Central Oregonian

CCHS?deserves recognition for thinking outside the box

November 05, 2012

According to staff at the local high school, in past years the low participation in parent conferences in the mornings and afternoons could be discouraging in the very least.

These circumstances prompted staff and administration at Crook County High School to try and think outside the box and come up with solutions to better use the dedicated time allotted for parent conferences. It was a risk, but they took on the challenge — and it appears that their efforts have paid big dividends.

We polled several parents, students, and staff on the outcome of the recent conference format — which consisted of students whose mid-terms were at a “D’ or an “F” in any class, coming to school for a modified school day during the usual conference times during the day. These students were required to come and spend time with their teachers to work on their school work — which actually elicited positive comments from the students and parents that we talked to.

Even students who had to come to school for one class remarked that it was a good use of their time. Others thought that it was a good incentive for students who were already keeping their grades above a “C” average.

The parents we talked to were in favor of the format, and thought that it gave students a lot of quality time to work one-on-one with teachers on curriculum they didn’t understand. Students had similar responses. Staff seemed to have a good turnout of students, and many of their students raised their grades to passing.

Many times, schools get less-than-positive attention for state scores, report cards, and low performance. We believe that it is fair to give credit where credit is due, and CCHS staff deserves some kudos for looking past the status quo when considering their fall conferences.

This seems like a much better use of time for all concerned than the past parent conference model. The nightly conferences were still available for parents, and the day schedule provided an alternative to students who were struggling with grades for a variety of reasons.

We congratulate the high school for going outside the box and coming up with an innovative approach to the issue, and we look forward to seeing what the results will be in the long-term.