By Briana D’Andrea
Culturally relevant teaching was a key focus of a presentation Monday night by Royal Palm Beach High School Principal Jesus Armas to the Royal Palm Beach Education Advisory Board.
It’s a practice Armas believes is needed to help students be successful worldwide, but he said U.S. schools are nowhere near where they need to be.
“We are moving forward, and we’ve had the difficult conversations. We’re not going to be afraid to talk about it,” Armas said. “We need to do a good job for our black males who are struggling around the country. Knowing our student body and the kid in front of you is key, so each student has the opportunity to learn.”
Armas said it’s important to recognize that each student learns differently, and teachers need to give personalized instructions to each and every student. “The day we master that is the day we break the mold,” he said.
Councilman Jeff Hmara, liaison to the committee, commended Armas on such an undertaking.
In his research, Armas said he has found a large correlation between reading proficiency and free and reduced-price lunch. Sixty-seven percent of the RPBHS student body is signed up for free or reduced-price lunch. He said culture and race have something to do with the percentage of those who are reading-proficient, which is 45 percent.
Armas and his staff have decided, in turn, to make improvements to the school’s lunchroom. Within the next few years, RPBHS will have a state-of-the-art cafeteria that mimics a food court traditionally seen at a mall.
“We expect to have less discipline issues, and we’re excited about what it’s going to do for our campus,” he said.
As a result, RPBHS students will have three 35-minute lunch periods and block scheduling. The staff voted for that method to accommodate both space and help the school’s academic success. Armas said that thanks to block scheduling, discipline and referrals often decline in schools.
As of the 2014-15 school year, student enrollment at Royal Palm Beach High is at 2,231, down 45 students from last year. However, that’s 58 more than in 2009-10. Armas said the number of referrals and suspensions have gone down by more than half, as compared to 2011, which puts the school 17th in the district.
Meanwhile, the proportion of students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses is on the upswing at 25 percent.
The teachers and principal have a vision for the school, and Armas said he and his staff strive every day to meet their goals. The faculty is dedicated to meeting the holistic needs of students, he said, providing a safe and respectful environment in which to learn and a wide variety of extracurricular activities.
“All of this will be accomplished while building parent and community involvement and maintaining open communication among stakeholders,” Armas said, adding that his hope is that students will graduate with pride and confidence and be prepared to succeed in their postsecondary endeavors to become productive citizens.
Although RPBHS was fourth in the district in terms of academic growth, and FCAT scores saw an increase in most sections, Armas said the number of proficient students needs to increase and that he would like to see higher-achieving students. This may pose a bit of a challenge because of a new grading system set in place for this school year.
The assessment component makes up 50 percent of the grade, with reading, writing, math and science included. The other half takes in what are known as “other components” — acceleration, performance, participation, graduation rate, college readiness and social studies. The grade is based on total points on a 1,600-point scale. The graduation requirement for students will be based on their 10th-grade test results, and juniors will now have to take an English writing test, which will affect the school’s overall grade.
The new school year has brought some new social initiatives, including #PROWL, which stands for “Promote Reading On With Literacy.” That means that everyone on campus, including staff, is required to drop everything and read for 15 minutes each day. “We want them reading,” Armas stressed.
Students, parents and teachers can sign up for community text alerts to keep informed about game scores, media happenings and high-alert situations on campus. For more information, visit the school’s web site at www.rpbhs.org.
