A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Secondary Schools

Achieving a World-Class Standard
in a Culturally Diverse Community

OVERVIEW

When Gompers Secondary School Center for Science, Mathematics, and Computer Technology Magnet began its schoolwide program in 1995, it unified its seventh- through twelfth-grade program components into a single plan with the same ambitious vision for all students. "Our vision is to educate all of our students with a challenging world-class curriculum in a safe, culturally diverse setting," stated Gompers Principal Marie Thornton. "To do this, we have created a program that meets every student's needs."

Gompers' academic program, a citywide magnet offering science, mathematics, and computer technology, is consistent with the demanding academic standards and other reforms mandated by the San Diego City Schools. Students participate in individually tailored academic programs, which are coordinated by one of five counselors. The same standards—with the appropriate modifications—apply for students with disabilities and for students who speak limited English. Honors courses and advanced placement classes are available to all students who meet the academic requirements.

The school's budget combines general state and local funds with resources from four ESEA programs—Title I Eisenhower Professional Development, Safe and Drug-Free Schools, and Innovative Education Program Strategies—as well as from the Perkins Program, the National Science Foundation's Urban Systemic Initiative, a grant from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, Gifted and Talented Education (GATE), and Healthy Start.

Gompers serves a multicultural, districtwide population of students, half of whom are from homes with a primary language other than English.

Grade Levels 7-12 Number of Students (1997-98) 1,586 Schoolwide Since 1992-93 Racial/Ethnic Composition 36%   Hispanic 35%   African American 15%   Indo-Chinese 10%   White 3%   Other

VISION, LEADERSHIP, AND DECISION MAKING

Shared decisionmaking at Gompers occurs through several oversight structures. Department chairs and members of the classified staff head key committees, such as the Bilingual Advisory Committee and School Site Council. Proposals for new programs or activities move through committees, where members—including parents—debate ideas and flesh out concepts before sending the proposals to the faculty or Governance Team. The 10-member Governance Team finalizes committee decisions, which are then sent to either the principal's Administrative Council, three in-school decision-making bodies, or parents for approval. According to Dr. Thornton, "Most of the time we use consensus, but when we're not quite sure if we have consensus we take a vote—sometimes one that includes a secret ballot."

STUDENT PERFORMANCE RESULTS

Each year, the district and the school administer several measures of performance. The abbreviated Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) documents academic progress in basic reading, mathematics, language, and spelling. Students in Spanish bilingual classes take the Aprenda, Stanford's Spanish-language achievement test that parallels the SAT. The district also reports twelfth-grade students' results on the Scholastic Assessment Test. Other performance indicators include retention, dropout, and suspension rates, and the percent of students who meet university entrance requirements.

In 1997, 96% of graduating seniors pursued postsecondary educational opportunities; 51% of these students enrolled in four-year colleges.

Gompers' 1996 and 1997 assessment results show steady progress in all subject areas and across all grades. Seventh-graders score well below nationally standardized norms when they enter Gompers; but, by the time they reach high school, more than half of its students will achieve at the national mean in reading, language arts, and mathematics. In 1996, 95 percent of graduating seniors pursued postsecondary education, with 55 percent enrolling in four-year colleges and 40 percent enrolling in two-year colleges. In 1997, those statistics were 51 percent and 45, respectively, with 96 percent of seniors pursuing postsecondary education. Graduates attend the most selective colleges, universities, and military academies in the nation, including Cornell, Stanford, Syracuse, Spelman, University of Chicago, and Fisk. In 1997, Gompers selected eight top students as valedictorians, and that year's graduating class received more than $400,000 in scholarships and grants.

RESEARCH-BASED REFORM STRATEGIES

Gompers instituted an array of strategies to close the academic achievement gap, bolster students' confidence, and prepare them for a rigorous high school program. Entering seventh-graders begin their academic career at Gompers at a six-week camp. There they take mini-courses in English, science, mathematics, social studies, and computer applications, and learn about the school's expectations for homework, note taking, and keeping up with daily assignments. Enrollment is voluntary, but almost half the entering class attend the minicourses.

Seventh- and eighth-grade students receive intensive preparation for a demanding high school curriculum.

Students with weak literacy or numeracy skills enroll in double sessions of English or mathematics during their middle school years. These classes are taught by teachers specially trained to teach students the prerequisite skills they need to excel in the seventh- and eighth-grade English and mathematics programs. A highly skilled seventh-grade academic team prepares students for the school's high standards through a curriculum that integrates science, computers, social studies, mathematics, and English. Teachers use problem solving, critical thinking, and extended assignments and exhibitions to advance students' learning. Each classroom has access to the World Wide Web for research. Gompers is one of seven schools nationally that participates in NASA's KidSat. This program connects Gompers seventh-graders through an Internet hookup to the Student Mission Center, where they can meet astronauts and conduct online experiments with them.

There is "zero tolerance" for truancy or uncleared absences.

Nine special education teachers, three of whom are resource specialists, monitor the progress of students with disabilities as specified in their IEPs. These specialists collaborate with general education teachers. Entering students who do not speak English proficiently may take bilingual academic classes to keep up with content requirements while also developing the English-language skills needed to succeed in higher grades.

All Gompers' high school students take four years of English, four years of mathematics, two years of a foreign language, three years of social sciences, and four years of laboratory science.

