ABSTRACT
Two hundred parents, a few students, and a handful of science teachers settled as comfortably as they could in the high-school band room, waiting for the meeting to begin. The issues were how to create the right combination of entry-level, college preparatory, honors, and advanced placement (AP) science courses to serve the needs of this diverse high school. Two weeks before the meeting, the principal and the science department chair sent letters to every household explaining the purpose of the meeting, laying out their preferred science curriculum, and urging all interested parents to attend the meeting to provide feedback on the courses offered. Despite their attempts to bring in parents with a wide range of views, the band room contained nearly exclusively parents most concerned about honors and AP, with a few parents interested in establishing stimulating courses for college preparatory students. Only the school’s staff thought about the needs of students with low skills, learning disabilities, or limited proficiency in English.
