Central Schools Are Transformative

CENTRAL — For the principal at Tanglewood Elementary, Sandy Davis, and her staff of more-than-extraordinary teachers, their work is not about a paycheck but about a commitment.

“We’re a team, and we work together, but we want to take it to a higher level,” she said.

Taking it to a higher level is not easy when you’re already No. 1, but Sandy Davis has a plan to do it.

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Tanglewood is one of the reasons something truly amazing is going on in Central.

The public schools in this community are transformative.

In other words, the young people who walk in the door on their first day of class undergo a remarkable and positive transformation by the time they walk out the door as graduating seniors.

As I watched the Central High School graduation ceremonies two weeks ago at Bethany, I was amazed at the quality of the 262 graduates.  They were every bit the equal of Catholic High or Parkview or any of the top 10 private schools in Louisiana.

To the world, it all seems so natural.  Central appears to be a middle to upper income community.  So it seems natural to the world that Central High graduates would be outstanding.

What the world doesn’t understand — and even many people in Central don’t realize — is that Central is not a middle-to-upper income community.  On the contrary, it is a relatively poor community.

Don’t be deceived by Comite Hills or Oak Cluster or some of the fine homes on Greenwell Springs Road.  Get off the main roads, and you will learn more about the struggles that our citizens are facing.

The records at the Central Community School Board tell the true story: The income levels of a majority of our people are at or below the poverty line.

For example, at Tanglewood, 350 of the 610 students qualify for the federal free or reduced lunch program.  That means 57 percent are at or below the poverty line.

But the problems are much more serious than poverty.   Teachers at Tanglewood will tell you the reality of the situation — that too many students come from dysfunctional homes.  In a way, this is more about what is going on in America than about Central in particular.  But we are talking about drugs in the home, a parent in prison, or a host of other serious issues.

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For the 2nd straight year, Tanglewood has amazed the experts.

This spring, the 3rd graders at Tanglewood scored higher than any other school system in the state on the Louisiana Department of Education’s statewide standardized iLEAP tests.

Tanglewood students were No. 1 in English and language arts.

They were No. 1 in science.

They were No. 1 in social studies.

And they tied for No. 3 in math.

Out of 300 3rd graders, only one failed to test at grade level or above.  “I’m familiar with the one student who did not achieve grade level, and he is doing fine.  He just misunderstood the instructions,” Mrs. Davis said.

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Tanglewood’s School Performance scores have jumped from 102 two years ago to 112 last year to 120 this year.  Excellent.  “We are hoping to receive an ‘A’ when the Department of Education begins assigning letter grades to schools next year,” Davis said.

Tanglewood also did very well with the percentage of its students achieving at the Mastery level.

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Frankly, we think the state is wrong about math.  Tanglewood is better than No. 3.  It was, after all, only two years ago that two of Mrs. Pat Morgan’s Tanglewood 2nd graders were named among the world’s top math geniuses. From among two million competitors, Bilal Latour ranked No. 65 and Rosemarie Skillman ranked No. 98.

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How does Tanglewood do it?

Principal Sandy Davis said, “This isn’t a military camp or anything like that, but we have high expectations for the students.”

The truth is, students at Tanglewood love to come to school.

A host of great teachers make it fun and interesting — everyday.

This week — two weeks after school let out — 45 Tanglewood students are back at school for Space Camp.  On Wednesday morning, they were firing off homemade rockets (we’re not talking fireworks) and on Friday they leave to tour NASA in Houston.

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So what’s the plan to carry Tanglewood to the next level?

Principal Sandy Davis is instituting “The Leader in Me” plan, which is based on Stephen Covey’s best seller, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

Davis said, “We’ll be implementing lots of the principles.  For example, learning to be a good listener.  Leading yourself.  Students will be learning to be good speakers and learning to interact with adults.”

“Even in kindergarten, students will have their own data books to record their personal and academic goals.  They will take ownership of their education and their lives.”

“When we have parent-teacher conferences, the students will conduct the meeting.  Every classroom will have its own greeter to welcome guests.  We’ll teach students to look people in the eye and have a firm handshake.  It’s going to be fun and carry things to the next level.”

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In Central, there are no attendance zones.  Every child attends every school in the system.  Bellingrath Hills is for pre-K through 1st grade, Tanglewood is for 2nd and 3rd grade, Central Intermediate is for 4th and 5th grades, Central Middle is for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, and Central High is for 9th through 12th grade.

Statewide testing begins in the 3rd grade.  So Tanglewood is on the front lines. But, no worry, we’re betting they’ll only get better.

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PHOTO: 3rd grader Darryl Williams (right) was one of this year’s Best in the State at Tanglewood Elementary School.  Shown with mom Amanda and brother Hunter, an incoming 2nd grader.

Country Living in the City column by Woody Jenkins, Editor, Central City News