<p>Garfield- has the advantage of very strong students- students coming from the districts APP program at Lowell and Washington middle school are guarenteed admittance to Garfield even over neighborhood students.
Most of the districts APP students ( who have qualified for the program by testing) do choose to attend Garfield.</p>
<p>However some do not- my daughters roommate at Reed opted for Franklin because he wanted to get to know some new classmates
Some of the students who have attended private prep schools K-8 also opt to attend Garfield- despite the challenges.</p>
<p>We have been involved with public schools for 8 years- I have worked with 4 principals and the current principal at Garfield- is by far the strongest. 
He is bright- dedicated- very intelligent and hardworking and young enough that he doesn’t seem to be discouraged by the challenges.
We need stronger principals- we need communication between district/schools/community to be a priority.</p>
<p>Principals make such a huge difference-it is really amazing- while Garfield has had quite a turnover in past years with principals- from principals who have been fired for sexual contact with student- principals who are accused of polarizing the school- and interim principals who just tried to keep the school afloat- many administrators in the district have had a past history with Garfield.</p>
<p>My own mother attended Garfield, as did the current principal and a board member Mary Bass whose father and uncle have both been principals at Garfield, as has the current director of high schools Ammon McWashington and a potential board member Cheryl Chow.</p>
<p>What I find particulary frustrating however, is the perception in the larger community is that Garfield is segregated.</p>
<p>It is true that the APP program and the students who come from that program are predominantly white/Asian. However- most ( at least the ones I have come across) of the teachers work hard to raise expectations for all students. </p>
<p>My daughter was on the track team- mostly black students- the average GPA was a 3.5. The PTA is very strong and has many volunteers who work many hours tutoring students, helping them fill out college applications, and raising money for grants to go back to the classrooms.
If the student wants to work hard- there is an opportunity. In elementary and middle school, my daughter was in special education- her classroom teachers assumed that the work she missed was covered in resource room ( it wasn’t)
However at Garfield- they have many programs available to help students achieve- African American scholars- peer mentorships-teachers that stay after school daily to tutor kids so that they can progress.</p>
<p>My daughter is now in an AP class and while her start was difficult- she is now doing pretty well and that is because both she and the teacher are working hard together. The opportunities are there- and while some students aren’t as prepared as others, the increased communication that Garfield has over other schools I think does a great deal to support students and families.</p>
<p>However it is never enough- coming from a nonAPP background- there are not enough classes to support students trying to make up for lack of preperation/poor teaching/lost time. Garfield does as much or more than other schools in this area- but we still need more.</p>
<p>Part of it is the legislature- funding is down allowing for inflation from 30 years ago while need is up. When I attended school I dont’ recall any students who didn’t speak English- or anyway- less than 5. Now I think we have 80 different languages spoken- which impacts the abilty of parents to stay informed.Expectations are up- we want all students to graduate and have as a choice the opportunity to attend college. </p>
<p>I understand and support this expectation- however I am torn. Vocational programs- auto shop- auto body … are all but vanished from public schools. These are still areas that need workers- and some students may find an affinity to working with their hands- rather than sitting at a desk- I don’t like tracking of students- when there is no mobility to go between tracks- but I also see students dropping out- because they don’t plan to go to college and dont see much point to staying in school.</p>
<p>Some schools are attempting to reverse this and we have “small schools” within a larger school with students divided by interests- Ballard has a biotech program- a maritime program- a pre-engineering program but again to participate- a certain background of academics is required. IF the student hasn’t had that- they can’t take those classes.</p>
<p>I think we are moving in the right direction, even if it does look like we are chasing our tails. Moving toward more K-8 schools to improve continuity in curriculum, better communication of expectations, and less transition for families- and I would like to see high schools develop so that there are clear choices between them- to do away with yellow buses to save money- but allow students to take public transportation to what ever school they want.
High school students need to feel vested in their education, they should have a choice where to attend school, and not be limited by the program that is offered in their neighborhood</p>