Great Expectations

A rural school in Washington doesn't let poverty and demographics stand in its way.

By Bracken Reed

Mattawa, Washington—On a bright and blazing spring day, Principal Bob Webb sits in his cluttered corner office and reflects on his four years at Wahluke High School. A veteran administrator with experience in six different public school districts and five different states, Webb is no stranger to the realities of the education system. He's committed and driven and not afraid to go to battle for his teachers or his students, but he's also pragmatic. And he can see the writing on the wall.

A mixture of personal priorities and political struggles is bringing Webb's tenure here to an end, and there's more than a hint of wistfulness in his voice. "I really appreciate the students and the families here," he says. "These are the best, most respectful young people that I have ever worked with. They will do the right thing, and that's what contributes to their success—there's a passion for learning."

It's a sentiment that's shared throughout the building. Again and again a visitor hears testimonials about the strong character of the students at this high-poverty, four-year high school: their positive attitudes, their intelligence, their good humor, their willingness to rise to a challenge. When Webb came to the school, he wanted to tap into that energy. He wanted to challenge the students to reach higher and dream bigger.

True grit

Mattawa, Washington, is a hardscrabble town on the east bank of the Columbia River in Central Washington State. The desert landscape is stark and beautiful here: The river cuts a wide path through basalt cliffs and sagebrush plateaus, and the broad treeless shoulders of the Saddle Mountains form a striking backdrop to the town. Located midway between the Wanapum Dam to the north and the Priest Rapids Dam to the south, the area relies heavily on irrigation to alter the arid landscape and fuel its agriculture-based economy.

Set back from state route 243 and buffered by orchards, Mattawa is easy to miss, and must have always been that way: The name comes from the local Wanapum Indian language and loosely translates as "Where is it?"—a fitting name for this dusty little town with its one main street. There's a provisional feeling here, as if a strong wind could come down the river, up over the hill, and blow it all away.

But there is also pride. Even some of the most dilapidated trailers have tidy-looking porches with pots of well-cared-for geraniums or marigolds. A tiny restaurant on the main street seems to slouch to one side, but its sign is carefully painted and the curtains in the window are colorful and homemade. There's an air of taking care and making do—a dirt-floor town, but a well-swept one.

It's this same sense of personal and civic pride, of grit and determination, of good humor in the face of hard labor that Bob Webb and his fellow educators recognize and appreciate in the students of Wahluke High School. And it's this spirit that has allowed them to succeed at a level that is gaining national attention.

Defying the odds

"It's not if you're going to college," says Webb, "it's where or when. That's our daily talk with students. It may be a two-year school, it may be a four-year school, it might be a technical school, but we talk post-high school every single day to every kid we see. That's our expectation and our goal."

For some, the goal might seem too lofty. According to a 2003 report from the National Governors Association, "although 76 percent of white youth ... graduate high school after four years, the graduation rate for Hispanic youth is just 53 percent. Only 9 percent of Hispanics complete a bachelor's degree by age 29, compared with 43 percent of whites."

With those statistics, Wahluke High might have low expectations: More than 75 percent of the students are Hispanic, 46 percent are designated as "migrant," and 64 percent receive free or reduced-price lunch. Districtwide, these indicators are even higher. On the 2000 census, 90 percent of Mattawa's residents listed Spanish as the language spoken at home.

At Wahluke, teachers and administrators have refused to accept any inherent correlation between the national figures and their school's performance. "We really see that they have the same opportunities as any other students," says Jan Phillips, a counselor who came to the school at the same time as Bob Webb. "So, we don't let them off the hook. The expectation is that they're going to go to college."

And go to college they have, in remarkable numbers. According to the most current data available, 70 percent of Wahluke's students graduated, and 54 percent applied to college. Two years ago, 71 percent of the students applied and were accepted to college, and the school was recognized by the state college board.

Also in 2002, the Pathways to College Network, an alliance of 34 national organizations and funders, chose Wahluke High as one of six schools to study for factors that can make college more accessible for minority students. This year, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) featured the school in their popular publication Breaking Ranks II: Strategies for Leading High School Reform.

