STISD as a threat, taking the "best and brightest" students away from their home districts. In order to keep the best students in their home districts, some Valley school district administrators and teachers began to plan their own magnet schools in order that "students wouldn't need to travel anymore."166 "The Brain Drain," a political cartoon published in Star, May 5, 1995; Larry Rowe, "These Guys Get the Job Done," Valley Morning Star, November 10, 1995. Shannon K. Gilroy, "Many Opposed to Fine Arts School," Valley Morning Star, June 25, 1998; Shannon K. Gilroy, "STISD Launching Arts Magnet Despite Protests," The Monitor, June 25, 1998; Stett Holbrook, "Weslaco Latest to Resist More STISD Magnets," The Monitor, September 16, 1998; Michelle M. Martinez, "Magnet-ic Attraction: Tired of Losing Its Top Students, School Board Develops Plan to Keep Them," Valley Morning Star, July 21, 1998; Michelle M. Martinez, "Trustees Want to Compete with South Texas District for Top Students," The Monitor, July 21, 1998; Martha A. McClain, "Academy School Idea Eyed Here," San Benito News, November 26, 1997; Martha A. McClain, "SBCISD Opposed to More Magnets: Valley Superintendents Seeking Resolution to Limit South Texas School System," San Benito News, May 13, 1998; Gina Perales, "Officials Plan for Magnets: Students Wouldn't Need to Travel Anymore," The Valley Morning Star, November 26, 1997; John Suval, "District Considers Magnet Schools," The Monitor, November 6, 1997; John Suval, "District Urged Not to Create Arts Magnet," The Monitor, June 10, 1998; John Suval, "Fine Arts Magnet School Criticized: McAllen, Others Urge South Texas to Rethink Idea," Valley Morning Star, June 11 1998; John Suval, "Magnets' Attraction: Districts Riled by STISD's Plan to Expand," The Monitor, August 3, 1998; John Suval, "McAllen Considers Magnet Schools," The Valley Morning Star, November 6, 1997. 165 99 The Monitor, pointed to yet another reason Valley districts did not want to lose students to STISD--money.167 Some Valley educators were upset enough to admit the real reason they did not like STISD; Robert Sepulveda, a Weslaco school board member professed his sentiments to the local newspapers, "Not only do we lose brain power, we lose a lot of money, too."168 Ultimately, STISD leaders decided to abandon the idea of a new magnet school for the time being because it was causing too much animosity and anger among the Valley school districts. Instead, they created a committee to develop a five year plan for the expansion of STISD magnet schools.169 As a result of the political situation between STISD and the Valley area school districts, these other districts would not permit STISD actively to recruit in the schools anymore. The Campus Report for Science Academy in April 1998 Michelle M. Martinez, "Harlingen Considers Creating Magnet Schools," The Brownsville Herald, July 22, 1998; Martinez, "Magnet-ic Attraction: Tired of Losing Its Top Students, School Board Develops Plan to Keep Them"; McClain, "Academy School Idea Eyed Here"; Martha A. McClain, "Officials Consider Academy for Arts," San Benito News, December 23, 1998; Perales, "Officials Plan for Magnets: Students Wouldn't Need to Travel Anymore"; Suval, "District Considers Magnet Schools"; John Suval, "Magnet Schools: Specialized Schools Have a Great Pull/Impact on Students," The Monitor, November 18, 1997; Suval, "McAllen Considers Magnet Schools." 166 167 "Brain Drain," The Monitor, September 24, 1998. Holbrook, "Weslaco Latest to Resist More STISD Magnets." 168 John Suval, "South Texas School District Shelves Plan for Arts Magnet: Idea Drew Intense Criticism from Other Districts in Valley," The Monitor, November 6, 1998. 169 100 alluded to this problem: "The recruitment of students for the 1998-99 school year continues. By this week of April 20th, all junior highs that will let us present have been visited by a team of counselors." To help with recruitment, STISD began sending out brochures to all eighth graders in the Valley, advertising STISD's schools and giving information on how to contact STISD for tours and more information. To make up for not being allowed to recruit actively at junior high schools across the Valley, STISD held "Magnet School Nights" in the fall of 1998 and 1999 at Teacher Academy, Med High, and South Texas High School in San Benito. The purpose of "Magnet School Nights" was to give prospective students and their families an opportunity to visit the schools and meet counselors, principals, and students, much like the information fair held at the McAllen shopping mall.170 Because of the popularity of Magnet School Nights, STISD continues to use these information sessions to inform and recruit Valley students about the various educational programs STISD offers. Even with obstacles to active recruiting at junior high campuses, Science Academy continued to draw students from various ethnic groups all over the Valley.171 Many students who attend "Magnet School Nights," n.d., in "Incoming Memos--Central Office," Science Academy Administrative Files Box 1999-2000, Science Academy Archives; "Magnet School Nights, November 16-18, 1998" in "Magnet Nights" in 1998-99 Science Academy Administrative files 1998-1999, Science Academy Archives. 170 171 See Table 8 and 9. 101 Table 8: Science Academy Student Enrollment by Hometown172 1993- 1994- 1995- 1996- 1997- 1999- 2000- 2001- 20021994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 Brownsville Donna Edcouch-Elsa Edinburg Harlingen Hidalgo La Feria La Joya La Villa Los Fresnos Lyford McAllen Mercedes Mission Monte Alto PSJA Point Isabel Progresso Raymondville Rio Hondo San Benito San Perlita Santa Maria Santa Rosa Sharyland Valley View Weslaco Other 172 33 2 2 15 22 1 3 8 12 1 22 7 9 23 5 1 5 9 1 1 2 17 24 2 1 11 14 1 6 11 7 0 32 8 11 22 2 0 1 9 2 0 0 5 18 21 6 6 9 31 7 3 11 3 1 34 13 8 30 2 0 0 11 0 0 0 0 25 20 4 4 6 31 6 1 1 1 3 2 35 7 4 32 1 1 4 1 13 0 0 0 4 21 19 5 1 11 31 1 3 0 0 2 2 33 12 18 24 3 0 1 4 5 0 1 0 24 33 6 6 17 23 3 1 14 1 4 5 42 8 4 2 47 3 0 3 6 18 0 1 2 12 4 21 1 32 5 3 14 20 5 2 13 0 4 3 55 10 11 0 22 3 3 5 8 11 0 0 23 1 12 1 45 31 14 64 45 26 10 21 2 15 2 107 16 33 9 78 3 5 5 7 21 11 3 30 23 45 52 47 12 117 53 14 8 16 2 8 7 137 27 72 2 91 14 10 8 1 31 2 1 13 3 52 "Enrollment Distribution" in the STISD Archives, 1993-2002. 102 Table 9: Science Academy Student Enrollment Data from 1993-2003173 Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12 Total African American Hispanic White Other Asian/ Pac. Islander Native American 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 201 168 214 194 199 212 209 213 162 193 141 119 91 552 2 357 186 7 152 124 100 544 2 349 181 12 149 129 113 605 2 393 190 19 1 162 138 114 608 1 391 189 26 1 156 140 131 626 1 398 196 28 3 159 120 135 626 1 404 186 32 3 169 147 105 630 2 401 196 31 0 174 154 112 653 2 407 214 30 1 192 148 118 620 403 176 40 1 124 160 113 590 1 380 163 44 2 Economically Disadvantaged 34.1 37.5 40.5 41.1 36.3 41.2 42.1 30.3 36.8 40.0 (%) Data from "A Multi-Year History for 1994-2002," Texas Education Agency, available http://www.tea.state.tx.us/cgi/sas/broker 173 103 Science Academy were recruited by siblings or cousins. Both the 1997 and 1999 Science Academy yearbooks have a page devoted to the common occurrence of siblings attending Science Academy at the same time. Regardless of how students learn about Science Academy, many have similar reasons for attending. Each student who wants to attend an STISD school, however, must apply for admission. Entrance Requirements Even though STISD's magnet schools are open to any student in the tri-county area, students who are interested in attending an STISD school must complete and submit an application. Due to space limitations in the early years at the joint Med-High and Science Academy campus, entrance criteria existed for potential students. Another reason that STISD had entrance criteria was because of the "pressure" it received from other magnet school programs across the state.174 After visiting the Science Academy of Austin ISD and Houston's Math and Science Magnet High School for Engineering, STISD faculty and staff decided not to use these schools' entrance criteria. Austin ISD's Science Academy students were chosen from students with a 70th percentile and above score on achievement tests, while HISD magnet school students 174 Lopez interview. 104 were chosen from the 95th percentile and above.175 Administrators and faculty of the Science Academy were concerned that entrance requirements based so heavily on achievement test scores would eliminate a large group of students from the new program.176 Instead, STISD created its own more liberal entrance criteria. Original Entrance Criteria The original criteria recommended as entrance requirements by the Sci-Tech Criteria Committee in December of 1990 included: The student must request an application to the High School for Math, Science, and Technology. The student must be passing all 8th grade Science courses. The student must have good conduct and attendance records. The student must have 60% or better on two of the following three parts of an achievement test: mathematics, total reading, and science.177 Memorandum "A comparison of Four Year Programs of Similar Schools" from Mike Haman to Jorge Lopez, September 28, 1990, in "Outgoing memos/General 1992-1993" in STISD Archives. 175 Memorandum "History of the Entrance Criteria for the Science Academy" from Jorge Lopez to Ron Schraer, November 4, 1993, in "Entrance Criteria" in STISD Archive. 176 Memorandum "Sci-Tech Student Entry Criteria" from Sci-Tech Criteria Committee to Jorge Lopez, December 10, 1990, in Science Academy Administrative file box 1994-1995, Science Academy Archives. 177 105 By February of 1991, the entrance criteria had changed slightly to include the requirement that incoming ninth graders pass all of their eighth grade courses, not just the science courses. Another change included students' writing a letter of occupational interest in an mathematics or science field.178 Revising the Entrance Criteria In the fall of 1998, STISD administration revisited the entrance criteria that had been set almost nine years previously. Jeff Hembree was the Principal of Science Academy at that time and according to him, the entrance criteria created were never really used over the years. "The entrance criteria...were established at the beginning of the Science Academy. However, there has never been a need to use them. The Science Academy has never had a larger number of students apply than could be accepted."179 Hembree asserts that even though entrance requirements were in place, Science Academy took every student who applied. Science Academy always had open enrollment. Even though [entrance requirements] were stated, if you applied you got in. We took everybody. That was happening before I came in, it happened Memorandum "Revised Student Entrance Criteria" from Jorge Lopez to Ron Schraer, February 4, 1991, in February 1991 STISD Board Minutes, STISD Archives. 178 Memorandum "Entrance Criteria" from Jeff Hembree to Grace Camargo, September 10, 1998, in September 1998 School Board Minutes, STISD Archives. 179 106 the entire time leading up to open enrollment and it still continues to this day after we moved to a formal open enrollment.180 Hembree and others pushed the district to adopt an open enrollment plan because of the "perception problem." "There was a perception out there that we only take the highest and the best and brightest. That was never a reality at Science Academy."181 Ultimately, the STISD Board of Directors voted to adopt an open admission policy for all STISD schools that went into effect with the 1999-2000 school year. With the open enrollment policy, the only reason a student would not be admitted to a program was for an incomplete application or because of lack of space.182 Transfer students who were enrolled in a similar mathematics or science magnet school would be allowed to transfer in at any grade level provided they meet the entrance criteria for Science Academy.183 The application for admission also serves another purpose: it forces students to make a conscious commitment to the Science Academy program. 180 Hembree interview, May 8, 2002. Ibid. 181 Memorandum "Proposed Admission Criteria" from Ron Schraer, to Board of Directors, October 19, 1998, in October 1998 School Board Minutes, STISD Archives. 182 Memorandum "Entrance Criteria" from Jeff Hembree to Grace Camargo, September 10, 1998, in September 1998 School Board Minutes, STISD Archives. 