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A student-run bookstore at Parkway Heights Middle School will sell books for less than $3 each.
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - South San Francisco — Getting students at Parkway Heights Middle School interested in books may be a struggle, but one new teacher is on a mission to do just that.
At the school where almost half of the students are English learners, language arts teachers Swaicha Chanduri and Trish Isaac today will open a student-run bookstore in hopes of improving literacy levels.
“It’s extremely important to get high-interest books into their hands to keep them reading as much as we can,” she said, pointing to the thick textbook on each desk. “This is not making them lifelong readers and we don’t have books we could provide them so they can believe that reading is fun.”
Two months ago, Chanduri, who is a new teacher at Parkway Heights, received a grant from Schoolwide, an organization that helps schools set up student-run bookstores and sell books for under $3. Equipped with a setup kit for a store, seed money and donations enough to buy 200 books, the school is opening the store tonight.
“The bookstore is a wonderful opportunity for our kids,” Principal Jay Rowley said. “I’m optimistic that it will work — if the content is interesting, I’m convinced kids can get hooked on books.”
Teachers said the bookstore is especially important to Parkway Heights — the school has been underperforming on state tests for the last seven years. Isaac said improving English skills and general literacy are a key element to raising the performance of the entire school, where 45 percent of the students are English learners and more than half come from low-income families.
Although the school has a library, most of its books are outdated. Rowley said the students use the library to hang out during lunch, not to do homework or check out novels. Their families also often don’t have time to take children to the public library.
Even students thought the bookstore may do the school some good. Eighth-grader Adele Rios, who will help run the bookstore, said she thought the selection of more than 200 books — most with glossy covers and intriguing titles — will catch the interest of her peers.
“I am an honor student and I want others to become honor students as well,” she said.
Her only regret is that the store will open only two months before her graduation.
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San Bruno Examiner Reader said:
Article would have been more informative if you had included the Senate Bill Number. I found that it is SB1447
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Examiner Reader said:
If a high school student doesn't have enough credits to graduate, whose fault is it but thier own. I went to high school, had four years to fulfill what i was suposed to, and did. If you can't do what your asked (which is a students sole resposibility) than it makes sense not to walk. High school kids think everything is going to fall on thier lap, welcome to reality!
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Examiner Reader said:
More importantly I would argue that a child in good standing, with non-diminished cerebral skills who is unable to pass the exit exams may have been failed by his teachers and the school district. Should we be punishing students for their shortcomings? If the exit exams serve as proof that someone has learned enough to deserve a diploma then why not let failing students take it, and if they pass, give them diplomas. This is coming from someone who completely failed High School, took the GED without studying the phone book they have for that exam, and scored in the top 13% in the country. The common response I receive is: "well congratulations, your smarter then 87% of all the other High School dropouts out there, what an achievement". Guess what, GED scores are compared against High School graduates scores who have also taken the test. My point, Grades mean nothing, it's what you learn. Work smart not hard sums up my high school career. Make the diploma mean something.
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San Mateo Dad said:
don't ya think that not getting the diploma is enough? maybe they shouldn't get invited to any graduation parties, either.... It's up to the school (the district). My child's graduation is not in any way marred by letting other kids walk across the stage. Maybe we should have a separate ceremony for the kids who failed, and we can throw tomatoes at them and make them feel foolish. Am sure that would straighten them out, eh? [sarcasm intended] Kids who do everything but pass the exit exam have still accomplished a lot. Let's help them stay on the right path, instead of making them feel foolish. Isn't that a more important objective??
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Jack Kirkpatrick said:
"High school districts in San Mateo County will face a delicate decision of whether to allow students who don’t pass the state exit exam to walk the stage during graduation with the rest of their class." This is no delicate decision. If a student doesn't fulfill all of the requirements of the exit examination, they don't collect the laurels of family and class recognition or the diploma cover!
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