PISD - Educators’ Outlook: Demographic Changes

PISD - Educators’ Outlook: Demographic Changes

Monday, 07 August 2006

High school

"The demographics have changed in the 25 years I have been a principal at Pflugerville High School. However, I think the number of students from low-income families is the greater challenge for schools and teachers. Our lowest scores come from the economically disadvantaged. Part of the challenge these students usually have is a lack of life experiences that help with their educational growth.

We see these students’ frustration; they are tired of fighting it [lack of academic success].

One goal of the Advanced Placement program is to push the economically disadvantaged to become involved in these classes – to see themselves going to college.

Twenty-five years ago, the lower economic students were not as much a concern in the academic realm because we were so much smaller. Teachers knew all the students. If one needed help, all the teachers kind of rallied around them to make sure they had what they needed to succeed. - Larry Bradley, Pflugerville High School principal

Middle School

"When Westview opened in 1988 most of the students were from average to above average incomes.

We didn’t really notice much change in socioeconomic levels even though the demographics changed until the Windcrest Apartments, federally-subsidized apartments on Yager and IH 35 opened about eight years ago.

They changed the population of the school considerably. In the last two or three years the change has become more dramatic with a huge increase in students using the free and reduced lunches.

I think what this says is that the demographics are changing because the state is changing and the changes aren’t through. The people who work in schools have to have a heart. You can get the knowledge, skills and training, but if you don’t have a heart to deal with all kinds of students, you won’t be successful.

I believe that we can keep our standards to the level that Pflugerville has grown to expect. There are plenty of schools and districts in the state and other states with the same demographics whose standards have not dropped, and that is our challenge ultimately.

I come from poverty, and I realize that my nine siblings and myself are not still living in poverty because of education. I realize the difference that education made.” - Bonifacio Durán, Westview Middle School principal

Elementary School

"In my early teaching career, I saw a need to involve parents in the education of their kids. The culture has changed with so many working parents. Schools have to look at the demands on working parents and how they can help involve parents.

The Parent – Student Academy at Copperfield Elementary is the brainchild of Dr. Sandra Bell, the principal, and is a once-a-year, evening event bringing together parents, students, teachers and volunteers from the community.

Since Copperfield is a bilingual school, the first year the program was a literacy interactive reading project with students and their parents reading together, alone and together along with demonstrations from teachers.

This was our sixth year and each year the idea has grown. We have offered what the parents asked for – sessions on behavior management, what kind of parent am I, how can I motivate my student for college now. At the same time, the children have sessions they can choose. This year volunteers had sessions on collecting, science and cooking, ghost stories of Texas and rabbits. A helicopter pilot talked about his life and Texas Representative Mark Strama talked about working at the State capital.

The program has grown from 140 parents and students participating the first year to more than 400 this year, with another 100 teachers and volunteers. “ - Debby Krueger, former 5th grade teacher at Copperfield, now instructional coach at Windermere Primary