Where do you really focus?

"Just 5 percent of Rochester School District students leave high school prepared for college or careers"
- D&C

Is being prepared for college solely about work ethic and academics? College readiness is being a huge focus all across the nation, and particularly in the Rochester City School District under the supervision of Jean-Claude Brizard. Brizard wants to "reinforce the push for college-preparatory programs he started when he came to the city three years ago." (Democrat & Chronicle) I agree that curriculum's should be change in order to challenge students and better prepare them academically for later courses throughout high school, as well as college.

I also wonder if Rochester in particular is focusing too much on poverty and race, or not paying enough attention to the issue. Minorities are out numbered in the City School District, and it may be statistically true that their performance level is not as high as Caucasian students; however, are their achievements recognized? School of the Arts has the highest graduation rate of African American male students in the district, but this fact is not acknowledged when racial academic statistics are mentioned. Suburban schools are typically better funded than city schools; this means that they have more supplies, or more updated supplies. Thus, isn't poverty a variable in academic success rate? If curriculum is part of the equation, the latest resources should be as well, shouldn't they? At the meeting when Brizard spoke at School of the Arts earlier in the month, he mentioned that he didn't believe that location and poverty were an excuse. However, I beg to differ; I went to Gates Chili schools until the end of my sixth grade year. I feel that when I came to School of the Arts, I was just as challenged academically, despite the lack of resources.

Furthermore, I was fueled by the arts programs at School of the Arts, something that I didn't feel was as important at the suburban school. Schools are appealing to students for different reasons; I need to be around the arts - theater, voice, creative writing. Researchers are beginning to look into statistics to prove that arts influence a student's academic success.

For example:

"Interpretation Skills
During art appreciation classes, students are made to interpret and draw conclusions from various pieces of art. This strengthens their interpretation skills and they can use the same in other subjects as well as in all other aspects of life.

Creativity
During art programs, students are often given materials and asked to draw whatever they feel like. Such free flowing art activities foster creativity in children and help in developing their imagination as well as decision making skills."

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/importance-of-art-education.html


Brizard is closing poor-performing high schools and replacing them with smaller schools that focus on college readiness. Personally, I'm not positive that creating new schools helps raise the graduation rate? To me, this only causes schools to have to start over, students are taken out of their element and thrust into something totally new. Shouldn't college readiness be added to currently well-standing schools? If School of the Arts has the highest graduation rate, shouldn't it have the same college readiness programs installed that are being installed in newly established schools?


In order to receive more funding for the Rochester City School District, special education programs must receive a cut of that funding. In schools such as School of the Arts that is program based, this takes funding away from the arts; in Wilson, it takes away from the IB problem. Is it fair to have a focal point on special education and how those who require aids and special attention because of a mental disability? The arts serve as an aid to students who lack interest in academics - having an arts major and attending arts classes daily aid students in being attentive in classes.