American Indian students rise above expectation: The American Indian Public Charter School in Oakland serves 200 students in grades six through eight, and its sister high school serves 100 students. Last year, 100 percent of our students were accepted to four-year colleges, including Stanford, MIT, Cornell and UC Berkeley. Our students' average SAT scores were 150 points above the national average. Oakland Unified School District's graduation rate is 51 percent.
On last year's state assessment, 100 percent of our eighth-grade students tested at or above grade level in language arts and Algebra I. By contrast, only 29 percent of eighth-grade students in Oakland schools tested at or above grade level in language arts, and just 24 percent tested proficient or advanced in Algebra I.
Our students learn the value of accountability and discipline. They are supported academically but learn to be self-reliant. They begin to understand the importance of sacrifice by prioritizing what they ought to do ahead of what they want to do.
The school's faculty and staff also are expected to work hard for their students. The school offers a starting teacher salary more than $6,000 higher than the Oakland Unified School District does and provides bonuses to teachers who improve student performance. When teachers or administrators perform poorly or fail to act in the best interest of their students, they are terminated. Salary and staffing decisions are made with student achievement in mind.
Most education "experts" merely point out the failings of the current educational system or peddle the public school equivalent of miracle weight-loss pills - no diet or exercise required. These pundits and snake oil salesmen do nothing to improve our schools. The American Indian model of education has developed an effective solution to the problem of urban education, and it is elegant in its simplicity. We require students to work hard to achieve academic success and to behave appropriately and respectfully.
Students spend a minimum of 90 minutes each day in both language arts and math class. They are assigned two to three hours of homework each night, even during vacations. They attend mandatory summer school. If they misbehave, they receive detentions and attend school on Saturdays. If they fail a course, they repeat the grade. There are no shortcuts.
Instead of excusing poor academic performance and bad behavior from students whose backgrounds often lead them to be labeled as victims, we ask all of our students to rise above the low expectations others have burdened them with. Ultimately, these kids will need to be competitive in a capitalistic society, where their skin color and family fortune will matter far less than their education, work ethic and perseverance. All is earned at American Indian, for better or for worse.
John P. Glover is the director of American Indian Model Schools in Oakland.