Category: Projects Spring 2017

High School Visit on Friday 3/3/17

Short Interviews:

Mr. Smith – One of the adult employees of the school.

*** He just sat down as we were about to converse with Principal Eid and started to give his opinions on everything, so this was not a formal interview, but below are my documented notes.

–          There is a Fear Factor.

–          The bottom 1% of students are the ones who cause all the problems, and they are where all the focus is

–          There are policies called Age Placement that mean that even if a student fails middle school, if they are high school age, they must be in the high schools.

–          Clay has the highest rate of suspension and expulsion, but they think that is a good thing.

–          The importance of safety is extreme.

–          “High School is a microcosm of society”

–          There are fights like nothing you have ever seen at Clay.

–          They are trying to build a culture of respect, but it doesn’t really exist yet.

–          With Trump and Devos who knows what is going to happen, they are trying to pull students out of public education.

–          He says marketing is great, but you can only do so much. We need real change and new programs.

 

Jacob Williams – Sophomore

Favorite Part of Clay: his CTE classes (cooking and welding)

Favorite Regular Class: gym, followed by English.

He doesn’t even pay attention to the Art Magnet aspect of Clay

Thinks Classes are hard.

 

Jayden Riffle – Junior

–          Favorite Academics: English and History

–          CTE Course: Welding

–          He thinks that there is a lot of talent at Clay, but he isn’t a big arts person himself.

–          He thinks classes at Clay are easy.

–          He thinks he will go to college, and said Clay is helping him figure it out.

–          Favorite part: The Community

 

Melina Andino – Junior

–          Favorite Part: nothing

–          The sports all suck, we should get new coaches

–          Not involved in the arts

–          Favorite Academics: English Honors (she has the best teacher)

–          Her classes are easy and she doesn’t take AP’s

Maythe Ortega – Junior

–          Favorite Part: can’t think of anything

–          Sports: Baseball and Basketball are good

–          She is involved in the arts programs

–          Taking CTE – culinary arts

–          Favorite Academics: Marine Biology

–          Easy classes, no AP’s

Adam – Sophomore

–          Sports at Clay are all right

–          Favorite Class: Geography

–          He likes art and CTE, taking those classes next year

–          Easy classes, no AP’s

Cameron – Freshman

–          Plays sports – football, wrestling, and track

–          The arts programs are all right

–          He wants to take automotive CTE

–          Some of his classes are hard

–          I showed him the cards, and he told me he can’t read well.

 

Safety Patrol Person:

“South Bend schools need to get away from magnets and put everyone in blocks. Magnets hurt enrollment, and destroy the loyalty in the schools. Adams gets all the top kids.”

 

Professors of the CTE Classes:

–          CTE is an offering only at Clay, but it is open to students at all four High Schools.

Louise Melander – dental careers (2-year program, students earn 6 credits).

–          Smaller number of students, most of whom are tremendously dedicated.

–          They push their students, but have to teach to the middle (some students have experience, some none.)

–          “CTE is a well-kept secret. All of the students in Welding already have jobs.”

Barb Wieczorek – Intro to Health Careers and EMS (6/7.5 dual credits respectively)

–          The students are highly motivated, and grade driven.

–          They have to attend summer school to get into the CTE programs because they are half day courses.

–          90% of the students go into the field of medicine.

–          “CTE is the only reason some students are still in High School. It makes them feel like they have found a purpose.”

–          Only 5/30 and 3/9 students are from Clay HS.

Interview 5: EXPERT (Conducted at Brothers at 5pm Thursday (3/2)

Name: Mr. John Anella

Gender: Male       Age: Middle Aged

Expert Status: Member of the South Bend School Board

Mr. Anella attended the University of Notre Dame and studied Psych and Accounting when he went to Notre Dame, has 5 children (Senior and freshman at Adams, 7^th, 5^th, 2^nd grade at St. Joe, and sits on the school board.

His two oldest children are at Adams, the other three attend St. Joe Middle and Elementary schools.

Experience and decision making for first kid:

–          First kid was so done with Catholic School.

–          You live here and you have kids in the schools,

–          Your friends, and your kids friends have older siblings, you hear about the schools

–          The perception of the south bend schools is terrible

–          The perception of Clay is a lot more negative than the actuality

–          My son who goes out to Washington jokes about going to the ghetto.

–          There is an administrator who works at clay who sends his daughter to penn, because “even I wouldn’t send my kids here”

–          We lose kids in South Bend to Penn

–          The catholic schools in the area are also good.

–          A lot of it is perception of the kind of environment kids want.

–          If one of his youngest wanted to go to St. Joe, he would let them as long as they have taken all the options into account

o   However, his younger kids look up to their older siblings (one is an artist and one is sporty)

o   Most of the time, younger siblings go where the older siblings go?