183 107 We are now an open enrollment school program. Students still apply, and the catch of that is the motivating effect. We want a student to make a commitment, to say I want to commit to this more rigorous, more demanding academic preparation program. And the application process encouraged that. It's more than just, "Well, I'll just show up at their door and register." They have to physically go about the process of saying, "I'm committing to this program."184 Why Students Choose Science Academy Even though students have to make a formal decision through the application to study at Science Academy, students who do attend have similar reasons why they chose to attend. Students' reasons can be divided into two broad categories: to take advantage of educational opportunities and to have their individuality supported. Educational Opportunity and a Rigorous Curriculum Students and teachers alike cite one main reason why students attend Science Academy: for a better education. Even though the focus of the curriculum is science, math and technology, many students attend for the "all-around good education."185 Jeff Hembree recalled that former students have said they attended Science Academy to get away from the pressure at their home high schools that they are not to succeed in school. 184 Lopez interview. Julio Taylor (2002 Graduate of Science Academy) Science Academy 2002 Graduates Focus Group interview. 185 108 When you come to Science Academy, people expect you to do well and they expect that you are going to do well and that we are going to help you along the way and it removes some of the negative pressure from other students that say, "Okay, if you do well it makes me look bad." 186 The idea that Science Academy faculty and staff will help students succeed is also a reason students attend; along those same lines students report they hear that by attending an STISD school, college will be easier and that the counselors help students find scholarships. A physical manifestation of this notion exists in the Freshman Handbook and the Senior Handbook, both produced and distributed by the Counseling Department. Even though students attend Science Academy for the rigorous curriculum, it does take a toll on some Science Academy students. Many students leave during their freshman year because they do not want to spend their free time on school work while their friends from their home high schools "goof off."187 As a result, the enrollment numbers for a group of freshmen decrease between their freshman and sophomore years.188 The rigorous curriculum also affects some rising senior students. In the state of Texas, if a student graduates within the top ten 186 Hembree interview. Science Academy 2002 Graduates Focus Group interview. See Table 6. 187 188 109 percent of his/her high school graduating class, he/she automatically will gain admittance into a Texas state university. Because many students do well at Science Academy, it is difficult for students to be in the top ten percent. Unnamed teachers report that some junior students leave Science Academy and attend their home high schools in order to be in the top ten percent of their graduating class. The administration strives to help freshmen and senior students so that they will remain at Science Academy. One of the ways that the counseling department addresses the specific needs of freshmen and seniors is through the Freshman and Senior Handbooks. The Freshman and Senior Handbooks When students attend Science Academy as freshmen, they are given a handbook at their freshman and senior orientations. The Science Academy class of 2000 Freshman Handbook states: "The college admissions process begins NOW, not your Senior year."189 Various parts of the handbook include academic degree plans, class ranking information, tips on required and recommended courses, study skills, and a countdown to college. There is a breakdown of what students are to do during each year at Science Academy, including achievement tests that must be taken for college admissions, scholarship ideas and "Science Academy Freshman Handbook, Class of 2000" in 1996-1997 Academic Files, Box 1 of 2, folder "Misc. Forms" in Science Academy Archives. 189 110 information, as well as test taking tips and reading and study tips. Throughout the handbook are words of wisdom and encouragement to students: "You have made the choice to be here and take the most rigorous curriculum in all areas; this will help you when you apply to college. You will be prepared for any challenges that college will give you."190 By their senior year, the Senior Handbook becomes an important guide for seniors in their journey through the college admissions and scholarships processes. The Senior Handbook is similar to the Freshman Handbook in that it focuses on assistance to students with college applications and scholarships. However, the Senior Handbook has much more detailed information, including college planning checklists, a monthly calendar of what students should be doing for college applications, information on which tests to take and when, college comparison charts to help students organize information about choosing a college, and financial aid and scholarship information. Also included is a copy of the instructions and the application for the State of Texas Common Application for Freshman Admission. Through the Freshman and Senior Handbooks, students who enter Science Academy for academic opportunities ultimately realize that 190 "Science Academy Freshman Handbook, Class of 2000," p. 11. 111 they are there not just to get their high school diploma, but to be prepared and supported to go on to college and get an advanced degree. Support for Students' Individuality Another reason students choose to attend Science Academy is the reputation the school has for supporting students' individuality. Students know that if you attend Science Academy, administrators, faculty and staff members, and other students will not judge you solely by your appearance or your friends. Instead, students feel that the common educational goals they have help bind them together. "So many of us are so different and we all came here to learn. How can you not find something in common with someone else even if they dress completely different or listen to different music?"191 A physical manifestation of accepting students for who they are can be found in the dress code and the students' and faculty's attitude towards it.192 Unnamed teachers and students report that many students attend Science Academy because the dress code is so liberal. However, the curriculum is so rigorous that students explain that if someone attends Science Academy just so that they can wear whatever they want, they do not stay long at the school because of the academic pressure and demands. 191 Science Academy 2002 Graduates Focus Group interview. See Chapter Three for information about the dress code. 192 112 School Safety School safety is another reason students choose to attend Science Academy. Many unnamed students report that their home high schools are not safe; they feel that they have to constantly "watch their backs" while at school to stay safe and to stay out of gang activities. Teachers also believe that some students attend Science Academy for safety reasons: "Students in general feel safe coming here, they're not threatened, and they're not bullied with a few minor exceptions that happen anytime you get kids together."193 Students also report that there are no incidents where hazing of freshman is involved, unlike at many of the home high schools. At Science Academy, Freshman Orientation is a contrast to what often happens at students' home high schools. It was completely different from the other high school. Here, we came to the school, they had made stop-motion animation videos for us to watch, they had games for us to play, the only thing that was a little amusing or silly was they had us put lipstick on each other using a mirror. It's more of a mixer...it's not embarrassing.194 Students' respect for each other extends even to tolerance of students of other races, religions, and even sexual orientation. A few unnamed teachers described how Science Academy is thought of by 193 Riggins interview. Science Academy 2002 Graduates Focus Group interview. 194 113 some people in the Valley as the "gay school" because of the perceived large population of gay students. At Science Academy...the kids here are real tolerant. I think we have a fairly large homosexual population here. I think they come here because the other kids are very tolerant of that, they don't ostracize them, they don't pick on them like they might be if they were someplace else. We're a kind of haven for kids that are different.195 Another unnamed teacher reiterated the tolerance students have for each other: I think gays and lesbians are much more tolerated here than any other school, as well as any other race is tolerated here...here everyone is treated the same. Students like being here because they're not picked on for being different. Even though Science Academy is thought of as a safe school, it has had its own share of safety issues. As happens in most comprehensive high schools, fights among students do sometimes occur. At Science Academy, though, most students could not remember ever seeing a physical fight in the hallways or on school grounds. One unnamed student believed that the reason they do not have many fights is because of the student body's general attitude towards fights: "We don't want aggressive behavior here." David Wood, one of the original Science Academy teachers, could only recall two fights in his entire career at 195 Teacher who wishes to remain anonymous. 114 Science Academy; both occurred outside his classroom door which is why he remembers them.196 Drug use is another common problem with which schools currently must deal. Edward Argueta, the current Principal of Science Academy, knows that some students use drugs but believes that only a relatively small group of students are involved in this behavior. If you speak with the majority of the students, and we did have a survey recently, they'll tell you that there is no drug problem, that there may be drugs on campus, but that it's centered around a small percent of our students. And they'll also tell you that they feel that we know who they are, and we do. We kind of feel there's a little group here, 8, 10, 12 students, that if anybody is doing it then it's them. If you talk to the majority of the students, they'll say, "No, it's a small group of students, and it's common here just like it would be common at any other school."197 Students themselves believe that the drug problem on campus is no worse than in any other school in the Valley. They do not seem to believe that drugs are "pushed on [them]" nor are they approached by other students to buy drugs.198 Teachers believe that drug use does occur among Science Academy students, but that the school should not be thought of as a "druggie campus."199 The problem is prevalent enough David Wood (Computer Science teacher, Science Academy) Taped interview with author, May 30, 2002, at Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. 196 197 Argueta interview. Science Academy 2002 Graduates Focus Group interview. 198 115 that students have been expelled for drug use and drug dealing on campus.200 Bomb threats are another unfortunate occurrence at comprehensive high schools, and on January 15, 2001, Science Academy had its first bomb scare. The event made enough of an impression on students that it was covered in the 1991 yearbook "The Secret's Out." Under a picture of faculty and students returning to the building from the parking lot was the caption: Are We Bombed? After police and firefighters searched suspicious places, teachers and staff walk in from the first bomb scare ever, January 15, 2001. Students worried that the bomb scare was a result of the increase in enrollment.201 Bomb threats occurred not only in January 2001, but also after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. As a result, Science Academy had full-time police officers assigned to the campus, rather than sharing officers with Med High. The presence of armed 199 Hassan interview; Riggins interview; Wood interview. Memorandum, "Report on Chapter 37 offenses for the 1998-1999 school year" from Ron Schraer to STISD School Board, August 19, 1999, in August 1999 School Board Minutes, STISD Archive; "Report on Chapter 37 Education Code Offenses and Consequences, 1999-2000 School year," August 7, 2000, in August 2000 School Board Minutes, STISD archive. 200 "Are We Bombed?" The Journal: The Secret's Out [High School for Health Professions Yearbook] (1991) p.3, Biblioteca las Americas Archive. 