Like everything else in Las Vegas, the Clark County School District has to have a known brand. I’d suggest this one: B x C x D = E(Behavior x Composition x Dress=Education).
I used this formula throughout my 28 years of teaching in the Philadelphia area. My classmate peers and I went to a public system from which we graduated and have done well because there was structure in the classroom and parental support for the teachers, all contributing to a learning environment. There were no charters, academies or Education Savings Accounts.
Now, it is time to revisit this approach. Let me break it down:
• Behavior: Parents must support teachers concerning poor, disruptive behavior of their children. When students see a working relationship between home and school, there is no middle ground for misbehaving, which disrupts teaching and learning. Just a look at a misbehaving student corrects unruly behavior because the student knows another call will go home and that means punishment. I never had to make a repeat call. More hiring, more programs, more technology and smaller class sizes would have negligible effect without parental support.
• Composition: In elementary and high schools, students must have a writing lesson and composition to follow or for homework, two to three times a week. This would include vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, grammar and capitalization. As students get more confident in writing, that confidence transfers to other school disciplines.
• Dress: Students must dress for success. Coming to class with baggy clothing is not conducive to concentrating on instruction.
This is a simple equation. By using it, respect for the district would go up. As a side benefit, there would be more teachers applying for the many vacancies because applicants would know that the classes are disciplined and parental support is readily available.