When teachers become the pupils

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But students in the schools highlighted by the study fared muchbetter.
Despite a high poverty rate, virtually all Latino students at McKaypassed the state's math and English MCAS tests by the time theyreach the eighth grade, with 72 percent scoring proficient inEnglish and 42 percent in math.
"The problem is not the students," said Principal Almudena Abeyta,who has led McKay for four years. "The burden is on us."
McKay and the other schools singled out by the GastónInstitute also have a higher proportion of licensed teachers whohave passed state tests in the subjects they teach and areconfident in their mastery of the material, the study found.Students said they felt safe and relaxed in these schools, whereSpanish is spoken freely in the hallways and students translate inthe classrooms for newer arrivals from Colombia, Guatemala, andMexico.
During a recent after-school Spanish class at McKay, the lessonsfrequently flipped between the practical and the personal. Threefifth-grade boys corrected their teachers' pronunciation as theadults stumbled through expressions to use during parent meetings.
Then, in English, an 11-year-old from El Salvador shared the storyof his dramatic 24-day journey to the United States. He, hisbrother, and the smuggler they were traveling with were caught byborder police in Arizona. Nine days later, he was allowed to boarda plane to Boston and reunite with his mother for the first timesince he was born.
"We are basically breaking the barrier of being new to thiscountry," said Jose Mata, who teaches recent immigrants in anEnglish immersion class and runs the after-school Spanish programfor teachers. "They can offer what they know to somebody. With thiskind of population, more than being just an educator, you have tobe a sensitive educator."
While test scores at the 675-student school are high, Abeyta saidshe and her staff regularly scrutinize the data to look forweaknesses, increase accountability, and improve teaching. Sheshares the previous year's MCAS data for each grade at the start ofeach school year at a schoolwide teachers meeting.
"At first it was kind of scary, posting these scores in aPowerPoint presentation," Abeyta said. "It was uncomfortable - openaccountability for everyone to see. You can't hide because the datadoesn't lie."
Two years ago, the analysis and lower-than-desired third-gradereading scores prompted the school to revamp its literacy programfor kindergarten through second grade. Abeyta, a formerkindergarten and first-grade teacher, also threw out the district'slanguage benchmarks for young students learning English, andinstead pushed those students to reach the same standards expectedof native English speakers.
"MCAS doesn't differentiate, so why should we?" said Abeyta, whostressed that an early foundation in literacy is crucial forhelping Latino students catch up to their higher-achieving whitepeers. "I can't understand having one set of standards for somekids and not the others, especially at that age when they'relearning to read."
Students who struggle are also monitored closely. Teachers tutorrecent immigrants and other students, starting in second grade, whohave fallen behind in math and English. Middle-school students whohave trouble with math get help from McKay graduates who now attendEast Boston High.
"Achievement is one of our major goals here," said Brenda Figueroa,an eighth-grader who has attended McKay since kindergarten. "Wenever go on in class and leave a student behind."
Abeyta said she sets aside $30,000 in her budget each year toprovide the extra help because parents demand it.
Keeping close tabs on students translates into fewer disciplineproblems, Abeyta said. Teachers know who students' friends are aswell as their whereabouts, even when they skip school. Neighborhoodpolice bring in students from the streets when they play hooky.
"And they get in trouble," said Abeyta, who lives in theneighborhood and sends her daughter to the school. "They're notgoing to get away with anything."
Younger troublemakers are sent to middle-school teachers "to scarethem," Abeyta said; older troublemakers return to their formerkindergarten teachers who get "them back into shape."
Despite the constant haranguing and exhortations to achieve,teachers and students at the close-knit school say they respecteach other, and work hard for the other.
"It's the way we raised them," said Gina Freda, an eighth-gradeEnglish teacher. "After a while, we become a family."
Researchers will present their findings on Latino students inBoston public schools at 10 a.m. today at the University ofMassachusetts Club, 225 Franklin St. in downtown Boston. Jan can bereached at tjan@globe.com .