201 116 officers on campus had a definite effect on students' perception of Science Academy: Because of bomb threats [post 9/11/01] and the apparent drug problem here, we had police officers in our halls, armed. That was a big change at Sci-Tech. Never before did we have to worry about things like that; we roamed our halls freely with an easy-going attitude. And now we had to turn a corner and see a full police officer staring at you as you entered class. Not a very comfortable environment. Of course I know it was for my own protection, but from that point on I don't remember Sci-Tech every having that same electricity in the air. It just dulled.202 Although police officers are stationed on campus, some students may feel that some of their freedoms have been taken away. They admit, however, that this move was done for their own safety. When students decide to enroll in Science Academy, they do give up some things that are available to most students at a regular comprehensive high school. What Students Sacrifice to Attend Science Academy School-sponsored Sports Because Science Academy is a magnet school and its purpose is to create educational opportunities in special fields, students make sacrifices to attend it. Traditionally, magnet schools focus on specific academic areas and do not have school sponsored activities such as sports, band, orchestra or choir. Instead, magnet schools have cocurricular activities which relate directly to the curriculum focus for the 202 Chairez online interview. 117 school.203 Other than the required physical education courses, sports are not part of the school's curriculum. Instead, students use their free time before school, during lunch, and after school to play soccer or football. The 1997 yearbook "Revolution" featured an article about students playing soccer during tutorial period most school days.204 Sometimes, the school sponsored organization the Pan American Student Forum would arrange soccer matches between Science Academy and Med High. Some students specifically attend Science Academy because there are not any sports clubs at school. As one unnamed student explained, "The reason I went to Sci-Tech is because I wanted a better education. I wanted to attend a school where academics came before athletics, even though I did play on a basketball team during middle school." During the 1998-1999 school year, some seniors who were interested in having some more organized physical activities formed the P.E. Club. "Focused on providing the students with physical activity, the P.E. club sponsored activities such as volleyball and basketball tournaments."205 Some members would See Chapter Four for more information on Science Academy's co-curricular activities. 203 204 "Soccer Tradition Lives On," The Catalyst: Revolution, vol. 5 (1997) p.13. "All Work and No Play," The Catalyst: Explosive Times, vol. 7 (1999) p.34. 205 118 volunteer their Saturdays to participate in fun runs in the Valley and any money they raised would go to charity.206 Loss of Friendships Once students choose to attend Science Academy, many face the loss of their friends at their home school and neighborhood. Attending Science Academy often makes a student a "traitor" in the eyes of the childhood friends who are left behind: I missed my friends. My freshman year, I cried a lot because it was really hard to adjust. I only have one close friend who stuck by me through it all. The second I came over here, I was isolated, and you are a traitor, and you were supposed to stay with us, and you are not my friend anymore. It was really hard for me to lose so many friends. And I learned a lot younger than most people do who my real friends were. It was a total reality check my freshman year.207 Science Academy students report that their friends from home did not understand why they chose a more rigorous academic curriculum over their home high schools and friends.208 For those who chose Science Academy, though, the choice was integral to their future successes and goals. Many of their friends from their home high schools have minimum wage jobs, still live at home and have no future plans. "I look into the future a lot more [since becoming a Science Academy student.] My future 206 Ibid. Cecilia Villarreal (2002 Graduate of Science Academy) Science Academy 2002 Graduates Focus Group Taped interview. 207 208 Science Academy 2002 Graduates Focus Group Interview. 119 is five years from now, but I have friends whose future plans for them is what is happening this weekend."209 Although Science Academy students feel some alienation from their friends at home, they find that their fellow students at Science Academy are much more in-tune with academic goals and learning in mind, rather than the stereotypical high school parties. Science Academy students have many opportunities to meet new people from all over the Valley, and the infamous bus ride to school is just one way students meet each other. Commuting to School When students choose to attend Science Academy, they make a conscious decision to give up much of their time to the commute to and from school. Because STISD serves three counties, students from as far away as Port Isabel, which is fifty-three miles away, and Brownsville, forty-three miles away, may attend school in Mercedes. Ashley Morris, a 1995 Science Academy graduate from Port Isabel, rode 74,880 miles on the school bus--the equivalent of three trips around the world--in her four years at Science Academy. "The loss of time on the bus is nothing compared to what I've gotten out of my time here. I'm getting something 209 Ibid. 120 out of every minute I'm here."210 Once students adjust to riding "big, yellow limousines" as they are described in the 1999 yearbook "Explosive Times," students talk with friends, do homework, sleep, and listen to music to help pass the time. Some students even like riding the bus: "I liked riding the bus. It gave me time to sleep, to do homework that you didn't do, and talk with people. You get to meet a lot of people on the bus. People that you wouldn't necessarily talk to at school."211 Even though they give up some of the activities and experiences that a student in a typical high school would have, Science Academy students create their own experiences and atmosphere that help define the Science Academy and what it is to be a Science Academy student. School Pride Science Academy students are very proud of their school and its reputation. As a result, the physical building shows the care that the students and staff have for the school. One student pointed out the lack of graffiti on campus: "We have a lot of school pride. We don't want our school to go down. If you walk around, go to the bathrooms, the benches, there is no graffiti. You never see graffiti here."212 The respect that students have for the physical building carries over to a sense of respect 210 "Science Academy Grad Traveled Far on Bus," The Monitor, May 19, 1995. Science Academy 2002 Graduates Focus Group interview. Ibid. 211 212 121 for each other as human beings and individuals. The students' diversity "allowed many of us to learn about different cultures and traditions everyone had"213 and as a result, students learn to not judge a person by his or her exterior. Students report that even though some of the stereotypical cliques exist, all students are able to have relationships with students in other grade levels as well as other student groups. There are a lot of friendships between the classes [freshman, sophomore, junior, senior]. There isn't this line that you can't talk with other classes. Even if you tend not to like someone, you still communicate with them. [Here at the Science Academy] you will see a `visor' talking to [a] `preppie.' They don't judge you by your exterior. It's more of a judgment based on an individual basis.214 The mutual respect among students is most evident when walking in the hallways; students leave their lockers open, books on the floor, backpacks strewn about. This sense of trust for each other is one of the things that students and alumni most often report as a defining feature of their high school experience. Cecilia Villarreal, a 2002 graduate of Science Academy, recalled her first impressions of seeing the school halls: I love that here, the trust. Here, we leave things in the hall. We leave our lockers open. It's gotten a little bit worse [occasional thefts], but it's still...I can remember seeing expensive cameras, CD players, cases of CDs, and you just walk by. No one says anything. Meeta Kasan (2002 Graduate of Science Academy) Online interview, January 22, 2003. 213 214 Science Academy 2002 Graduates Focus Group interview. 122 I remember when I first got here I was like, whoa, that is SO going to get taken. I don't think in my four years here I have known the combination to my locker because I didn't need it. It was always open. The trust here is amazing. The only time they tell us to close our lockers is when visiting 8th graders come in, or UIL meets.215 Nicole Dehning, a 2002 graduate of science Academy, was also struck by the open lockers when she first toured the school. One of the first things I remember about that visit was going through the hallways with one of the counselors and noticing all of the notebooks, folders, textbooks and other items laying on the ground underneath and surrounding the area by the lockers. It was almost as though we had to carefully watch our steps in those places or else we would trip. The fact that everyone was so open and trusting with each other that they could leave their locker doors open and belongings on the floor without them being stolen really impressed me. The environment of the school spoke very highly of those that were attending.216 When asked to name a unique quality of the Science Academy, faculty and staff also talk about the open lockers and students' belongings on the floor. Jeff Hembree remarked that when first walking into the building, "I was impressed with the physical environment. The cleanliness, the fact that people left their belongings laying around and didn't seem like anyone disturbed it."217 215 Villarreal Science Academy 2002 Graduates Focus Group interview. Nicole Dehning (2002 Graduate of Science Academy) Online interview, January 6, 2003. 216 217 Hembree interview. 123 Students at Science Academy also create various activities for themselves that are not always curriculum related. School dances are an important part of any high school experience, and Science Academy students have created their own traditions with the Winter Ball and Prom. The first Winter Ball, held on December 6, 1997, was created to allow all students the opportunity to dress in evening gowns and tuxedos.218 Until Winter Ball, only seniors were able to dress up for their prom. The students even elected a Winter Ball queen and king, reminiscent of the prom king and queen. The event was such a success that it is held every year in December. Students have also created Battle of the Bands, where students can showcase their "garage bands" as well as Java Night, when students can show off their talents from poetry reading, singing, and musical talents.219 All of these activities that the students create help to enrich the experiences that students have while attending Science Academy. KQSA: Science Academy's Radio Station One of the most unique activities at Science Academy is its "radio station," KQSA. Initially, when the radio station was started, music was not broadcast over radio airwaves but over the school's public address "Elegance and Charm," The Catalyst: Off the Wall, vol. 6 (1998), p. 46, in Biblioteca las Americas Archive. 218 219 Argueta interview. 124 system. By the 1999-2000 school year, KQSA was also broadcast on 93.5 FM within a 2-mile radius of Science Academy.220 James Boe, a former technology teacher, and Mark Scholl were approached during the 19961997 school year by a Science Academy senior who had the idea to launch a radio station.221 Boe and Schroll thought that a radio station would be a good way for students to use their engineering knowledge and skills as well as using available technology equipment. Students wrote a proposal and submitted it to Principal Hembree. With his approval, they started the station. Ultimately, students are responsible for running and maintaining the radio station, with the guidance of their faculty sponsor and FCC rules and regulations. Boe believes that the radio station had a positive impact on the school and the students. [KQSA] gives the school more of a casual setting, especially in the morning and after school. There are students who enjoy just sitting around and listening to music. We don't have a whole lot of chances to relax around here, with the amount of work that the students do.222 "KQSA," The Catalyst: Renaissance, vol. 9 (2001) p. 61, in Biblioteca las Americas Archive. 220 "KQSA Radio: Sci-Tech Hits the Air Waves!" The Catalyst: Revolution, vol. 5 (1997) p. 12, in Biblioteca las Americas Archive; "KQSA Radio On the Air," The Catalyst: Revolution, vol. 5 (1997) p. 94, in Biblioteca las Americas Archive. 221 Jamie McIlvain, "On the Air: Student Radio Station Rocks Science Academy," The Monitor, October 29, 1996. 