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A Case for Educational Opportunities
By Robert F. Gazda
 | | Larry Hannafin of Norfolk, newly elected President of the Winsted Health Center Foundation, accepts the gavel from outgoing President Richard Michaelsen. Also elected at the Foundation's recent Board of Trustees meeting were Carol Crossman of Winsted, Vice President; Jedd Gould of Colebrook, Treasurer; and Anita Holmes of Norfolk, Secretary. |
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Robert Gazda is Headmaster of The Gilbert School in Winsted.
The Gilbert School, as a comprehensive, traditional high school, strives to meet the needs of all students. The majority of students are very well served by a broad and enriched program of studies designed for all academic levels. Classroom instruction utilizes a variety of instructional strategies and techniques that address the varied learning styles of students. In-class activities foster not only the retention of content, but more importantly, the manipulation of that content to solve problems. This problem-solving is often done as a cooperative effort on the part of groups of students.
An identified and growing number of students have been found to benefit from a more individualized program suited to their specific set of needs. Our School-to-Career program, which has application to the vast majority of our students, is such a program. This expanding program, with work-study and "tech prep" components as well as the already established academics with mentoring and internship opportunities, is a very highly individualized and meaningful educational experience for students. These School-to-Career experiences directly relate to the real world of work.
A smaller population of students experiencing difficulties academically and/or socially requires even more individualized attention. To this end, The Gilbert School addresses the needs of these students with a multi-facetted Special Education program. This program offers direct instruction, guided support and counseling.
In addition, a number of students in grades 9-12 are served by way of a process known as a "504 Review." This review creates special accommodations within a student's regular program. The accommodations may affect content covered, instructional methodologies employed and/or alternate forms of assessment. The development of the student's "504 Plan" by the 504 Review Team is designed to optimize the student's opportunity for success.
Gilbert's Student Assistant Team (SAT) also assesses students experiencing difficulty, usually behavioral or as a result of alcohol/ drug involvement. The task of this team is to assess and prescribe to all of the student's teachers a means to deal with the student’s problems in a consistent manner. These recommendations are a student's behavioral/ support plan.
Another resource used to address the needs of students experiencing difficulty is our Insights Program. This outreach program of the McCaIl Foundation is a counseling/ educational program that targets students dealing with family and/or personal issues associated with drugs and alcohol abuse. Individual and group work highlights the activity of this program.
Yet, despite these efforts, even when coupled with interventions of our regular counseling department, a number of students do not meet with any success. The reasons for their lack of success are varied and complex, but the result of their lack of success often and usually manifests itself as disciplinary and attendance problems.
This population of students is done an injustice by having them remain in a setting where the cycle of failure, frustration and discipline keeps repeating itself again and again. Rather than the traditional setting of a "large" school with clearly defined rules and expectations, these students benefit from an environment in which they can better and more positively identify with each other. A smaller setting which allows more flexibility to address behavioral transgressions is less threatening and offers a greater support and opportunity to foster positive behaviors.
Finally, and as a means of being thorough and complete, it must be understood that the frequent disruption to classes and the school in general is a disservice to the majority of students in the school. The actions of a few should not and cannot be allowed to infringe on the rights of others to obtain an education.
All students are best served by such differentiated programs. The success of these programs has been evident here in Winsted as it has been throughout the nation. The growth of "educational opportunity programs" is a testimony to their success. In a recent Time magazine article (January 13, 2003), it is reported by the Department of Education that the number of such schools "… ballooned from 2,606 in the 1993-94 academic year to 4,818 in 2000-01." In Connecticut, a call to the State Department of Education reveals that a study or inventory of such programs is currently being conducted. The last was done over four years ago. A member of the bureau conducting the survey indicates that they expect the number of such programs to have at least doubled if not tripled over the past four or five years. A separate program, integrated with available resources from throughout the area, is an educational opportunity that these students need and deserve.
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