Heading Elsewhere for a Better School: Education in Washington Heights

Growing up in Washington Heights, when I was in the fourth grade I had the opportunity to take a test to get into a charter school in upper Harlem, a few miles south of my current school on 189^th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. My parents were elated when they found out I eventually got accepted into the school, and then they had a similar reaction when I was accepted into the high school on City College’s campus, one of the “specialized” public high schools.

The reaction from my parents is an extension of the sentiment sometimes felt throughout Washington Heights, to have the students from the area head elsewhere for a better school than what’s available. This is mainly due to subpar graduation rates and a feeling that teachers could be doing more to help their students.

For decades, many students in Washington Heights were zoned into George Washington High School, a wide campus-style building on 192^nd street and Audubon Avenue. The school was notorious for being dangerous and having low graduation rates, and closed in 1999. It then reopened with four smaller schools within it, one on each floor. Community Health Academy of The Heights, a new school with students from grades 6-12, opened in 2006 with an aim to increase the student proficiency levels in the neighborhood.

The school had promise, but ultimately it left some parents feeling underwhelmed. Awilda Fernandez, resident and mother of four, enrolled her daughter Joelle in the school from the 6^th to 12^th grade. She felt that the students needed “more help in math, and the basic classes they needed to take so they can get into good colleges.” According to Insideschools.org, the 2012 graduation rate for Community Health Academy was 72 percent, higher than the citywide average of 66 percent but still not as high as it should be. In comparison, the four schools that make up the George Washington High School campus have an average graduation rate of 64.5 percent, lower than the citywide average.

Diana Santos, resident and mother of two, sent her son to George Washington and her daughter to Community Health Academy.  Her decision to send her son to George Washington was mainly based on location, “I sent him there because it’s right across the street.” She was satisfied with the school, but she knew there was more at fault with her son’s effort than the school itself. He managed to graduate on time, but according to her it was “just by the crack of the doors.” Diana went to George Washington for high school when she was younger, and, at the time, the school “wasn’t safe at all.  But by the time her son went there, the school was divided into four different campuses, and that meant more security guards on each floor.”

When she decided to send her daughter Cristina to Community Health Academy of the Heights, it was because “Cristina’s teacher had recommended her to go there, saying that it was a really good charter school.” She said even though it’s called community health academy, the group was so tight knit that it was like “the kids themselves were a community” and “the first year that she was there she did really well.” Diana was especially appreciative of the fact that the teachers seemed to care about the students, and they would contact her whenever Cristina’s performance waned. She said this didn’t happen with her son at George Washington, and instead she only got the standard call every marking period indicating that he wasn’t doing well.

Diana felt that communication was the most effective aspect of Community Health Academy, between the teachers and students and parents. She said “when I was growing up, the teachers rarely gave communication with the parents” but added that “now, the teachers were calling me.  I’d get automated recordings for meetings, sometimes the teachers themselves would call me and tell me what they’re doing, and we would participate.” She said there was an “extreme difference” between the two schools.

The daughters of the respective daughters added their own insights to their experiences at the school.  Both have graduated and are currently attending college. Awilda’s daughter Joelle said that “the only thing I liked about my high school was the family feeling that we had,” and then added that “I’m sure I would’ve been better off at another school. My high school didn’t prepare me enough for college life.” She also believes that when it comes to the poor quality of NYC public schools, “it’s the students who make it harder for others to learn, so it’s probably the same kind of students” throughout the city. Diana’s daughter Cristina felt that she got a “good education” but the school “failed to provide the basic high school experience.” Despite this, she “wouldn’t have preferred to attend another school.” She said that “I think the same amount of education is given equally in all public high schools in NYC.”

Even though there is a standardized curriculum throughout the public high schools, it is standardized in the sense that the teachers mainly have the same ultimate goal – getting their students to pass the statewide Regents tests. According to a report from the New York Times, the graduation rate had been generally improving since 2005, but fell from 65.7 percent in 2011 to 64.7 percent in 2012. Even more alarming is the statistic indicating that only 38.4 percent of high school graduates are ready for college or a career. This means that even though the city is making an effort towards having the students graduate, a larger issue looms: students may graduate but they are not ready to handle college and careers after high school.