Archive Monthly Archives: March 2019
CAUSE, CORRELATION, AND THE WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE: MENTAL HEALTH
There is no question that voters are deeply concerned about the missteps on mental health and suicide in this district – a function of the failure to be informed by long-standing and well-described epidemiological trends in youth depression and anxiety. Unlike the reactive present leadership, we propose to create proactively a more inclusive, compassionate, and restorative climate with accountability and to screen and implement high risk interventions through schools. Teen suicide is a national crisis, but it is much more acute in Pearland ISD, with a rate 1.5x national average.
While as a physician scientist, I know that assigning cause is tricky and correlations can be abundant and spurious, here we also have the weight of the evidence.
1. IRRESPONSIBLE RESOURCE ALLOCATION: The school board decided in 2015 to disinvest in behavioral health coordinators. We have seen at least 7 suicides since that time in PISD (1.5x national average). SOLUTION: District campaign with accountability to create a culture of inclusion and a commitment to whole child health as a fiscal, social, and moral priority.
2. DEAFNESS TO COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS: Despite broad concern and a strong community coalition led by Chinese families demanding resolution of a toxic GPA system in 2017-2018, the only concession made for current students was a completely tangential longer lunch hour. SOLUTION: Move towards a GPA system that preferentially weights a limited number of AP classes. Be in continuous conversation with students about the best model with feedback after implementation.
3. PSEUDOSCIENCE TO DRIVE AN AGENDA: Exaltation about the value of struggle is gratuitous and unscientific. The kinds of stress that are healthy for development occur in a context of supportive relationships. But this is not part of the district ‘grit’ campaign, a pseudoscientific repackaging of the ‘bootstrap’ narrative. ‘Grit’ does, however, absolve the district of responsibility. Furthermore, if leadership is going to fetishize Asian culture (we are appalled), it must own the fact that stress related to education accounts for most youth suicide in South Korea, which has the highest rate of suicide among children ages 10-19 in the world. SOLUTION: Engage with professionally and culturally diverse community councils on data-driven policy.
3. MISHANDLING OF BULLYING: Bullying is known to be highly correlated with suicidal behaviors. We admire our Rise Mentorship program, which understands the critical importance of a community of caring. This should be central to district culture and practice in general. Families tell us repeatedly how bullying is mismanaged in PISD. SOLUTION: Implement defined guidelines to reduce risks for our children *including* a system of accountability for school personnel and administration. Explore restorative practices in our schools.
4. BLINDNESS TO VULNERABILITY: Students with learning disabilities or differences and LGBT youth are known to have much higher risk of suicidal behaviors. PISD has no targeted programs to ensure we address these vulnerabilities. SOLUTION: Bring students, parents, teachers, and behavioral health experts together through the School Health Advisory Council to make this a 2019-2020 priority.
College Admission Town Hall
Parents and students, we want to hear from you!
Well before recent college admissions scandals have rocked the nation, we have been rethinking the system – how college admissions and testing-focused education is detrimental to individuals and society at large – and how we can reform it while embracing the values that will move us into the future!
Dr. Dona Murphey (Position 5) has been a Harvard college interviewer for 18 years in the Greater Houston area, with the last 14 in Pearland/Friendswood and is a parent in Pearland ISD. She understands what elite colleges are seeking in applicants and how that is in fact entirely consistent with what any student – even those who are not 4-year university bound – should aspire to embody. She understands well the stresses that students face as they move onto postsecondary pursuits, and how Pearland ISD can facilitate a smoother transition.
Joseph Say (Position 6) is an IT consultant for a major software company, who has spent years organizing students to hold systems accountable. He knows the importance of cultivating active citizenship, which is a key function of public education per the Texas Education Code. He knows intimately how PISD has tried valiantly and insidiously to suppress student voice, and how this is a disservice in college admissions and in preparation for the world beyond.
Al Lloyd (Position 7) is a decorated educator/administrator, serving as Assistant Principal of Bellaire High School, and is a parent in Pearland ISD. He has done some remarkable work for career and technology programming in HISD for students interested in skilled trades. He will be a champion in creating industry partnerships and ensuring that students interested in technical training in our district are appropriately advised about the post-secondary opportunities that training will support.
Parents and students are welcome to join us in this community dialogue. You will drive the conversation. We hope to provide you with pearls that will prepare you for the future!
When: Sunday, April 7, 2019, 4:30-6:30p
Where: Pearland Westside Library
Tidelands Labor Assembly Endorses Us!
We are thrilled to announce that our attention to K-12 education and deep understanding of the broader systems in which Pearland ISD is embedded (especially in the domains of fiscal responsibility, legislative advocacy, and educational equity) has resulted in a historic endorsement of our campaigns for school board by the Tidelands Labor Assembly of the AFL-CIO. We are looking forward to working with all community stakeholders on carrying PISD into an era of data-driven policy that is inclusive and compassionate. Congratulations to our team and to Joseph Say for Pearland ISD and Al Lloyd for Pearland ISD Trustee #7
