nothin Transition Rocky For Hillhouse Seniors | New Haven Independent

Transition Rocky For Hillhouse Seniors

Aliyya Swaby Photo

Tyler Williams, Smith, Daniels, Streater.

Alanna Daniels has more on her mind her senior year at Hillhouse than the prom. She is wondering when she can access a school computer to figure out how to apply to college.

As Hillhouse weathers changes in its structure and leadership, Daniels and fellow seniors argued that the disorganization of the transition is decreasing their access to teachers and supplies they need in order to graduate and get into college.

They were responding to this Independent article, saying they disagree with the school’s three principals’ declaration that they are on the right track to fulfill their vision for this school year.

Since 2013, Hillhouse has been transformed from a comprehensive high school into one divided into four academies,” each with its own principal and staff. This year, a brand-new Social Media and Art (SMART) Academy opened for ninth graders — joining three others, including the College Career Readiness (CCR) Academy being phased out this year. CCR is entirely made up of seniors.

The Board of Education announced the changes in the academies, and the shuffle of principals for each, a few days before school opened — making for a difficult adjustment for staff and students.

Superintendent Garth Harries said CCR is the last vestige of a comprehensive high school within the academy system, making it more difficult for those students to get accustomed to the transition.

I do take something from the fact that last year’s senior class, also a part of this transition, actually increased their graduation rate again. Some of the same concerns and issues existed last year,” he said.

Zakiyyah Baker, principal of both CCR and SMART, said the academy structure allows students opportunities for personalized learning within a large school. During their academic support” period, students can self-advocate” to meet with teachers in any academy.

It does put the onus on students to advocate if there are areas where they feel like it’s missing. The room for them to be a part of creating it is certainly wide open,” Baker said.

CCR seniors interviewed said they feel constricted, academically by a lack of good options and physically because they are corralled to one half of the third floor.

We don’t feel like we belong to other parts of the building,” Daniels said. When they walk through the halls during last period or on their way to see a teacher in another academy, administrators shoo them back upstairs, she said.

Seniors are having a more difficult time adjusting to the new order than freshmen or sophomores, who have seen Hillhouse only with its academy system, said Jasmine Smith, a CCR senior. In past years, we were allowed to be on other floors” and interact with staff and students in other academies, she said.

Recently, Smith tried to get to her AP Psychology teacher on the second floor. Even with a hall pass, she was sent back upstairs.

It’s physically impossible to get the support you need,” Daniels said.

Last year, Kermit Carolina was the CCR principal for both juniors and seniors. He made them feel heard and like an integral part of the school, the students said. The Board of Education promoted Carolina to a district position promoting youth engagement. Now, Baker (pictured), formerly just LPSH principal, is heading both CCR and SMART, each with its own set of students with different needs.

Baker said she has been making herself available to all her students. About 50 students have scheduled meeting with her to voice their concerns or bring up suggestions for the school, she said. There are students who are using me as a resource,” she said.

Freshmen, new to the school, and seniors, preparing post-graduate plans, need the most attention of any grade, Smith said. You can’t give that responsibility to one person” within the current academy system, Smith said.

Her attention is split between the two academies,” Daniels said.

Civics teacher Beth Wolak said she has heard seniors in her class talk about their frustration with this year’s system.

I can’t say it’s wrong that they feel that way. They put them all on the third floor. They stuck them up there,” Wolak said. They don’t have that interaction with the underclassmen that they had last year.”

Many seniors don’t have class at the end of the day, because they have finished most of their credits. Baker said she wants to use that period to get seniors mentoring younger students academically or through any social-emotional issues. But right now, seniors said, they either go home early or find a room to do homework.

Wolak said many seniors wander into her classroom during last period. They haven’t got certain elective that they could take and learn something new. It’s bad. They have nowhere to go. They find a room where they’re welcome and go in,” she said.

Many teachers feel the same sense of isolation from their peers, Wolak said. The senior teachers are some of the best up there, and there’s no camaraderie.” A teacher in the district for 16 years and at Hillhouse for three years, Wolak said she has had a great experience until this year.”

She said she feels the strain in resources. In the beginning of the year, she was without books or basic supplies; last year, teachers went to Principal Carolina and he would somehow see that you got it,” she said.

Now, the seniors have very little access to some of the things that other academies have,” she said. A lot of people were without books.”

Wolak said she had to ask a colleague for extra textbooks and then shared them with a new teacher who didn’t have anything coming in and wasn’t told where to get them. We have to take care of each other.” She said she has paid out of pocket for posters and writing supplies for her students.

Extracurricular activities are lacking resources compared to last year, Daniels said. The wood shop teacher left this fall soon after being hired. Art and culinary arts clubs don’t have art supplies or food to cook, she said. We have to raise our own money.”

Baker said administrators are looking into how to prioritize spending in the school. Hillhouse received a $200,000 state 1003a Competitive grant in 2014 to use this year to build the academy structure.

