General News Reporting Finalists Publication: Tulsa World By: Andrea Eger
Publication: The Des Moines Register By: Lee Rood and Patt Johnson
Excerpt from “Inside an ‘F’ school overview: F schools struggle with testing, turnover and poverty”
Excerpt from “Yonkers: An icon gone”
Oklahoma’s A-F grading system is intended to offer parents and other interested community members a quick and easy way to judge the performance of public schools. The Tulsa World decided to take an in-depth look at what’s really going on in one of the city’s schools with failing marks from the state. We went to Hawthorne Elementary School, 1105 E. 33rd St. North, one of 36 schools in the Tulsa district to receive an F in 2013. The reality is anything but quick or easy to understand. “I really believe most people don’t know what’s really going on. Maybe they think these things happen in Chicago, but Tulsa, Oklahoma? It’s here, and unless you come and see the obstacles our teachers face, you can’t understand,” said Principal Estella Bitson. Bitson is in her third year as principal at Hawthorne. She spearheaded an overhaul of the faculty and school climate upon her arrival and the pay-off was swift — overall student proficiency jumped from 29 percent to 46 percent, the third most dramatic improvement in all of Tulsa Public Schools. But significant incremental growth doesn’t count like it used to in the state’s grading system and just like that, Hawthorne watched its D grade drop to an F. Here’s what we found at Hawthorne: Focusing on test results. Teachers and administrators continually pore over the data from dozens of assessments and progress tests taken year-round by students from kindergarten through sixth grade. Staffing turnover. In addition to a state teacher shortage, qualified applicants for openings in at-risk schools are scarce. Vacancies for teachers in kindergarten and special education at Hawthorne went unfilled until January. When confronted with the challenges, many new hires leave quickly — even in the middle of the school year. Meeting children’s basic needs. This includes providing two square meals a day — breakfast and lunch — for 100 percent of the students, plus budgeting each year for nutritious afternoon snacks several days a week and the purchase of dozens of winter coats, gloves, hats, scarves, underwear and socks for children who have none.
A devastating fire of unknown origin destroyed the 115-year-old former Younkers building in downtown Des Moines Saturday, ending restoration of the iconic grand dame and raising questions about fire prevention standards. The blaze, first reported at 12:52 a.m. Saturday, caused smoke and water damage to several adjacent buildings, including the EMC Insurance campus, Hub Tower and Greater Des Moines Partnership Building. The food court in the Partnership Building had a foot of water in it. No injuries were reported. The Younkers building, which was undergoing a $37 million renovation, was set to be a cornerstone for a revitalized Walnut Street. City officials and others called the building’s destruction a setback, but also an opportunity. “Now the city will have the opportunity working with the current developer to think about a wider range of projects,” said Larry Zimpleman, CEO, chairman and president of Des Moinesbased Principal Financial Group. Firefighters from across Des Moines and three suburbs doused the ruins well into Saturday evening, as thousands gawked at what was left of the smoldering structure of steel, concrete and brick. “We saw everything just burst into flames, and the whole city was just a skyline of gray and ash,” said Katie Gieszler, who saw smoke and cin ders billowing over the Polk County Courthouse around 1 a.m. Saturday. Gieszler watched the spectacle from the top of her apartment building in the historic Hotel Kirkwood. “I think a lot of people are going to be really sad to say goodbye to that beautiful building,” she said. Six Des Moines firefighters were inside the building when the top floor collapsed. “It sounded like a jet engine,” said firefighter Travis Hurley, 38. But they emerged unscathed. Damage estimates are not available. “This is the biggest fire to happen in downtown in 15 years,” Des Moines Fire Chief John TeKippe said. “We’re not going to know the full cost of this for a while.” Piles of debris, including bricks and mangled steel, filled Seventh and Walnut streets, and pieces of metal dangled from a heavily damaged section of skywalk. The landmark Younkers building was a touchstone for generations of Iowans who dined in its elegant Tea Room and lined up to peer at its window displays at Christmas. But as shoppers began to flock to suburban malls, its luster faded. The store closed in August 2005.
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