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The effort to get quality teachers into traditionally hard-to-staff schools has been so contentious, one proposal nearly led to a strike when teachers’ contracts were last negotiated. Previous initiatives have not exactly proven effective. What will?
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Friday, September 21, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
Germantown leads Top 10 schools in disciplinary assignments
While no one disputes that a number of Philly schools can be dangerous places, it is unusual that only Philly schools make it on the "persistently dangerous schools" list. For years, places like Chicago and the entire state of California claimed to have zero persistently dangerous schools. Is there help for these schools other than the promise of being able to move even more of their students into slots at the alternative disciplinary schools?
According to District figures, Germantown High School assigned a whopping 126 students to disciplinary schools last year. That's almost twice the number of the next nearest competititor for these slots (Fels High, with 72 assignments). Interestingly enough -- Olney West, as well, had 72 disciplinary school assignments, while Olney East, located in the other half of the same Olney High building, reported 27 assignments! Here's a list of the other schools who crack the Top 10 in Disciplinary School Assignments: No. 3: Northeast High (64); No. 4: Roberto Clemente Middle (61); No. 5: South Philadelphia High (59); No. 6: George Washington High (58); No. 7: Warren Harding Middle (51); No. 8: Laura Carnell (43); No. 9: West Philadelphia High (40); No. 10: Overbrook High (34).
According to District figures, Germantown High School assigned a whopping 126 students to disciplinary schools last year. That's almost twice the number of the next nearest competititor for these slots (Fels High, with 72 assignments). Interestingly enough -- Olney West, as well, had 72 disciplinary school assignments, while Olney East, located in the other half of the same Olney High building, reported 27 assignments! Here's a list of the other schools who crack the Top 10 in Disciplinary School Assignments: No. 3: Northeast High (64); No. 4: Roberto Clemente Middle (61); No. 5: South Philadelphia High (59); No. 6: George Washington High (58); No. 7: Warren Harding Middle (51); No. 8: Laura Carnell (43); No. 9: West Philadelphia High (40); No. 10: Overbrook High (34).
Friday, September 14, 2007
Bache-Martin: 42 students in 1 class!
Not sure if you caught Mike Benner's excellent Metro story on overcrowding at Bache-Martin. His article, headlined "Class size confusion," definitely contradicts the District's "Back-to-School Preparations" report to the School Reform Commission on Sept. 12. It read, "The District has allocated 55 teaching positions toward eliminating split classrooms. There are now no split classrooms." Hmmmm.
Class size confusion
Mixed info from district as overcrowding remains
by Mike Benner / Metro Philadelphia
SEP 12, 2007
NORTH PHILADELPHIA. Parents at Bache-Martin Elementary School have been telling the Philadelphia School District since May that something needed to be done about the high number of fifth graders in a single classroom.
District officials, they say, told them not to worry; the number surely wouldn’t be as high as they thought.
But when school started on Monday, the fifth graders of Bache-Martin piled into their classroom. All 42 of them.
“The district knew about the 42 kids in fifth grade because I’ve been telling them about it since last school year,” said principal Marion McCloskey-Mueller, whose school is also forced to split a single class between its first and second grade students.
Bache-Martin currently uses a reading teacher to help with fifth grade, and hopes to get a new teacher today. There was still a split classroom at of the end of school yesterday.
Two top-ranking district officials offered differing takes yesterday. Cassandra Jones, the district’s chief academic officer, said there were no split classes in the entire district and said overcrowding at Bache-Martin was no longer an issue, while interim-CEO Tom Brady acknowledged the problems.
“It was the first day of school, you can’t expect to have that taken care of immediately, we’ll have it taken care of by the end of September,” Brady said yesterday. He also said that the district will anticipate and correct the problem before school begins next year.
The district plans to have the necessary number of teachers in place at each school in the district by the end of September through a process called “teacher leveling.”
Some parents worry damage may be done by then.
“It takes a month to give us the teachers we need,” said Anthony Ingargiola, vice president of Bache-Martin’s home and school association. “They wonder why kids in these environments don’t make Annual Yearly Progress.”
Class size confusion
Mixed info from district as overcrowding remains
by Mike Benner / Metro Philadelphia
SEP 12, 2007
NORTH PHILADELPHIA. Parents at Bache-Martin Elementary School have been telling the Philadelphia School District since May that something needed to be done about the high number of fifth graders in a single classroom.
District officials, they say, told them not to worry; the number surely wouldn’t be as high as they thought.
But when school started on Monday, the fifth graders of Bache-Martin piled into their classroom. All 42 of them.
“The district knew about the 42 kids in fifth grade because I’ve been telling them about it since last school year,” said principal Marion McCloskey-Mueller, whose school is also forced to split a single class between its first and second grade students.
Bache-Martin currently uses a reading teacher to help with fifth grade, and hopes to get a new teacher today. There was still a split classroom at of the end of school yesterday.
Two top-ranking district officials offered differing takes yesterday. Cassandra Jones, the district’s chief academic officer, said there were no split classes in the entire district and said overcrowding at Bache-Martin was no longer an issue, while interim-CEO Tom Brady acknowledged the problems.
“It was the first day of school, you can’t expect to have that taken care of immediately, we’ll have it taken care of by the end of September,” Brady said yesterday. He also said that the district will anticipate and correct the problem before school begins next year.
The district plans to have the necessary number of teachers in place at each school in the district by the end of September through a process called “teacher leveling.”
Some parents worry damage may be done by then.
“It takes a month to give us the teachers we need,” said Anthony Ingargiola, vice president of Bache-Martin’s home and school association. “They wonder why kids in these environments don’t make Annual Yearly Progress.”
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