School and project description
Balboa High School Law Academy
San Francisco, CA
How would you describe your school?
Balboa High School stands in the southeastern part of San Francisco
with a student body that reflects the urban working-class neighborhoods
surrounding it. Founded in 1928, Balboa is a comprehensive high
school with over 75 staff and 1,100 students who represent a wide
range of socio-economic backgrounds. Well over half of the student
population qualifies for free and reduced lunch and a quarter
live in situations where no parent is present. Many others are
recent immigrants who struggle with adjusting to a different educational
system and language. There is no majority racial/ethnic population
at Balboa with the African American, Latino, and Pilipino students
each making up about 30 percent of the school.
For the 2000-2001 school year the administration developed a
schedule to support small teaming communities. This structure
supports a wall-to-wall pathway system in the eleventh and twelfth
grades emphasizing teacher collaboration, project-based learning,
and work- based learning. Each of the pathway programs are at
different stages of development and are working to create a wide-breath
of opportunities for students in different thematic areas. There
is hope that these pathways will provide a more substantial link
to post- graduate academics and provide students support to move
into four-year institutions or non-academic programs.
The Project
During the Fall semester of the 1999-2000 school year, Balboa
Law Academy stundets visited and hosted students from Marin Academy,
a private high school serving mainly white, upper-middle class
students. After the school exchanges, students from both schools
attended a weekend long retreat to get to know each other an<
differences and similarities of their school systems. Realizing
that th schools must compete for college entrance despite the
vast education between the two schools, the Law Academy students
embarked on a journey to ieaiu more about vast inequality created
by education and to provide alternative solutions.
Following up on the Fall semester's exchanges with Marin Academy,
this project asked students to dream up their ideal high school.
Drawing on the contrasts they experienced through the exchange
and by reading Jonathan Kozol's Savage Inequalities, James
Baldwin's Native Son, and various articles on Brown v.
Board of Education the students worked in groups to develop proposals
outlining their own high schools (see project assignment).
These presentations were first showcased to the lawyer/mentors
who visit weekly to work with the students. The next step was
to cultivate those ideals and dreams and narrow them into presentations
for members of the State Legislature. On a trip to the California
State Capitol, they presented to State Assembly members, lobbied
them for support, and were given advice on the best methods for
lobbying for education. During the trip they also watched Assembly
committee testimonials and a debate on the Assembly floor about
the budget surplus.
What grade levels and disciplines are involved?
The project was designed for eleventh grade students in the Law
Academy.
Academic credit for the project is given in:
U.S. History
U.S. Literature
Pre-Law (elective)
During the spring semester of their tenth grade, students must
choose a pathway for their eleventh grade year.
What is the composition of your teacher team?
Social Studies
English - The English teacher has a law degree.
What State (and other) Standards are addressed?
Social Science Content Standards
11.10 Students analyze the significant events in the founding
of the nation and its attempts to realize the philosophy of
government described in the Declaration of Independence.
11.12. Analyze the ideological origins of the American Revolution,
the Founding Fathers' philosophy of divinely bestowed unalienable
natural rights, the debates on the drafting and ratification
of the Constitution, and the addition of the Bill of Rights.
11.8 Students analyze the economic boom and social transformation
of post- world War II America. 11.10 Students analyze the development
of federal civil rights and voting rights.
11.11 Students analyze the major social problems and domestic
policy issues in contemporary American society.
English Content Standards
3.0 Literary Response and Analysi s Students read and respond
to historically or culturally significant works of literature
that reflect and enhance their studies of history and social
science. They conduct in-depth analyses of recurrent themes.
The selections in Recommended Readings m Literature, Grades
Nine Through Twelve illustrate the quality and complexity of
the materials to be read by students.
2.0 Writing Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics)
Students combine the rhetorical strategies of narration, exposition,
persuasion, and description to produce texts of at least 1,500
words each. Student writing demonstrates a command of standard
American English and the research, organizational, and drafting
strategies outlined in Writing Standard 1.0.
1.0 Listening and Speaking Strategies Students formulate adroit
judgments about oral communication. They deliver focused and
coherent presentations that convey clear and distinct perspectives
and demonstrate solid reasoning. They use gestures, tone, and
vocabulary tailored to the audience and purpose.
1.0 Written and Oral English Language Conventions Students
write and speak with a command of standard English conventions.
SCANS
1. Resources: Identified, organizes, plans and allocates resources.
2. Interpersonal: Works with others.
3. Information: Acquires and uses information.
4. Project management
5. Oral presentation/persuasive arguments
What kind of credit does the project carry?
The project was an ongoing theme for the three classes. The History
and English class meets requirements for college entry. The Pre-Law
class is an elective that all students in the academy take. Most
of the group assignments came from the Pre-Law class, although
participation in the activities were given credit for all three
classes.
What are the roles, if any, of community partners?
State Assembly and Senate members and their legislative staff
served as an audience for exhibitions and experts in proposing
changes in their school through the legislative process.
A lobbyist presented standards for presentations and an understanding
of her work.
Lawyer mentors critiqued and observed the students' model
school project and model professionalism and work-place etiquette
for the students.
The Law Academy offers summer intemships as a reward for students
who successfully participate the entire year, and provides a
meaningful place to apply the work-place skills gained through
their project.
How did students spend their time on this project?
Class
The exchanges with Mann Academy and the trip to the State Capitol
were class activities for all students.
Group
See "High School Exhibition" project details.
All students worked in law firms' throughout the project. They
developed research objectives and methods, collaborated on presentations,
and critiqued each others' individual work.
Individual
Based on the assignments made by each group, individual students
prepared various parts of the report, visual, and oral presentations.
How did yon evaluate your curriculum?
Rubrics for the written presentations were given to students
to help them understand the goals of the project. A step-by-step
project map was given to students to help them manage their time
and to develop effective project management.
Students were asked to do three things:
Keep track of attendance.
Research and write a proposal for their idea high school.
Develop a visual/oral presentation to showcase their ideas.
The lawyer/mentors served a key role in assessing the success
of student work. The mentors were asked to walk around and to
judge each group's idea based on thoroughness, quality of presentation,
etc. (see project rubric). The students were able to practice
their oral speaking skills and to present their work in a visually
meaningful way.
Students were expected to manage their own time efficiently,
assigned each other group roles (facilitation, recorder, etc.),
and developed the necessary work strategy to complete the project.
In order to track individual student work, students were asked
to grade each other based on the amount and quality of work each
student gave to the group effort.
Based on the mentor suggestions, students improved their work,
then nominated members of the class who would speak on behalf
of the class to the State Legislators. Ultimately, the success
of the project was measured by the response of the members of
the legislature. Did the students engage them to think of alternative
ideas regarding public education? Were the students prepared enough
to engage in a dialogue/debate with the members of the legislature?
Did they learn about the legislative and political processes?
What resources would other teachers need to accomplish this
project?
Access to the internet and computers allows students adequate
research materials and having public officials available as
an audience is strongly recommended.
Collaboration with a teacher from another school, preferably
with a different socio-economic background.
Course reader on educational law and civil rights. What other
suggestions you would pass along to teachers?
Administrators would need to allow teachers leave time for
planning and field trips. They would also have to fund transportation.
Choosing projects that student identify with and providing
them with the proper channels to present their ideas motivates
students to a different level of work.
Effective teacher collaboration.
Public presentation of work (public officials, etc.)
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