A failed school is one that has been given every opportunity and every tool needed to succeed and yet has failed to show improvement. It is one that the teachers, the students, and the community do not support.
Jamaica High School is NOT a failed school.
According to the Department of Education (DOE)’s Quality Review Report, Jamaica possesses a “studious climate in classrooms” and a “vision for a successful learning community.” The report is full of praise for improvements Jamaica has made and repeatedly declares Jamaica “Proficient.”
Parent surveys conducted by the DOE indicate that 88 percent of parents are pleased with the education their child is receiving at Jamaica; do those who speak in favor of the closing of Jamaica really believe that 88 percent of parents are satisfied with failure? The DOE’s published statistics may appear grim, but they do not even come close to painting an accurate picture of Jamaica High School.
I oppose the closing of Jamaica High School, not because I am an alum (proudly class of 1994), but because I know that the school is capable of creating scholars and of giving struggling and thriving students alike the time and attention that they need. I am confident that the school is capable of overcoming its recent struggles.
Jamaica has a 117-year history, not just of success but also of overcoming hard times. Of the schools being closed citywide, nearly half are new small schools. Small and new is not the answer; dedicating resources to make the schools we already have more successful is.
The DOE says that developing and promoting successful programs in this school is not an option or a solution – but the DOE is proud of the great success they had in turning Thomas Edison, right next door, into a successful and popular school by developing and promoting desirable programs within the existing school.
Jamaica has great and successful programs – the Gateway and Finance programs, for instance, have nearly 100 percent graduation rates, and the Law and Computer Science and Engineering programs offer students specialized study.
Are there students who struggle? Yes. Some take more than four years to graduate. Is their graduation any less commendable, particularly when some students arrive in the school not speaking English and with interrupted formal educations?
If the city has the financial resources to launch and fund several new schools in the Jamaica building – at considerable cost – why hasn’t it allowed Jamaica’s current students to benefit from those resources?
The students, teachers and alumni who have been working to fight for the school’s survival should be allowed to continue to dedicate their time and effort to continuing to improve the school’s statistics. The city should increase funding so that Jamaica can replace teachers and guidance staff who have been lost to recent budget cuts – clearly, funds must exist if so many new administrations can be created.
Promote the great programs that the school already has, and consider creating formal “learning communities” under the auspices of one Jamaica High School administration. That has been done with success at other area schools, so why not at Jamaica?
Those who want to close Jamaica insist that they take that position for the good of the students, but it is those very students who have been fighting for the school’s survival. The current students love Jamaica. More than one has commented on the fact that they never enjoyed school or learned until they attended Jamaica, and they want their friends and family to enjoy the same opportunity.
This is not an indication of a school that should be closed but rather of one that should be celebrated, encouraged and supported. I am an alumna, but it is the current students rather than nostalgia that leads me to defend Jamaica High School. The current students and those who have applied and hope to enter in 2010, and students who have not even learned yet about the advantages Jamaica can offer, are the school’s present and future. The DOE has unjustly labeled Jamaica High School a failure.
The school can defy this label if the DOE provides the funding and support to allow the principal and staff to continue the school’s mission. Give it an opportunity to succeed and dedicate more tools and resources to help it succeed. It should have that chance for the sake of the students.
Kathy Forrestal, of Hillcrest Estates, is an alum of Jamaica High School – class of 1994.
