Revamped Spruce High focused on student achievement

The hallways at Spruce High School didn't sound typical for a first day of classes Monday. They were quiet. Principal lucy Davila Hakemack's heels click-clacked smartly as she walked through the school.

Students already had textbooks open on their desks, and some teachers had filled chalkboards with notes. And when students were in the halls, they kept their voices low.

Some teachers speculated that the kids know how much is riding on their success. Good performance will keep their school open; bad performance means it's likely to close after this school year.

Spruce is on the firing line because it has received the state's lowest rating, "academically unacceptable," for four consecutive years. A fifth year nearly assures closure by the state.

Spruce is opening this school year with a heavily restructured academic program, staff and student body. A majority of last year's teachers were replaced, and more than half the students were sent to other schools. The only students enrolling this year are ninth-graders and about 250 seniors who chose to return to graduate.

Dr. Hakemack reiterated to freshmen during an assembly on Monday the importance of raising scores on the texas assessment of knowledge and skills, the state's exam that measures student achievement and is key to the state ratings.

"If we don't pass the taks test this year, this school will be closed down," she told them. "This school will be history."

Some freshmen said they're taking the warnings seriously.

"We'll do anything to keep our school open," said Daysi Frayre, 15.

Some seniors said it was tough deciding whether to return to Spruce. The vast majority did return, though, and several said they noticed the changes.

"It was kind of quiet," senior Roderick stubblefield said. "There aren't a lot of troublemakers."

freshmen can expect a lot of attention. Class sizes are small – 15 to 20 students – and all freshmen have two math classes. The kids also will have a set of books at home and a set at school.

Dr. Hakemack is a no-nonsense veteran educator who came to Spruce in July from the district's Early College High School at Mountain View College.

Since her arrival, she's assembled a new staff, created magnet-like programs for the freshmen and overseen a thorough cleaning of the school.

Her staff knows her expectations. At a staff meeting last week, she ticked off a list of rules: Keep students engaged and motivated. Maintain professionalism with students. Don't take students on field trips that aren't educational.

A band director at that meeting asked if band competitions would be considered educational.

Sure, Dr. Hakemack told him, but added: "Be going over math facts, reading facts and everything else in that bus as you're going to that competition."

Spruce's reorganization is probably the Dallas Independent School District's largest ever. Hundreds of sophomores and juniors were sent to Madison and Lincoln high schools. Ninth-graders who are repeating the grade were sent to an alternative school. And no more than 25 percent of last year's staff of about 200 could return this year.

Dr. Hakemack says the staff has shrunk to about 80 – a little more than half of whom are returning from last year. Most of those returning are teachers, chosen because they have good ratings on a DISD index that measures teachers primarily on student test scores.

People hired from outside DISD were screened for various other factors, including work ethic and a willingness to work on Saturdays – a mandatory tutoring day for students who need it.

And why would a teacher want to work at Spruce under such pressure?

"The challenge," said new Spruce reading teacher Jeannie Walker. "That's one of my passions, working with struggling students."

Tags: texas assessment of knowledge and skills,math classes,attention class,taks test,firing line,program staff,stubblefield,troublemakers,freshmen,academic program,hallways,student achievement,school year,desks,school students,lucy,seniors,closure,voices,textbooks

Tuesday, August 26, 2008 |

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