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We Asked ~ You Answered!

We asked if you support performance-pay for administrators...

33% of you said that you do support performance-pay for administrators and 66% of you said that you do not

Discuss these results on the RAPSA Forum!

Question of the Week

Do you feel that your district does a good job of keeping students safe?

Click here to answer!

Closing the Achievement Gap

By Alex Kajitani

A few years ago, I had an 8th grade student named Eduardo*. Eduardo was constantly being poked fun at by his classmates for his inability to do simple things, such as add and subtract or tie his shoes. His grades were very low in all of his classes, and for as long as he or his mother could remember, he had always failed in all subjects. One day in class, I heard a student tell Eduardo¬, “You are so dumb, you don’t even know how to tell time!” As he shriveled in his seat, I walked over to Eduardo and quietly asked him if that was true. I then asked him the most simple, yet profound question a teacher can ask: Why? Not allowing him to shrug his shoulders and say, “I don’t know,” I pressed him for an answer. Finally, he exclaimed, “Nobody ever taught me!” “What about your parents?” I asked. “Nope.” he replied.

After the Fire

By Coleen Armstrong

When Chad told his parents that his fifteen-year-old girlfriend Mindy was pregnant, he thought his father would never stop yelling. For weeks all he heard were endless rants about responsibility, precautions, and stupidity.

While Chad certainly understood his father’s fury, he thought it a classic case of overreaction. He intended to do the right thing, after all––marry Mindy and find a job to help support both her and the baby. He’d also finish high school, then attend college part-time. Where was the problem?