She said she has talked with district CFO Victor De La Paz about how we need the budget to be arranged so it works for us.” Teachers have told her that they do not need as many hardcover textbooks, because they are using online journals, newspapers and online textbooks.

That’s more flexibility to think about, Do I want to use more of that money for technology?’” Baker said.

Superintendent Harries said acquiring technology and textbooks has been an ongoing challenge” at Hillhouse, and one the district is working to address. When we talk about equity in funding for the district, that’s what we’re talking about,” he said.

Mayor Toni Harp promised to get computers in every school using the capital budget, in a 10-point plan she presented to the Board of Education earlier this month. Technology is a growth area at Hillhouse, Baker said.

Each classroom has at least one computer and some have more. Students can use any of seven computers in a small lab. And one cart of 32 laptops is available for teachers to reserve.

I don’t think that many of our students have access to the technology they need to be prepared and successful in the long run,” said Sam Teets, a second-year English teacher now in the new SMART Academy.

Last year, Teets said, half of the laptops on the cart were not functional. He has managed to reserve the library for two class periods so far this semester, so his English students could do research before starting on a creative memoir project.

There are two other [sets] that we are in the process of ordering. Within the next month, students will be able to see that there’s a difference,” Baker said. Still, ideally, every child would have a computer at their fingertip,” she said.

Seniors are required to use computers to fulfill their college readiness requirements, including completing tasks on the college prep Naviance site. Baker said in the past, seniors met one-on-one with college counselors to finish the Naviance tasks; this year, they have a course in their schedule to teach them how to use Naviance.

Some staff members are comfortable teaching it and some might need more support,” she said.

CCR senior Jada Streater said she does not have a computer at home and has trouble accessing one at school. She does not know how to use Naviance. Her teachers don’t either.

The program is wonky,” Smith said, and gets messed up” often. She tried to finish some of the tasks required for her to get credit, but they wouldn’t register with the program. Smith’s AP Literature teacher requires her to type all her assignments. She shares her computer at home with seven people and struggles to find time to fulfill those class requirements.

The college career readiness class is repetitive and unhelpful, Daniels said. We’re signing up for the same stuff over and over again.” What she really needs is advice from teachers who are experienced with helping students apply for college and financial aid, she said. But she can’t find them.

If this is supposed to be my education, how am I supposed to make the best of it?” Daniels said.

CCR civics teacher Jack Paulishen is helping Baker figure out how to budget for technology. He said that in the absence of computers, teachers encourage students to access online resources on their cellphones — teaching them responsible use of technology.”

Unlike a couple of years ago, the school now has WiFi, which students can use if they don’t have data plans on their cell phones, he said.

Paulishen echoed Baker’s comments that spending on technology means trading off on other expenses. If I buy laptops, then God forbid, a kid doesn’t have a book,” he said.

He chose to be a CCR teacher this year because he enjoys working with seniors. When the academy no longer exists next year, he is not sure which academy he will join. I would like to stay with seniors,” he said.

The transition this year has been very very difficult” for some teachers, he said. Many do not understand why the district decided to add another academy or even why Hillhouse was divided into academies in the first place. For the past three or four years, the school has been on a real positive trajectory,” with college persistence rates and graduation rates trending upward, Paulishen said.

It wasn’t clear to me why a wholesale change was made,” he said.

The school gained 15 new certified teachers this year, Baker said, a relatively large number. To supplement the district orientation, Hillhouse offered an optional two-day orientation to introduce the administrators and learn about the schedule — unable to make it mandatory because they couldn’t afford to pay teachers to attend.

It’s definitely a growth area,” Baker said. Administrators are working on getting funding to be able to pay teachers for targeted training this summer, she said.

Teets, a second-year SMART English teacher, said the academy system is insular.” Though he feels more supported as a teacher this year, he has no rapport with teachers outside of” SMART, a common refrain among teachers.

He chose to move from CCR to SMART because of his arts background. That’s my passion. I love seeing student work,” he said. It’s a great way to get students engaged with what’s going on.”

I would like to see more cross-academy work and collaboration,” Teets said. Baker has been very very responsive” to teachers’ needs, he said, but some aspects are falling through the cracks.”

Teets is teaching a sheltered content class” this year for 15 English language learners (ELL) new to the country, though he has little experience in that type of instruction. He reached out to administrators asking for more support or professional development, so he could build strategies to help his students.

It’s one of those emails that were lost,” he said. If it’s not addressed very quickly in the short term, it gets lost.”

Baker said she has requested more resources from the district to support ELL teachers. Generally, she said, many teachers do not understand Hillhouse’s model, which is intended to shrink a large, impersonal school into a three small, intimate ones. We have a golden opportunity — it allows us to do a personalized system where there are smaller teams, but also tie into the resources of the campus,” she said. Once we have our flow going, I feel like people will get on board.”

But Daniels, Smith and Streater said they worry the structure won’t come together in time for them to be successful in their last year of high school.

It feels unrealistic to me to be able to afford college,” Daniels said. I’m not prepared for any real life issues. I can’t be ready for that if I don’t have access at school.”

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