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Making A Difference including P.E., were available to me on line.

However, personal health issues brought everything to a halt. One of
those issues was a stroke that initially left me paralyzed on my left
Featured Resident: Irvin McAllister side. I learned to walk with a cane, but I could not return to regular
duties and in 2007 received permanent disability status. All my
After spending my late teen years experiencing and debating the themes specialists said I would not get better. One would think that was the end
of the 1960’s I was drawn towards careers in social service; social of my career but I discovered a loophole. I was allowed to work
worker, peace officer, teacher, etc. halftime. In the mean time I completed a 2-year Administrator
Credential course at Sacramento State. The course effectively increased
I earned an MS in Criminal Justice, a BA in Corrections, and became my confidence. My advisor encouraged me to truly believe in what I had
certified in Polygraph Examiner. I subsequently began my PHD studies to offer. Therefore, with my credential in hand, I began to look for
in Corrections, and worked as a correctional officer. I became volunteer opportunities where I could share my experience in Computer
disenchanted and did not believe my PhD studies truly applied to my Assisted Instruction. Approximately two years later an opportunity fell
service in the field. I began to view my classes almost as a form of into my lap!
propaganda, and a dead-end journey for me. I found working with at risk
juveniles much more rewarding. I obtained a position as a Juvenile By chance, through a stranger, I met while getting coffee at Starbucks, I
Camp Correctional Officer. learned about a struggling charter school,
serving over 90% free and reduced-lunch
Juvenile correctional camps are rural and at students in Richmond, California. I contacted
that time they had on going difficulty retaining the school and was invited to a school board
teachers. My supervisor invited me to earn meeting. They were struggling with
extra cash as a camp teacher, which I deemed a incorporating technology hardware, choosing
fantastic opportunity. It was also the beginning software curriculum, teacher training, and
of my segue to a career in education. unacceptable standardized test scores. I didn’t
say much at the meeting, but the director/
Actually, my segue from probation officer to founder invited me to a private meeting where
educator was about a ten-year process. My he picked my brain and asked me to write a
experience as a Probation Officer working with solution. I truly did not think my explanation
juveniles provided first-hand experience in the would go far. It was not a quick fix. It was a
importance of emphasizing accountability, three-year plan to achieve the school’s
positive character, choices, structure, and academic goals. I was subsequently invited to
education to -prevent delinquency and the first day for teachers and staff to
recidivism. Most of my students were return. Somehow, to my total surprise, I was
between the ages of 11- 17, and invariably their led to accept a half-time Dean of Instruction
math mastery level rarely exceeded 4 th Position with a goal of achieving acceptable
grade. These were the students who were standardized test scores in 3 years.
repeatedly passed on for a variety of reasons.
I viewed this challenge as an opportunity to
Reliable self-paced mastery propelled computer-based math programs utilize everything I had learned in my careers and more. When I came on
identify exactly where a student is in his/her math journey. It does not board our standardized test scores were around 18th out of 25 schools in
compare students, teach to the middle, belittle, nor embarrass. My the city. Funding was not a significant issue; they had grant money and
responsibility was to teach my students to take pride in their excellent fundraisers. Every teacher had a full-time teaching
accomplishments and learn to become confident independent learners. I assistant. Within the first year I had the campus wired with a server, a
still taught, but the focus was no longer on me. Student achievement computer lab, and effective software.
becomes more personalized.
My first step and highest priority was to change the school’s
I accepted a Deputy Probation Officer 11 position in northern California culture. We emphasized celebrating academic success as well as
and shortly thereafter I created a nonprofit organization, McAllister transparency and accountability. I ruffled a lot of feathers when I put
Ranch Inc. For approximately eight years we provided structured group every teachers picture up in the front entry hallway corridor. If a
home care to at risk teens at four community sites. Our claim to fame is student’s ability to perform grade level work in English and math was
that at one point over 90% of our 24 students were simultaneously on documented s/he was declared a scholar and his/her picture was placed
honor roll status at their perspective public school sites. under the appropriate teacher. When parents noticed their child’s picture
was not posted it led to transparent factual meetings where things turned
After McAllister’s Ranch I honed my Computer Assisted Instruction around quickly.
skills while serving in a variety of academic positions serving at risk
students. As bandwidth increased and hardware capacity improved, The road was not easy. Some teachers quit and I had some unhappy
program curriculum and delivery also improved. In Oakland, California, correspondence appear on my desk. However, I knew that teacher buy in
I was hired as lead instructor for a high school credit recovery was essential and, secondly, I needed to insure our students are taught
program. This was the first time virtually all high school courses, grade appropriate standards daily. Seems like that would be a

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