At the school board meeting on Tuesday, May 28, there were several CASD graduates in attendance. One such alumnus, Layne Taylor, took the opportunity to address the board with a prepared statement highlighting some of the changes she has observed since graduating. She shared her belief that those changes are detrimental to those seeking the successful experience she had while attending CASD. Layne has just graduated from East Stroudsburg University and we are grateful she provided her statement for us to publish.
My name is Layne Taylor. I am a 2015 graduate of Coatesville High School. Since graduating from high school at the beginning of the new administration, I have only witnessed a downhill decline in the success of students. For my concerns tonight, I will focus on the curriculum and restrictions placed upon teachers and the impediments of their ability to ensure all students are given equal opportunity to succeed.
Beginning with the CPM math curriculum, it is my understanding that the purpose of CPM (College Preparatory Math) is to have the students teach one another because that is what occurs in college. However, as someone who has recently received a degree from an accredited four-year university and has had to take college math classes, I know firsthand that that is an outright lie. My sister, who once excelled in math and is now struggling only has CPM as her math basis, which has consequently hindered her SAT scores. CPM hinders students from being prepared for college because students teaching one another what they themselves do not know does not guarantee that they are learning the material appropriately in order to compete with their college peers.
Next, I want to speak about the ‘Equity Training’ that the superintendent received accolades for. I find it deplorable that such training would occur in a school district where much of the student body is considered “minority race”. Using a training that asks questions such as, “In what ways does your racial background privilege you (or not) in society?" And "How does my racial and socioeconomic background influence decisions I make about what to emphasize in course content, how to teach it, and classroom management practices?”, I feel are racist and incite discrimination between students and teachers, where in the past, have been healthy and blended relationships. You have argued that you brought in this training because teachers do not understand the students in terms of how to manage them instead of addressing the real issue, which is discipline.
Because you have not allowed for true discipline to be present in schools anymore, it impeded the learning of the other students. One of my friends, a good student who eventually attended the same university as myself but graduated from Coatesville after me, would come to me for help because she had been unable to learn the material, she needed to have known for college due to disruptive students. She struggled through her freshman year but ultimately chose to take time away from school to recollect herself. If this is the trend the administration and board wish to perpetuate, then we need to clean house. I suggest you let the teachers do their jobs. This includes being allowed to discipline students that are disruptive in conjunction with teaching students the material they need to become successful post-graduation.
Ultimately, I am saddened by the programs either implemented or disbanded by our incumbent superintendent. Coatesville used to be a school district where you came to become a well-rounded individual and where color and socioeconomic status were not seen because we all wanted each other to succeed regardless of that criteria. Now, it is an embarrassment because students are left entering a world where they are unprepared because of the curriculum choices and restrictions on faculty and staff made by this administration. Thank you.
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