Schools
When The Halls Get Out of Hand
Patch scrutinizes Newark Memorial High School's disruption rates and compares them to suspension and expulsion rates.
Patch readers asked us to confirm or dispel rumors that Newark Memorial High School has a turbulent learning environment.
Here’s what we learned:
Only 10 percent of students said they feel very safe at Newark Memorial High School, according to the results of a district wide “Healthy Kids Survey,” which coincides with data we mined from the district and the state.
Newark Unified School District compiles information about school priorities and climates into reports for each of its schools that are called a “Single Plan for Student Achievement.” They are colloquially referred to as the “school’s site plan.”
Newark Memorial High School's site plan says that 20 percent of students polled during the 2011-12 school year say they felt bullied at school, a perception that coincides with the actual amount of defiant acts that took place on campus.
How local teachers perceive the issue:
Find out what's happening in Newarkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Sixty four percent of teachers said that Newark Memorial High School is a safe place for employees, according to the latest California School Climate Survey. 55 percent of people polled agreed that the high school was a safe place for students. Only seven percent strongly agreed.
The California Department of Education sent the survey to teachers and administrators in the Newark Unified School District during the 2011-12 year. (That is the most recent data available.)
Find out what's happening in Newarkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
How parents perceive the issue:
Parents told Patch that they are extremely concerned about the communication, or lack thereof, from school administrators about disruptions on campus.
“I rolled in on Friday to find at least 5 patrol cars,” writes Jody Montgomery in a comment on Patch.
“Both of my kids had slightly different versions as to the activity as did their friends. If a directive was given to NOT communicate with parents then the schools must understand the lack of trust and the incorrect assumptions and fear made by the community. If the school district wants parental involvement and connection, the district must give that as well. Together we can possibly gain insight as to the problems.”
To see how many disruptions took place take a look at the chart embedded in this post. Click on the grey dots to change the data on display.
What's your opinion on the matter? Do we need more data to accurately determine the state of learning environments? Should school administrators communicate with parents more frequently about disruptions on campus? Tell us in the comments.
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