 

Did you choose Adams because of the IB?

–          It is very important to him – considering both of his boys are in it. “Both of his high schoolers are in IB, and love the program.”

–          Obviously, you are looking for the best academic choice.

–          His kids came through Catholic grade school, St. Joe

–          Most kids from St. Joe went to St. Joe, about a third went to Adams

–          He likes IB over AP, curriculum that is internationally accepted. His son has two friends (one from Austria and Belgium because they can transfer back to his European schools.)

–          His son is on track for the diploma and has not taken any AP classes.

o   Last Year, 27 got the diploma, 100 some got the certificate,

–          IB is more standardized.

–          They chose the school for its IB, and the fact that it is close.

o   They live less than a mile away.

Other Notes:

–          His kids are in the IB program.

–          His son has participated in the Orchestra Pit at Clay, he wasn’t in the school, but they needed a base player so he got to play with them.

–          “South Bend will be closing schools soon.”

–          Downside to the Magnet:

o   Gay Clay perception and you pigeonhole students

–          A referral is the most powerful thing you can do.

–          A principal does set the tone for a building

–          The news loves bad media, and it just feeds the stereotypes.

–          Clay has School Within a School – it is in school detention but not called in school detention because they’re learning.

–          The alternative school has a lot more resources.

–          Clay could be an AP magnet.

–          Adams will soon face enrollment options (too many students), if students can’t get into Adams, might they go to Clay?

–          People also base where they go on geography

–          Looking at local middle school scores – if people don’t get their kid into LaSalle, they might send them into Jefferson.

o   If people can’t get into one of those, they bail out of the Catholic school system.

–          The hardest challenge in the HS is that most teachers are white, because that is who is available. Minority faculty aren’t as prevalent.

–          Adams has an incredible bilingual program.

–          For him, as a parent, he just wants good teachers. Their level of diversity doesn’t really make a difference.

–          Most funding comes from the state, then the local tax collections were capped (so now they get less for transportation), and they get federal dollars for students with special needs.

o   If you lose a kid, you lose 65,000 dollars.

o   There is not enough development

–          All the South Bend Public schools are roughly the same looking

o   Most of the schools are really nice.

o   Clay Intermediate is falling apart a little bit.

o   We should close buildings because the money is spread too thin.

Quotes:

“As a parent, I’d rather choose a school because of academics.”

“Washington has a uniform policy, I guess there are some kids who will go there just because they don’t have to wear a uniform.”

“When they see their friends moving to Penn or St. Joe, they’re like ‘I’m not going to Clay’”

“One of Mansour’s challenge’s is that they will have behavior problems, and it is a very small amount of kids… the joke is that every year Clay sends 50 kids to Rise Up. These schools would love to send more kids to alternative institutions.”

“Safety has never been an issue at Adams.”

“Some of the perception of danger is probably a little racist too. People have a perception that isn’t always fair.”

“You have got to get the parents to buy in, a lot of it is getting the word out. Maybe you have to start small and earn the respect of people of the community.”

Interview 4: Conducted Friday, 3/3, at 1pm

*** Recording taken, no pictures included.

Name: Professor Jenny Martin

Gender: Female       Age: 37 Years Old

Appearance: I did not ask to take her photo. Professor Martin has long, blonde hair, glasses. Looks very put together in her dress – was wearing dress pants and a grey blazer.

Her office has a beautiful wooden desk, and bookshelves lining the entire room filled with books.

Occupation: She teaches PLS at the University of Notre Dame, and specializes in Theology.

Her Story:

She has lived in South Bend since 2005, and she came her for Graduate School in 2012, and then was employed by Notre Dame to teach PLS. Initially from Georgia. She is married, and her husband teaches as well (he used to teach at St. Joe).

She has three children. A 9-year-old boy in the 4^th grade, a 7-year-old boy in the 1^st grade, and a 5-year-old girl in preschool.

 

Where do her kids go to school? Has she thought about their schooling?

–          Her children used to attend Marquette Montessori school, and it was nice in theory.

o   Montessori schools allow the students to assign themselves work, and self-regulate. This system was great for one of her kids, but the others need structure, and she believes in a more traditional teaching role (considering she is a teacher).

–          So, she transitioned them to St. Joe, and believes that they will continue into St. Joe High School.

o   This was mostly because…

o   Her husband used to teach at St. Joe, so they know teachers and people there. She felt like they had a personal connection to the school.

o   She likes the focus on Catholic Formation

o   St. Joe is their home parish

o   It is only 15 minutes from their house (although there are closer High Schools).

–          At their ages, her kids already pretty much know that they are going to St. Joe for HS.

o   Her sons have visited for a Cub Scouts trip, and they’re comfortable there.

