Adam Warning School Data Assignment
Richmond High School
Richmond Community
Population 2013: 36,345
Per Capita Income: in past 12 months (2012 dollars), 2008-2012: $19,849
Median Family Income 2008-2012: $32,863
Percent of Citizens Over 25 that Graduated High School: 79.5%
College: 17.2%
Persons below poverty level, percent, 2008-2012: 26.7%
Note that Indiana Poverty level is 14.7%
Population: based on 2010 data
White alone 83.9%
Black: 8.6%
Two or more races: 4.0%
Hispanic or Latino: 4.1%
Reflection Question: Especially when considering your community in comparison to others, what does this information tell you about the community in which you will teach?
This information tells me that the parents of my students don't come from a high educational background. The fact that only 17.2% of citizens in Richmond have graduated college is a very eye opening statistic. This tells me that I will have to make sure that I motivate my students to want to take their education further then most of their parents did. Also, it is important to know that more people in Richmond are living below the poverty line than the state average. According to my data, just above a quarter of the people living in Richmond are below the poverty line. This, along with the lack of higher education in the community, tells me that I need to make sure that education is a priority in my students lives.
Richmond High School (My School)
Mission Statement
"Richmond Community Schools guides students on pathways of learning to a future of limitless possibilities."
Title I School- Yes
What Does it mean to be a Title I School?
“Title I is the largest single program of federal aid for elementary and secondary education. Title I, Part A, allocates funds to more than 90 percent of the nations’ school districts to offset the effects of poverty on the educational opportunities of low-performing children in high-poverty schools.” (from Richmond High’s website)
Student Population: 1,526
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity:
Amer Ind/Alaskan: 6
Asian/Pacific Islander: 21
Black: 144
Hispanic: 43
White: 1143
Two or More: 169
Student to Teacher Ratio: 15.90
Free Lunch eligible: 785
Reduced-priced lunch eligible: 151
Reflection Question: Take a few sentences to react to the information above. Share thoughts about how this information might impact your teaching.
I noticed in the information above that minorities are underrepresented in my school. This tells me that I need to make an effort to ensure that their voices and cultures are made known in my classroom. In social studies in particular, I will have my students study multiple point of views surrounding historical events. It will not just be "a white man's history" of America or the world. The student to teacher ratio was also important to note. Considering that the average class has 16 students, it will hold me back from engaging in certain pedagogical methods. However, 16 students is not 30, so I will still have the ability to work with individual students in many different ways. For example, I could break them into 4 groups of 4 and incorporate a jigsaw activity. Its also worth noting that over half of the school is at least getting reduced priced lunches or free lunches. This speaks to the high level of poverty in the area. I don't know how much this will affect my teaching, but it does help me realize that maybe some of my students are not getting the support they need at home, be it physical or intellectual.
State Measure of Richmond High School
Average Per-Pupil Expenditure School District:
How do teacher salaries compare with the rest of the state? Higher average minimum teacher salary, lower average maximum salary (compared to the state average). 33,646 (Richmond) vs. 24,000 (State); 66,772 (Richmond) versus 87, 602 (State)
Percentage of students that pass the math ECA compared to the state average: 64.8% (Richmond) versus 68.8% (State)
Percentage of students that pass the language arts ECA compared to the state average: 72% (Richmond) versus 75% (State)
Students suspended for the most recent year given: 170
Students Expelled: 25
Attendance Rate: 93%
Graduation Rate: 86.6%
Other Notable Information: Expulsions/Suspensions as a result of drugs, weapons, or alcohol was 17
Reflection Question:
How will knowing these things about your school/corporation help you as you go into your student teaching?
This information will help me, because it tells me where Richmond High Students are at academically as compared to the rest of the state. It is also important to know this because it gives you a foundation on which the school can grow. More specifically, by knowing that Richmond students tested just under the state average in Language Arts, I will make literacy and reading strategies more of a part of my lessons. This data also gives me an incite to what kind of disciplinary problems that might arise during my student teaching. The fact that 25 students were expelled and 170 students were suspended tells me that their are definite behavior issues at the school, however, this is still a relatively small percentage of the school population and should not reflect the character of the overwhelming majority of the school.
How will these things affect your teaching? Are there things you will have to be aware of when teaching in this school?
This information will help me realize what the students need to get from me in particular lessons. As mentioned before, their low Language Arts scores tell me that I need to focus on helping my students through any difficult texts I might give them. The suspensions and expulsions are definitely something I need to be aware of when student teaching. This is important because it tells me that my students won't all be on board with me when I am trying to teach a lesson. Most importantly, it tells me that I am going to have to be consciously patience with these kids, particularly the ones with behavioral issues. Its also vital for me to be aware that almost 15% of my students will not graduate. Knowing this, opposed to seeing graduation as a given, will urge me to seek out the kids who seem to be struggling so that they will not fall behind.
Most importantly, what things do you NOT know but would like to about your school? What questions do you have about your school?
I would like to know what percentage of graduating seniors go on to college. Furthermore, within that percentage, I would like to know how many students finish and get their degrees. I worry about a student who can sneak through high school and upon entering a university or community college is unable to handle the strain. I believe these statistics would show the importance of teaching literacy at every grade level and would steer school curriculum in a much different direction. Furthermore, I am interested to find out how race relations play out in my school. Minorities have a clear presence in Richmond but are no doubt underrepresented. Should I expect to have to tackle racial issues in my classroom quite frequently? Or do students of different ethnicities overall get along together fine? Most of my questions about Richmond I expect to be answered very quickly once I begin observing and student teaching. I look forward to having the opportunity to make a positive impact on Richmond High School and the community as a whole.