Synthesis of interviews with principals, teachers, and parents

Adminisrators, teachers and parents are stakeholders in schools. Members of each of these groups have different perceptions with respect to their own roles, the roles of others, and the functioning of the school as an organization. Three people associated with I.S. 059, Springfield Gardens, recently shared their views in separate interviews. Carleton Gordon is the principal of I.S. 059; he sees his role as a student advocate, doing the best he can to ensure the students receive the education they deserve (personal communication, January 19, 2011). Mr. Johnson is a dedicated art teacher who continually compared I.S. 059 favorably to other schools where he has worked. Mr. Benton is a parent who has volunteered at Springfield Gardens for seven years, a role he eagerly sought following retirement from the workplace. The three men answered questions about the school and education, the school's relationship with parents, and school and family relationships with the community at large. They agreed on some issues and, as would be expected given their different roles, differed on others.

Springfield Gardens: Interviews with Three Stakeholders

Springfield Gardens in Queens, NY, enrolls 716 students in grades 6, 7, 8, including Special Education. Its mission statement is as follows:

The Gifted and Talented Academy for the Arts and Sciences at I.S.59 Queens is a nurturing school that believes in the "Reaching Beyond Excellence" philosophy for our children. We believe that our children can: give their best academically, socially and become masters of all their subject areas. We believe our students' education is based on students' needs, open communication between teachers and students, in collaboration with caring parents. As a school family, we equip our children with the academic, social, civic and scientific skills needed to become productive "world leaders." (I.S. 059, 2011).

The three interviewees agreed that the role of the school is to prepare students for the future. Principal Gordon cited the importance of making students into productive citizens who can "speak well, compute, and become well-read in order for them to compete globally" (personal communication, January 19, 2011). Globalization figured prominently in discussions about the purpose of school and the role of education as the great equalizer. Perhaps because he is an art teacher, Mr. Johnson reflected on education as a process and not merely an outcome. He noted just because someone does not do well academically "[it] doesn't mean they're not getting an education" (personal communication, January19, 2011). Principal Gordon and Mr. Benton are advocates for students and view their roles as facilitators. Mr. Johnson views the role of teachers a bit differently, believing that their responsibility is to raise the consciousness of students as part of preparation for the real world. For Mr. Johnson, education is less about competitiveness in the global marketplace and more about equipping students to live in the real world, participating successfully in any capacity they can. He believes his role is to broaden students' horizons, but also help them set realistic goals. He believes he should teach them about art but also about family, community and life.

Effective schools have strong leadership. Mr. Johnson praised Principal Gordon as a "visionary" who encourages collaboration among teachers and administrators and regularly charges educators to review instructional guidelines (personal communication, January 19, 2011). Principal Gordon acknowledges his role in guiding and motivating his staff, but ultimately equates teachers with a school's success: "When you get right down to it, it's the teachers who are actually in the classrooms who are either going to make it happen or not make it happen" (personal communication, January 19, 2011).

Principal Gordon speaks from experience. He felt unfulfilled in his work as an account executive with Traveler's Insurance Company and, after fifteen years, became a classroom teacher. He taught various subjects in sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Outside the classroom, he sought active roles in the decision-making process, becoming PTA President, President's Council President, and a member of the school board. Motivated by the realization that he would have the ability to make real change in the school and the community, he pursued "fast track" training through New Leaders for New Schools and became a principal. He does not yet feel that he has had the big accomplishments he has been seeking. He cited yearly improvements during his eight-year tenure at Springfield Gardens but acknowledged "we're not there yet" (personal communication, January 19, 2011).

Principal Gordon likes to maintain an open door policy at his school, whereby parents feel free to come to the school to observe first hand and to speak with teachers and administrators. All three interviewees would like to see more parents avail themselves of the opportunity to visit. Principal Gordon believes that parent involvement declines when students reach middle school age, when just the opposite would be desirable. "In middle school…there's a little too much freedom sometimes," he stated. "The parents in this community (which is a working, middle-class community) often leave for work before the kids go to school, and half the time, they don't even know when their kids go to school!" (personal communication, January 19, 2011).