Gompers high school students must take four years of English, four years of mathematics, two years of a foreign language, three years of social sciences, and four years of laboratory science. Up-to-date equipment and resources—including a "sun station" that powers an eight-inch telescope in the school's outdoor lab, a state-of-the-art computer network with 64 terminals, and a laser/holography apparatus—support advanced science, mathematics, and computer courses. Technology courses introduce students to robotics, electronics, computer graphics, desktop publishing, and computer-aided drafting and architecture; these courses also enhance school-to-work transitions. Students can combine computer applications courses with their business interests, and learn the language of computer data structures in courses on digital electronics. "The thing I try to do is have the students with the greatest needs take as many challenging classes as they can," Dr. Thornton explained. Advanced mathematics, science, and social studies courses taught by faculty from nearby universities develop students' skills in research, experimentation, and use of technical equipment. The high school offers seven foreign languages. Four of the languages are introduced in an exploratory seventh-grade language course that teaches six weeks each of French, German, Japanese, and Russian language art and culture to help students decide which language they would like to continue studying in high school.

In-school programs and clubs reinforce the expectations to achieve and they provide students with a safety net for ensuring success.

A motivational program, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), lays the groundwork for students to meet the school's high expectations. An honor roll system recognizes students at all ranges of the academic continuum. The highest recognition, the Principal's Honor Roll, requires a minimum 4.0 grade point average; for students who achieve between the 2.0 and 2.9 grade point levels, the "It's O.K. To Be Smart" Honor Roll confers status if students have shown a willingness to challenge themselves. Satisfactory citizenship is a prerequisite for all honor roll students.

Every senior takes either the ACT or the SAT in preparation for postsecondary education.

Programs and clubs reinforce the school's expectations for achievement and provide a safety net for students. A mathematics, engineering, and science achievement program—funded by the National Science Foundation, the state of California, and private donations—encourages nonwhite students to study for careers in science and mathematics. The faculty collaborates with mathematics and science scholars at San Diego State University to raise students' awareness of study options in the hard sciences and to create opportunities for high school students to participate in mathematics, science, and computer activities, experiments, and performance demonstrations. Other faculty offer as many as 35 clubs and programs that appeal to students' interests, including academics, athletics, service, journalism, theater, student government, and technology. High school students interested in school-to-work opportunities may enroll in computer application and business courses that help prepare them for the world of work.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY

The staff participates annually in at least eight days of professional development that includes workshops on content and performance standards, conflict resolution, and curriculum strategies. Continuing mentoring and collaboration give teachers the opportunity to implement their developing strategies in the classroom. Grant monies from the state legislature help send staff to regional and national conferences. Teaching assistants also receive periodic training in the methods used in classrooms by teachers. Part of the schoolwide budget is set aside to encourage parents to participate in conferences, professional development activities, and staff meetings. "We try to run an open house where parents are welcome to participate in anything going on campus," said Dr. Thornton.

PARENT AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

Gompers embraces the whole community in its educational effort. At the beginning of the school year, teachers visit the homes, workplaces, and religious institutions of their students and families. A letter to parents makes clear the important role that parents play in students' academic success. A supplement to the San Diego student handbook welcomes families and students, tells parents about homework requirements, lists the materials students must have on hand every day, and describes the dress code. It also discusses parents' responsibilities in monitoring their children's progress toward the school's ambitious academic curriculum.

"Our diversity is our strength," Dr. Thornton asserts proudly. Through an active human and race relations program, students and teachers participate in activities and seminars that develop sensitivity toward the school's many cultures and traditions. In collaboration with various national organizations and the district's integration services office, 75 students, 15 teachers, and various other staff members spent four days at Camp Minitown in the Palamar Mountains. The program fosters interpersonal relationships by teaching students to understand diversity and commonality across cultures, to challenge the stereotypes they hold, and, in doing so, to develop a respect for other cultures and ethnic groups. A teacher and a classroom aide, who completed the training, teach a course on race and human relations at Gompers.

Parent committees and an active community advisory council are essential components of the school's decision-making structure. Professionals from San Diego State University, the University of California at San Diego, and the public library advise and contribute to planning and curriculum development. Individuals from these groups also consult on financial and organizational matters and arrange private tutoring, mentors, tours, workshops, paid summer laboratory internships, and other educational opportunities for students. In addition, one business partner provides $2,000 for students to participate in competitions, another business partner funds the school's outdoor science lab, and a local science museum provides opportunities for students to preview exhibits.

Diversity is Gompers' strength. To understand that diversity, teachers visit the homes, workplaces, and religious institutions of their students and families at the beginning of the school year.

A district-sponsored parent center located on Gompers' campus provides parenting classes, ESL classes, GED preparation, and cultural awareness for self-sufficiency classes. The center attracts more than 500 parents annually. Gompers' own parent center welcomes more than 1,800 parents annually to participate in various Gompers programs, including parent days at the school, school spirit activities, and senior class parent meetings. In October 1997, more than 300 members of the Gompers community attended the grand opening of the Lincoln/Gompers Cluster Family Service Center and health fair. Staffed by a psychologist and social workers from a coalition of community-based agencies, the center gives students and their families on-campus access to health services, counseling, and early childhood programs. A Healthy Start planning grant from the California legislature promises to expand health services for students and families.

SUSTAINING CHANGE

Encouraging teachers' ideas and initiatives ensures that Gompers' teachers are full partners in decisionmaking.

Like many urban schools, Gompers is located in a neighborhood troubled with gang problems, substance abuse, low incomes, and crime. Still, according to the school's annual progress report, 92 percent of Gompers' parents say they feel safe sending their children to Gompers. One reason, Dr. Thornton observed, is that faculty have "made curriculum [improvements], increased expectations of students, staff, parents, and community and increased the demands on our human and financial resources. Throughout this [process]...the staff continues to work tirelessly in helping our students excel and achieve."

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