Fort Worth ISD principal lauded for high school turnaround is finalist for state award

By Edited by Regina Corley

This month, Polytechnic High School Principal Gary Braudaway of Fort Worth ISD was surprised to learn that he is one of 10 principals in the state to be a finalist for the H-E-B Excellence in Education awards. Finalists will be interviewed at the end of the month in Houston, where two winning principals — one elementary and one high school — will be selected. Each will receive $10,000, and their schools $25,000.

Braudaway should be accustomed to surprises by now. Just one year ago he was on the stage of his school’s auditorium receiving an impromptu “carrot top” hairdo. The principal of Fort Worth ISD’s historic Polytechnic High School had promised to dye his hair orange if students at the school put an end to a four-year streak of failing to meet the state’s academic standards tests.

The pressure on the students could not have been heavier. Hanging in the balance was the very future of the inner-city school, which is a community landmark and alma mater for some of the city’s most distinguished members. If the kids had failed, Fort Worth ISD would have been forced to close Polytechnic or turn it into an alternative school with a new name.

Superintendent Melody Johnson officiated an assembly in spring 2009 to announce the results. It was attended by students, parents and top district administrators. Johnson revealed that the students, in most cases, not only passed by hefty percentages over the state requirements, but over the previous year’s grades as well.

Braudaway, who had taken over the then-failing school in 2006, said at the assembly that he was filled with pride for what had been accomplished in so short a time. He gave credit to the student body and his teaching staff, who “stood strong and stayed focused, no matter what the noise outside has been,” referring to negative news reports and criticism.

Braudaway, who spent 14 years as a classroom teacher, made major staffing changes when he was hired at Polytechnic. While he didn’t replace the entire staff, his priority was to keep only the teachers who were dedicated to the kids.

“The first thing I look for when I interview a teacher is a heart for kids,” he says. He disagrees with the suggestion that too many inexperienced teachers had led to some of Polytechnic’s woes. “Experience is important, but it’s not always what a school needs. In a school like Poly, you also need teachers with fresh bright eyes and a ‘change the world’ attitude, and I have found them.”

Timothy Johnson, a senior and a football player who is heading to college, says his coaches have been “great mentors” who care as much about him and his classmates becoming “great young men” as they do about winning on the field.

Braudaway and his staff invest a lot of effort to ensure that kids get to class. When attendance is checked and the absentees are identified, Braudaway and a crew of vice principals and coaches call to see why each kid isn’t in school. If there isn’t a parent at home or if there’s no good excuse for the student’s absence, “we go get ’em,” Braudaway says.

“They actually come to our homes and knock on our doors to see why we’re not there,” Johnson says. “That makes us feel like they really care about us. We respect that.”

The school’s LINK program is another Braudaway initiative. It gives juniors and seniors an opportunity to help incoming freshmen transition to high school. The group puts on a workshop to teach the freshmen about the school and then mentors them throughout the year.

“Making this a family high school is what pulled us out,” Braudaway says, referring to the school’s “We are family” mantra.

Each morning an “inspirational moment” is broadcast over the public address system. It is another change that Braudaway instituted when he took over as principal at the high school. An upperclassman, a teacher or occasionally someone from the community is invited to deliver a personal address on what inspires him or her. Braudaway began the tradition as a way to motivate students and develop their leadership skills.

“When they hear their fellow students urging them to study hard and stay in school, it means a lot more than it does coming from me,” he admits.

Targeting the students’ attitudes about school has only been part of the challenge. Increasing parental involvement is a critical piece of Braudaway’s plan too. Parental involvement at the school has increased dramatically since he took over. In 2005, only about 30 parents on average would show up at PTA meetings. Braudaway’s first meeting drew 75 parents; the second one, 150; and the third, 200. The fall 2009 open house drew 245 parents.

“We motivate the parents [to get involved] through the kids,” he says. “And we keep them informed about what their kids are doing and what’s going on at the school. We call with good news, not just the bad.”

Polytechnic High teachers are active in the school’s extracurricular activities. They also work with parents through the neighborhood churches, setting up after-school tutoring sessions, Braudaway says.

Attendance, test scores, morale and even alumni involvement are on the upswing for the storied Fort Worth high school on the hill. Yet, Braudaway says the hard work will continue as his students strive for the state’s top rating of exemplary.

“Most of our kiddos’ parents are so busy trying to make ends meet that we have to be their family,” he says. “For these kids to succeed, we have to give them a sense of pride in their accomplishments, their school and the knowledge that they are part of a family that cares for every one of them. ... We get them to believe in their own possibilities.”

Thank you to Clint Bond of Fort Worth ISD for submitting the story.