2004 - 2005 Discussions

How to find out info about starting Berkeley High

Re: How do I apply for the Academic Choice program?
Berkeley High schedules a series of information meetings in the spring both at BHS and the three BUSD middle schools for incoming 9th graders and their families which include information on the small schools, the math sequence, PE requirements, electives, how to register, etc. The dates for these meetings have not yet been set. For families not yet enrolled in the district or contemplating private schools, an earlier meeting has been scheduled for November 15, 2005 in the Community Theater at 7 p.m. If you are interested in visiting the school, parent led tours will start following the November 15 meeting. Tours, by appointment only, leave the front office at 9:45 a.m. on most days. To sign up for a tour, please contact Janet Huseby, the BHS volunteer coordinator, at jhuseby@pacbell.net. These tours are not geared towards students though students are welcome IF accompanied by a parent or guardian. Janet Huseby

2002 - 2003 Discussions

January 2003

My daugher is a senior who entered bhs in the 9th grade, after an Oakland Public School education (and a private school at St. Paul's for 7th and 8th grade). She has had a wonderful variety of experiences, both socially and academically. She was in CAS, a small school, from 9th -11th grade so had classes both in the small school setting and the larger school. She has been very active in dance and cheerleading; this year there was a major conflict in scheduling between CAS and Dance so she opted to continue dancing and is part of the comprehensive high school program.

My daughter has had a very diverse group of friends, including some who were gang affiliated. She is now in a group of terrific kids, all of whom I truly like and enjoy. She feels completely safe at the high school and, quite honestly, I feel safe having her there. This is no mean feat for me. My daughter is 5'2, naturally blonde, blue eyed, and has a well endowed figure and I would generally feel safer not letting her out of the house!

Yes, she has had some bad teachers - where doesn't one? But overall, she has had an excellent, well rounded education and I'm more than pleased. She is not a 'super-academic' e.g., she took no AP courses until this year when she left CAS. But she does get her work done and she is bright. She has a 3.64 GPA and has already received acceptances from Tulane and Rutgers. She is well prepared for the world, has a good sense of moral integrity (which I realize originates from home but was definitely enhanced at bhs). She knows how to 'work the system' has good self confidence, feels that she belongs, and knows her place in the world. In the midst of all this, she has managed to maintain a balance between schoolwork and social life, with social life having the higher priority.

What my daughter had to say when she was recently asked if she 'couldn't wait until the year was over and she was out of there' said it all. Her response was that she's is no hurry to leave bhs - she loves it there; she has had a great experience -- it's gone too fast, and she could easily stay on. I have absolutely no regrets having sent her to bhs and would do it again in a flash. I also encourage other people I know to seriously consider bhs as the majority of students who choose to go there do very well.

Looking forwrad to some more positive (or mixed) reviews - I know they're out there! Joan

Socially both my kids have felt good at BHS. Both have made friends they like. Sports and clubs offer a huge number of choices to suit every interest. The social atmosphere doesn't consist of a hierarchy. People of different social groups interact relatively well. The selection of classes is unmatched in this area.

The BHS bureaucracy is daunting, although many individuals involved are helpful and sympathetic. You have to learn to fend for yourself in the system. If you learn how, it's good training for life. sb

First my oldest kid: his BHS friends were all very academic and self-motivated and are now in top colleges. BHS is an excellent school for this type of kid, maybe the best in the East Bay. My son is not like that. He just wanted to do the minimum. He cut class, flunked some classes. He never connected academically with any class in 4 years. He also is not gifted in sports or music or art, but because of the wonderful sports program at BHS - there is something for everyone! - he played on a team, made close friendships, grew in maturity and confidence, and loved his time at BHS, still does. He was applying to colleges with a 2.something GPA, but was accepted to a big university in another state, is very happy there and doing fine academically! When he comes home for breaks, he gets together with his BHS friends, they hold ''alumni'' games at BHS against current students.

