Carver's success inspires Atlanta to shrink schools

By many accounts, Carver has succeeded.

Before the revamped school opened in August 2005, Carver was among the worst in Georgia. Only 36 percent of the students graduated in May 2005. Hall predicted the school's graduation rate would be about 80 percent this year.

"Today Carver is a model," she said. "This success will be replicated across the district."

But some parents and community members are fighting the changes, calling it a cookie-cutter approach. They worry the new design will force schools to lose successful magnet programs in engineering, communications and other areas that attract students from across the district.

While Carver needed improvement, not all Atlanta schools are in the same dire circumstances, said Chris Martin, co-president of Council of Intown Neighborhoods and Schools, which represents schools that feed into Grady High.

"We're all for improving high schools but Grady and some of these other schools are already considered successful," Martin said. "Why change schools that are working?"

Hall said she understands some people are apprehensive.

"I know some people don't like what we're doing because their child or their program succeeded under the status quo," Hall said. "But for every child succeeding in high school, we have had two or three who were not. This is what has to be done. I am not willing to slow down on this."

Carver sits on a hilly campus a few miles south of Turner Field. Four distinct programs —- Early College, School of Technology, School of the Arts and School of Health Sciences & Research —- share the buildings, with each occupying its own floor or wing.

Students enroll as freshmen in one of the four schools, each offering a college preparatory curriculum. The schools are all-encompassing, with students taking core classes and electives within the program. The design is supposed to allow teachers to get to know students better than they could in a large school.

Junior Alex Rowland attends the health sciences and research program. It wasn't his first choice, but he said teachers make classes interesting.

"I feel safe here," Alex said. "It's OK for me to try and if I fail it's still OK. The teachers talk with you and make you feel like you shouldn't be intimidated or scared."

Junior Desmond Johnson said it was hard to get used to teachers being so involved. Desmond, a student at the arts school, plays the tuba, but after he mentioned that the harp made interesting sounds, teachers pushed him into also learning how to play the harp.

"The teachers don't let up," Desmond said. "If it isn't good, they make you do it again. It can be annoying because sometimes you don't want to work that hard. If you don't do your best, or at least what they think is your best, they are going to keep on you."

Marvin Pryor, principal of the arts school, said teachers use the arts as a way to motivate the kids.

"What we're doing is using these specialized programs as a hook to get them to school," he said. "If we get them to graduate high school and put them on a path for college we've done our job."

That goal isn't easy.

Darian Jones, principal of the School of Health Sciences & Research, estimated about 60 percent of his students entered high school two grades behind.

To get students up to level, the school provided extra lessons in reading and math. Teachers emphasized critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are weaved through all classes. He organized field trips through Outward Bound and other groups to bolster students' confidence.

"You're not going to get this right on the first shot," Jones said. "You have to tweak as you go along."

Still, critics and advocates of small schools have raised questions as to whether small schools work.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has spent nearly $2 billion over nine years to create small high schools, including $10.5 million in Atlanta. In a letter released in January discussing the foundation's work, Bill Gates wrote that small schools did not improve graduation rates.

"Many of the small schools that we invested in did not improve students' achievement in any significant way," he wrote. "These tended to be the schools that did not take radical steps to change the culture, such as allowing the principal to pick the team of teachers or change the curriculum."

Randolph Bynum, Atlanta's associate superintendent for high schools, said the district has succeeded because of additional teacher training and improved curriculum.

"You can't just cut a school into small pieces and think it's going to work," he said. "It's about offering rigorous curriculum and building relationships."

The heart of small schools can be found in the advisory program, which pairs each adult with a group of students, Bynum said.

English teacher Erin Barksdale meets with a group of 20 girls from the health sciences and research school for 40 minutes every day. The girls call Barksdale "Mom" or "Ma" and she sometimes refers to them as "my daughters."

During a recent session, the girls took turns sharing something good that happened that day. They also talked about teachers they don't like and boyfriends they should break up with but don't. They swapped tips on how to solve math problems, topics for good college essays and good hairdressers.

"When they know you care, they don't want to let you down," Barksdale said. "That's why they're succeeding here."

Pro/Con

The issue: Breaking large high schools into smaller schools with academic themes.

Pro: Atlanta Superintendent Beverly Hall says such programs, as evidenced by the success at the city's New Schools at Carver, can improve graduation rates by providing students with personal and challenging experiences.

Con: Chris Martin, co-president of Council of Intown Neighborhoods and Schools, is among some who question applying the program to all high schools. "We're all for improving high schools but Grady [High] and some of these other schools are already considered successful. Why change schools that are working?"

Atlanta's small high schools

Starting with Carver High in August 2005, Atlanta school leaders have been breaking large high schools into smaller schools, all located on the same campus. The schedule:

Aug. 2005: The New Schools at Carver

Aug. 2007: Therrell and South Atlanta

Aug. 2008: Southside, which was renamed Maynard Jackson

Aug. 2009: Douglass and Washington

Aug. 2010: Grady, Mays and North Atlanta

Source: Atlanta Public Schools

Carver's graduates

Carver High was once one of the worst high schools in Georgia. Atlanta school leaders picked the campus as the first to undergo a massive transformation. The first students to have spent a full four years at the redesigned school will graduate May 28.

Graduation rate....2005....2006....2007....2008

Carver ..............36......61......66......75

Atlanta system ......72......69......68......72

State................69......71......72......75

Source: Georgia Department of Education, Governor's Office of Student Achievement