Too many struggle

Rock Hill schools work to make poverty less of a threat to student success

By Jessica Schonberg - Jessica Schonberg

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District officials will meet this week with representatives of a charter school program in California for students who otherwise would have been expelled. The district wants to learn more about the program to see if it would work here.

Academic coach positions for the high schools are being advertised.

"Each one of these we're going to try to measure and look at as we move ahead to see where we're making the biggest difference," she said.

The hope also is that by improving performance early on, students will be less likely to drop out and thus more likely to graduate from high school, Moody said.

One program already under way is Phoenix Bound, which helps older middle school students catch up and transition into high school.

Of the 47 eighth-graders in the program, 72 percent are on free or reduced lunch, said Walter Wolff, director of the Phoenix Academy.

In an update given to the school board last week, Wolff said the program gives the students an attainable goal to look forward to -- high school graduation. Many participants already have enrolled in additional courses at Phoenix to get ahead on their high school credits.

In the Bound classes, the teacher spends a few minutes each day reading aloud in the hopes of providing students with a "bank of experiences" they can relate to. Wolff said the bank serves to make up for certain experiences students might have missed.

"They at least have some knowledge base where they can attach something to," he said.

Last week, Zipporah Little was hired to lead a new districtwide Power of Mentoring program. The program will pair students whose parents, teachers or counselors think may underperform with an adult role model from the community.

Moody said in addition to assisting students, the program will help people better understand the struggles faced by those living in poverty.

'Life events ... they can't help'

Staying involved in their children's education is often difficult for parents with little or no income.

The district plans to start sending home regular updates to tell parents what their kids are doing in school and offer tips for helping apply the lessons at home.

LaQuantis Wadell, a mother of three in her 30s, said it's often difficult for low-income parents to help their kids because they are trying to earn money to support their families.

When she's working, Wadell isn't home to help her children when they need it. But when she isn't working, that creates a problem financially.

Wadell recently lost her job and is considering moving. She said she knows her children need stability, but things haven't panned out like she'd hoped in Rock Hill.

"I hate that kids take their own personal matters, their own life stories, and it kind of intercepts with their ability to get their school work done or to stay on top," she said. "But these are life events that children go through that they can't help."

Wadell helps her children with homework as much as she can. When she's faced with questions she doesn't know the answer to, she asks her niece for help.

Kisha Lockhart, Dondre's mother, said she knows that being involved is the best thing she can do for her kids.

If one of her children does not score proficient on PACT or brings home a bad grade, she immediately calls the school to see what she can do.

"The school is there to help you help the kids, but it's not there as a parent," she said. "You have to be the parent. School is there for one reason and the parent is there for another."

Both moms said educational after-school programs would be a huge help.

Measuring up

The achievement gap between low-income and middle class students is not unique to Rock Hill. It exists in districts throughout the state and the country.

In the York school district, it's often smaller. York is a much smaller district than Rock Hill, but has a significantly higher poverty rate.

Superintendent Moody said she talks to York Superintendent Russell Booker almost daily to share ideas and information.

Booker said even though his district has seen pockets of success, overall scores are not where they should be.

"You're really having to go back ... you're having to start with some of the basics: ABCs, things that they ought to know when they get to you," he said. "I'm not saying you can't get them there, but the rate in which you're going to get them there is going to be very different than those kids who come to you and already are where they need to be."

Some strategies Rock Hill uses also are used in York. District staff members serve as elementary or middle school mentors, Booker said.

York has begun using in-house testing to group students according to their understanding of the subject matter. That way, students who need more help can get it while students who are ready to move on can do so. Rock Hill has a similar testing mechanism.

Booker said the focus is on intervening in students' lives early, so they are more likely to succeed.