My second child is equally unmotivated but does not like team sports or any other kind of group activity. His first semester at BHS he made Fs in all the required classes. He then went to a small private school for the rest of 9th grade and all of 10th grade. By the middle of 10th grade he was deemed unsuitable for the school and asked not to return for junior year. (This was our second experience with this kid and private schools. Never assume that private school is intrinsically better! For us, it was worse!) He is now at Berkeley High Independent Studies. It has been very rocky grade-wise, but due to a some very dedicated talented teachers, it is working out and he is even engaging in academics. I think he would have dropped out if he was still at BHS or a private school.

Dealing with the BHS administration is like going to DMV to do something complicated on a busy day without an appointment. You can get it done usually if you can stand the frustration. On the other hand, many's the time that a BHS teacher has phoned after hours to tell me about missing work. It also holds so many opportunities for a kid to grow and learn and get off to a good start in life. If you have a smart motivated kid, you can hardly do better than BHS. If you have a smart unmotivated kid, get her/him on a sports team or into a music or theater group right away! BHS mom

P.S. My son makes very good grades and seems to be learning from those teachers who have something to offer, so this is not just a case of sour grapes.

Son's negative experience at Berkeley High

My son is a senior and about to graduate from BHS - but in hind site I consider the last three years very detrimental and think we should have removed him - if only to take the high school equivalency exam and move on. He has been cutting class (significantly) since his sophomore year - and no one gives a damn. He has been very depressed and has received an unbelievably poor education. In his first two years of English - they read maybe six books (one of the small schools).

Through monumental efforts on our (the parents) part he is going to a private four year university, but considering his negative experience and what he has learned at BHS (you don't have to do anything - and who cares) we have no idea how he will manage.

If we could do it again - we would have removed him from BHS - at least to independent study (where he is completing his senior year).

My advice is - if your kid is struggling, unhappy, truant or depressed - get him out of BHS. I do think Michele Lawrence will turn things around given time - but having a healthy, happy and confident kid should come first - even before high school.

sign me anonymous

He hated the B.High culture and claimed school was a waste of his time as far as getting an education. The depression went on - we sought counseling - like many parents we thought what the hell can I do. I can't afford a private high school on my salary.

Then one day - our relationship with B.High was over - my son was asked by a group of three males for a 'pocket check' that is 'empty your pockets' he said and 'no' and consequently got beaten up pretty bad. Clothes torn, black eye etc. Might I add that it didn't help the fact that he got so depressed he stopped hanging out with his group of friends and was alone while this took place. Nevertheless, I cried, how could I let my son go to a school where his physical safety was at risk.

Cut a long story short - I somehow found the money to send him to Bishop O'Dowd. As much as it is a hardship for us to find the extra cash - I can honestly say in the three months that my son has been there I have a totally different child. He has gone from failing and falling through the cracks to being an up beat motivated kid that loves school. His grades this semester are four A's one B and a C - such a miraculous improvement over B.High.

What is the difference - lower class size - strong values for respect for each other - child held accountable by the school - text books (which we have to buy of course) - closed campus - high levels of professional security - more counselors per child and the obvious no government budget cuts.

What more can I say those stories you here are true and there is no denying that there is something terribly wrong with our school system - that is not to say that all kids are miserable and physically threatened at B.High.

