In a grand effort to mend an achievement gap between white and minority students, East High teachers and administrators this year have enrolled all freshmen – no matter their ability or background – into accelerated geography.
The experiment, called “detracking,” is supposed to mix high- and low-performing students together in hopes of changing what many teachers call the Denver Public school’s “in-building segregation.”
But the first month of school has been hard on some teachers, who say that the students have radically different skill levels.
“The kids I worry about are the ones who don’t have the basic skills,” said Celeste Archer, who teaches four sections of the class. “It’s like putting a kid who isn’t getting multiplication or division into advanced algebra and hoping that somehow through osmosis … they’ll get it.”
But that is almost exactly what teacher Keith Lucero had in mind when he came up with the idea. In his years at East, he saw painful differences between students who enrolled in accelerated geography, called “geography x,” and those who didn’t.
“There were some days where I was the only minority in the room, which I found really distressing,” he said. “What we ended up with was a tracking system where we have minority kids in the regular classes and white kids in the ‘x’ classes.”
At East, 38 percent of the students are African-American, 46 percent are white and 12 percent are Latino. Because of this racial split, the principal, Kathy Callum, who’s in her third year at the school, confronted East’s achievement gap.
“Some classes were looking like a suburban homogenous white school, and some weren’t,” she said. “We want every class to be challenging and rigorous. … It’s not drudgery to me to make classes harder.”
But for some students, the new geography classes may be too challenging – at least so far. According to grades calculated as of Monday in one class, eight students had an A, seven had Bs and 12 had Fs.
“I think it’s an adjustment for everyone,” said teacher Peter Goldin, who added that he believes in the project.
“As public school teachers, we have to deal with the hand we’re dealt,” said Goldin, who has 37 students in one class. “We have to find a way to meet all their needs.”
And this is where the art of teaching comes in, experts say. Lucero, who designed East’s curriculum, said the tension between the highest and lowest achievers is always worrisome.
Studies nationally have shown that “detracking” – making students at all levels enroll in the same challenging classes – brings up grades.
Sophomore Evan Starr said Monday that, if nothing else, it helps all students feel better about themselves.
“It’s good on a college transcript,” he said. “And it’s a good boost of confidence.”
Staff writer Allison Sherry can be reached at asherry@denverpost.com or 303-820-1377.
PRE-TEST QUESTIONS
Some questions from the pre-test of East High School’s “geography x” classes.
What is the name of the imaginary line that circles the middle of the earth (north to south)?
a. Longitude
b. Equator
c. Prime Meridian
Which continent is south of Europe?
a. Asia
b. Australia
c. Africa
What is the name of a body of land with water all around it?
a. Island
b. Desert
c. Province
What is the 49th state of the U.S.?
a. Alaska
b. Hawaii
c. California
bWhich of the following is the largest ocean?
a. Atlantic
b. Pacific
c. Arctic
Answers: c, c, a, a, b
