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High School Is A Dire Situation Essay

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Part 1 Currently, Thurgood Marshall High School is in dire straits. They are experiencing profound problems impacting school culture, safety, and most vitally, student performance. What follows is a description of these situational problems and a detailed analysis of their root causes. To begin, there is an incredible level of strife between virtually all relationships within the school. High levels of tension exist among staff members, students, between the students and the staff, and even between the parents and the school as a whole. Such depleted relationships have led to teacher assaults, student assaults, vandalism of school property, parents threatening to boycott the school, and even staff members petitioning to get coworkers fired. These damaged relationships are deeply rooted and continue to build upon one another. I believe that the overall design of the school initially kindled this volatile and dysfunctional culture. The school is designed to essentially have four separate schools (“houses”) functioning under one school. Each house is complete with its own headmaster, staff, classrooms, conference rooms, offices, and separate entrance. The philosophy behind the original “house system” was to foster competition within the school which would theoretically drive academic excellence. This concept led to the implementation of a “free market” policy, which encouraged headmasters to design their own classes and recruit teachers from the other houses. One can clearly

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