Bottom line - I think you just have to listen to your kid and find some way to get them out of B.High if you have to. Anon

2000 - 2001 Discussions

Parking is a big issue in downtown Berkeley. However, one sector rarely raised is bicycle parking and bicycle parking theft. Bicycle riding is good exercise, non-polluting, space saving *compared to car parking), and yet, not promoted, or supported. My son, in his first week of school aat bhs had parts stolen off his bike. We're taking a chance since during school his bike is parked for 7 hours a day in the same spot, an easy target. What can be done? Anyone out there on the Planning Commission? Yolanda

Son against BHS, feels it is "too big"

My son is adamantly against attempting Berkeley High, as he feels it will be "too big." His second choice is Skyline, although he really wants to go to a private school (we are awaiting acceptance.) Can anyone tell me/him about Berkeley High and whether it is "too big?" Elaine

People report to me who observe Berkeley High graduates that they seem to thrive in college. They have commented that the BHS students are so much more "savy" and ready to deal with the responsibilities of living in a complex community. I have not seen a loss of idealism either. They seem to still feel they can do something worthwhile with the education they are getting. My youngest (9th grade) says his freshman year at BHS has been the best year of his school experience so far.

Bettina

Our children in Berkeley public schools attend small schools in grades K through 5. I speak for those who have had the good fortune to find that we can create a great community in a small school. Families, teachers, students, and staff can work together to form partnerships in our children's education. We get to know each other well, and can form the logical links of "who can help in this situation?" easily, in a small school. Learning happens on a human scale. Education is personalized. Community quilts are made in hallways after school. Teachers and families bring children together outside of school hours to look at the planets, to count birds, to explore their world. Children are drawn into activities that fuel their interests, and help them grow. Teachers and families collaborate.

By middle school, our kids are attending larger, less personal schools. It's a little harder to stay involved, especially since our budding teens often don't want to be seen in public with us! By high school, many of us feel that we are entering a foreign land, one that is often hostile to our needs and those of our children. Yet there *are* small learning communities at Berkeley High School, and those children who find them, I believe, benefit.

There are the well-known small learning communities at Berkeley High: Communication Arts and Science (CAS); The Computer Academy; The Biotech Academy; Common Ground. But if you look deeply within Berkeley High, you'll also find communities being built in Independent Studies, Village 9, Berkeley Alternative High School, Special Education, ESL, AVID, REBOUND!, the Student Learning Center, African American Studies, Chicano/Latino Studies, Asian American Studies, Advanced Placement, Freshman-Senior Bridge, and in many after school activities.

I believe that every student and family needs to find a niche in such a large school community, a foothold, in order to succeed. We want every child to succeed, and every child and family to find that foothold. It should be our goal to close the cracks that kids fall through, to help set standards for Berkeley High in important areas -- scheduling, counseling, mentoring, orientation for kids and families, continuous support, and so forth, so that our children are not lost in a hostile environment.

If you are interested in joining in a community discussion of the benefits of and possibility for creating more small learning communities at Berkeley High, please e-mail me and I can put you in touch with the parents, teachers, and students who are studying small learning communities at Berkeley High.

We can help cast the connecting threads that strengthen the educational experience at Berkeley High for all of our students.

Yours,
Melissa

My sophomore is cutting 5-6 classes a week

I am a father of a sophomore who has recently discovered he can cut selected classes with impunity. He has heretofore been a student with a very good attendance record and high academic performance. Over the last two months we have just discovered he has an average of five to six class cuts per week. His response, I just cut classes I can't stand and are fairly useless and where the grade is not effected by absences. We would not have known had the BHS not just recently reactivated their absence phone call system. There apparently is no real consequence to cutting some classes and the school doesn't seem to have any procedure for truancy offenses. I am interested in other parents' reactions and experiences with this problem. Is this just another example of the BHS "soft anarchy" we've heard about? Does anyone have a suggestion for the best administrative person to talk with about this? It's tough holding the line as a parent with the school being so uninvolved with the truancy issue.

I think this BHS, despite being stretched with regard to resources it has, is making a strong effort and statement, not only to inform parents of problems with a student's behavior, but also to let students know what is considered responsible behavior and the consequences of other choices with regard to their actions.