Mr. Benton and Mr. Johnson agreed that parent responsibility is an important component of educational achievement, and a component that is often lacking at Springfield Gardens. For Mr. Benton, parental involvement is a moral imperative. He believes that, in order for a child to learn, the child must be "well-clothed, well-fed, and mentally ready" to attend school. Because of his strong belief on the subject, supported by his record of significant volunteer contributions at Springfield Gardens, one can assume that Mr. Benton would be a supportive parent capable of ensuring those conditions were met. As Mr. Johnson views it, not all children can rely on such support, particularly those from foster homes and broken homes. Mr. Johnson believes that some parents are apathetic while others "just have no clue." These parents are ill-equipped to support their children's school success and would benefit from "some sort of board program to improve their parental and educational skills" (personal communication, January 19, 2011). He believes that the school system needs to find a way to make parents accountable. Support and education must be provided for the parents so they understand fully they have an important role and they know what they can do to help their students.

Two interviewees agreed that, in addition to lack of parent support, student behavior is a significant roadblock to learning. Principal Gordon, at age fifty-eight, recalled attending school at a time when there were fewer disciplinary problems. He cited greater parent involvement and a homogeneous student body (98% white) as supporting factors. Mr. Johnson likewise attended schools with a homogeneous student body. Unlike the principal, Mr. Johnson attended all-black schools in the projects, which he reported were well structured and fostered love of learning. Since both gentlemen are older, one can reasonably conclude that it is differences in culture and society from one generation to another that has resulted in the decline of student behavior, rather than behavior being a factor of race or ethnicity.

Principal Gordon believes that there have been major improvements in discipline during his years at Springfield Gardens. For Mr. Johnson, who, as an art teacher, is "in the trenches," the picture is not quite so rosy. He called behavior in some classes "out of control," and stated teachers have to spend "a ton of energy just to get an ounce of learning these days" (personal communication, January 19, 2011).

Mr. Johnson appreciates Mr. Gordon and, although he did not say so directly, it does not appear that he holds Mr. Gordon responsible for behavior problems at school. He cites, instead, overall lack of parent involvement and complained that the school board's behavior guidelines are insufficient. Additionally, he believes that students (as well as their teachers) have too much work to do, noting that three interdisciplinary projects are required annually and "teachers have trouble getting through their curriculum with these projects" (personal communication, January 19, 2011). It is likely that these additional stressors influence student behavior and teacher response in negative ways.

Mr. Benton, the volunteer, clearly views his role within the school as an important one and he is proud to be a part of Springfield Gardens. His conversation about the school was generally positive and therefore he dismissed the notion that behavior was a real issue, significant for "a very select few students…a very small group" (personal communication, January 26, 2011). In his view, talking to the students and encouraging them is sufficient to address the problem. Perhaps he truly feels that discipline is not a big issue. Perhaps he was merely eager to show Springfield Gardens in the best possible light to the interviewer. Interestingly, Mr. Benton said that the school has been transformed from a failing school to "A+" in the seven years he has volunteered, when in fact the school recently received a "D" on the official state report card. (I.S. 059, Statistics, 2011). Mr. Benton may be as ill informed about discipline problems as he is about the school's overall rating. Like Mr. Johnson, he acknowledged that student behavior was different "back then" when he was in school: "Some of the things I've seen here with kids never really occurred in my time" (personal communication, January 26, 2011).

In keeping with his enthusiastic responses about Springfield Gardens, Mr. Benton was pleased to discuss the school and its community relations. He cited a technology program for grandparents offered once or twice a week at the school, involvement by congressmen and elected officials -- although he did not provide details how that is manifest -- and after-school programs conducted through the auspices of the YMCA, an organization with which he himself is active. He believes there is a considerable effort underway, although there is still more to do.