222 125 Music plays before school, after school, and during tutorial. Students say KQSA helps promote school spirit and helps students develop leadership, technical, and career skills.223 Jeff Hembree, the Principal at the time when the proposal was submitted and accepted, believed that KQSA would be "another way we can provide students with experiences that reinforce instruction."224 In order to become a part of KQSA, students must apply for disc jockey positions, and they are hand picked by Schroll, who is now the faculty sponsor.225 When music is chosen, students review potential play lists and songs with Schroll to ensure that nothing inappropriate is broadcast. Music is broadcast to the student lounge, courtyard, hallways, and classrooms; teachers have volume control in each classroom. The student disc jockeys tailor their play lists to who is on campus at various times of day. Before the majority of the students arrive, oldies, jazz, country, and classical music are played for faculty and staff to enjoy. Once the busses arrive, the station plays mostly rock for students. KQSA has become such a defining element for Science Academy, that when Edward Argueta became principal and tried to close 223 Ibid. Hembree interview. 224 "KQSA: Music to Our Ears," The Catalyst: Off the Wall, vol. 6 (1998) p. 34, in Biblioteca las Americas Archive. 225 126 down the radio station, he was met with much opposition from students.226 The radio station is still in operation and is a source of much pride for Science Academy. What Science Academy Students Think About Themselves Because students at Science Academy attend a school with a reputation for rigorous academic work, students believe that people in the Valley see them as consummate overachievers. Often students feel that they cannot relate to their friends from their home high schools and neighborhoods: It just seemed easier to communicate with people from Sci-Tech [rather than with friends at other schools]. Other students from outside schools saw us as `nerds' or `overachievers,' but we were just like them, only we had one more option of a technology class.227 Some students think that a difference in mindset is to blame for the vast differences between Science Academy students and their friends from home. Everyone seemed to get my jokes, understand my comedy as well as anything important I would talk about [unlike at my home middle school.] It was [a] HUGE jump from my middle school where everyone had just had a typical mindset about life and school in general. People at Sci-Tech had vision, they had dreams. It just had more LIFE than my home middle school. So many more 226 Science Academy 2002 Graduates Focus Group interview. Ibid. 227 127 opportunities to make lifelong friends and to just understand people in general were available.228 Even though it may seem that students give up too much of the "typical" high school experience to attend Science Academy, not one student reported that he or she regretted attending. "Spending time in school just occupied the free time I had and it was worth it. I wouldn't be what I am today if it weren't for the activities I took part in and learned from at school."229 Phillip Chairez, a 2002 year graduate, summed up his thoughts about being a Science Academy student. I've learned so many things at the Science Academy. I met some lifelong friends, learned so much about subjects in school as well as life and the world. It just made me a better person all around. Sci-Tech is responsible for the person I am today. I don't regret a single thing about life at Sci-Tech. It truly made my four years there the best years of my life, and I love how I can say that.230 Students learn many things as a Science Academy student, from time management skills, to how to solve problems in an organized fashion, and to be competitive academically. Anonymous alumni report that these and other skills taught, along with the rigorous curriculum, have helped them in their college careers. Most of all, though, students 228 Chairez interview. Muneera Shah (2002 Science Academy Graduate) Online interview January 11, 2002. 229 230 Chairez interview. 128 know that Science Academy was created with them in mind: that they are the reason Science Academy exists. As a result, an alumni member's wish is for current students to never lose sight of that, nor let the school lose its special atmosphere: Sci-Tech exists for the kids. If you don't support it, it will fall. The kids are the reason Sci-Tech has life. Have hope. Have spirit. Don't just let Sci-Tech pass you by. Make it happen. Make those years there the best ever! Participate, be active. Do something for your school! It's yours, keep it alive!231 231 Chairez interview. 129 Chapter Six: Concluding Thoughts and Ideas for Future Research The South Texas Independent School District originally was created to give special education students in the Valley a place to receive training and an education. Consequently, STISD's goal always has been to provide unique educational opportunities to all students, regardless of abilities or disabilities. The district's motto, proudly displayed on its official letterhead, illustrates its goal: "Special Education for Exceptional Children."232 The district began as its primary goal to educate special education students, and that history continued with the creation of each school in the district. Science Academy was created by caring educators who wished to give educational opportunities to students. Superintendent Schraer and the three Science Academy Principals chose staff who shared the notion that the school's purpose was to meet students' needs.233 Administrators, teachers, and support staff at Science Academy shared this belief as they planned the school and its curriculum. Each of these groups had a stake in students' successes, and it was imperative that all members of the Jamie McIlvain, "$8.9 million bond sale allows South Texas ISD to improve campuses," STISD Press Release, July 12, 1996, in STISD Press Releases file, STISD Archives. 232 233 Schraer interview. 130 school community be committed to students' achievement of their educational goals. "A deep respect for each other" has been an integral part of the success of Science Academy.234 As a result, students are successful because they know that their teachers and administrators care about them as people. These elements of Science Academy are critical to its success and are factors which show it to be a highperforming high school. A High-Performing Hispanic High School In their book Lessons from High-Performing Hispanic Schools: Creating Learning Communities, Pedro Reyes, Jay Scribner, and Alicia Paredes Scribner studied eight schools in the lower Rio Grande Valley on the Texas-Mexico border. Schools in STISD were not included in their study. The overriding research question for their study was "What external, internal, and criterion performance conditions make a difference in student learning in the high-performing Hispanic schools?"235 The research team created a conceptual framework for the creation of learning communities for high-performing Hispanic students. Their framework consists of "Action Dimensions" which they believe are essential to the creation of a school in which Hispanic students can Schroll interview, May 29, 2002. 234 Reyes, Scribner, and Scribner, eds., Lessons from High-Performing Hispanic Schools: Creating Learning Communities, 10. 235 131 succeed. The elements which have been put in place over time at Science Academy are those elements which Reyes, Scribner, and Scribner believe are essential for students to succeed in high school. As a result, Science Academy is a high-performing Hispanic high school as defined by Reyes, Scribner, and Scribner's study. The Four Dimensions of a High-Performing Hispanic High School "Community and family involvement are essential to the development of a high-performing learning community for Hispanic students."236 The community is not limited to the immediate physical area around the school. Instead, it can include various groups and institutions which are invested in the school. One aspect of this dimension is the capitalization of the community's resources as well as collaboration with groups and businesses to gain support and materials for the school. Through its partnerships with Rice University in Houston, Texas, and the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, Science Academy provided students with curricular experiences outside of the school building. Educational opportunities such as OWLink and the Rice Summer Symposium allow the greater community of Rice University to participate in the education of Science Academy students and provide social and cultural capital beyond Valley resources. 236 Ibid., 192. 132 The second dimension involves collaborative governance and leadership of the school. "High-performing learning communities for Hispanic students depend on leadership at all levels that supports collaborative governance that enables every student to succeed."237 The schools included in Reyes, Scribner, and Scribner's study developed a strong sense of community through the creation of a collaborative environment. In this environment, all participants in the community had the ability and chance to lead and collaborate in the education of their students. All adults in the educational system of these schools "believe the primary reason for their existence in the lives of their students is to see that each and every student learns and is cared for within an environment where affection, caring, and collaboration prevail."238 Principals were supportive of teacher-initiated change and change in scheduling as necessary. These schools also had common goals and visions for the curriculum, teachers' instruction, and success of all students. Because these schools assume that all children can succeed, principals strive to create learning environments in which teachers can be successful in teaching and learners successful in learning. The interests and needs of the students, teachers, and staff are most 237 Ibid., 192. Ibid., 196. 238 133 important in these high-performing schools. At Science Academy, faculty and staff were chosen for their positions because they cared for students and wanted students to succeed. Teachers, custodial staff and support staff all believed that their jobs were integral in the common goal to help Science Academy students succeed. The third dimension cited by Reyes, Scribner and Scribner requires a culturally responsive pedagogy for students to succeed in a highperforming learning community for Hispanic students. Teachers, parents, and the community take responsibility for the education of students. Students are accepted as they are. "A culturally responsive teacher interprets the individual's behavior and manner of speaking as a part of the whole student and inventories these attributes as contributing to the positive inherent qualities of each and every student."239 Students are considered the most valuable resources of the school and it is assumed that student learning never ceases. Their background cultures and knowledge are an essential part of the curriculum and are not dismissed by the teacher or the school. Students and faculty report that the cultural diversity of students and students' individuality are two of Science Academy's strengths. "The diversity in the cultures alone is amazing. Yeah, we're predominantly Hispanic, but 239 Ibid., 200. 134 we have Chinese students, a lot of Indians. I have learned about the Indian culture a lot through our friendships."240 Students at Science Academy are expected to learn about other cultures as well as themselves. Students at Science Academy also are pushed to go to college. In students' freshman year at Science Academy, they are exposed to the reality that they can attend college. They are told which high school coursework is necessary to enroll in college and are started on a "college-track" curriculum. Teachers, administrators, counselors, and university partners, the Science Academy community, emphasize and reinforce to students that they can go to college and succeed in life if they put forth effort while at Science Academy. Every student knows that the Science Academy community will help him/her succeed in high school and beyond. The fourth dimension of a high-performing Hispanic high school is advocacy-oriented assessment. "Advocacy-oriented assessment that motivates the individual learning of the student is critical to sustaining a high-performing learning community for Hispanic students."241 The purpose of advocacy-oriented assessment is to help students succeed. Collaboration among professionals is very important in these schools so 240 Villarreal, Focus Group interview. Ibid., 192. 241 135 that all students will have support and resources to achieve academically. Block scheduling seems to be one of the most successful practices which provides time for teachers and professionals to plan curriculum and consult about individual students. Teachers at Science Academy are encouraged to use a variety of assessments in their courses. In fact, project-based learning became a standard practice at Science Academy when the daily schedule changed to an A/B block for the 1997-1998 school year.242 Within the technology classes, for example, all students have many choices for project topics in their lessons. Every student chooses a topic for his/her Research and Development course for his/her senior technology project. Many teachers report that they accommodate students' choices for instructional topics within their curriculum. Overall, the high-performing Hispanic high schools which Reyes, Scribner, and Scribner studied valued students, teachers, staff, parents, and community. Every stakeholder in the community held the same goal to educate students and to help them become successful both inside and outside of school. This certainly is the case at Science Academy. Dale Coalson, a Technology teacher, described what he believes is the key to Science Academy's success. 