Dear MAS Champions,
I am a person who believes that words hold meaning. The words we use to describe our students matter. I don’t like labeling our students as “at risk,” “troubled,” “underprivileged” and the like. As you know, our students defy these terms and the negative connotations they imply. Yet, these words do hold some truth or they would not exist… and they do describe the challenges that our students face even though these words do not define them.
That’s why I describe our students as little "Anthony McHenry's", individuals who grow up in underserved communities who may yet grow up to have a positive impact on society.
A phrase has been used recently by the Department of Public Instruction to describe students. Educators now use the term “economically disadvantaged”—which is defined as students who on average have an annual household income of $24,000 or less for a family of four. Two years ago, 93% of our students qualified as educationally disadvantaged. Last fall, about six months into the pandemic, 95% of our students qualified. This year, we have learned that 97.4% of our students qualify as educationally disadvantaged.
That’s just about 1,300 students out of our 1,350 students…. surviving on $24,000 or less each year. Students who are considered “economically disadvantaged” are also considered “educationally disadvantaged.”
I do not particularly like these phrases, but they are true. A child is at a disadvantage if they live in a home where the electricity is turned off... or there is not food available on a regular basis. They are at a disadvantage if they are sleeping in a bed with their whole family, or on the floor, or in a car.
We know that last year's academic data and attendance data will be lower than in years past as measured by state tests and our DPI report card. The same will be true of schools across our city and across the country, serving similar demographics. However, ours will be amplified more than most. The social-emotional impact related to the pandemic and associated trauma, coupled with a year of virtual learning, make it predictable that the learning loss and attendance rates have dropped.
We are feeling the effects of the pandemic. We are facing more challenges on a day to day basis than ever before. The impact of the pandemic—the trauma, pain, violence, and time out of school is exaggerated at MAS due to the number of students we serve who are “educationally disadvantaged.”
This year, we are pushing, harder than ever, and we are spending more time than ever adding supports to stabilize our students, socially and emotionally. We are putting back into place the “social safety net” that is in-person school at MAS.
We ask that you stick with us for the long-haul as we endure this pandemic and eventually come out of it. In fact, our students need your support more now than ever to continue to produce high-quality results. We cannot graduate 100% of our seniors without investments in our programming. We cannot ensure 100% of our students get accepted into post-secondary education without being a school that holds high expectations, exposes them to college and careers, and inspires HOPE for them.
That hope, and an MAS education, is the advantage that our students have, no matter how they are labeled.
I am incredibly grateful to all of you who have rallied around us. Please stick with us today, tomorrow, and into the future as we get through this challenging time. If you have not yet made a contribution to the school, please consider doing so before the end of the calendar year. And my door is always open to discuss any and all partnerships or other opportunities.
Yours in partnership,
Anthony McHenry
