Running head: HELIX SCHOOL DATA

Helix Charter High School: A Look at the Numbers

Jessica M. McKenna
San Diego State University

HELIX SCHOOL DATA

2
Abstract

The following paper addresses multiple issues at Helix Charter High School. These issues,
identified by data, range from gender gaps to administration composition. By collecting staff
perceptions and district and state level data, a clearer representation of Helixs strengths and
weaknesses were identified. Furthermore, a comparison between Helix and a similar charter
school within the same district depicted even more areas of growth or decline. This paper will
offer recommendations for Helix Charter High School and will provide my insight into what
could be done from the perspective of a school counselor and social justice advocate on campus.

HELIX SCHOOL DATA

The Issues
Like many schools, Helix Charter High School wants to provide all students with the
same opportunities; however there still remains an achievement gap among gender groups and
between white students and students of color. In a survey, staff identified cultural differences and
lack of opportunity for foreign born parents to be well informed as some of the schools
weaknesses. While cultural differences among students were addressed in the survey, there was
only one mention of a lack of diversity among staff and no mention of gender gaps among
students which only highlights that the staff and school may be unaware of these issues. While
there are more issues that affect Helix, the issues stated above were most prominent in the data
collected.
Gender Inequality
While gender inequalities have existed throughout time, it is becoming ever apparent how
gender inequalities have infiltrated the education system. According to Helixs data, boys are
underrepresented in advanced and AP classes. However, this seems to be an unusual according
to, Equity Alliances publication Gender Equity Matters, which states female students are
less likely to be enrolled in some Advanced Placement (AP) courses and tend to perform less
well on AP exams (Thorius, 2010). In a review for the book, The Minds of Boys: Saving Our
Sons from Falling Behind in School and Life found in the Journal for Adolescent and Adult
Literacy, it states that boys get the most Ds and Fs in a majority of schools which could be
caused by the fact that they are behind their female peers in writing and reading skills (Seitz,
2006). If we look at those facts, it makes sense that boys would be less inclined to enroll in

HELIX SCHOOL DATA

advanced classes. While these facts are not specific to Helix, gender inequality is definitely
prevalent in the class enrollment at Helix.
Perhaps boys struggle with academics because of our societal constructions which are
addressed in the article, The New Gender Gap: What Went Wrong? This article implies that boys
do not feel as excelling in academics is a masculine trait. They are faced with a gender role
conflict that demands them to focus on their transition from boyhood to manhood, with
academics taking a back seat. This can be compounded by teachers who fail to acknowledge that
boys and girls are different and may need different resources (Weins, 2005). As stated
previously, the teachers at Helix did not acknowledge any gender differences on their campus;
therefore they may be unaware of the educational strengths and weaknesses that exist in different
genders.
Decrease in Graduation Rates for Students of Color
While girls at Helix may be thriving in advanced and AP classes, students of color are not
thriving when it comes to graduating. According to the 2015 GradNation report, graduation rates
for African American students increased by 3.7% from 2011 to 2013, bringing the national
average to 70.7%. While this increase is promising, nationally African American students are
still behind Hispanic graduates by 5% and White graduates by 16%.This gap is also prevalent
among African American graduates at Helix. From 2013 to 2014, graduation rates for African
American students decreased by four percent.
While the staff did acknowledge cultural differences in their survey, they addressed
foreign born parents, which does not necessarily apply to all minority students. It is important
that gaps in racial and ethnicity groups be addressed. As addressed in the article, Another
Inconvenient Truth: Race and Ethnicity Matter, schools must be culturally competent and

HELIX SCHOOL DATA

conscious. It states, that race and ethnicity influence teaching and learning in two important
ways: They affect how students respond to instruction and curriculum, and they influence
teachers assumptions about how students learn and how much students are capable of learning
(Hawley & Nieto, 2010, p.66). Without being aware of how race and ethnicity impact a students
academic success, teachers cannot start to make improvements or adjustments, which prolong
issues such as decreased graduation rates.
Staff Demographics
While Helixs student population is fairly diverse, the staff population is not. Eighty-one
percent of the student population does not identify as white, however the staff population is 85%
white, which means students are not seeing people that they identify with. As Cheryl HolcombMcCoy addresses in her book, School Counseling to Close the Achievement Gap, when students
see their culture underrepresented or not acknowledged they can feel as though their school does
not value their culture (p.31). Students at Helix could possibly feel this way, which is damaging.
In the staff survey it was mentioned briefly by one staff. If the adults on campus can barely
acknowledge the white majority on campus, how will students of color ever be able to address it?
Addressing racial issues can be challenging as is explained in the book, The School
Leaders Our Children Deserve: Seven Keys to Equity, Social Justice and School Reform. The
book shares the stories of seven principles that had to address race with their staff so that they
could create a better environment for the students they served. They encouraged hiring and
supervising through an equity lens which meant putting in time and energy into hiring as an
important part of how to move forward in creating an overall staff committed to the vision of
equity and justice (Theoharis, 2009, p.54). This is not to say that Helix is not dedicated to their

