Parents asked to help change educational gap
Principal of A.C.Flora High School invites parents of minority students to a meeting March 18, 2006.
By Sydney Kornegay
Cub@TheColumbiaStar.com

The statistics tell the tale: there is an educational gap at A.C. Flora High School. Only 29% of minority students are in Honors Programs, compared to 71% of majority students. Of the 84 International Baccalaureate students, only three are African Americans. When it comes to graduation rates, there is a 32- point difference in the percent of majority students who graduate and African Americans who do.

"These issues are sensitive," admitted Flora principal Richard McClure. "But we cannot tiptoe around the issues that affect the needs of our students."

McClure consequently organized a meeting at Flora on Sunday to discuss plans with parents for bridging the gap. At first, the invitation to the meeting offended some minority groups, who said the language of the letter was condescending. McClure opened the meeting with an apology, saying any offense was unintentional.

"This is not about comparing students; this is about raising the bar for both majorities and minorities. We want all of our students to take full advantage of our educational opportunities."

McClure's new plan for next year includes several strategies: Reorganizing freshman classes to ensure closer communication between teachers and homes; implementing "Flex Wednesdays," in which the first two hours of every Wednesday would be devoted to tutoring and developing learning skills; and offering interactive "strategy classes" in math and English to help students struggling in those areas. McClure also wants to form a minority parents' advising panel and a peer discussion group to discuss the negative peer pressure students may face for taking higher level courses. Finally, he hopes to engage outside programs and faith- based groups in the school.

Ashley Page, a minority student at Flora who was present for the opening session, said McClure's speech "really sent a powerful message to all students."

"It brought some issues out in the open we needed to discuss."

After hearing an outline of the plan from the principal, the attendees broke up into smaller discussion groups led by Flora teachers. Several issues dominated the meetings: communication, guidance, and parental involvement.

Many parents complained about the lack of communication, saying their students never received or brought home information about events and school meetings. Others expressed frustration about guidance counselors. One student said a counselor actually tried to discourage her from signing up for an Honors Class on a scheduling day. Parents, as well, said they were for the most part uninformed about honors, AP, and IB classes.

The groups also recommended several strategies for upping parent involvement. These included rescheduling PTSO and other meetings for weekends instead of weeknights. This would allow parents with difficult work schedules to participate in the meetings.

Finally, parents emphasized the importance of having teachers, guidance counselors, and administrators who know and care for the students. That way, they can identify weaknesses, focus on interests, and provide consistent encouragement for students who are struggling.

McClure said he was hopeful about the outcome of the meeting.

"The meeting has been good because it has opened up the dialogue. It's helped us come up with very specific solutions while engaging the outside community."