Correspondence in regard to Gifted and Telented program at Dunbar Junior High School
OCT 1 1994 Oifice of dessegregation Monitoring October 11, 1994 Elizabeth Shy Dowell 68 Cardinal Valley Drive North Little Rock, AR 72120 Dr. Henry P. Williaims, Superintendent Little Rock School District 810 W. Markham Little Rock, AR 72201 Dear Dr. Williams
Attached is a copy of the position paper as adopted by the Dunbar Arkansans for Gifted And Talented Education (A.G.A.T.E.) membership at the September 28, 1994, meeting which you were unable to attend. A.G.A.T.E. wants the district and school board members to understand this adoption was chosen for what they believe is best for the entire school population. If based solely on the needs of their individual Gifted and Talented identified children at Dunbar, the parents decision would have been far different. Beginning last spring, as the district began addressing the budget constraints, parents were systematically excluded from the decision making process. The program, as implemented for the current school year, is not what was told to parents and students during recruiting. Again this fall, before any opportunity for real dialogue between the district administration and parents, a decision was reached, based on limited parental input, to re-instate the program as it had been for the previous school year. My personal experience with parents has taught me there is a very real distrust of the district on the part of its patrons. I believe it is this type of unilateral decision-making which promotes these feelings. As the logistics became known, such as the master schedule having to be reworked for the entire school population, a lack of parental concensus became obvious. A.G.A.T.E. feared a situation was developing that would pit parent against parent in trying to implement the fall mandate. We, therefore, elected to support maintaining the program as is for the current school year only. The Gifted and Talented program at Dunbar is a bare minimum program. An enhanced program is probably a more accurate title. It is suggested that all members of the Board tour Fuller Junior High School, in the Pulaski County Special School District, and make a comparison between the two G and T programs. I believe that LRSD will find it more difficult in the near future to recruit- white students from the other districts as the success and quality of Fuller Junior High's program becomes more widely known throughout the county. Whether as individuals we support Gifted and Talented programs or not, in terms of desegregating Dunbar, it is the Gifted and Talented program which draws white students. If the quality and integrity of the program cannot grow, the district will find it harder to recruit and parental support for the district will diminish. Sincerely Yours in Support of Public Schools, Elizabeth Shy Dowell President, Dunbar A.G.A.T.E. ESD/esd C: Ms. Ann Brown, Office of Desegregation Monitor Little Rock School District School Board Members: Ms. Patricia Gee Ms. Oma Jacovelli Dr. Katherine Mitchell Ms. Judy Magness Mr. T. Kevin O'Malley Ms. Linda Pondexter Mr. John A. Riggs, IV Ms. Nancy Acre, Dunbar PrincipalArkansans for Gifted And Talented Education DUNBAR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL A.G.A.T.E. AFFILIATE POSITION PAPER MAGNET PROGRAMS AS ADMINISTERED AT DUNBAR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL The membership of Dunbar Junior High School A.G.A.T.E. voted at its September 28, 1994, meeting to adopt a position regarding the administration of the Gifted and Talented and International Studies programs at DJHS, as follows
1. Beginning with the 1995-96 school year, the Gifted and Talented and International Studies programs at Dunbar shall return to their original 1990-91 formats, as established and implemented by the Little Rock School District Dunbar Committee
more specifically
a. b. c. d. letters will be sent by the Student Assignment Office to all attendance zone students informing them they must participate in the magnet programs and enroll in a foreign language class
students electing not to participate in the magnet programs will be allowed by the Little Rock School District to opt to attend another junior high
students shall be required to return a letter of intent
the LRSD will reinstate the ratio cap among attendance zone black students, thereby encouraging the recruitment of identified gifted black students outside the attendance zone to enroll in Dunbar
the LRSD Dunbar Committee shall be reconstituted as per the April 29, 1992, LRSD Desegregation Plan, page 143
committee make-up should be by position, not specific individuals, i.e. LRSD Gifted Supervisor, Dunbar Principal, Dunbar International Studies and Gifted and Talented specialists, one black parent, one white parent and others as needed
identified Gifted and Talented students and designated Enriched students will not be grouped together in the four core subjects
teachers of Gifted and Talented classes will be certified as Gifted and Talented teachers. 2. To strengthen the program, Gifted and Talented classroom size shall not exceed 22 students. 3. For the remainder of the 1994-95 school year ONLY, the identified Gifted and Talented students and the designated Enriched students at Dunbar may be assigned to combined classes in the four core subjects.4. The Little Rock School District will provide a minimum of two additional Gifted and Talented specialists at Dunbar for the remainder of the 1994-95 school year for the purpose of facilitating the Gifted and Talented teachers by providing instructional time with small groups and individuals as needed. The Dunbar A.G.A.T.E. group believes these criteria for administering the magnet programs at Dunbar are the bare minimums for maintaining the quality and integrity of these programs and for recruiting future students in compliance with orders of the Federal District Court. FOR MORE INFORMATION OR QUESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT: ELIZABETH SHY DOWELL President, DJHS A G A T E. 68 Cardinal Valley Drive North Little Rock, AR 72120 (501) 834-3720Arkansans for Gifted And Talented Education DUNBAR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL A.G.A.T.E. AFFILIATE 1100 Wright Avenue, Little Rock, Arkansas 72206 Elizabeth Shy Dowell, President January 26, 1995 Dr. Henry Williams, Superintendent Little Rock School District 810 West Markham Street Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 JAN 95 :{ iVi Dear Dr. Williams: J In follow-up to the Dunbar A.G.A.T.E. Position Paper of last fall, we reiterate our concerns for the International Studies and Gifted and Talented magnet programs as outlined. While all four points