Schools in Silicon Valley are getting a failing grade for the way they prepare economically-disadvantaged students and students whose second language is English, according to the results of a study done by the group Innovate Public Schools.
KIPP Heartwood Academy in East San Jose may have a solution. Almost three-fourths of the students there are considered algebra-proficient by the 8th grade. The report’s authors say other schools need to look for a way to copy their strategy and stop using poverty or language as an excuse.
Students walk into Susan Oba’s class with one thing in mind: college. The 7th graders were learning proportional ratios Monday in the pre-algebra class at KIPP Heartwood Academy. Most of the school’s students come from low-income families. Half of them speak English as a second language. And, if state test scores are any indication, almost three out of four of these students will be on the college track.
"We tell students that there's really no excuse for not meeting the expectations, whether that's homework completion or being on time at school," Oba said.
But a report just released to NBC Bay Area by the group Innovate Public Schools paints a much different picture for most underprivileged students or English language learners in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties
The report, called “Broken Promises: The Children Left behind in Silicon Valley Schools,” examined the California STAR test results released in August, and found 70 percent of low income students are not algebra proficient by the end of the 8th grade.
MORE: California Abandons STAR Testing Despite Fed Threat
NBC Bay Area's Damian Trujillo is the only TV reporter who has seen this new report.
The problem is even bigger among English language learners: Eighty-six percent of them are not algebra proficient.
“I think it portends a lot of problems for thousands of kids if they’re not proficient in algebra,” said Matt Hammer, the CEO of Innovate Public Schools. “It’s not likely they'll be on the college path in high school."
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Hammer’s report was partially funded by the Walton Family Foundation, a group that has long helped fund and support alternative and charter school efforts.
“Here in this valley that’s got incredible economic resources, some of the best jobs in the world are here, but if you're not going to be getting into college and be successful, a lot of those jobs are going to be way out of reach for you," Hammer said.
Oba said success is not impossible at lower-performing schools, but changes are needed. She said students, teachers and parents all need to work harder to be part of the solution.
“No, it’s not easy,” Oba said. “We come to school, we work hard on the weekends to really be ready.”
They put in 8 1/2 hours a day at school at KIPP Heartwood. Their motto: “No Excuses, No Shortcuts.”
