Community

Kashmere High School poised to pass state’s grade

DEFENDER NEWS NETWORK — For over a decade, Kashmere High School in Northeast Houston has been on the state’s list of struggling schools that must improve. But that’s expected to change this summer. Houston school board member Rhonda Skillern Jones said that preliminary test scores indicate Kashmere High is poised to get a passing grade when the state releases official ratings in August.

Published

5 years ago

July 11, 2019

Defender News Service

By Defender News Service

For over a decade, Kashmere High School in Northeast Houston has been on the state’s list of struggling schools that must improve. But that’s expected to change this summer.

Houston school board member Rhonda Skillern Jones said that preliminary test scores indicate Kashmere High is poised to get a passing grade when the state releases official ratings in August.

It’s a huge win for the school, which the Texas Education Agency has rated as “improvement required” longer than any other campus in the state. Kashmere High is one of four schools in the Houston Independent School District that must improve this year or the rating could trigger steep state penalties, including state-appointed managers to run the entire Houston school district.

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“We’re ready to celebrate as a community because this has been 11 years in the making,” said community leader and alum Keith Downey. “Let’s get those results out so the community can not only celebrate but the parents can feel better and can increase enrollment as well.”

Downey says he credits the turnaround to keeping strong teachers, putting tutors in the classroom and giving more support to students in and outside of school. Downey helped found a community council to support Kashmere High and other schools in the neighborhood, with a particular focus on wrap-around social services.

“It will bring out the pride in the school, in the students, in the community, in the alumni,” Downey said. “But understand we still have much work to do.”

While Kashmere students have improved in math, their reading scores still lag below average.

Principal Reginald Bush, who successfully turned around Kashmere Gardens Elementary, says he’s already planning for next school year. Bush says by the first week of school, all students will have had a chance to read and give feedback on the school’s continued turnaround plan.

“In a nutshell, the school improvement plan will be a working document at all times,” he said.

Bush says he expects to see “tremendous growth” in the state’s school accountability system. One driver behind that: celebrating small successes during the year. The principal says they asked students how they wanted to celebrate — that turned into field trips, crawfish boils, pep rallies and fish fries. Bush also says another key ingredient has been teachers coming together and using data to improve instruction.

“They really, really pushed the needle,” Bush said. “By far the human, making sure we can build strong relationships with students and having the students goal set – that was really big this year.”

This article originally appeared in the Defender News Network.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

1 day ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

5 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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City Government

Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Published

5 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

Special to The Post

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.

Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”

According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.

“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”

When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.

At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”

While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.

On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.

“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.

The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.