News - Local/State

Tuesday, Oct. 07, 2008

Two minute Tuesday: Kevin Hood

Principal of Hunter Street Elementary in York

Hood is in his fourth year as principal at the York school.

The large number of students who receive free or reduced-price meals qualifies the school for federal Title 1 money to supplement learning programs and opens the school to sanctions if it doesn’t hit all of its targets under the federal No Child Left Behind law.

Ratings released last week showed Hunter Street again failed to hit all of its targets, putting the school in its fifth year of sanctions.

What sort of penalties has the school faced? How have parents and the community responded?

We have had to offer school choice (transfers) and supplemental educational services. I would not call either of those penalties. ... Additional tutoring services will do nothing but benefit the students. ...

Over the years of offering school choice, each year there have been fewer than 10 students who changed schools under the sanction. ... This indicates a level of satisfaction from parents that their children are receiving a quality education.

What is good about the No Child Left Behind law?

Accountability is good. Teachers and administrators understand that we are accountable, but it has to be realistic accountability. Also ... closing the achievement gap between low-income and middle-class as well as white and non-white students.

What are drawbacks of the No Child Left Behind law?

Unrealistic expectations. By 2013-14, all students have to perform at proficient and advanced levels.

To use an analogy: Michael Jordan is the best basketball player ever. If he was a trained teacher and put in a class to teach basketball, then evaluated under NCLB, by 2013-14, all of his students would have to be proficient or advanced in basketball.

It doesn’t matter if they have a disability or have never played basketball before. No matter how good Michael Jordan is as a teacher, it is unrealistic to think that all of his basketball students would be at a proficient or advanced stage.

Some would struggle because of ability, some would not like basketball, some would only be able to practice at school or some may not even take the test seriously. Some of them may even have a bad day on test day.