Frisco ISD And The Open Door Policy
There are 3 thing I love in life more than anything else.? On the top of that list is my kids, Alpha Boy and Dirt Bike Boy.? I spend my evenings doing homework, 2nd grade math, spelling, and giving encouragement.? The problem that I’ve come to realize is, not all schools are created equal.? Not all teachers are created equal.? In this day and age it’s difficult to be a divorced parent that has an active part of your child’s education.? I can tell that public education has turned into a micromanagement of mid-level policy.? It has left me frustrated, but determined.? I’m frustrated that simple things become exaggerated, but determined to not allow obstacles stand in my way.In the last 2 weeks, Dirt Bike Boy has come home with soiled pants.? The first time I addressed the issue with my son.? I told him to use the restroom during the scheduled breaks.? I even told him that if he had to go during class, he needed to his teacher.? I didn’t expect to have this problem soon.? I was wrong.? Tuesday I arrived to pick him up from school and I could tell something was wrong immediately.? Dirt Bike Boy was wearing beige cargo shorts and they were wet.? I could tell from 30 feet away.? I didn’t chastise him.? I told him I would speak to his teacher about his bladder problem.? He seemed relieved and things were back to normal.
The problem I have is how the teacher/school/district has handled it initially.? The following day I arrived at the school 10 minutes before the end of day.? I was hoping that I could speak to the teacher briefly.? I signed in at the office but was immediately told that the school doesn’t allow unscheduled visits from parents.? WTF?? Are you kidding me?? This is 2nd grade.? There are times when a brief word or two needs to be exchanged between parent and teacher.
I told the office assistant that I wasn’t in a hurry and I would wait.? This assistant was persistent.? She then mentioned that Ms. 2nd Grade Teacher might have after school responsibilities.? After checking, she mentioned there was a meeting at 320pm.? No problem.? I’ll wait.? I’m not in a hurry.? This seemed to annoy the assistant.? A few minutes later school was over.? I found Dirt Bike Boy and told him to notify Ms. 2nd Grade Teacher that I needed to speak with her when she was finished outside.? It was 314pm when she finally walked in the door.? She mentioned that she was on the way to a meeting and it started in 30 seconds.? In a coy manner, I mentioned the meeting started at 320pm and what I need to say would only take 2 minutes.
It took me less than 2 minutes (120 seconds) to express my concerns.? I found out she didn’t even notice Dirt Bike Boy had wet pants.? She seemed sincere in working with me to correct any issues.? But I had my own thoughts on this.
WTF?? Are you joking?? You can’t see wet cloths from a mile away?? You’re a mother right?? How could you miss this?? Those are the thoughts that I was thinking as I walked from the school. Later in the day I relayed the conversation to my ex.? Problem solved, I will let my personal feelings slide.
News Flash… 7am today.. I’m pissed off!
This is the actual email that was forwarded to me..
“I wanted to get in touch with you via email.? Dirt Bike Boy’s Father came Wed. and wanted a meeting.? I had a meeting already scheduled.? I can only set meetings by appointment.? He said that he sent me an email, but I never received it.? This is my email address?? XXXXX I have put you on the Parent/teacher conference night for #;40-#:00.? Thank you for your help with Dirt Bike Boy,”
Now I have several questions for Frisco ISD, Frisco Texas.? What happened to the Open Door Policy?? Is there a copy of the policy on their website?? When did it become a issue to be active in your child’s education?? Is there a problem with a black father wanting to speak to a white teacher? ( had to put a racial spin on it.. hehe)
When Dirt Bike Boy’s siblings when to other schools in the district and we never had a problem like this.? So immediately I called the district office.? After speaking to Frisco ISD, I realize the Open Door Policy does exist.? I realize the Open Door Policy exist in the board room not the classroom.? Frisco ISD campus administrators, aka principals, have the discretion to operate with in the policy.? What that means is, the principal is in control of each school.? It means that with out parents challenging the school’s policy the principal can do what they want.
I spent the 15 minutes on the phone with the principal to express my concerns.? During that time, I explained that with busy work schedules I don’t have time to schedule meetings to discuss a minor issue. Some issues can handled with a brief conversation. ?? I also brought it to the attention of the school that contact information on their website is incorrect.
I feel that I’ve accomplished my goal.? The school administration realizes that I’m active in Dirt Bike Boy’s life and education.? I know they realize that I’m not going to stand by and accept being pushed aside.? For some reason, I don’t think I’m the only one that has experienced this.
It's unclear whether slight rise in Texas class size would hurt learning
The room felt more college study hall than fourth-grade math class, save for the basket of plastic money and the boy counting on his fingers.Mary Ann Weaver's students bent over their worksheets, whispering occasionally about multiples of 12. Weaver walked around the 19 desks, clustered like lily pads in Allen's Vaughan Elementary School.
