HVRHS report can be turned into a plus

As is often the case with committee reports, last month’s release of the findings by a regional accrediting agency on  Housatonic Valley Regional High School contained elements of both the expected and the unexpected.

The 61-page report from the New England Association of Schools & Colleges confirmed what many observers of the school have marveled at for years: There are some great teachers, many of whom go above and beyond the call in mentoring students who need help; the strong facilities and great variety of athletic offerings for such a small school; the abundance of pertinent information on the school’s Web site; and the caring and supportive atmosphere nurtured by students and faculty alike.

But there were concerns expressed about the scarcity of creative and student-centered teaching, especially in the middle- and lower-level class sections. Also noted was the lack of written curricula and the extent to which “the failure of the high school to embrace the district initiative of Understanding by Design leaves [the school] without any direction in the development and implementation of a curriculum� that includes “school-wide expectations.� In addition, the teacher evaluation system needs an overhaul.
    
Most striking (yet not surprising to longtime observers) was the persistent observation throughout the report of a lack of school spirit, as reported by both students and faculty. Principal Gretchen Foster and her staff can address most of the alleged deficiencies noted above, but the school spirit problem is a difficult nut to crack, fueled as it is by so many intangibles.

To her credit, Foster has tried to take tangible steps to combat the problem. Now in her third year, she has celebrated student success at every turn, for example. But other much-needed measures that were taken to improve the atmosphere for learning have no doubt had a deleterious effect on spirit. The institution of a pass system for bathroom use and increased restrictions on personal music devices, for example, are often cited by students as a debilitating infringement on their liberties.

In addition, department heads might reconsider their apparent habit, observed by NEASC, of assigning the most capable and motivating teachers to the upper- and humanities-level courses. Students in mid- and lower-level tracks are bound to notice that practice and resent it, thereby lowering their morale.

Furthermore, the abundance of prestigious independent schools in our area allows students and their families to explore other educational opportunities.

    At the end of the 2005-06 year, for example, 42 Region One eighth-graders decided not to attend Housatonic after graduating from one of the six public elementary schools in the district. Almost 30 went to private schools. This is bound to have a corrosive effect on the morale of those who attend one of the smallest public high schools in Connecticut.
    
Perhaps if the school takes NEASC’s advice and improves its guidance services, particularly in the area of college advising, Housatonic can stave off the migration of so many students to private schools and increase the number of students who make Housatonic the institution of choice even among families with the means to go elsewhere.
 
  While portions of the report were not terribly flattering, the document can be used as a partial blueprint for a better future. If nothing else, it could spark a healthy debate. After all, that’s what these 10-year NEASC exercises are all about — turning the lens on yourself in an attempt to provide the best product possible.