Submitted by John Arbeeny, LakewoodCARES.org.
Each week as a public service Lakewood CARES will be providing the real academic situation in response schools highlighted in the Suburban Times by Clover Park School District (CPSD). This is data you will not find elsewhere on the CPSD website, Board meeting agendas or “Inside Schools”. This week’s CPSD “super school shoutout” “beam with pride” covers Beachwood Elementary School.
Indeed Beachwood Elementary School is a school to take pride in as are the other 5 elementary schools located on JBLM: Meriwether, Rainier, Carter Lake, Evergreen and Hillside. Military connected students represent 34.5% (4394) of District students (12736) with about 2/3rds (2717) of those students attending the 6 elementary schools on base.
CPSD typically lumps all military connected students together without making this distinction (on or off base). They are often cited in discussions of demographics to include “free & reduced priced meals”, “special education”, “languages spoken”, mobility, races and ethnicities. The implication is that all these categories, to include military connected students, represent educational challenges for the District. In the case of JBLM schools the implication is that these students are somewhat transient due to the military parent’s frequent reassignment.
https://app.eduportal.com/share/c72dda9e-7f59-11ee-bae7-06c64aa3b8d4
However when it comes to military connected students’ academic achievement the truth is very different. If it were not for the superior academic achievement of these 6 military connected elementary schools, the District’s academic ranking would be significantly lower than it already is. Here are the facts straight from the OSPI Report Card website.
https://washingtonstatereportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/ReportCard/ViewSchoolOrDistrict/100047
JBLM elementary students meeting state standards in ELA (English Language Arts), 57%, math, 51%, science, 57%.
CPSD elementary students (excluding JBLM) meeting state standards in ELA, 34%, math, 29% science, 36%.
This superior academic performance includes all races and ethnicities. Indeed the disparities between racial/ethnic groups in ELA, math and science are greatly reduced in JBLM schools compared to the rest of the District. This supports my contention that the best way to address academic disparities is to address the academic achievement of all students. Minorities do best in the best schools. “A rising tide floats all boats.”
So in effect we have a high performing district on JBLM inside a failing district outside JBLM. When was the last time past Boards visited JBLM schools to learn their “secrets” of high academic performance? When was the last time they visited failing schools outside JBLM to learn why they were failing? Not in my recent memory.
Apologists for academic failure outside JBLM will point to the alleged “benefits” of JBLM schools such as high attendance, discipline, parental involvement, PTA’s, common culture, sense of community, two parent families, etc. However these are merely excuses for failure rather than an impetus for change. The challenge for CPSD and City of Lakewood is to develop similar community values throughout the District rather than accept the status quo. Do that and the rest of CPSD schools’ academic performance will follow.
Mr. John Arbeeny, LakewoodCARES.org.:
Your article is amazing and thought-provoking. Thank you for your efforts to change Clover Park schools for the better.
When it was time for our child to attend high school, which was within a 5-minute walk from our home, we, instead, were forced to drive right by Clover Park High School and spend thousands of dollars on private school.
Why?
Because the student academic goals shared during a public/parent orientation night at Clover Park High School were so low and almost non-existent, the three of us were sick to our stomachs as we left the meeting.
Fortunately for us, we could afford a real education for our child at Charles Wright Academy. Our child went on to accomplish high-caliber academic and professional achievements in school and after graduation.
Not everyone is blessed with the financial power for academic choice. That fact will never change. What can change is making serious efforts to improve the Clover Park School system as you have so clearly suggested.
Joseph Boyle – Former Lakewood Resident 52 Years
Please explain why you believe high attendance, discipline, parental involvement, PTAs, common culture, sense of community, two parent families, etc. are excuses and not actual reasons for superior performance. These values clearly make a difference but they are largely outside of the school’s authority. I believe progress demands more parental and community involvement. Schools can and should strive for improvement but they cannot achieve success on their own.
Let me clear up what I was trying to get across with that statement. “… high attendance, discipline, parental involvement, PTAs, common culture, sense of community, two parent families,…” are indeed the actual reasons for Beachwood and other JBLM schools’ academic success. However, apologists for the District try to make the case that these characteristics are not found outside and thus the reason for the District’s failure academically. JBLM thus becomes something of a “special case” that is not relevant to outside JBLM schools. Rather than focus on creating these essentials outside JBLM they excuse their lack outside JBLM as an excuse for failing. This is nothing more that ascribing “privilege” to a certain group as the basis for excusing another group’s failing.
Yes it does require more parental and community involvement and that requires the individual parent, parents, parental and community organizations and “champions” on the school board and city council who are secure enough in their values and principles to divest themselves of the political power back to the people. This can be done but it takes some vision and courage to empower parents and communities at the cost of empowerment of board and councils but isn’t that what representative government is supposed to do?
As an example, currently both board and council members are elected generally, not in district elections despite the requirement for board members to live in one of the 5 school districts. This in essence disenfranchises poorer lower voting districts which don’t get the same kind of attention during campaigns or for that matter after elections. Lakewood has many neighborhoods yet how many active neighborhood associations? Only Tillicum and perhaps Springbrook come to mind. 25 years ago there were quite a few that were active. Why did they disappear? Council has many citizen advisory groups; why not community advisory groups. Same goes for the Board. DEI has stressed the differences between racial and ethnic (and a bunch of others “differences”) groups which has torn apart the “unity” in “community” with predictable results. Skin color is now more important than your neighborhood. Attendance enforcement is well within the capability of both district and council. Where are the truancy officers? You can’t learn if you don’t attend. The list goes on.
There are many other options systemically to achieve academic equivalence with JBLM schools outside the curriculum and buildings. However, ascribing “privilege” to the successful while sitting on your hands isn’t one of them.
LakewoodCARES.org
You mean if you actually commit to physical reality rather than chasing butterflies, you might actually succeed at something meaningful?
Wow!
Face palm!
People are starting to get wise to the con that is DEI! CPSD is spending about $250,000 on two DEI salaries with no discernible impact on the District’s academic performance. Here’s a current article on the elimination of DEI in liberal Oregon:
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/focus-merit-oregon-county-axes-diversity-office-cost-nearly-1-million-year
“‘Focus on merit’: Oregon county axes diversity office that cost nearly $1 million a year”
Instead of DEI how about Unity, Equality and Individualism? That’s what made our Country great.