Gary Moskowitz
Students and faculty at Daily High School will tell you things at
school are changing for the better.
Daily High, Glendale Unified School District's continuation high
school, received its accreditation this month from the Western Assn.
of Schools and Colleges. The association is one of six regional
associations that accredit public and private schools, colleges, and
universities in the United States, said district spokesman Vic
Pallos.
Accreditation from the association shows that Daily has been
evaluated extensively and conforms to general statewide expectations
of performance and quality in education.
Class credits from Daily were accepted by high schools, colleges
and universities before, but diplomas and transcripts will now
feature the official stamp of public-school accreditation from the
association, Principal Gail Rosental said.
The accreditation process included site visits, an evaluation
conducted by the association and an extensive self-evaluation by
Daily faculty and students. Frequent reports and periodic reviews
will follow. Daily's accreditation is valid through June 30, 2005.
It's the first time Daily has been accredited since its inception
38 years ago.
Daily has also submitted an application to seek the designation of
model school from the state Department of Education and the
California Continuation Education Assn., which would be another first
for the school, Rosental said.
State representatives will conduct a site visit of the Daily
campus Feb. 21.
"This is extremely important to us," Rosental said. "I am so
excited about this. We decided to go for it this year and it is
really happening. We wanted to have our own accreditation based on
our own merits, and we did it."
The school board recognized Daily's achievements at its Feb. 4
meeting. The school has taken steps to align its curriculum with the
same state standards adhered to by comprehensive high schools and
faculty has seen attendance rise to about 90%, well above the 55% to
60% norm, said Annette Zarian, a teacher specialist at the school.
"Daily today is a very different school than it was four or five
years ago," Zarian said. "Where once you saw students being given
packets to complete on their own that not standards-based, you now
see teachers teaching to the standards and students really making
connections."
Daily has, over the years, added things like after-school
tutoring, a literacy center for students reading below the
fifth-grade level, a tobacco-use prevention program, an orientation
class and on-line courses.
"I think it's about time already," said 18-year-old Carlos
Canales, a senior at Daily.
"Teachers here are more than just teachers. They talk to us
straight about our problems, and you feel comfortable around
everybody when you are here."
