Why does Sylmar High School have such a bad reputation?

Answer 1

I have been teaching at Sylmar High School for three years (this is my 4th year) and I can think of three reasons why Sylmar gets a bad rep. One is that our API scores for the California Standards Test have not been very strong. Last year we increased by something like 37 points to a score of 620, which is a good increase, but compared to the state average it is still a low score. We get killed in math and English. There is a lot of room for improvement, but we have a really dedicated faculty and really AWESOME students, and we are tackling this issue head on. Another reason is that we don't have an international baccalaureate program (or a strong honor's program). Teachers of gifted students in the middle schools that feed into the high school often have negative things to say about Sylmar HS because of this lack of higher end classes. However, our AP offerings are strong and the percent of kids taking and passing AP tests at our school has been rising steadily. We may not have a big program, but we have a good one and that is more important. Finally, we have a big number of kids who graduate after 5 years instead of 4. This impacts our graduation rate, or at least the way it looks on paper. When a kid doesn't graduate with their 4-year class it looks like they dropped out. And that is a problem for this district. But at Sylmar when you look at the 5-year graduates along with the 4-year ones we get a graduation rate that is quite respectable..almost 80%. For a predominantly minority school in an urban setting, that is a really good number. It just gets hidden by the 4-year method of reporting statistics. So we have a few things that don't look good on paper. But if someone comes to our school and pokes around, they will see order, a good learning environment, people who care about their school and their students, kids who are learning and who appreciate their opportunities. In some circles we get called the Best Kept Secret of the SF Valley. Those circles are widening. We are one of the only schools in the entire LAUSD that is actually over enrolled (as opposed to most of the schools who don't have enough students to keep all of their teachers). Everything cycles. Sylmar is on the rise. Answer Information I found ties to a serious increase in drop outs and some lower testing scores than state average. On a positive note the scores are improving.

Answer : Your question is difficult for me to answer because I am not in your area. However, the most common problem with such high schools is that there is lack of community involvement. Parents and teachers do not have a cohesive, unified approach to learning. While the statistics are grim, there is much to reccommend the theory of the educational approach as posted on the website. : The first problem would be (in theory) that there is little community pride in the school. When apathy is the primary emotion in a community, education suffers. EVERYONE in the community should have some input into the school. Community involvement is the first step to improving the standards of the school. When the faculty has the support of the community to enforce behavioral standards, the reputation of the school improves. From afar, it would appear that this school simply has very few concerned parents who support the teachers. : One thing that has helped in my state is a "rally" supported by the community called "respect". It is held at the county fair grounds every year and the young people are encouraged to attend. Respect is to remind EACH OTHER that we are all valuable people. Hopelessness is a hallmark of a poor school. When you value yourself, you will make every situation better because that value extends to other people. : I think that it is the students themselves that can improve the school. If you believe in yourself, you shine. When you shine, other people can begin to believe in themselves and they shine. It all starts with only one person, you know. The percentages that Viper 1 showed a dramatic drop in the dropout rate in only one year. So who was the shining person that rallied the students? Was it the teachers, the principal, or a group of students? Was it a business person who promised the students something? There had to be a reason...what was it? What was last year's dropout rate? : Find the answers to these questions and you have the seeds for the school to change. When one person starts a seed to grow, the results can be amazing. Answer

Sylmar High :Very high dropout rate, 48% in 2004, 26% in 2005. Little control over negative student behavior.