"With this smaller group you can touch students more," the longtime teacher said as she reminded a girl to carry the 1.
That remains a popular sentiment among Texas educators, many of whom decry state legislators' recent recommendations to scrap the cap on elementary school classes.
But for all the concern about packed classrooms, experts have found little evidence that slightly larger classes deter learning. A commonly used waiver means hundreds of the state's kindergarten through fourth-grade classes already exceed the current, 22-student limit for those grades.
With financially drained districts eyeing millions in possible savings, legislators aren't the only ones reassessing the decades-old philosophy.
"A bad teacher with 15 students is just as bad as with 25 students," said Allen ISD Superintendent Ken Helvey, who says districts must learn to balance effectiveness with efficiency. "I would encourage the Legislature to give us some flexibility, to allow the local community to monitor how comfortable it is rather than set a hard cap everyone has to follow."
Currently, districts must find extra space and add a teacher when a kindergarten through fourth-grade class hits 23 students. Ending the law could save up to $558 million a year statewide but could also eliminate almost 12,000 teaching jobs.
Vexed teachers and parents say a change would undermine the academic gains students have shown since the class-size law took effect a quarter-century ago. But the quantifiable benefits of class size – and the effect of a small shift – remain nebulous.
Mixed findings
The most comprehensive assessment dates back just as far as the Texas law, to a four-year study that tracked more than 7,000 Tennessee students from kindergarten through third grade. The study found classes with 13 to 17 students performed better than classes with 22 to 25 students, even when the larger classes had a teacher's aide. A follow-up showed students from the smaller classes succeeding more later in life.
Educators began proclaiming ideal class sizes in the teens. But Eric Hanushek, a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and chairman of the Executive Committee for the Texas Schools Project, doubts the numbers.
"If you ask people in school, the optimum is always five fewer than we have today," he said, adding that research shows little effect on classes that range from 15 to 30 students. "Part of the reason is because with a change of one or two students in a class, what you see is teachers doing exactly what they did before."
Hanushek said class-size reduction has turned into a trend, one districts should re-examine. "Class-size reduction is the most expensive kind of reform," he said.
Subsequent studies in California and Florida produced mixed findings, none with a magic number. A 1999 Texas Education Agency report linked academic benefits with classes under 20 students. It said research remained too preliminary to show any advantages to altering classes by one or two students.
"Roughly speaking, the difference between ineffective and effective classes is the equivalent of 10 to 13 students," said Dan Goldhaber, director of the Center for Education Data and Research at the University of Washington-Bothell.
Tightening budgets are forcing districts nationwide to ask similar questions about class size. Even the U.S. Department of Education has weighed in, recommending that states re-evaluate some of the limits.
Waivers common
Texas does offer an out, in the form of a waiver. Districts may apply for one if they lack enough teachers or classroom space. The state rarely turns them down. It has rejected five waivers out of more than 3,000 requested since the law took effect in 1984.
Plano ISD Superintendent Doug Otto said districts like his can find extra room and teachers, even if it costs them, so they can't apply for waivers. He suggested a middle ground that would bump the cap up two students rather than lift it.
"In better economic times, we wouldn't be asking for these adjustments," Otto said, "but if we're cutting millions of dollars, then we have to look at financial constraints."
Otto said it would be difficult to junk the cap entirely.
"This particular mandate has been around so long you can't totally dismiss it," he said. "You have to have a safeguard in place."
Parents' worry
Linda Price, a fourth-grade math teacher in Dallas, says she wants that safeguard to stay. She said she doesn't need research to understand the effect of even a few extra students.
"It's one more kid whose work you have to look at, where he's confused and where he's mixed up," she said, especially with new concepts like division. "You can't add more minutes to your day to teach them."
Price compared the proposed increase to the change she sees in students down the hall, where the class maximum jumps to 29 students. The fifth-grade teachers "have to keep figuring out how to reconfigure the desks just to get kids to fit in," she said.
Parents also worry about repercussions as Texas classrooms grow more diverse and struggle to remain globally competitive.
Tamorah Diaz hugged her fourth-grade son before he darted out of a packed assembly at Frisco's Gunstream Elementary. She shook her head. "It's so important that the kids get the attention they need at that age," she said.
She wonders how much classes would grow without a cap. Continuing budget woes could mean two more students turns into five or 10, she said. "It's just true. Smaller is so much better."
Goldhaber, the University of Washington researcher, said that small classes do offer benefits but that teacher quality is a more significant determiner of success.
"One size fits all is a pretty blunt instrument," he said.
Staff writer Avi Selk contributed to this report.
