Bret Harte Defies Expectations

by Anthony Cody

In all of the renewed frenzy over Oakland's schools, how about a close look at a school that defies media and public expectations?

Here are a few widely held beliefs about Oakland schools:

1. Big schools are doomed to fail.

2. Good math and science teachers cannot be found.

3. Scripted, top-down curriculum is the only way to raise test scores.

It takes an unusual reporter who is willing to write a story that goes against the grain and contradicts public perception, but there is a story here.

Bret Harte Middle School in Oakland defies every one of the above beliefs. Let me tell you how.

Belief #1: Big schools are doomed to fail. Bret Harte has had over 1,000 students in the 6th, 7th and 8th grades for the past decade. While other Oakland middle schools have experienced steep drops in enrollment, numbers at Bret Harte have remained steady, and there is a waiting list to get in. Why? Bret Harte has a reputation for being a safe school that effectively serves an economically and ethnically diverse student population, delivering consistent growth in student achievement.

Bret Harte has a strong academic program featuring project-based learning in social studies and science. This has resulted in a steady increase in SAT-9 scores over the past five years. These increases are remarkable when you consider that in 2002, 28 percent of the students were English learners and 58 percent were on free and reduced lunch, meaning they were from poor families.

A close look at the student performance data reveals some striking things. Sixth grade students in math have, in five years, gone from the 32nd to the 50th percentile. Eighth graders have gone from the 36th to the 56th percentile. This is way beyond a statistical fluke. Something special is happening here.

Belief #2: Good math and science teachers cannot be found. It is true that low pay and abundant options make it hard to attract those with math and science backgrounds to the classroom. However, it is possible, and if they receive support and encouragement, they will stay and grow. Bret Harte has strong math and science departments. The science department includes two of the District's eight National Board certified teachers, and additional department members are becoming certified. Bret Harte science teachers are helping lead the District-wide Curriculum In Focus project, described in a recent Montclarion article as "a quiet revolution in Oakland's middle-school science classes." Science and math teachers work together to mentor and provide support to new teachers, so they feel successful and don't burn out. This results in much less turnover and has allowed the department to raise the level of expertise. The group works as a team and plans school-wide events such as the upcoming Family Math and Science night, January 22.

Belief #3: Scripted, top-down curriculum is the only way to raise test scores. At Bret Harte, the bedrock principle is belief in teachers. This guiding philosophy comes from our principal, Mary Hamadeh. Hamadeh works to get resources for the school and to recruit excellent teachers, but she does not try to tell teachers how to teach. Instead, she highlights successes and allows us to be encouraged by each other's examples. Her leadership style is subtle but powerful, and it has resulted in a strong, motivated, and loyal staff, willing to take chances.

If a charter school in Oakland posted the kind of gains Bret Harte has, I dare say the mediawould not hesitate to celebrate its success. But Bret Harte is not a charter, not a startup, not a Kip Academy. Just a big hundred-year-old middle school with a thousand students, mostly poor. If a school succeeds in the middle of a forest and no one hears it, has it succeeded?

Bret Harte SAT-9 Scores, 1998-2002

Reading 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

6th 34th 38th 36th 40th 35th

7th 30th 36th 38th 39th 36th

8th 34th 38th 41th 41th 39th

Math

6th 32 42 45 51 50

7th 36 42 45 50 48

8th 36 41 46 49 56

Language

6th 38 42 36 45 40

7th 35 43 47 47 53

8th 36 41 47 48 48

Total Average 35 40 42 46 45