What is important in looking at schools?

–          The academic element is essential, and the structure for her kids to learn.

–          The Catholic element was nice, but not entirely necessary

–          Arts are incredibly important to her, and so were athletics in the decision.

o   Two of her children are highly artistic, and they are all athletic.

–          She already knows that her children will attend college one day.

–          Physical appearance did not really play in to the decision

–          Her children definitely have a say in their school decision

 

She talks to other parents about education a lot.

–          Public schools are a common topic of conversation among her and her friends,

–          They think there is an unusual amount of school switching in South Bend.

–          She has heard of different kids from one family attending different schools.

–          Her perception of Clay is vaguely positive, she thinks it is a good public school

o   a decent number of students from St. Joe grade school move on to Clay

–          School Recommendations and Word of Mouth are very powerful,

o   Someone messaged her on Facebook the other day asking for school recommendations.  

Interviews 2 and 3: Conducted Wednesday 3/1 at around noon

*** The following two interviews were conducted with food service employees at LaFortune Student Center. They requested that I not use their full names, and one refused to be pictured.

*** As they were conducted with workers – I did not have time for a full ethnographic interview because they were working and moving, and it was not the standard casual interview discussion.

 

Interview 2:

Name: Kim H.

Gender: Female

Age: 38

Occupation: Food services at Notre Dame – Starbucks

Appearance: (photo in phone)

How many children do you have?

–          Three children; ages 9,6 and 2

Where do your kids go to school?

–          They go to school where their babysitter goes. Transportation is a huge struggle for her family. She would love to send them to a better school.

–          They should go to Niles, and she is thinking about transferring them to Brandywine – because it is a smaller school

–          She doesn’t like the “rougher, tougher school” that her kids are currently at

–          She doesn’t like the exposure to the older students

What is the biggest challenge she faces?

–          Transportation is her biggest challenge

–          Her and her husband both work and her children’s school has to be convenient

–          She can’t send them to a Magnet, because the magnet requires a “wait in line”?

–          She can’t send them to another school because it requires that the parents volunteer at it, and her and her husband do not have time to volunteer

What is most important?

–          Convenience/Ability to get her children to and from the school

–          Safety of her kids

–          Then academics

My observations:

She really, really wishes she could do better for her kids, but her lower income status inhibits this. She is also very well informed about the different options already, and her kids are relatively young.

 

Interview 3:

Name: Joyce L.

Gender: Female

Age: Would not say her age. She does have a daughter who is 30, and a son who is 37. Each of her children has an eleven-year-old daughter.

Occupation: Food services at Notre Dame – Assorted locations. Interviewed in Taco Bell.

Appearance: Refused to have photo taken. Joyce is African American, slightly older, slim of build, wearing all black as it is her work uniform, wearing a black baseball cap.

Where do your kids go to school?

–          Her kids both went to Clay High School (quite a while ago).

–          She remembers it being a good school. Then someone shut down LaSalle (which is confusing because it is still open?), and that started problems. The North v. East side students got into fights.

–          There was drug dealing at Clay when her kids went there.

–          Her grandkids go to Edison.

o   One day a boy in the 6^th grade brought a knife to school and the middle school was forced to send all the kids home.

What is the biggest challenge she faces?

–          Transportation of her grandkids to and from school.

–          I got the feeling that she was very involved in their lives.

What is most important?

–          She said she doesn’t have a lot of time for fighting

–          She “ain’t got time for her kids to be bullied”

–          She wants to be sure teachers are teaching them well.

–          She said SAFETY and then wanting them to actually learn

Ethnographic Interview Summary

Interview 1:

*** Conducted at ABP on Notre Dame’s campus at 8pm on Sunday 2/26

*** Pictures and video taken, but not included here.

Name: Maria Caponigro

Age: 21 Years Old

From: South Bend

Attended: Adams High School and then Notre Dame – studies Political Science, and Education, Schooling, and Society.

Her HS Extracurricular Activities: Marching Band Drum Major, Jazz Band, Mock Trial, Model UN, NHS, interned at the Mayor’s office.

Her ND Experience: Internship with the Department of Education in D.C.

Occupation: Harrison Primary Center Community School Coordinator. Essentially, this means that she connects people outside the school with the school.

 

What was the process of choosing your HS?

–        Catholic Elementary School 2 through 8^th grade

–        When it was time to choose a HS, her options were St. Joe, Marian and Adams (it was her neighborhood school)

–        She didn’t even consider Riley, Clay, or Washington because they were not in her neighborhood.

–        Clay isn’t known to have a lot of high academic rigor, more important to her than the arts, Arts are supplemental, academics was the focus for her family.

