Here is a copy of an email I sent to the author of the Waco Trib (and 2 editors) in response to this article written about the "struggles" in Marlin ISD:
"Ms. Butts,
I just read your article in the Waco Trib about the potential closing of Marlin ISD next year, and I'm sorry to say I was a bit disappointed in your reporting. As someone who has lived in Marlin and served as a youth pastor here for the past 5 years, this article did a very poor job of representing the actual situation with Marlin ISD. For instance, most of the comments and facts given about the monitoring by TEA or about unresponsive administrations were from when I first arrived in Marlin or even earlier. Those people are all gone now. Nowhere did I see any meaningful comments about staff or administrators from between 2011 to now.
I also found it very unfortunate that the only administrator you seemed to interview was the new superintendent who has only even been around for about 3 months. The reality is he was not here and doesn't know what has really happened with the school district in the past 5 years. It would have been better to talk to those who have been on the front lines seeing improvements in the schools in the past several years. You could have talked to Wes Brown, the principal at the elementary school, who has helped completely transform that campus through the No Excuses University program which has gotten parents and students talking about college and careers even at the elementary school level. You could have talked to Mallory Herridge or Deborah Raphael who have served with CIS on 2 of our campuses and can testify to the improvements that have happened in the past 3 years. You could have talked to any number of staff or teachers and they would tell you that TEKS was constantly at the forefront of teaching and discussion, or that Marlin has great participation in parent and family nights, especially when compared to many Waco schools. But no, you chose to focus on the one person who hasn't been around and has the least direct knowledge of the school's history and improvement. You couldn't even find a parent who had some pride in the school district but featured just another voice of negativity.
Another problem I had with your article is that it shares the same faulty assumption as TEA that STAAR tests are the ultimate measure of a school's success. Yes it's true that STAAR tests may not have shown great improvement, but Marlin ISD has made significant strides in other areas, such as in reading levels. In the end, a school's or student's success or knowledge cannot be summed up in a test score, and it's the assumption that we can evaluate a school by a test that is harming Texas schools all over the place. Such an attitude ultimately leads to "teaching to the test" and handcuffs true, meaningful education.
Marlin has had its share of troubles, and so has our school district. What this community needs is to celebrate its victories and be reminded of its strengths and successes. But when some outsider reporter comes in and writes a "shock and awe" piece that focuses on the negative, it is done without thought of the damage that article may do. It is fine to report on facts that have happened (such as a warning of a school closing), but the reporting needs to be balanced, researched, and constructive. Many of us in Marlin know some of the comments in your article to be misleading or flat out untrue. But that is the only story that gets told in your piece, and the result is a further chipping away at the little hope that is left in this beat-up town. I don't know if your apocalyptic interpretation of the events was the result of a lack of investigation (which would be lazy), or a desire to increase readership and online clicks (which would be dishonest). Either way, we in Marlin need better. We need hope. We need the real picture.
Micah Titterington
Marlin Resident"
**Update, 10-2-2015**
I received a response from the article's author this morning. Here is what she wrote:
I just read your article in the Waco Trib about the potential closing of Marlin ISD next year, and I'm sorry to say I was a bit disappointed in your reporting. As someone who has lived in Marlin and served as a youth pastor here for the past 5 years, this article did a very poor job of representing the actual situation with Marlin ISD. For instance, most of the comments and facts given about the monitoring by TEA or about unresponsive administrations were from when I first arrived in Marlin or even earlier. Those people are all gone now. Nowhere did I see any meaningful comments about staff or administrators from between 2011 to now.
I also found it very unfortunate that the only administrator you seemed to interview was the new superintendent who has only even been around for about 3 months. The reality is he was not here and doesn't know what has really happened with the school district in the past 5 years. It would have been better to talk to those who have been on the front lines seeing improvements in the schools in the past several years. You could have talked to Wes Brown, the principal at the elementary school, who has helped completely transform that campus through the No Excuses University program which has gotten parents and students talking about college and careers even at the elementary school level. You could have talked to Mallory Herridge or Deborah Raphael who have served with CIS on 2 of our campuses and can testify to the improvements that have happened in the past 3 years. You could have talked to any number of staff or teachers and they would tell you that TEKS was constantly at the forefront of teaching and discussion, or that Marlin has great participation in parent and family nights, especially when compared to many Waco schools. But no, you chose to focus on the one person who hasn't been around and has the least direct knowledge of the school's history and improvement. You couldn't even find a parent who had some pride in the school district but featured just another voice of negativity.
Another problem I had with your article is that it shares the same faulty assumption as TEA that STAAR tests are the ultimate measure of a school's success. Yes it's true that STAAR tests may not have shown great improvement, but Marlin ISD has made significant strides in other areas, such as in reading levels. In the end, a school's or student's success or knowledge cannot be summed up in a test score, and it's the assumption that we can evaluate a school by a test that is harming Texas schools all over the place. Such an attitude ultimately leads to "teaching to the test" and handcuffs true, meaningful education.
Marlin has had its share of troubles, and so has our school district. What this community needs is to celebrate its victories and be reminded of its strengths and successes. But when some outsider reporter comes in and writes a "shock and awe" piece that focuses on the negative, it is done without thought of the damage that article may do. It is fine to report on facts that have happened (such as a warning of a school closing), but the reporting needs to be balanced, researched, and constructive. Many of us in Marlin know some of the comments in your article to be misleading or flat out untrue. But that is the only story that gets told in your piece, and the result is a further chipping away at the little hope that is left in this beat-up town. I don't know if your apocalyptic interpretation of the events was the result of a lack of investigation (which would be lazy), or a desire to increase readership and online clicks (which would be dishonest). Either way, we in Marlin need better. We need hope. We need the real picture.
Micah Titterington
Marlin Resident"
**Update, 10-2-2015**
I received a response from the article's author this morning. Here is what she wrote:
"Thank you so much for your letter. I appreciate your honest
opinion of my piece and always welcome feedback.
Just so you know, I desperately tried to speak with teachers
from the district but no one was willing to talk to me on the record. I spent
all day yesterday in Marlin, knocking on doors and trying to find parents to
speak about the district, but again, all but the one parent refused to speak to
me.
There will be many more articles on the subject in the
future and I plan to spend considerable time fleshing out the nuances of what
is happening in Marlin. If you know of any teachers who would be willing to speak
to me on the record (I don't do anonymous sources), please feel free to give
them the number below. I would be happy to speak to them.
Again, thank you for your feedback.
Stephanie Butts
Staff Writer
The Waco Tribune-Herald
sbutts@wacotrib.com
254-757-5707"
So, if you have worked in Marlin ISD in the past 3 years,
please contact her and let her know about the many positive things you have
seen happening. Tell her about the improvements that have taken place that
won't necessarily be reflected in test scores. As I stated in my first email,
we don't need more criticisms and negativity in Marlin. We know our problems
already. What we need are people ready to work towards solutions and offer a
positive attitude. We need to hear about our strengths and successes, not just
our shortcomings. We need hope.
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