 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Since December 22, 2004 |
The Revolution is One Orange Wall Away
Even the nicest guy on the planet can get sucked into a bad trend that offers an improbable solution to a challenging problem. Just ask anyone you know who’s tried the Atkin’s diet. There are no simple solutions to a slimmer waistline. Nor does a magic bullet exist for those attempting to solve the urban education dilemma of raising state test scores in schools in impoverished areas. The parts of the solution that do work—smaller class sizes, early intervention programs, increased teacher salaries—require money that no state official or Joe taxpayer wants to shell out. With the state and federal government failing to meet their responsibilities in the public sector, school officials are left scrambling to try creative solutions in lieu of those proven to work.
Vito Chiala, the new principal of Overfelt High School in San Jose, is one of the good guys according to those who’ve worked alongside him over the years. Under the tutelage of former Overfelt principal Dino Certa, Chiala learned from the best how to manage a school. One could argue Overfelt’s teachers were the most confident in the district when it came to school leadership and the future direction of the school.
Then they went away for the summer.
When Overfelt’s teachers returned to their classrooms in August, they were shocked to discover that one wall in each classroom was painted orange. Not being one of the school’s colors, a perplexed staff started searching for answers. Rumor has it the answer from the principal’s office went something like this: a new study found that student test scores improve when exposed to bright colors. The new formula for success? One orange wall = an increase in the API.
Nobody knows where the money came from for this revolutionary solution. Some estimate the cost easily at a couple of thousand dollars. “It’s the tackiest thing I’ve ever seen,” one teacher tells The Unruly Advocate. Some staff responded by covering the wall with posters. Rumor has it the principal asked teachers to take the posters down.
As No Child Left Behind comes up for reauthorization this year from a congress bent on cheap solutions and a president who asks “is our children learning?” Team Unruly wonders how soon until the federal government mandates the one orange wall solution in every Program Improvement school in the nation. Let the revolution begin!
RECENT ISSUES |