242 Hembree interview. 136 This is the key to our school. If you can get 700 kids to all march in the same direction, you can have a powerful force on changing their careers. What magnet high schools are supposed to be able to do is take those 700 kids, even though they know they are going to go to English, science, PE, political science, they all have different interests. As long as you can focus their energy to preparing themselves to become intellectually primed, so that when they get out there they can go in any direction. Prepare them to walk in any direction. That is what we should be able to do. Get 700 kids to all believe that there is a need for higher learning, period.243 Reyes, Scribner and Scribner created their dimensions in order that all schools could implement these successful practices and help all students succeed. Many of these practices have been in place since the creation of the Science Academy while others have been added throughout its history. Nonetheless, the Science Academy of South Texas is successful in the creation of educational opportunities for all students, both in high school and the world beyond. Ideas for Future Research Even though the history of the Science Academy is examined in this dissertation study, there are many other aspects of the school that remain unexplored. When STISD's magnet schools were created, the founders hoped that students ultimately would return to the Valley once they received their higher degrees. Within the past year, STISD staff began to create organized alumni groups for each of its schools. These 243 Coalson interview. 137 organized groups could facilitate the data-gathering process to answer such questions as: Where do students attend college? Does their high school career at a mathematics/science school dictate their field of study in college? Do they return to the Valley as professionals in their respective fields? In the area of magnet school research, many studies have been conducted which analyze the effects of magnet schools on student achievement,244 yet many of these studies relied on quantitative data. A qualitative study on students' beliefs of how their magnet school experience affected their past, present, and future education would be a valuable addition to the research on magnet school effectiveness. Research on Other STISD Schools STISD's commitment to education is not limited to the Science Academy. Each school in STISD was created to meet students' needs. Two schools were created to serve special education populations. One school was in Edinburg and the other was in San Benito. As a result of the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) laws, STISD dissolved the special education Edinburg school and in 1991 opened the Teacher e.g., Blank, "Educational Effects of Magnet High Schools"; Fancsali, "Magnet Schools and Student Achievement: Equal Educational Opportunity for All?"; Friedrick, "A Longitudinal Evaluation of Student Achievement in Science, Mathematics, and Other Selected Variables, Comparing Cohorts Attending a Magnet School with Those Attending Traditional High Schools"; Gamoran, "Do Magnet Schools Boost Achievement." 244 138 Academy after the renovation of the facilities already in existence. In 1993, the Teacher Academy was changed again, this time to the Business, Education, Technology Academy (BETA). The San Benito school remained a special education-focused school until it was changed to the South Texas Academy of Medical Technology (Med Tech) in 2003.245 No other South Texas ISD schools have been a focus for an historical study. Because BETA and Med Tech are relatively young and many of the original teachers and staff are employed in STISD or in the schools, these histories should be explored and recorded. A study of BETA could focus on the reasons why the focus was changed from a Teacher Academy to one that also included business and technology. BETA would be an important school to study because it includes grades 7-12, unlike the other schools which include grades 9-12. As a result, an interesting phenomenon exists at BETA. Many students attend BETA for grades 7 and 8, but transfer to Science Academy for their high school career. A study as to why this phenomenon exists possibly would illustrate curricular differences between BETA and Science Academy, not only in curricular focus, but also in academic rigor. See Appendix Four for more information about the history of the special education program of STISD and Science Academy. 245 139 Special Education within STISD STISD was begun as a district for special education students. Consequently, an historical study of the changes within the special education department at STISD would be a valuable study because of STISD's unique historical roots within the special education movement. Appendix D "Special Education at Science Academy" is a small historical portrayal of special education at one school in the district. Both BETA and Med Tech were founded as special education schools, unlike Med High and Science Academy that were created for "regular" education students. The histories of BETA and Med Tech should be recorded in order to tell the story of the district's historical roots. The school in the middle of an orange grove, across the street from the old tortilla factory is successfully educating its students, regardless of their abilities or disabilities The shared beliefs found at Science Academy are the same beliefs found throughout the district. "We have a certain philosophy, and that philosophy is that we're here to serve kids. We're advocates for kids Science Academy will undoubtedly continue its legacy of educating all exceptional children in the years to come. 140 Appendix A: Science Academy of South Texas Interview Guide Administrators, Teachers, and Staff How did you first hear about Science Academy/STISD? Why did you want to work at Science Academy/STISD? Please describe the process you went through to become a part of Science Academy/STISD. What were your first impressions of Science Academy/STISD? Where have you lived while you have been associated with Science Academy/STISD? How do you get to Science Academy? How long does it take you to travel each way? Where did you work prior to joining Science Academy/STISD? Has the organization of the school days and weeks changed during your time at Science Academy? How does it compare with previous schools in which you have worked? What differences exist in matters such as homework, after-school activities, and parent involvement, between Science Academy and your former workplace? What were your first Science Academy students like? Have they changed? In what ways? What do you remember about new teachers/students who came to Science Academy during your time there? 141 What do you remember about the administration of Science Academy? Has it changed over the years? If so, how? Please talk about significant events which occurred at Science Academy that you remember. How do you believe the curriculum at Science Academy has differed from other local high schools in the three counties? How do you remember the overall atmosphere of Science Academy? Has this atmosphere changed over the years? To what do you attribute these changes? What do you remember about the ethnic and gender diversity at Science Academy? Has this diversity changed over the years? To what do you attribute these changes? What do you believe is the current purpose of Science Academy? Have you noticed changes in purpose since you have worked here? What interesting stories do you remember about your time at Science Academy? Has Science Academy affected mathematics and science programs at other high schools in the tri-county district? How? Has Science Academy influenced academic quality of other high schools in the tri-county district? 142 Please describe the persistence of students in mathematics and science classes in college and university studies. Have any students "dropped out" or been "kicked out" of Science Academy? Why? Why do teachers decide to continue working at Science Academy? Why do others leave? What are the disciplinary policies of Science Academy, including dress code, pregnancy, drugs and alcohol. Have any students had problems in these areas? What was done as a result? Please describe the motivation and talents of students who attend Science Academy. Please describe how the facilities of Science Academy are used. How have the facilities changed over time? How do the subjects of history, English, foreign languages, and other "humanities" courses fit within the specific focus of science and technology at Science Academy? 143 Appendix B: Science Academy of South Texas Interview Guide Community Members How did you first hear about Science Academy/STISD? Why did you want to become involved with Science Academy/STISD? Please describe the process you went through to become a part of Science Academy/STISD. What were your first impressions of Science Academy/STISD? Where have you lived while you have been associated with Science Academy/STISD? How do you get to Science Academy? How long does it take you to travel each way? What were your first impressions of Science Academy students? Have Science Academy students changed? In what ways? What significant events do you remember during your time at The Science Academy? How do you remember the relationship between STISD administration and school board members and the administration, teachers, and students of Science Academy? What significant events occurred at Science Academy that you remember? 144 How do you believe the curriculum at Science Academy differed and differs from other local high schools? How do you remember the overall atmosphere of Science Academy? Has this atmosphere changed over the years? To what do you attribute these changes? What do you remember about the ethnic diversity at Science Academy? Did this diversity affect life at the school? If so, how? What do you believe is the purpose of Science Academy? What interesting stories do you remember about your time at Science Academy? 145 Appendix C: Science Academy of South Texas Interview Guide Alumni When did you enroll in Science Academy? When did you graduate? How did you first hear about Science Academy? Why did you want to attend Science Academy? Please describe the process you went through to become a part of Science Academy. What were your first impressions of Science Academy? Where had you lived while you attended Science Academy? How did you get to Science Academy? How long did it take you to travel each way? Where had you previously attended school before attending Science Academy? What were some of the main differences between Science Academy and the other schools you attended? What were your favorite courses at Science Academy? Teachers? Activities? Why? While you attended Science Academy, did your social life revolve around activities or persons from Science Academy? Why or why not? Did the organization of the school day and week change while you attended Science Academy? If so, how did it change? How did it 146 compare with previous schools you had attended? What differences existed in homework, after-school activities, parent involvement, etc. How do you remember new teachers/students who came to Science Academy during your time there? What do you remember about the administration of Science Academy? Did it change over the years you were there? If so, how? What exposure or experiences did you have with the administration of Science Academy? STISD administration? The school board? What significant events occurred at Science Academy that you remember? How do you believe the curriculum at Science Academy, in terms of academics, differed from other local high schools? How do you remember the overall atmosphere of Science Academy? Has this atmosphere changed over the years? To what do you attribute these changes? What do you remember about the ethnic diversity at Science Academy? Did this diversity affect life at the school? If so, how? Was there ever a time when you thought about leaving Science Academy? What things did you consider during that time? 147 In what ways did Science Academy prepare you for higher education and a career? What specific advice did they give you? What do you believe is the purpose of Science Academy? How do you think Science Academy has changed over time? Do you regret attending Science Academy rather than your local school? Why or why not? What interesting stories do you remember about your time at Science Academy? 