I would suggest that you support the stance BHS has taken with regard to truancy. If you don't like the program, work to change it. In the 7 years I have had children at BHS, I have never met a teacher or administrator who has not been receptive to discussing problems or appreciative of suggestions, this year especially. Ask to help or volunteer and this school becomes a totally different experience from the perspective of a parent. Anonymous

I'm the parent of a Berkeley High School freshman and I have occasion to be in the neighborhood of the high school many mornings during the week. When I'm leaving my morning appointment, between 10 and 11 am, there is generally a group or two of high school age youngsters (5 to 10 in a a group) congregating in one place or another within a half block of the BHS campus. I find myself wondering: who are these young people?; are they enrolled at BHS?; why aren't they on campus, if not in class?; why is there no one patrolling the area around the school to insure that students are where they are supposed to be? If these teenagers are, in fact, BHS students, they appear to be missing out on a substantial portion of their education by loitering in the streets. I'm baffled as to why this isn't being addressed by someone in a position of authority. I can't be the only adult/parent who has seen these groups of kids. Can someone offer an explanation? Anonymous

My daughter attends high school at Armijo High in Fairfield. The campus covers 64 acres of land. The passing period for Armijo is 8 minutes. At the end of the passing period, the teachers close their classroom doors. Late students who do not have hall passes are directed to the "Tardy Tank". Each period a different classroom/area is designated for the Tardy Tank. The student receives an unexcused absence from the class in which he/she is late. If a student is consistently late, it will result in suspension (3-day, 5-day), Saturday School, or referral to the truancy officer/program. Teachers take role everyday in every class. Students are not given this responsibility. Tardy Tank is run by teachers, principle, site supervisors, etc. and role is also taken in Tardy Tank to account for each student. If a student does not report to tardy tank, when late, they are immediately referred to the on-site truant officer for further action. If a student reports to Tardy Tank 30 minutes late, they are directed to the counselors' office or the truant officer. If this same student appears in another class that day but did not report to Tardy Tank in previous periods and there were no scheduled doctors' appointments, that student could be suspended from school. Students cannot arrive on campus late without reporting to the attendance office with a parent/guardian or a doctor's slip. This school, ironically has an open campus during the lunch period (38 minutes), but they are seriously rethinking this issue at this moment.

Students that drive to campus, must purchase and display parking permits. Beginning this year, students were assigned designated parking. During the first period, a site supervisor checks the lot for attendance. After lunch the lot is checked again to ensure that student drivers have returned. If a car is checked in during the morning role and does not show up in the afternoon, the student's class attendance is checked, as well as Tardy Tank. If that student is not present, he/she is considered truant and the issue is pursued from there.

Both high schools in Fairfield, have a high police visibility in and around the campus. At Armijo they have hired staff called site supervisors who are paid to monitor the school grounds whenever there are school related classes/functions taking place. In addition to that, each school has a sworn police officer assigned to the high school to take care of more serious problems such as theft, vandalism, violence and other arrestable offenses.

Armijo and Fairfield High Schools each have approximately 3000 students at each school. I'm not sure how this school's size relates to that of BHS but perhaps some rules from Armijo can be beneficial to Berkeley. There are some serious drawbacks to having a high police presence at school, especially as it relates to students of color, but there has to be some solution that works so that our public schools are places of learning where students feel safe, not incarcerated. There has to be some viable middle ground. That's my two cents worth. Kimberly

Also, since students can only be in the library when they are in class, I haven't figured out when students can use the library. Do they have to wait until their teacher takes the whole class? Again, I understand the supervision problem (30 years ago I was nearly raped in the BHS library). Can't the staff come up with a better solution so the library can actually be a usable space for the students?

Anonymous

Large Class Size at BHS

Large class sizes @ BHS - I went to back to school night @ BHS and, once again, was shocked by how many kids are in the classes, 38 in my daughter's Spanish class. I think this is one of the biggest problems in the school and needs to be addressed. I also thought one of the purposes of BSEP was to keep classes small, around 28. I do intend to go to the PTSA about this and will email the school board members. Does anyone know of any group that is dealing with this problem? If not, I intend to start one. Toby

I would also like some simple explaination why we in Berkeley, who tax ourselves to achieve lower class size end up having higher class sizes than other bay area districts. It just seems unfair and I would like an accounting of where the money is going.