HELIX SCHOOL DATA

students because the staff is predominantly white, but it may lend to the fact that race and
ethnicity are rarely addressed.
A Spotlight on Helix
According to their website, Helix Charter High School was the first comprehensive public high
school in the state to convert to a charter school in which by doing so, gave them greater control
over funds, academic requirements and rigor and extracurricular activities for students (Helix).
While the school has been a part of the community for over sixty years, it has only been a charter
school for the last fourteen years. While still being a fairly new charter school, it has been ranked
number seven among Californias charter schools (Ed-Data). Helix has a population of about
2400 with at least half of the student population qualifying for free or reduced meals (Ed-Data).
Current Data and Trends

The current data retrieved from Dataquest, Ed- Data and school records show that Helix
is a high performing school that has high expectations of its students. There seems to be positive
growth in preparing students for college by increasing the percentage of students who meet A-G
requirements and complete the SAT. However, as stated earlier, there are gaps in gender equity
and graduation rates among students of color, particularly African American students. It is the
job of the school and its administrators to take a long look at why there are more girls enrolling
in advanced and AP classes and why African American students are beginning to graduate at a
lower rate than previous years. However, it may be beneficial to first take a look at the staff
population, who does not represent the student population. Are they culturally competent?

HELIX SCHOOL DATA

The achievement gap exists at Helix no matter how high they hold the bar for all
students. I personally believe that Helix needs to focus more on equity versus equality. Their
students come from a variety of communities, including lower socioeconomic areas, and while
great things are expected of them and they are provided resources, do they know how to use the
resources? Do they know how to meet the high standards that are expected of them? Each
student has societal, familial and educational barriers, it is up to the school to determine
what each student is struggling with and providing them with the resources that best fit them
(Holcomb-McCoy, 2007, p.3).

Comparison with Steele Canyon High School

Located fourteen minutes apart, Helix and Steele Canyon High School share a comradery
of both being charter schools in the Grossmont Union District. Steele Canyons school
population is of a higher socioeconomic status which is reflected by the 23% of students who
receive free or reduced meals compared to Helixs fifty-one percent. Steele Canyon has an
Academic Performance Index (API) of 798 compared to Helixs slightly higher API of 804.
However, even with a lower API, Steele Canyon ranks number seven in the state compared to
Helixs rank of number eight. Finally, Steele Canyon has three hundred less students than Helix
and has a predominately white staff similarly to Helixs staff population.

Academically, Steele Canyon does just as well, if not better than Helix. Students at Steel
Canyon excel at passing AP exams, in some years they were ahead of Helix students by ten
percent. While AP exams might be a strong achievement of Steele Canyons, Helix takes the lead
in SAT completion rates. In 2012-13, Helix had 65% of students complete SAT tests compared

HELIX SCHOOL DATA

to the 56% at Steele Canyon, making more Helix students prepared to apply for four year
universities. This may be the reason why in both 2013 and 2014 Helix had more students
attending four year universities. Helix had 37% attending in 2013 compared to Steele Canyons
33% and in 2014 Helix had 54% of their students attending a four year university compared to
the 41% at Steele Canyon. While Helix did significantly better in 2014, both schools were able to
increase their college going rates, making it a success for both schools.

Comparison with State and District

Compared with the state of California and Grossmont Union District, Helix does just as well or
better in multiple areas. In the area of AP testing, Helix has similar passing rates as the district
with both of them reaching at least 57% percent. When it came to SAT completion rates and
students graduating A-G eligible, Helix exceeded the percentages of both the district and state. In
the most recent data from 2014, Helix had 100% of students graduate A-G eligible with the
district barely reaching over half with 51% and the state not even reaching half with 42%. This
means that in 2014 all of Helixs graduates could apply to a CSU or UC school, yet not even half
of the seniors in the state could do the same. In addition to students meeting A-G requirements,
Helix also had more of their students complete SAT testing than both the district and state. Both
Grossmont Union and the state of California had 40% completion rates compared to the 65% of
students who took the SAT at Helix. Needless to say, Helix graduates are far exceeding their
peers in the district and the state when it comes to college eligibility.

