[BHS etree] SUPT: Berkeley Schools Looking Good in Today's Tribune

[bhs at idiom.com]

contact: Mark Coplan, BUSD Public Information Officer,
Mark_Coplan at berkeley.k12.ca.us

There are two great articles about the BUSD in the Oakland Tribune today: a
tribute to  Kindergarten teacher Louise Rosenkrantz at Malcolm X Elementary
School and a story about Principal Jim Slemp at Berkeley High.

Enjoy these articles and go out and buy a Tribune to see the photos.
Mark Coplan, Public Information Officer
==============================================================
Principal culls stability from 'utter chaos'

Jim Slemp earns high marks at start of second year leading Berkeley High
School
By Kristin Bender, TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

BERKELEY -- Nearly 3,000 Berkeley High School students and one 6-foot,
7-inch man in a tie returned to campus Wednesday as the 2004-05 school
year began.
The tall guy was Principal Jim Slemp, 57, back for a second year at the
helm -- to the amazement of some and the delight of many.
"Some of the kids are a little shocked that I'm here again. They haven't
had a history of a principal being around," he said, squinting into the
midday sun at lunchtime.
Slemp is the eighth principal in less than a decade to lead the 17-acre
high school in downtown Berkeley, which has been called the nation's most
diverse. Berkeley High recently was the subject of a book chronicling the
lives of students.
Some principals have lasted a few years. One, Patty Christa, quit before
the first day of school. Students say past principals always seemed so
lost under a sea of paperwork they rarely left their offices.
But that was then, before Slemp came along.

"It was really good that he came when he did," said Vice Principal Rory
Bled. "He saved us from ourselves. We really had to start looking at
ourselves when we saw we had a principal that left before she started.
That's not usually a good sign."
Stability at Berkeley High is important for many reasons. Students are
learning at vastly different rates. English teacher Rick Ayers said there
are students who read at fifth-grade level and those who read at college
level.
The school's students are racially diverse, with roughly 40 percent white,
40 percent, African American, 10 percent Asian and 10 percent Latino.
About 10 percent of students don't count English as their first language.
There are students whose parents are Nobel Peace Prize winners and those
whose parents are on welfare. Some parents are millionaires while others
never graduated from high school, said school board member Terry Doran.
"That's the challenge of Berkeley High School, and that's what makes it so
exciting," Doran said.
By all accounts, Slemp is getting good marks. Teachers, staff and students
say he's a thick-skinned mediator who builds consensus. He's friendly,
energetic and available. He doesn't get mired in details, and
micromanaging isn't his thing. His major selling point: He really likes
young people.
In fact, last year he said he made it a point to learn the names of 600 to
700 students. And students seem to be taking notice.
At graduation, a Berkeley High tradition is to boo the principal. Slemp
got a rousing round of applause.
"After he came to our school, it seemed much more organized, things were
getting done more," said junior Andrea Woodard, 17. Before Slemp "it was
utter chaos."
Senior Sarah Schaaf, also 17, said: "Things aren't perfect because there
are so many students, but he's incredibly interactive."
What's more, such "serious incidents" as fights and drug-related
activities were reportedly down two-thirds in 2003 from the previous year,
officials said. There are 11 safety officers and one Berkeley police
officer on campus helping to keep the peace, Slemp said.
Teachers and staff members also are more visible, students said. Two
"small schools" for 700 students are up and running, and two more are
planned for 2005.
Parents, teachers and students say Berkeley High's stability has blossomed
under Slemp's leadership for many reasons. Officials have started keeping
better track of attendance -- five unexcused absences or 15 tardies means
a drop of one letter grade.
Although planned long before his arrival, the school's new $37 million
building complex, including a college career counseling center, food
court, gymnasium, dance studio and student center, opened in the spring.
And there are little improvements such as bar codes on student
identifications for checking out textbooks and getting into dances.
"There's been such a lack of leadership for some time," said Slemp, who
works 10- to 12-hour days. "We are making a lot of progress, but there's
still work to be done."
Community activist Laura Menard said she and others are waiting to see how
the attendance policy really helps and whether more academically rigorous
classes will be available to more students.
"He definitely has the optimism and the strength to do the job, and he
knows when to say no, that's what makes him reasonable. But the school
still has a long way to go," said Menard, who has one son who graduated
from the school and a freshman who started Wednesday.