That said, I hope the money is going toward teacher salaries because they certainly deserve it (especially since they have to deal with these very high class sizes!) Paul

How Involved do I need to be?

My daughter is BHS bound for next year, it is the first time we will be dealing with the Berkeley Public School System. This is not totally by choice, and I am very concerned even worried. I need to know what are the best tools I can use to make it a successful experience for her academic success and her social well being? I hear parents saying, you need to be there and involved, I work part-time I can do that, but what does it concretely mean? I am sure it's not baking cookies anymore. Teenagers are embarassed by their parents presence...right? What should I know or learn from parents who are there?

You should be prepared to help her keep dates in mind....now when is sign-up for a sports' team, or an audition, or whatever. And certainly, when your student is making out their schedule, it behoves you to see what they have selected (what course, not what teacher), and compare that with what courses the school tells them they will need to take in order to graduate, go to college, whatever. I found reading the BHS catalogue very helpful and I tried to insist that my daughter read it with me.

I think one area of adjustment that is difficult for many kids, particularly kids who come to BHS from non Berkeley schools, is learning to focus. Your student will have to decide to apply herself or himself at the academics. No one will nag her or him. And concurrently, she/he will have to learn to ignor some things which other students will be doing, which might be deleterious.

All these skills become especially valuable as your student interacts more and more with the non-high school world.

And even though you mentioned that your student is going to BHS because there is no other choice, don't worry. BHS students seem to do very well in the world. And they certainly have a great understanding of the complexity and diversity in the United States. Good luck. -- A parent of a soon to be graduating student.

1999 and Earlier

"...I am horrified. I understand the desire to have neat work, but drawing is grade-school stuff. That part of my daughter's grade depends on little pictures or cutesy decorations is shocking."

Please do not be shocked. There are several theories that abound regarding the importance of students' connecting to their work by making it their own...One of the ways in which to do this is to have students place on their work creative expressions such as drawings, etc. Another is to have them write and rewrite what they have learned in a journal, still another is to have them teach what they have learned to another student or a group of students...Hope this is helpful. --Theresa Saunders

When I called the teacher to find out what pedagogical value this assignment had, he never called me back. So if the issue of Art in English homework gets addressed, I'd generalize it to other academic subjects....

If I were a cynical person I might say that the reason there are so many drawing assignments in English is because drawings are a lot easier to grade than essays. I do not buy the argument that drawing is a reasonable assignment for high school English classes since it allows children (teens?) to express themselves better than writing. I started adulthood as an art major - I love art and I wish there were more art classes at BHS. But come on - these kids need to learn how to write. Would you hire a young person where you work who can make beautiful expressive drawings but can't write a report so people can understand it? I wouldn't.

sign me anonymous ( I don't want his 'A' lowered in case the teacher finds out I drew the homework!)

My complaint involves the number of art projects that my dauther was assigned for finals. These included projects in honors geometry (!), English, Latin, and history. For history, the art project was the final exam. I find this a distressing trend for a number of reasons. Of course I would rather my daughter were performing academic work. It seems to me that goes without saying. But the second big problem is that it takes her forever to complete these assignments. For the history, she worked from the time she received the assignment until 11:00 the night before the assignment was due. If she had put in this same amount of time studying the material, I would be delighted. In geometry, she was actually graded down, not because of the matematical content, but because of her presentation. Perhaps the powers that be reason that if the kids can't read and don't know how to study, they will at least be artists. In my daughtrer's case, this approach is not working. Is anyone else unhappy with the amount of art work given? Is there any chance we could approach the school board about this matter?

Jenifer

13-year-old about to start BHS - any advice?

I have a 13 year old daughter about to start Berkeley High. My first question would be: any advice for parents of teens about to start BHS?

