Inner City Public Schools Still Work
How One Principal's Life is Living Proof!
by
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This staff development was probably the deepest we had ever dug into our data. We used every identifier we could find to pinpoint our strengths and weaknesses. I even went so far as to providing my teachers with a picture of each and every student, noting their demographic data next to the picture and previous assessment results. My goal in doing that exercise was to remind teachers that we were dealing with the lives of real students and not just numbers on a page. It was a very empowering activity, since you could hear teachers’ conversations; “I remember John, I had him in Kindergarten.” Or my favorite “she was a very smart girl in first grade, what happened to her?” Those types of questions and conversations about our students reminded me of my sister. I wonder if Mavis’ first grade teacher would have talked to her fifth-grade teacher, maybe they would have noticed her sinking grades and how she went from being a model citizen in class to a disruptive force just a few years later.
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About the Book
Inner-City Public Schools is a beacon call for everyone to take a close look at how effective our inner city public schools have been. Dr. Diop shares some of his life stories and how the public schools in his neighborhood shaped his thinking. With education reformists extolling the value and achievement of charter schools, to the peril of public schools- Dr. Diop is honest in his evaluation of the schools he has led and how he and his teachers set and achieved immense goals, resulting in the highest math scores in the school's history. Dr. Diop is also candid as he discussed the emotional struggles faced by his sister and how those struggles enabled him to relate to the anguish many of his students face daily. This book will show everyone, that there is value in our nation's inner city public schools and his life is living proof!
About the Author
DR. MATEEN DIOP is a 16 year veteran of the public school system in San Antonio, TX. From 1996-2012- he has been a Teacher, Coach, Dean of Instruction, Assistant Principal and Principal. He is considered an authority on the issue of single-gender schools and has authored a book on the subject (Single-Gender Schools in the Inner-City, Can they Work?). He has written many articles on the educational achievement gap of minority males and his expertise has proven invaluable. A native San Antonian, Diop graduated from the San Antonio public school system, the University of Incarnate Word and Texas A&M University-Kingsville. He currently resides in San Antonio, TX.