remain very high priorities, at this time we want to recapitulate item l.b. of the position paper,(see attached.) Specifically, the ratio cap among attendance zone black students and the recruitment of identified gifted and talented black students from outside the Dunbar attendance zone. When Dunbar Junior High School opened as a magnet programs school, to meet court ordered desegregation guidelines, a 60% ratio cap for black students from the attendance zone was established. The Student Assignment OtBce initially required a student, who elected not to participate in either program, to return a form to the SAO. At that point, the student would be assigned to another school in the district. If the number of black attendance zone students electing to opt out of Dunbar dropped the ratio below 60%, the school could then recruit G & T identified black students from other attendance zones. Three years ago, without informing either the school administration or the parents of participants, the Student Assignment OfEce stopped sending out the above mentioned forms. This left prospective students and their parents with the impression they could come to Dunbar and not participate in the either of the magnet programs. As this information circulated and SAO never said anything to the contrary, students who in the past had opted out, returned to Dunbar. Not only did this unpublished SAO policy have a devastating effect on our programs, i.e. the elimination of some courses and the number of sections available in others, but each year we fall further behind in meeting the court ordered desegregation guidelines. Our numbers are approximately 69% black, 31% non-black for the current school year. We believe it is imperative, for the viability of the programs and for student recruitment, the Student Assignment Office for the 1995-96 school year should: A. in order to be in compliance with the courts, reinstate the ratio cap
B. require students to return a form committing themselves to the Dunbar program(s) or be allowed to opt out of Dunbar.As cautioned in my cover letter of October 11, 1994, regarding what might happen when the quality of Fuller Junior High School's G & T program became known, we have lost two Pulaski County Special School District white students to Fuller and a third is actively looking into making the switch. Lest this leave the impression that Gifted and Talented programs are of most import to white parents, I pass along the concerns some black parents have brought to me. More pointedly, the small number of black students in the G & T program at Dunbar. One parent told of how her son felt uncomfortable with so few black males in his G & T classes and the pressure put on him by peers to not participate. Of those who came to me, all said virtually the same thing, their children need others like themselves to withstand the peer pressure. We can only accomplish this through the proper use of the ratio cap. While we understand and sympathize with your daily pressures, we implore that these matters be given an immediate and high priority by you and your staff. Sincerely, Elizabeth Shy Dowell President, Dunbar A.G.A.T.E. Enclosure: 1 cc: Ms. Ann Brown, Desegregation Monitor Dr. C. Russell Mayo, LRSD Student Assignment Office LRSD School Board Members: Ms. Patricia Gee Ms. Oma Jacovelli Ms. Judy Magness Dr. Katherine Mitchell Mr. Kevin OMalley Ms. Linda Pondexter Mr. John A Riggs, IV Ms. Nancy Acre, Dunbar Principal ESD/esd Arkansans for Gifted And Talented Education DUNBAR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL A.G.A.T.E. AFFILIATE POSITION PAPER MAGNET PROGRAMS AS ADMINISTERED AT DUNBAR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL The membership of Dunbar Junior High School A.G.A.T.E. voted at its September 28, 1994, meeting to adopt a position regarding the administration of the Gifted and Talented and International Studies programs at DJHS, as follows: 1. Beginning with the 1995-96 school year, the Gifted and Talented and International Studies programs at Dunbar shall return to their original 1990-91 formats, as established and implemented by the Little Rock School District Dunbar Committee
more specifically: a. b. c. d. letters will be sent by the Student .Assignment Office to all attendance zone students informing them they must participate in the magnet programs and enroll in a foreign language class
students electing not to participate in the magnet programs will be allow^ed by the Little Rock School District to opt to attend another junior high
students should be required to return alerter of intent
the LRSD will reinstate the ratio cap among attendance zone black students, thereby encouraging the reciuitnient of identified gifted black students outside the attendance zone to enroll in Dunbar, the LRSD Dunbar Committee shall be reconstituted as per the April 29, 1992, LRSD Desegregation Plan, page 143
committee make-up should be by position, not specific individuals, i.e. LRSD Gifted Supervisor, Dunbar principal, Dunbar's International Studies and Gifted and Talented specialists, one black parent, one white parent and others as needed
identified Gifted and Talented students and designated Enriched students will not be grouped to gether in the four core subjects
teachers of Gifted and Talented classes x vill be certified tis Gifted and Talented teachers. 2. To strengthen the program, classroom sn -e shall not exceed 22 students. 3. For the remainder of the 1994-95 school yearONLY, the identified Gifted and Talented students and the designated Enriched sturiea's at Dunbar may be assigned to combined classes in the four core subjects.4. The Little Rock School District will provide a minimum of two additional Gifted and Talented specialists at Dunbar for the remainder of the 1994-95 school year for the purpose of facilitating the Gifted and Talented teachers by providing instructional time with small groups and individuals as needed. The Dunbar AG.A.T.E. group believes these criteria for administering the magnet programs at Dunbar are the bare minimums for maintaining the quality of these programs and for recruiting future students in compliance with orders of the Federal District Court. FOR MORE INFORMATION OR QUESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT: ELIZABETH SHY DOWELL President, DJHS A.G.A.T.E. 68 Cardinal Valley Drive North Little Rocl^ AR 72120 (501) 834-3720
This project was supported in part by a Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives project grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Council on Library and Information Resoources.

<dcterms_creator>Dunbar Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education, (A.G.A.T.E.)</dcterms_creator>