148 Appendix D: Special Education at Science Academy "Special Education for Exceptional Children"246 The South Texas Independent School District was created originally to give special education students in the Valley a place to receive training and an education. Consequently, STISD's goal always has been to provide unique educational opportunities to all students, regardless of abilities or disabilities. The district began educating special education students as its primary goal, and that history continued with the opening of each school in the district, including the Science Academy. The precursor to STISD, the Rio Grande Independent Rehabilitation District (RGIRD), was initiated in 1964 by a small group of Valley citizens to provide special education programs for Valley children who previously were unable to be educated in the public schools.247 In order to continue to help serve students, the RGIRD joined with the Rio Grande Association for the Mentally Retarded and established a diagnostic and evaluation center as well as a residential day school. The Jamie McIlvain, "$8.9 million bond sale allows South Texas ISD to improve campuses," STISD Press Release, July 12, 1996, in STISD Press Releases file, STISD Archives. 246 247 Memorandum: "Report on Thirty-Year Celebration Committee." 149 District bought the South Texas Habilitation Center in Hidalgo County and updated its buildings to house a residential program and a training program for its students.248 Opening for its first school year in 1957, The South Texas Habilitation Center was a regional training school for retarded young people between the ages of sixteen and thirty. Vocational training in homemaking, agriculture, and industrial shop was offered to its students. The Rio Grande Association for the Retarded, Inc., through its Board of Directors, administered the center. The center was created as a pilot training program "to provide vocational training to retarded young people to enable them to return to their own communities whenever possible, to take their places as useful, adjusted members of society, and to be either partially or fully self-supporting." 249 The school continued to grow as more students were recommended to the program, and by 1966 a residential-day complex was created at the Edinburg school.250 By 1968, Harlingen also had a residential day complex.251 As time progressed and federal and state mandates required 248 School Board Minutes, April 27, 1966, in STISD Archive. "South Texas Habilitation Center, Edinburg Texas, Scrapbook 1957-1958," in Biblioteca las Americas Archive. 249 250 School Board Minutes, September 14, 1966, in STISD Archive. School Board Minutes, July 10, 1968, in STISD Archive. 251 150 that handicapped students be educated in the "least restrictive environment" (LRE) possible, the student population in the district changed from a mildly handicapped population to a more severely handicapped population.252 As these laws were put into effect, the two segregated campuses in Edinburg and San Benito, which offered educational services exclusively to handicapped students, were beginning to see fewer and fewer referrals from the surrounding school districts. The students that were referred to the district by the home districts changed in that more severely disabled students comprised the most frequently referred case for which the home district sought help. As these changes occurred, STISD switched its focus of education for handicapped and special needs students to a focus of educational opportunity for all students with the creation of the South Texas High School for Health Professions in 1984 and The Science Academy in 1989. In a "Five Year Vision Plan" created by STISD in 1991, the district explained its goals for special education students and the LRE. The goal for which we reach as well as its inherent importance to the handicapped student we serve must be kept clearly in mind: The basic intent of LRE, and apparently the commitment of STISD, is to explore ways in which the meaningful interactions between students with disabilities and their peers can be developed, maintained, and enhanced....In "Capital Improvement Plan--STISD, 1985-1989," in "Capital Improvement Plan" in STISD Archives. 252 151 addition, integration efforts should enhance the interaction between a student and the people who live in his/her local community (example: neighborhood school concept). Finally, integration efforts should allow for the IEP (Individual Education Plan) team to successfully arrange regular classroom, non-classroom, extracurricular and community activities which promote the competence and integration of each student. It is noted that integration in this sense has both placement and curriculum implications.253 STISD viewed itself as a "leader of public schools" which through its work with the educational community identified educational needs within the Valley and then created clear, simple goals to address those needs. 254 One of the needs that the Valley school districts identified was help in providing educational programs to its special education students. Before LRE, Valley districts did not want to create special programs for their special education students. They didn't have the programs, they didn't have the teachers, they didn't have the ability, they didn't know the law, they didn't know the regulations. And South Texas ISD was created with that in mind initially, and we were the resident experts of how to deal with these students, and we had the facilities. Now the government says you have to have a very good reason why you cannot serve these students within your home district. So districts now find it very hard to get rid of a student from their district. They have to really have somebody that has unique needs that the district can say, "There's no way that I can meet these needs."255 253 "STISD: Five Year Vision 1990" in "Five Year Plan" in STISD Archives. Ibid. Argueta interview. 254 255 152 Once LRE mandates were established, the school districts were required to have the facilities and programs to accommodate the needs of every student regardless of handicap. As a result, local school districts turned to STISD for help in creating such programs. STISD formed an Itinerant Team in order to help districts meet the needs of their special education students. Helping Other Districts Meet Students' Needs: The Itinerant Team and Satellite Units In 1989, the STISD school board established an Itinerant Team to help other Valley school districts comply with LRE regulations. This team of special education professionals were contracted out to other districts throughout the Valley to provide psychological and instructional services. "The team promotes education in the least restrictive environment and provides special education programs to handicapped students who cannot be served by their district without additional help."256 During the 1990-91 and 1991-92 school year, twenty-seven of the twenty-eight districts in the Valley contracted the Itinerant Team's services. At the time, the Itinerant Team was limited to psychological assessments, behavior management training, counseling, deaf infant and parent 256 "STISD Performance Report 1990-91," p. 8. 153 training services, and staff development training. 257 STISD's goal in helping the Valley school districts was to "develop a more proactive and positive attitude towards special education services and least restrictive environment concepts for all children."258 Another way that STISD helped Valley schools educate their special education students was through the establishment of the Satellite Units. In 1991, superintendents from all over the Valley met and discussed pressing needs for the districts. Out of those discussions emerged the need to work with emotionally disturbed (ED) students in their home districts. Because these students were severely ED, they could not be integrated into the regular education program; LRE required that the home districts meet the needs of these students. So, interdistrict agreements were initiated between STISD and other Valley school districts.259 Superintendent Schraer approached Glenda Quintanilla, a special education teacher who joined the faculty of Med High in 1989 and moved to the Science Academy when it opened its new facility in 1992, to have her supervise the Satellite Units. 260 At the time it was to be a two week 257 "STISD: Five Year Vision 1990." Ibid. Ibid. 258 259 154 commitment, but that two weeks turned into the 1992-1993 school year. In addition to her duties at Science Academy, Quintanilla was responsible for setting up the Satellite units. Her planning literally began from the ground up, starting with portable buildings. She hired assistants for the program to help work in each unit. At the time the satellite units began, Raymondville, Lyford, La Feria, and Mercedes had STISD units on their campuses.261 Because they were unable to find another supervisor, Quintanilla continued in this role until the end of the year. The satellite units became a successful program, and a principal and a supervisor were hired to run the program full-time for the 1993-94 school year. Quintanilla thoroughly enjoyed her time working with the Satellite units. I traveled to the districts. I was on the phone constantly, whatever they needed, the teachers needed, we would get. We had the students; they were served at their home district with our teachers, our materials, our buildings. Whatever they needed, we took to them. The districts said we need help with their ED students, so South Texas came to the rescue, AGAIN. (Her emphasis.) 262 Glenda Quintanilla and Josie Garcia (Special Education teachers, Science Academy) Taped interview with author, December 20, 2002, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. 260 "STISD 1991-1992 Performance Report" p. 11, in "1991-1992 Performance Report" file in STISD Archives. 261 262 Quintanilla interview. 155 The Satellite Units' success continued through the 1992-1993 school year when Port Isabel, Rio Hondo, and Mission began using the services.263 By the 1996-1997 school year, however, declining enrollment forced STISD to consolidate two units. Five more satellite units were closed by the spring of 1997. By 2002, two units continued to be open.264 Dwindling Enrollment Leads to Changes The Satellite Unit program was not the only one that had to make major changes during this time. As a result of LRE and dwindling referrals to the schools in Edinburg and San Benito, STISD dissolved the Edinburg school and opened the Teacher Academy in 1991 after renovating the existing facilities. The San Benito school remained a special education-focused school until its focus was changed to South Texas Academy of Medical Technology (Med Tech) in 2003. The students who attended Edinburg's self-contained special education programs remained at Teacher Academy, while the other special education populations were distributed between Med High and Science Academy.265 263 Ibid. Boardworks, April 22, 1997, in "Boardworks File" in STISD Archives. 264 In 1993, because of lack of interest in the school's focus, it changed from a teacher academy to the South Texas Business, Education and Technology Academy (BETA). The school is the only magnet school in STISD that offers education at the 7th and 8th grade levels. 265 156 By the Fall of 1993, the new group of special education students were officially Science Academy students.266 Science Academy's Special Education Students Even though a group of special education students were new to the Science Academy in 1993, special education students had always been part of the school. When the new facility opened in 1992, a Special Education wing was designed and built specifically for the special education faculty and students. In fact, the first Science Academy yearbook, The Catalyst, includes a page devoted to the special education faculty and students. A story about the special education program is included with pictures of seven special education students and a picture of the four staff members. Ever wonder what goes on in the classes beyond the double doors in the first hall? The four rooms are occupied by the Special Education classes. We are all acquainted with the familiar faces of Frankie and Annabell, but what do their classes consist of?267 Of the four staff members listed in the 1993 yearbook, only Glenda Quintanilla continues still as a Science Academy faculty member. Quintanilla's first students at Med High and then Science Academy were emotionally disturbed (ED) and learning disabled (LD) students. The Science Academy Campus Report, August 17, 1993, in August 1993 School Board Minutes, STISD Archives. 266 "Special Education," The Catalyst vol. 1, (1993) p. 32, in Biblioteca las Americas Archive. 