The hidden little town in central Washington is suddenly finding itself on the national map.

A community, not just a school

What have been the keys to Wahluke High's success? First and foremost, says Webb, is a culture of support and respect. At Wahluke that starts with language: Both Webb and his vice principal, Dennis Adams, are bilingual, and every effort has been made to hire bilingual teachers.

"In an ideal situation we would have more teachers who are both bilingual and certified in several content areas," says Webb. "I've hired five bilingual teachers since I've been here and that's been a godsend. It really makes the connection with both students and parents a lot stronger, the communication and trust are there; they feel like this is a good place to be."

Upon his arrival, Webb also instituted a "prime time advisory period": Every adult in the building, except for the secretaries, has an advisory group that meets once a week. Each adult is assigned up to 15 mixed-grade students who she'll advise throughout the students' time at the school.

"It bridges a lot of gaps," says Webb. "It bridges the age gap between adults and students and between students from different grades, and it bridges any cultural gaps that might be there. Basically, it gives each student another adult advocate, another layer of support, and it helps them feel a personal, one-to-one connection with the school."

It can be a tough sell to some teachers, Webb acknowledges, but it's worth the struggle. "Sometimes teachers think it's just another role they're being asked to take on, which they don't see as part of their job description," he says. "But it works, and as they see that they become more open to it. I'm not asking them to be an 'advisor' or a 'counselor,' I'm just asking them to be a caring adult in the life of a kid—a mentor, an advocate, whatever you want to call it."

The actual "counseling" at the school is split between Jan Phillips and David Garcia, a bilingual intervention specialist. Between the two of them, they do everything they can to keep students not only in school and engaged, but also on the college track. From college fairs to financial aid nights, summer programs to after-school tutoring, bilingual parent outreach meetings to leading students on campus visits, the counseling team is tireless in its effort to keep the door of opportunity open for every student, even those without legal residency.

"It's tough," says Phillips. "In this year's graduating class 43 percent of the students are undocumented and so don't qualify for financial aid. We try to do everything we can.

For those that are eligible, we encourage them to apply for scholarships—we coach them all the time in what it takes to do that. For others we encourage them to work their way through school. A lot of us worked through college, so we know it can be done. But whatever their situation and at whatever level they can start, we push college. And they do want to go. Those that are willing to step out there and give it a shot have been successful."

Equal opportunity and academic rigor

Another key to Wahluke High's success has been, perhaps surprisingly, an increase in graduation requirements. "Our district requires five credits in both math and English," says Phillips, "which is probably more than any other district in the state." The idea, she says, is to keep students engaged in core academic subjects that will ensure they have reached a college level. Too often, students have a 'senior slide' in which they won't take challenging academic classes if they're not required. "Our students often come in way under the high school level in math and English, and so we felt like we needed to set those higher requirements. Not everyone will walk out of here at a college level, but we try to push it so they have to stay engaged."

Challenging all students to excel has become a way of life at Wahluke. College preparatory classes, including Advanced Placement classes, are open to all students based on "interest and effort" rather than their grades in previous classes. Prior to Webb's arrival at the school, no AP exams were offered and no AP classes were taught at the school. By the 2002-2003 school year, 64 percent of the Hispanic students were enrolled in AP English classes and 55 percent were enrolled in pre-calculus classes, a remarkable statistic for one of the poorest, most rural districts in the state.

A strong foundation

At the end of the school year, Bob Webb will clean out his office, pack his bags, and head for Wyoming and the next challenge in his career. He leaves with a nagging sense of goals not yet met, but with a sense of pride not unlike that of the small town he leaves behind. Under difficult circumstances, in trying times, Webb's leadership has helped build a strong foundation for future success at Wahluke High. "For me," he says, "it's all about hope. It's about keeping kids tuned into the idea that whatever the obstacles are, I can get past them, I can succeed, I can do this."

That's a message that the tough, little town of Mattawa, Washington, can well understand.

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