School Information System: Madison Schools will press ahead with High School honors classes despite protests

January 10, 2011

Madison Schools will press ahead with High School honors classes despite protests

Despite lingering concerns from some parents, students and teachers, the Madison School District will introduce 9th and 10th grade honors classes next fall at West High School -- changes that prompted a student protest last fall.

Superintendent Dan Nerad said he discussed with staff over the weekend the possibility of not introducing the honors classes after school board members and parents raised questions at a meeting Thursday night.

Nerad said the decision comes down to following the district's talented-and-gifted plan, which called for offering honors classes at all high schools starting in this current school year.

"This has already been put off a year," Nerad said in an interview Monday. "We have an obligation to move forward with what's been identified in the TAG plan."

On Friday, 18 West parents sent a letter to the district asking that the honors classes be delayed.

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Posted by Jim Zellmer at January 10, 2011 8:36 PM
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Comments

The article mentions a letter by 18 people asking for honors classes to be delayed but fails to mention the nearly 200 parents who signed a petition asking for honors classes to be provided, and by doing so, for state laws for advanced students to be upheld.

It also does not make clear that this was not a rush-job decision: MMSD has been out of compliance with state laws for gifted education for over 15 years and parents have been fighting this for a long, long time.

The article does mention (at the end) that LaFollette and East High Schools already have honors classes which is true - West area parents just want the same thing! It's not that wild of an idea!

Regarding the West HS fall sit in being about this, that is not entirely true. The students, having been agitated and encouraged to protest by West staff and admin, had a variety of reasons they thought they were sitting-in about. Much of it stemmed from misunderstanding of the district wide high school plan based on the REAL grant. This was NOT created in response to the parents filing a complaint against West and MMSD for lack of honors classes. These are 2 separate things which somehow got blended together in teachers' and students' minds because of lack of information.

ALL students deserve to have their academic needs met in school. Thank you to Dan Nerad and the administration for doing the right thing.

Posted by: Mary Worth at January 11, 2011 12:14 PM

Whatever comes as an action does not matter when designs of education are not rooted on pedagogy becuase actions are taken to move youth population on the basis of honors. What it is said honors are when school designs are not there now or ever..until there is pedagogy for liberation.This is no intention to cite an authority. It is to lead an awareness how solutions become part of hegemony.In Seinfeld philosophy would be to do and say everything about nothing except to communicate what today's youth perceive as their education. For further understanding what happens in decision making and reality see schoolinfosystem A Discussion of School Models. Note to the phrase: "Teaching is solitary profession" Art Rainwater.

Posted by: Rafael Gomez at January 17, 2011 4:11 PM

The discussion Rafale refers to can be seen here:

http://www.schoolinfosystem.org/archives/2008/01/a_discussion_on.php

Posted by: Jim Zellmer at January 17, 2011 10:04 PM