267 157 special education department consisted of the self-contained program and a pull-out program for emotionally disturbed (ED) and learning disabled (LD) students. These students were mainstreamed into four courses at Science Academy and spent the remainder of their day with a specialized staff member. "The objective of the special education program is to try and mainstream the students so that they may learn to cope with a regular education setting."268 The Self-Contained Special Education Program: On the Job Training Quintanilla's program for the self-contained special education students at Med High/Science Academy was community based education, also called on-the-job training (OJT). For OJT, students had two training sites within the community where they would work before and after lunch. Students were transported to and from school on STISD buses, and Quintanilla organized and supervised the students. Two of the other staff members accompanied students to the job sites. When I started at Med High, all I had were kids out in the community. I had them full time. They were mine from the minute they stepped off the bus until they got on the bus in the afternoon. We did a lot of OJT on campus, at the library, at the main office. We had students working at central office, and they were working and getting paid. I had a couple of students that would get a monthly check. I had students training at the cafeteria, on the custodial staff, I had them everywhere on campus. We did that for a while, and then we ventured out into the community when we 268 Ibid. 158 got brave, and I figured they were ready to go out and start working in the community.269 Even though some students were paid by the training sites, a salary was not a program requirement. In 1989, the OJT program for Med High and Science Academy had thirteen students enrolled, and eight were placed in training sites within the community: Alegro's Flower Shop, Mercedes Upholstery, Farmer's Market, Montoya's Service Station, and a few others. Six other students worked around campus and in STISD offices.270 During the 1992-93 school year, training sites included the Cortez Coffee Shop, New Creations Car Wash, and the City of Weslaco.271 Even though the special education population has dwindled, OJT still continues to the present. During the 2002-2003 school year, OJT had two students in the program, one working at Wal-Mart and the other at a local restaurant. Vocational Courses for Self-Contained Special Education Students When OJT began, students were separated from the general education courses that the Science Academy offered. However as time progressed and the student population changed, the Special Education 269 Quintanilla interview. Science Academy Campus Report, November 10, 1989, in November 1989 School Board Minutes, STISD Archives. 270 271 "Special Education," The Catalyst (vol 1). 159 department had to adapt to the different needs of its students. As a result, vocational courses and inclusion courses for the self-contained special education students were begun. In the early 1990s, vocational instruction was offered for special education students in trades and industry, horticulture, and home economics. The goal of the communitybased instruction program was "to help handicapped students develop independence in their daily lives, and Vocational adjustment classes provide students with either vocational, job training or full or part-time employment."272 Vocational Inclusion Courses One of the programs that was implemented at Science Academy was the inclusion program between Manuel Vega's vocational students and the students in Dale Coalson's technology courses. Vega taught in the special education department and mainly worked with ED and LD students who were unable to be mainstreamed into regular education courses; Vega's courses consisted of Life Skills and Industrial Trades courses, emphasizing construction/building. When Coalson and Vega realized that there were overlaps in content in their respective courses, "STISD 1990-1991 Performance Report," p. 7.; "STISD 1991-1992 Performance Report," p. 8, in "1991-1992 Performance Report" file in STISD Archives. 272 160 they decided that some of Vega's students would attend Coalson's courses. Our philosophy was this: when you can plug curriculum into these kids, do it. When it's not appropriate, pull them out. Let's say I was teaching Introduction to Drafting, and Vega had four kids who were able to listen in on that, they had the skills, they sat in my class with the rest of the kids, they did the assignments, they had an aide who came with them and helped assist in modifications. When we got to the point where the regular ed kids started going right past them, we pulled them out. They didn't just sit there; we worked as long as we could get something out of that instructional lesson, then we stopped. And then we'd find another avenue, and put them back in. And in between there, they had their own instruction that they were doing. It was a fantastic inclusion program. 273 Another way that the special education inclusion students would work with the regular education students was through the production laboratory at Science Academy. From the faculty's visits at Rice University through the Rice summer program, teachers and staff visited many of the engineering and design laboratories at Rice. They found that the engineering graduate students who had a budget for their projects would hire machinists to actually build the graduate students' plans and designs. The technology teachers took this idea back to Science Academy. We said, we'll do that in high school. And for a while, we had that working. We taught special ed students [in the technology courses], and we got a lot of recognition for that. Usually these two 273 Coalson interview, May 9, 2002. 161 don't meet. We had [regular education] kids who could design wonderful things, and then would go work with the Industrial trades kids, and they, some of them were from really terrible homes, had some really serious problems, but they can build. And you get these two people talking across the table where they would never meet in a high school.274 Unfortunately, the population of special education students at Science Academy dropped substantially as the other school districts in the Valley began to implement their own special education programs as a result of LRE. Another educational result of the special education inclusion courses occurred when the special education students became "teachers" in the regular education technology courses. The special education students, as a result of their courses with Vega, were very good at using power tools; Coalson's students, however, were not as adept. Vega's students taught the general education students about tools and tool safety because in many instances, the special education students knew more about the tools than the teachers. Vega's kids would teach my kids safety. They would bone up, "you're going to teach the band saw." They'd learn every single tiny part, because they wanted to impress those girls that they knew their band saws. It worked. It was a cool program.275 274 Schroll interview, May 29, 2002. Coalson interview, May 9, 2002. 275 162 Unfortunately, these inclusion programs for self-contained special education students were discontinued in the late 1990s as the special education enrollment declined. Instead of completely abandoning the vocational courses, however, the Architectural Science program evolved from the inclusion course that Coalson and Vega had created. Instead of Vega's students taking part in Coalson's courses and teaching tools to the regular education students, the special education students used their knowledge and expertise of carpentry and tools and began work with Habitat for Humanity. 276 At present, two vocational courses exist for the special education department: General Mechanics (auto repair) and Architectural Science. The Science Academy Print Shop: The Gutenberg Press The success of Vega's and Coalson's inclusion program prompted discussions among Mark Schroll, one of the technology teachers, Quintanilla, Coalson, and Principal Jeff Hembree as to what other types of programs could be created for the special education students that would provide direct involvement with general education Science Academy students. With the blessing of the other teachers, Schroll proposed that a Science Academy print shop be created where general education students would have a formal method for obtaining copies and 276 Ibid. 163 transparencies for school projects and presentations. The Print Shop would be used as a training facility and work-site for the Community Based instruction program. The general idea is to extend the "real world" aspect of the students' training by offering printing services to the students and faculty of the Science Academy. It is to be emphasized that the services offered by the formation of the print shop are only an extension of a class activity and are not the primary function of the print shop.277 The print shop, which became known as The Gutenberg Press, became an essential part of life at Science Academy. As general education students' needs arose for bound copies of presentations and other related services, The Gutenberg Press adapted to meet those needs. With the help of Quintanilla and other special education staff members, the special education students created transparencies, printed and bound books, hole punched, collated, stuffed envelopes, and almost everything else that a basic print shop did. "We were a mini Kinko's and it worked well. We did a lot for the students, we did a lot for the administration building, all the applications that are sent out to colleges and universities, we printed, stuffed, and labeled. My students did that."278 The Gutenberg Press was such an important part of life at Science "The Print Shop Proposal (revised)," n.d., in Science Academy Administration Files, 1994-1995 box, Science Academy Archives. 277 278 Quintanilla interview. 164 Academy that the yearbook The Catalyst has a page devoted to the Press for each of the years that the program ran. When the special education population changed at Science Academy, the Press ceased production after the 2000 school year. The population change along with the readily available mass-market print shops near the Mercedes campus and the rest of the Valley forced the school's print shop to close. Quintanilla's focus then turned full-time to meeting the needs of the special education students who were enrolled in general education courses but needed extra help or modifications. Out of this need, the Content Mastery Center was created. Quintanilla became a contact teacher for mainstreamed special education students and ran the Content Mastery Center. Special Education Programs for ED and LD Students In addition to organizing the OJT program for Science Academy, Quintanilla is also responsible for running the other special education programs for the mainstreamed students who receive special education services. Each special education student at Science Academy has specific needs that must be met in order for him/her to be successful despite his/her disability. Most students who are mainstreamed into the regular education courses at Science Academy are considered LD students, which includes dyslexic students, students with auditory impairments, 165 speech impairments, mobility impairments, and other learning disabilities. ED students also make up some of the mainstreamed special education students. All mainstreamed special education students have a contact teacher, a special education teacher who keeps in contact with the students' teachers and parents. Quintanilla and Josie Garcia are the main faculty in the special education department and as a result, are contact teachers for the special education students. As contact teachers, Quintanilla and Garcia monitor students by periodically checking in with a student's teachers to find out about the student's progress. "I go talk to the teachers, visit with them, see if there are any problems that are not being addressed, or if they see a need, and if they see a need, I go back to Josie and say, 'this teacher needs this or the student needs this.'" 279 Quintanilla and Garcia also send reports home to the parents so that they will be informed about their student's progress. Each report is "individualized, because it asks specific questions, specific needs that the student has, so it's not just a progress report. It's individualized and personalized. Telling that this project is incomplete, this homework is missing, and such."280 These individualized reports help to keep students, parents, and teachers aware of each student's progress as well 279 Ibid. Ibid. 280 166 as providing an opportunity each time for students to receive specific help if they need it. Another way that the mainstreamed students can receive help is through the Content Mastery Center at Science Academy. Content Mastery The Content Mastery Center (CMC), housed in Quintanilla's classroom, is where mainstreamed special education students get help from Quintanilla and her staff. [Mainstreamed special education students] are 100% mainstreamed, in the regular program, doing what your "average intelligence student" is doing, but with disabilities. In other words, Josie is regular but I have learning problems. I'm still sitting next to her in the same class, doing everything she is doing. I just need extra help, and that's when they come to us. I have two assistants, and we all help them. We help them finish those projects, learn the vocabulary, if they need extra time to find the definitions, or get on the internet, if they are working on something that requires internet assistance.281 All special education students have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) that lists the various modifications each student is required to have. Teachers have copies of the modifications and know if a student needs extra time working on a project or test, or other modifications which may require a student visiting the CMC classroom. Teachers need to know how to modify lessons and assignments for students so that students will have the opportunity to succeed in class. 