Change has arrived at Spencer Bibbs Advanced Learning Academy, represented by the colors blue and white. Students at this K-5 school are now wearing new uniforms consisting of navy shorts and crisp white polo shirts. The girls are accessorizing their outfits with matching hair ribbons and beads. Furthermore, the school’s teachers, secretaries, and even classroom volunteers have also adopted this dress code to promote unity within the school community. This new uniform policy serves as a visible reminder of the intangible changes that the staff members at Spencer Bibbs have made since the school was designated as a failing school by the state. As part of a new accountability initiative, which includes the introduction of the first statewide voucher program in the country, the school received an F rating, a fate that befell nearly 80 other schools across the state.
However, the situation at Bibbs is different from most failing schools in Florida. Only two schools, including A.A. Dixon Elementary School located just two miles away, were given the opportunity to offer vouchers to their students, allowing them to attend another public or private school of their choice. Although both schools dislike this new state policy, the staff members at Bibbs and Dixon are determined to overcome the stigma associated with their low ratings and strive for higher academic achievement in the future. To support this effort, Bibbs has implemented new uniforms, extended the school year, and focused extensively on reading, writing, and mathematics. Linda Scott, the principal of Bibbs, emphasizes that everyone present at the school is there because they genuinely want to be. The students themselves seem to have a greater level of commitment this year, as they are tired of being labeled as failing students.
Unfortunately, the implementation of the voucher program has had some negative consequences. After the passage of the accountability program, 58 students from the neighborhoods served by Bibbs and Dixon were chosen through a lottery to receive vouchers worth approximately $3,400 each. These students now attend one of five participating private schools, the majority of which are Catholic schools. Additionally, around 80 more students transferred to other public schools within the Escambia County district. As a result, both Bibbs and Dixon have experienced a decline in enrollment.
To be eligible for vouchers, students at Bibbs and Dixon had to meet certain performance requirements on the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test, a state assessment that was first administered in February. Under the legislation signed by Governor Jeb Bush, schools are graded on an A-to-F scale primarily based on the results of this state test. Schools graded as F for two out of every four years qualify for vouchers of up to $4,000, which can be used to attend qualifying public, private, or religious schools. On the other hand, schools graded as A receive performance incentives of up to $100 per student. Although this is only the first year of the new policy, Bibbs and Dixon were selected for the voucher program because they were the only two out of the 78 Florida schools that received F ratings, which were also on the state’s 1998 list of critically underperforming schools. If the program continues, it is expected that many more schools will qualify for vouchers in the following year.
A lawsuit has been filed with the aim of eliminating the voucher program. The lawsuit, filed in June by a coalition that includes the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the state affiliate of the National Education Association, is currently pending in state court. The plaintiffs argue that the program violates state and federal constitutional provisions that prohibit government funding for religious purposes, and also harms public schools by diverting public funds. Bibbs and Dixon, which serve children from six low-income public housing projects, have always faced challenging circumstances. The majority of students at these predominantly black schools come from low-income backgrounds and rely on free or reduced-price lunches. Additionally, students are constantly entering and leaving these schools throughout the year. This year, as the first schools affected by the high-profile accountability plan, the staff members at Bibbs and Dixon have had to adapt to increased scrutiny as they become the focus of the ongoing national debate surrounding vouchers.
"We will have to make some cuts," stated the principal of Bibbs School. "Due to a decline in enrollment, we need to find areas where we can make adjustments."
The principals of both Bibbs and Dixon schools currently feel encouraged by the overwhelming support they have received from the community. Banners, balloons, and baskets of apples have been delivered by well-wishers from other schools in the district. Local organizations even raised $5,000 to provide uniforms for Bibbs students who are unable to afford them. Additionally, a nearby health club offered staff members massages. The principal, Ms. Scott, emphasized the importance of the offers to volunteer, estimating that there are now over 50 volunteers available thanks to local churches, companies, and a group of retirees known as the "foster grandparents" of the school.
The impact of this extra help was evident during Bibbs’ mandatory 90-minute reading block. Twenty-nine kindergarten students were seen quietly engaged in their new phonics-based reading program, with two teachers and two volunteers closely monitoring their progress. Ms. Scott mentioned that the recent hiring of a new teacher would soon reduce class sizes to 20. With support from various faculty members, such as the music instructor and the gym teacher, who assist in teaching reading in the mornings, students receive ample personal attention. A parent named Rita Grandberry, who turned down vouchers to keep her 2nd grader and kindergartner enrolled in Bibbs School, expressed satisfaction with the improvements: "I can see a significant change. The overall environment and learning structure are much better this year."
However, for Tracy Richardson, a single mother who decided to use a state voucher to send her 8-year-old daughter to a nearby Montessori school, Bibbs’ extensive efforts to improve come too late. Ms. Richardson had previously resorted to sending her daughter to live with her grandmother in another part of town just to avoid Bibbs School. She explained, "I desperately wanted her to attend a different school because of all the negative things I had heard about Spencer Bibbs from people in the neighborhood." Now, with the help of a voucher, Ms. Richardson’s daughter lives at home and attends a structured school environment that her mother believes has positively impacted her behavior and concentration. Despite hearing about the recent changes at Bibbs, Ms. Richardson still intends to make her daughter’s switch to Montessori education permanent. She remarked, "It took competition to provoke improvements at Bibbs. Now, everyone’s focus is on the kids. It’s a completely different atmosphere. Why didn’t they do this earlier?"
Although competition may have driven improvements this year, the principals of the schools acknowledge that it has not come without consequences. Bibbs and Dixon schools are now unashamedly teaching to the state test, shifting their academic programs to heavily focus on reading, writing, and math.
At Dixon School, teachers have introduced mechanical timers during their teaching drills to help students become more comfortable working under pressure. Ms. Ladner, one of the principals, recalled a student who felt so overwhelmed by the time constraints during the previous year’s test that he angrily pushed his test booklet off his desk and refused to continue. Some classrooms even have cardboard note cards filled with problems from the state test, with students completing one problem a day to familiarize themselves with the exam format. During recently added Saturday and after-school tutoring sessions, the focus is on improving test-taking skills. However, Superintendent May believes that this emphasis on high-stakes testing fails to consider the whole person. "Reading, writing, and math have taken precedence over everything else," May stated. But what the principals find even more distressing than the pressure to succeed on these tests is the "failing" label that they believe misrepresents their teachers and schools.
Ms. Ladner recounted a visit to the home of a 5th-grade boy who had missed school two days in a row due to rain. She expressed how staff members went door-to-door at the start of the summer, urging parents to send their children to school. Teachers who showed such dedication take the failure label personally. "The implication of being an F school in the state’s eyes is that we are not effectively teaching," she refuted. "This is completely untrue and unjust."
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