Better read that dead
Inspiring educational books greet school year with new enthusiasm for
reading
By Kathleen Grant Geib, TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
IF Rick Ayers does nothing else in his life, he's already done: He's
inspired his students to read. Not only that, he's gotten these teens to
talk about what they're reading.
Ayers and co-editor Amy Crawford teach English at Berkeley High School,
and Ayers describes their book, "Great Books for High School Kids: A
Teachers' Guide to Books That Can Change Teens' Lives" (Beacon Press,
$15), as a "turn-you-on-to-reading book."
"People live their lives more intentionally and more fully and with more
satisfaction when they're really engaged in reading," says Ayers.
Bravo. We need more teachers like Ayers and Crawford.
With the new school year under way, parents and teachers alike will
appreciate the smart ideas in these new education books. They offer
uplifting stories and focus on ways to make kids' educations richer.
While Ayers and Crawford recommend dynamic books for teens, Valerie V.
Lewis and Walter M. Mayes present their revised reading guide for young
children.
Shifting away from the practical, Ayers' brother, William Ayers, talks
about the importance of treating kids as individuals, and Michael Thompson
and Teresa Barker shed light on the things kids experience during school
but can't always articulate.
In two direct-from-the-classroom books, Rafe Esquith pounds home the
importance of hard work and Molly Ness examines the positives and
negatives of the Teach for America program.
Teen titles
"We try to approach reading as a joy and a participatory sport," says
"Great Books" author Ayers. He doesn't want reading to be a chore,
explaining that it's a journey that teachers and students take together.
Ayers' sentiments are mirrored in the teachers' essays about books they
have studied with their classes. The student involvement and personal
growth the teachers talk about is truly inspiring.
One teacher, Bonnie Katzive, writes about 7-year-old Antonio in "Bless Me,
Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya. "Antonio's journey brought these teenagers back
into their childhoods and allowed each student to reexamine his or her own
early days."
"In addition," Katzive continues, "Antonio's struggles led my students to
confront
and further develop their own philosophies."
Recommended books are accompanied by short descriptions and are also
listed by author, title and subject. Nor are these books only for teens.
Chances are adults will find one or two books to read as well.
Kids' classics
Need something for your fourth-grader to read next? Check out Lewis and
Mayes' "Valerie and Walter's Best Books for Children: Second Edition: A
Lively, Opinionated Guide" (Quill, $17.95), a book stuffed to the gills
with high-quality kids' titles, old and new, chatty comments and author
information. If you like to read, this book is a gold mine. If you're not
sure what's out there, this book will lead the way.
Philosophy and psychology
In "Teaching Toward Freedom: Moral Commitment and Ethical Action in the
Classroom" (Beacon Press, $23), William Ayers takes a philosophical look
at teaching and learning.
"Education, no matter where or when it takes place, enables teachers and
students alike to become more powerfully and self-consciously alive,"
Ayers says. "It embraces as principle and overarching purpose the
aspiration of people to become more fully human; it impels us toward
further knowledge, enlightenment, and human community, toward liberation."
On a more practical level, Thompson and Barker look at kids' daily school
experiences in "The Pressured Child: Helping Your Child Find Success in
School and Life" (Ballantine Books, $23.95).
"I want parents to remember how children live their lives in school, how
they attempt to manage the endless pressures of the school environment,
the infinite imposition of school, how they endure and how much resilience
and wisdom they have and are willing to share with us -- if we will
listen," says Thompson.
Challenging classrooms
Esquith's book "There Are No Shortcuts" (Anchor Books, $12) is just plain
fun. It is fast-paced and engaging, and although Esquith obviously makes
himself the hero, he's an endearing one. You can read about this teacher's
inner-city experiences and cheer his hard work and dedication, but also
smile at his shortcomings and learn from them.
Other teachers' experiences in poor urban and rural schools are offered in
Ness' "Lessons to Learn: Voices from the Front Lines of Teach for America"
(RoutledgeFalmer, $24). Ness examines the history and practical aspects of
Teach for America, a program that places college grads in challenging
schools after a short summer training program.
Like the Peace Corps, Teach for America attracts idealistic people who
believe they can make a difference. Their training in educational methods
may be minimal, but many prove that sheer stubbornness and hard work make
a difference in their students' lives.
E-mail Kathleen Grant Geib at kgeib at angnewspapers.com .

==========================================

Mark A. Coplan
Public Information Officer, BUSD
510-644-6320
Mark_Coplan at berkeley.k12.ca.us
Berkeley Unified School District
2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Berkeley, Ca 94704-1180

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