I'm worried that recent postings, mine included, may be contributing to an overall mistaken impression that there are lots of us out here who are unhappy with Berkeley High School. I want to say that I think BHS is a great school and I have been 87% happy with it so far. There are many more positive aspects about BHS than there are negative. We often assume that people already know about the good stuff, so we complain about the bad stuff without putting it into the larger context. But of course this works no better than assuming your teenager knows you love him even though you are yelling at him all the time about being lazy.

So I would like to mention a couple of the greatnesses about Berkeley High School. I don't know about most of the great things, because I am a not-very-highly-involved parent with two not-very-highly-involved BHS kids, but here are the things that I appreciate:

1. The principal. I admire the candor and sincerity of Theresa Saunders. I can't remember ever dealing with a school administrator who just answers a question plainly, eschewing the usual bureaucratic blabbering, and who seems so geniunely to be striving to do the right thing.

2. Teachers. There are teachers at BHS who will knock your socks off. You can't imagine the thrill I get when Mr. "I Hate School" comes home talking excitedly about what he did in biology lab today.

3. Sports. I'm not into them, but my kid is. I can assure you there is a sport for every kid who wants to play. All the usual ones plus golf, lacrosse, crew, tennis, badminton, field hockey, swimming, diving, water polo, you name it for men AND women. I can't say enough good things about the dedicated coaches I meet, and the positive experience for kids of being on a team and feeling part of a group.

4. The Jacket - newspaper. I subscribe, I get it at home, it is quite a good read. It makes my high school newspaper look like Romper Room. By the way, subscribing to the Jacket is an excellent way to strike up a conversation with your kid about "what's new at school."

Ginger

Let me add that the College/Career Adviser, Barbara Mitchell, has been recruiting people to critique students' college-application essays--November is the hot month for this. If you are one of those born with an irresistible urge to critique other people's writing, and want to help some BHS seniors get into college, an hour or two a couple of days a week will not only help the kids but give you a chance to read (and help shape) some fascinating and moving biographies. You can reach Ms. Mitchell at 644-6804.

My daughter's English teacher actually crossed out her A on a paper and lowered it to a B because it was not word processed. We had no computer at the time - the teacher's attitude - "Too bad - she'll have to stay after school and use one here." She did not care that my daughter had stayed up half the night re-writing her essay so it would be neat. She did not care that my daughter had other activities after school, she did not care that this discriminated against children of lesser means.

At orientation the counselors had said "call your child's counselor if your child has not hooked up with a group after a few weeks". I did - the counselor's words were, and I quote "so what do you want me to do about it". I called the counselor again when her grades went from A s and B s to D s and Fs in 10th grade. Again she wanted to know what I wanted her to do. I asked her about the "at risk programs" and was informed that my daughter was not at risk because she had Ds. (By the time she got all Fs she had missed 19 out of 21 days of school). I called the school health clinic to have my daughter seen for counseling. They agreed, but in respect to her privacy would not even tell me if she was going! NOT even if she was going?

Needless to say - she never dropped out - the school came up with a better suggestion - Independent Studies. My daughter did this for a while and eventually, gradually stopped going. Oh yes, did I mention free drugs? The park across the street is a great source.

I was a great believer in public schools, but I will not send my son to BH and I don't recommend it for anyone else unless your child is white and a very good student, oh yeah, make sure you have a computer at home. Mine was a good student, but that was not enough!

To the parent who wrote:" My experience with BH was horrendous. ..." What a poignant post this was. My heart goes out to this parent. I am always astonished by the difference between the color blindness of children in my third grader's class and the separation that develops in middle school and (apparently more so) in high school. Mixed race children seem to face the greatest difficulty, because they are pressed to choose between their heritages. And there seems to be no easy answer. And the teacher's insensitivity to the family's economic situation is grotesque.

