This semester each school in the Mount Airy system is deciding whether or not to adopt a character education program offered by the state. From the looks of it this seems like a good system for what it does — establishing a comprehensive and consistent code for enforcement and punishment of disciplinary programs tailored around the culture of each school. But the interesting thing about the program is that it views character education much the way we view academic lessons, implementing a system where students are taught good behavior and rewarded for demonstrating it. So the role of schools isn’t just to teach reading and writing (or math, social studies, etc.). For many, character education is part of a mission that keeps getting broader.
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Positive behavioral support programs may be useful in some schools and districts, but I don’t believe Mount Airy fits the profile. This district has a statewide reputation for providing safe, secure schools. Yancey County, where the N.C. Dept. of Education piloted PBS, has twice the disciplinary problems per 100 students compared to Mount Airy.
Also, the jury’s still out on whether PBS provides long-term benefits. Going back to Yancey’s example, it’s true that disciplinary problems, measured by school suspensions, declined at first, in 2004-05. By 2006-07, however, the number of Yancey schools’ suspensions as _higher_ than before the PBS program started. In that regard, PBS may be similar to many initiatives that start out strong and show benefits while the organization focuses a lot of attention and manpower on the effort, but don’t produce lasting effects.
In my opinion, Mount Airy has many other problems that need attention, starting with basic academics. One out of every five MAHS students couldn’t pass the state’s English I test at grade level last year and nearly that many could not score at Level III or higher in Algebra I. Twenty percent failure! Now, that’s a problem screaming for attention.
If you want a better topic for discussion, Brook, you should ask whether Mount Airy’s property owners believe they’re getting a good return on their investment of supplementary property taxes for the city schools and whether the tax support needs to be increased.
I don’t agree with this at all. I don’t think our teachers should be forced to have to handle these situations. There are fine organizations in the area that deal with these behaviors, and do a great job at it. Let the teachers teach, the specialists specialize, and last but not least, parents…set rules, limits, and consequences in the home.