Strengths

Helix has a strong college going culture and has high expectations for all students.
Students are provided with a variety of resources that range from academic tutorials to wellness

HELIX SCHOOL DATA

groups. While the racial composition of the staff was addressed earlier as an issue that should be
considered, the low turnover of staff creates a strong school culture and pride for those who work
there. The staff feels an ownership of the school and what takes place there and that pride and
school culture is then relayed to the students who also feel proud to be a Helix Highlander.
Another way that a strong sense of connection is built between staff, students and families is the
use of grade level teams. These teams follow students through all four years at the school which
create a sense of community and consistency.

According to a student focus group, students feel as though they are challenged at Helix
and feel better prepared for college. They believe that the teachers really care about them, even
more so than they do at other schools. The staff survey also shared this feeling, as one teacher
shared, I think our staff genuinely cares for our students' well-being and success, academic and
personal they know that being a teacher is not "just a job", but that we love being teachers,
love being here at Helix, and are doing our best every day to make school a safe and educational
environment for them.

Weaknesses
While a college going culture is a great asset for any school to have it simply means
nothing if students are not attending college. The preparation at Helix is excellent, but the
number of students actually attending college is slightly above fifty percent. For many schools
this would be a great achievement, but for a school that has such high SAT testing completion
and 100% A-G eligibility, more students should be attending universities. However, if it is
understood that four year universities are not for every student, there should be resources for
those students who would like to focus on careers or vocational options. Students who feel that a

HELIX SCHOOL DATA

10

four year university is not for them may feel lost or unprepared. Another improvement that can
be made at Helix would be the tracking of achievement related data. By having this data,
possible correlations could be drawn in regards to the achievement gap between gender and
students of color, or identify other issues that may not be recognized as of yet.

Recommendations
I believe that data is powerful, but student voices are even more powerful. To understand
the discrepancies between males and females taking advanced and AP courses, I would hold
student focus groups. I do not believe that anything can truly be done, until the root of the
problem is identified. I think that applies to the African American population as well. What
feelings do they have about graduating? Do they feel supported? Addressing both of these
populations in a focus group would be my first step. After getting the responses from students
which may or may not be helpful, I think it would be extremely important to share this
information with the staff. Many staff members have spent their entire careers at Helix and may
not be aware of these trends. Unless a light is shone on this data, no change will come.
Furthermore, I think there should be an increase in data collection to further identify
other issues. I would like to know how students feel about the lack of diversity among the staff. I
would also encourage the staff to discuss race, not ignore it or claim to be color blind, but really
look at the issues that students of color are facing. I think it would be good for the school to
increase their staff diversity, which would not only benefit students who could possibly identify
with those staff members, but also create a more culturally aware campus. By including more
cultures on campus, parents that come from non-white ethnicities may become more engaged.

HELIX SCHOOL DATA

11
Reflection

I am a white woman. I often benefit from white privilege without being questioned.
However, I also grew up in a low income neighborhood and went to schools that had no
resources. At my high school I was the minority, so for those short four years I got a small taste
of what it felt like to be a group that was underrepresented. I was a good student, but there were
little opportunities for me to truly thrive. Being a first generation college student, I was forced to
be dependent on my own resources, which was challenging. But I was still white and therefore I
probably had fewer societal barriers to keep me from completing what I wanted to complete. I
believe that having these dual experiences growing up made me more aware as a person. As an
adult, I have specifically worked with homeless youth, incarcerated youth and LGBT youth who
have heightened my awareness about the social injustices that exist.
Working as a researcher, I felt powerful. I was empowered by having the numbers, but at
the same time felt great responsibility to do something with the information. There is a saying
that suggests that once you know something, you cannot UN-know it, I believe that is the same
with the data. Knowing now that African American students are not graduating at the same rate
as their peers makes me want to work hard to determine the reasons why. I think we often hear
about data or the achievement gap and we know that it exists, but I think it is often easy to
assume that it is another school; you believe your school is doing the right thing, but the data can
show otherwise.