RE: "[>Oh yes, did I mention free drugs? The park across the street is a great source.]" Isn't the Berkeley Police Department a block away? Aren't there cops on campus? How can this be a perennial problem? Yet it seems to be.

It brings me to the "blanket" statement in the newsletter from a mother who says "I don't recommend it [BHS] for anyone else unless your child is white and a very good student,..." This is, of course, not true. It's easy to blame the institution, and when you have a personally bad experience with the institution, naturally, you blame it, react negatively and act accordingly. However, if left entirely in the hands of the institution many children will fail within it, whites and nonwhites, because every student has individual needs that parents, teachers, counselors may or may not understand. I am very positive about BHS in spite of being fully aware of its "blackboard jungle" qualities, problem teachers, and administrative snafus--problems abound that need to be fixed and cannot all be fixed this semester, or next--and really, you can't make every experience for your child a positive one. My concern is not only that my child succeed, but for all students to find success somewhere for themselves while going to BHS, because the experience will teach them how to succeed after BHS as well--some are slow learners; some will never learn. In talking to students from freshmen to seniors, whites and nonwhites, I find attitudes too many to figure, but know teenagers want more independence, at the same time they need strict, no-nonsense guidelines to follow or rebel against at their will--they need to test authority; they also want and need to figure things out on their own, not to be spoon-fed, nor given authority trips. As a parent, you can only hope to keep tabs and keep up with it all, but most importantly, keep in touch.

Another problem that kids have at Berkeley High is getting appropriate classes. I don't think that the counselor's have enough to help students, or to review students' choices. Parents need to read the Berkeley High class description booklet, and carefully review classes that their student is signing up to take. And then the parent has to pray, that the class continues to be offered at the time advertised, and that the teacher is still teaching the class. If your student ends up with a hole in their schedule, it is very important for the parent to go to the school and supervise the "fix" that your student is offered. I often felt that there were insufficient teachers at Berkeley High, so that the school did not demand that each student take an English Class, a Math Class, and a Social Science class each semester. Another impression I have is that, except for the Math Department, the teachers' expections of the student is low. I think all the classes should be more challenging. K (1/00)

Writing - In three semesters of English, my son has been assigned one paper longer than one page. In history, he has had no long writing assignments. In science, he has not had one project requiring research.

Textbooks - My son's chemistry teacher has never assigned any reading from the textbook. Why do we issue textbooks if they are not to be used? In US history no textbook was ever issued, so the teacher showed movies instead of a final.

Course Outlines - With the exception of Latin, none of my son's teachers have given out course outlines. I find it very difficult to help my son with his school work if I don't know what he is studying and when.

Secret tests - Why do BHS teachers seem to have a policy of keeping test results secret from parents? Virtually every test my son has taken at Berkeley High has had to be given back to the teacher. How am I to monitor my son's progress without access to his test results?

Counselors - As frequently stated by others on this list, it is very difficult to get a counselor to return calls. The only success we have had so far was a getting a temporary fill-in counselor who did return calls, but she was gone in six weeks. Since then both my wife and I have never had a call returned by a counselor.

Assistant Principals - The only way I ever got a call back from an assistant principal was to have a former School Board member call the Superintendent. This got me a call from a very angry vice-principal and an unsatisfactory result.

Walt (Jan 2000)

  >After seeing the API values for Berkeley High, my response was exactly 
  >the opposite of the one expressed by a parent complaining that BHS is 
  >"not functioning" - I felt that the scores finally gave parents an 
  >indication that despite the many problems at BHS (phones, bells,   
  >attendance enforcement, etc.), the school, teachers, and students are 
  >doing an amazing job....
  >--Anonymous.

My daughter also tells me that if it is raining, there is no dry place for the students to go to eat lunch. She has to choose between eating lunch and getting wet on the one hand, and going to the library to stay dry but missing lunch, on the other. Is this true? If so, why not provide a sheltered place for lunch?