–        She came up with a list of categories of what she thought was important

–        Then she took tours of the schools, and attended open houses with her parents

–        They each ranked each school in each category, (academic opportunities, singing and musical instruments // arts programs, diversity, proximity, price.)

 

–        When she did shadow:

o   Being able to participate in the classes was important

o   So was interacting with teachers

o   Being able to see the academic programs that up close made her parents feel better about the academic opportunities

o   “It is one thing to read about it on paper, and it is another to experience it.”

o   Shadowing gives a taste of what it is like to be in the HS.

 

What played a big role?

–        Her brother went there before her.

o   That made a huge difference as she looks up to him and considers them very close

o   For her dad, this was a negative, because he saw that her brother wasn’t as involved in the church as much after leaving Catholic school

o   The fact that her and her brother both went there makes even more of a difference for her littler siblings, since they have been exposed to it for a while now and have grown up liking Adams – seeing the spirit wear, going to football games.

§  Her siblings are Matt (23), Monica (13), and Mitchell (15)

–        The decision not to go to St. Joe was mostly academic. It is easier to do well at St. Joe, because there is an environment of academic performance being more important than other things. More students take AP and honors classes at St. Joe. But, one thing she didn’t like was that St. Joe emphasized competitive academics.

–        A plus for private school was the Catholic aspect.

–        When she looked at Penn it was just too big of a school

–        PROXIMITY was really important to her.

–        In the end: Adams was nicely balanced in sports, academics, music,

–        She also lived right by Adams (probably 3 blocks away).

–        Adams won because it ranked the highest in her criteria and in her parents.

Description of Adams:

–        Adams is basically equally minority and white,

–        Their IB program is predominately white, rest of school is not.

–        Over 50% of students are on free // reduced lunch

–        Adams is the IB magnet. In her year, 100 kids did the IB Magnet. It has changed a lot since she was there.

o   There were only 15 that were full diploma in the whole school, since then the program has grown a lot.

o   Now there are from 150 to 200 involved.

o   If you are IB you start on the pre-IB track.

o   The people who are really engaged in the academics are in the IB program, she wasn’t in the other classes.

o   Not every student is super engaged in their academics; but they do better on average because people know it is the academic magnet.

–        The IB program prepared her for HS, but there was no counselor help. She couldn’t’ even apply for certain scholarship because her counselor wasn’t involved.

–        The Adams foreign language department is fabulous, and it definitely attracts people to the school.

–        She did see fights with relative frequency at Adams.

 

Among the Students – Stereotypes:

–        The perception of students of Clay is that Clay doesn’t have a lot of academic rigor // that kids at clay aren’t challenged.

–        The other perception is that people who go to Clay are probably artsy, and probably gay.

–        The perception was that Adams students were “stuck up” or “bitches”

 

 

Expert Resource:

*** Maria has a job in the school district now, and does research on school choice presently.

–        Her research is about school choice and how power theories fit with it.

–        The idea is that school choice gives power to parents, particularly in low income families, and she wanted to test if this is actually the case.

o    Do parents have power in education if they have school of choice?

–        If we have vouchers or charter schools and we have legal protection so you can choose, according to the logic, you should see more parents choosing those (higher quality) schools.

–        A majority of Latino families in the United States are Catholic. Currently most Latino families aren’t taking advantage of school choice to send their kids to Catholic schools. Why?

–        Maria’s research says that it is because we are not providing proper information to parents in a way that is accurate and accessible.

o   We don’t train parents on how to navigate the educational system.

o   We shouldn’t tell them what to choose, but teach them what to look for and allow them to receive that information.

–        Where people find information is key to that whole issue.

o   A lot of low income parents decide where to go to school based on word of mouth.

o   Wealthier parents will look at online resources or booklets or school tours,

o   “Low income parents will see that information, but not trust it until they hear it from word of mouth.”

–        Level of parental education might play into how much parents value academic quality.

–        The most visited data point on a website is demographics of a school. ***

–        “People who come from low income families tend to go to school based on practical reasons over academic quality” — transportation, where their friends’ kids go, where they know people, if they know teachers there, SAFETY is a huge issue for low income families.

–        Her research says that SAFETY is number one issue for almost all parents.

–        South Bend city government doesn’t really have a formal way of interacting with schools

o   Mayor Pete has been really supportive of the schools.

o   Interned for the mayor again last fall and worked for the Director of Community Outreach on a youth task force, that goes around and talks about how to address youth violence.

 

–        Regarding the school “path” – there is an automatic way to go, and this is due to the designation of a feeder school system.

–        Most people go to the school that their feeder leads into unless they want a magnet or private school.

o   Not heard of a ton of people going to Washington because of the magnet.

o   Lots of students go from Kennedy – LaSalle – Adams because those three are the academic magnets.