‘Talent absent utilization and action has no value if the talent is not employed to enhance the skills and abilities of the district’s clients — enrolled scholars,” said Goliath Davis. Boca Ciega High School Principal Jennifer Gil is shown with Goliath Davis.
GOLIATH J. DAVIS, III, Ph.D. | Contributor
PINELLAS COUNTY — I am writing this column with great regret. Last school year, I served as a community advocate for a parent whose child was enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) English Language Composition at Boca Ciega High School. Advanced Placement courses fall under Goal 3 of the Bridging the Gap Plan, designed to close the achievement gap in Pinellas District Schools. Scholars pursue AP courses to prepare for Advanced Placement examinations, which, if passed, will allow them to earn college credit for the course and waive the need to take the course in college, thereby saving money for both scholars and their parents.
In preparation for the parental grievance, I conducted research and confirmed the parents’ allegation that the AP teacher in question was ineffective. Sample data for the 2023-24 school year comparing AP teacher pass rates for Boca Ciega and other AP teachers in the district indicated Boca Ciega’s AP English Comp pass rate was five percent, compared to 15 percent for Gibbs and Lakewood, 46 percent for East Lake, 40 percent for St. Pete High, and 71 percent for Palm Harbor High. Even when compared to schools with similar demographics, Gibbs and Lakewood, Boca Ciega’s pass rate was atrocious.
Ninety-two scholars enrolled in the Boca Ciega AP English Teacher sat for the AP College Examination. Only five students passed: one Black female, three non-Black females, and one non-Black male. Of the 39 Black students who tested, 34 were female and five were male.
The teacher in question had taught AP English for approximately 10 years. She had previously taught at Bay Point Middle School, where her performance was also an issue. Research also revealed that the principal at Bay Point was less tolerant of the teacher’s inability to serve students properly and removed scholars from her classes. Frustrated by the constant oversight and accountability, the teacher transferred to Bogie, where appropriate oversight and accountability have been nonexistent.
When brought to the deputy superintendent’s attention, appropriate measures were taken to remove the teacher in question from the AP instructors’ position. I commend the action. However, I recently received a disturbing call indicating the teacher was still teaching. I argued with the caller, who insisted the teacher was still active, but in the freshman and sophomore grades. I also disputed that assertion because I know the teacher had been removed from those grades, given that they are foundational, and poor scholar performance impacts the school grade.
Further inquiry proved I was wrong and the caller was correct. The said teacher is no longer teaching AP English but has been given a section that includes tenth-grade scholars.
My loyalty and duty are to my constituents, the most important of which are Black students, specifically, and all students in general, enrolled in Pinellas District Schools. No student should be adversely impacted by poor teaching and ineffective school policies, procedures, and practices. The teacher in question readily turns to the teacher’s union and, given the teacher’s many years of service, does not fall under the law enacted by the legislature that abolished tenure. However, something must change. The teacher is hurting scholars, and we cannot allow that to continue. I am told the teacher is capable, but I am not impressed. Talent absent utilization and action has no value if the talent is not employed to enhance the skills and abilities of the district’s clients — enrolled scholars.
No scholar is expendable, and I call on everyone in the line of authority to ensure scholars striving to be their very best are not continually subjected to inadequate teaching and instruction. I believe it is morally reprehensible to knowingly subject scholars, regardless of race, gender, or economic status, to less than effective instruction by the proven ineffective teacher at Boca Ciega High School. District — It’s your move.
To contact Dr. Goliath Davis, please call 727-348-5757 or email him at GoliathDavis3@gmail.com.
Dr. Goliath Davis, a former St. Petersburg police chief and deputy mayor, advocates for education in Pinellas County, with a focus on improving Black student achievement.