281 Ibid. 167 Quintanilla and Garcia are responsible for training the Science Academy staff in the areas of special education. Various topics of training sessions include how to modify lessons and assignments and how to work with emotionally disturbed students. If a teacher needs help modifying an examination or assignments, Garcia and Quintanilla are available. "The most important thing is that the teachers need to know that we are a resource."282 In some cases, special education students have transitioned out of the special education department. Garcia explained: "I have seen students, last year and this year, that have actually gone out of the special ed program. They were able to function well without having to have support services." These students learned how to modify and adapt to the regular education classroom so well that they do not need support services such as CMC. However, Quintanilla continues to monitor these students. During the 2002-2003 school year, she had three students who received no other services from special education other than her three-week progress check-ups. Quintanilla continued checking in with these students so that if a problem ever arose, she and Garcia would be able to help students get back on track and excel in their academics. 282 Ibid. 168 Higher Learning Opportunities for All Most important for Quintanilla and Garcia is their belief that even if a student has a learning disability, "that doesn't mean that you are dumb. It means that you just need a little extra help."283 As a result, all students in the special education department are encouraged to attend college--as are all students at Science Academy--whether it be a local community college or university, or, in the case of the self-contained special education students, the Texas State Technical College (TSTC). The self-contained students' program is directly linked to the program at TSTC; if a student finishes learning his/her trade at Science Academy, they have the opportunity to continue their training at TSTC. Many of the skills that the students learn at Science Academy are also taught at TSTC, which allows students an easier transition into their new learning environment.284 Quintanilla and Garcia believe another of their responsibilities for their students is to give students the knowledge of how to find services if they need help--they want their students to learn to be as independent as possible even with their disability or learning disability. In order to help facilitate a smoother transition to college for students. Garcia 283 Ibid. Ibid. 284 169 arranged for the various agencies such as the Texas Rehabilitation Commission to visit with students and inform them on the types of services and assistance for which they are eligible. In March of 2002, Garcia took her students to the office of Support Services at TSTC and to the Learning Center at The University of Texas-Pan American to show students where they can go for help and to acquaint them with the types of support services that are available to them at those campuses. Helping Other Districts The strength of the special education department at Science Academy is their personal touch--from monitoring students who have transitioned out of the program to encouraging each and every special education student to pursue higher learning. "We accommodate a lot, and maybe because we are a magnet school, we have more of a personal touch. That is what makes it unique. You are not a number. Anywhere else, you are a number. Any other district, you are a number. Not here. Here the students are not numbered; they have names and faces."285 The desire to help students is not unique to the Science Academy; it is the fundamental goal of STISD, just as it was for the Rehabilitation District begun in the 1960s. All students deserve to have the opportunity to learn. Even to this day, if a district in the Valley cannot accommodate 285 Ibid. 170 the needs of one of their special education students or need help, they call on STISD. I don't think South Texas ISD has ever said NO [her emphasis]to a need. But if Mercedes ISD calls and says, "[Superintendent] Guerra, we need something, we can't provide it," even if we don't have it, we will create it. We will help that student. We will find a way to do it. They'll get the resources, they'll get the teacher, whatever is needed. And I have seen that in the thirteen years I have been here. We won't say no to our other districts. That has been our mission. 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In, Education Week on the Web, http://www.edweek.org/ew/1999/39magnet.h18. (accessed March 17, 2001). 185 Oral History Interviews Argueta, Edward. Principal, Science Academy. Taped interview with author, May 27, 2002, Science Academy Main Office, Mercedes, Texas. Ashley, Lisa. English and Journalism Teacher, Science Academy. Taped interview with author, November 3, 2000, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. Boe, David. Technology Teacher, Science Academy. Taped interview with author, September 18, 2002, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. Chairez, Phillip. 2002 Graduate of Science Academy. Online interview, February 9, 2003. Chan, Bea. 2002 Graduate of Science Academy. Science Academy 2002 Graduates Focus Group Taped interview, May 29, 2002, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. Coalson, Dale. Technology teacher, Science Academy. Taped interviews with author, November 2, 2000 and May 9, 2002, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. Dehning, Nicole. 2002 Graduate of Science Academy. Online interview, January 6, 2003. Erwin, Scott. South Texas Independent School District Board Member. Taped interview with author, March 19, 2002, STISD Central Office, Mercedes, Texas. Hassan, Janet. Mathematics teacher, Science Academy. Taped interview with author, May 29, 2002, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. Hembree, Jeff. Deputy Superintendent, STISD. Taped interview with author, May 8, 2002, STISD Main Offices, Mercedes, Texas. Kasan, Meeta. 2002 Graduate of Science Academy. Online interview, 186 January 22, 2003. Kinsey, James. Bullard-Welch Professor of Chemistry, Rice University. Taped interview with author, September 12, 2002, Rice University, Houston, Texas. Lamas, Joe. Biology teacher, Science Academy. Taped interview with author, May 29, 2002, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. Lopez, Jorge. Former Deputy Superintendent, STISD. Taped interview with author, March 20, 2002, STISD Central Office, Mercedes, Texas. Miller, Leslie. Senior Research Scholar, Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning, Rice University. Taped interview with author, February 26, 2003, Rice University, Houston, Texas. Nieto, Adan. 2002 Graduate of Science Academy. Online interview, August 18, 2002. Quintanilla, Glenda and Josie Garcia. Special Education teachers, Science Academy. Taped group interview with author, December 20, 2002, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. Rabinowitz, David. 2002 Graduate of Science Academy. Science Academy 2002 Graduates Focus Group Taped interview, May 29, 2002, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. Riggins, Bob. English teacher, Science Academy. Taped interview with author, May 28, 2002, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. Schraer, Ron. Former Superintendent, STISD. Interview with author, May 24, 2001, Mercedes, Texas. Schroll, Mark. Technology Teacher, Science Academy. Taped interviews with author, November 2, 2000, May 29, 2002, and December 18, 2002, Science Academy, Mercedes, Texas. 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The Valley Morning Star, November 6, 1997, A 3. ------. "McAllen's Magnet School Application Rejected." The Monitor, August 5, 1998, A1. ------. "School District Working on Magnet Program Details." The Monitor, March 15, 1998, 1B, 4B. ------. "South Texas School District Shelves Plan for Arts Magnet: Idea Drew Intense Criticism from Other Districts in Valley." The Monitor, November 6, 1998, A1, 6A. ------. "Specialized Schools Have a Great Pull/Impact on Students." The Monitor, November 18, 1997, C 1. Swan, Linda. "Science Academy Committed to Nation's Quest for Learning." The Monitor, August 23, 1992, 3B. Taylor, Elizabeth Laura. "Application Proposal OK'd: South Texas District Fine Arts Magnet School to Be Called 'Enlace De Culturas'." Valley Morning Star, May 29, 1998, A2. 206 Telese, James A. "Mexican American High School Students' Perceptions of Mathematics and Mathematics Teaching." Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences 21 (May, 1999): 154-69. Tidwell, Romeria. "Dropouts Speak Out: Qualitative Data on Early School Departures." Adolescence 23, (Winter, 1988): 939-54. Timberlake, Constance H. "Demographic Factors and Personal Resources That Black Female Students Identified as Being Supportive in Attaining Their High School Diplomas." Adolescence 17 (Spring, 1982): 107-15. Trevino, Ben. "Science Academy Students Learn Biology Lessons 'at the Levee'." Mid-Valley Neighbors, February 4, 1998, 8. Valverde, Sylvia A. "A Comparative Study of Hispanic High School Dropouts and Graduates: Why Do Some Leave School Early and Some Finish?" Education and Urban Society 19 (May, 1987): 32029. Walker, Billy. "Laying the Future's Foundation." Texas Lone Star 10, no. 8 (1992): 49. Williams, S. B. "A Comparative Study of Black Dropouts and Black High School Graduates in an Urban Public School System." Education and Urban Society 19 (May, 1987): 311-19. Witherspoon, Karen McCurtis, Suzette L. Speight, and Anita Jones Thomas. "Racial Identity Attitudes, School Achievement, and Academic Self-Efficacy among African American High School Students." Journal of Black Psychology 23 (November, 1997): 34457. 207 Vita Anna Dorine Rudolph Canter was born in Houston, Texas, on December 1, 1972, the daughter of Glenda Myers Rudolph and Frederick B. Rudolph, Ph.D. After completing a high school diploma at Bellaire High School, Houston, Texas, she entered Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Russian in May 1994. The following year, she received her Master of Arts in Teaching, with certification in secondary English, Russian, and English as a Second or Other Language (ESOL) from Trinity University. For the 1995-1996 school year, Anna was a Curriculum Consultant for the American Council of Teachers of Russian and taught college-level English at the Russian State Humanities University in Moscow, Russia. Anna returned to San Antonio, Texas the following year and taught junior and senior level high school English, as well as Russian I and II at Taft High School in the Northside Independent School District in San Antonio. In August 1999, Anna moved to Austin, Texas, and began doctoral studies at The University of Texas at Austin. Anna was married to Christopher M. Canter on December 16, 2000. Her presentations include: If You Build It, They May Not Come: Discovering Your Online Community is Not a Community, co-authored with Courtney S. Glazer and presented at ED Media in June 2003; Curriculum 208 Continuity and Change at The Science Academy of South Texas, presented at the 2003 Society for the Study of Curriculum History; Forgotten Voices in Educational Accountability: Reflections by Graduating Seniors, coauthored with Elaine Clift Gore and presented a the American Educational Research Association in April 2003; and In the middle of an orange grove, across the street from a tortilla factory: The Science Academy of South Texas, presented at the American Association for Teaching and Curriculum in October 2001. Honorary and professional memberships include membership in American Educational Research Association, the Society for the Study of Curriculum History, Kappa Delta Pi and Pi Lambda Theta. Permanent address: 12703 Vidorra Vista, San Antonio, Texas, 78216. This dissertation was word processed by the author. 209

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