Three years since the close of Brooklyn Comprehensive, our replacement, Brooklyn Bridge Academy has already replaced its founding principal. A major issue was violence. Never once did BCNHS has a violence problem. Oh and Inside Schools notes that "Attendance is always an issue" at the school. So, they added violence and they did nothing to increase attendance.
I hope the new principal can re-direct the school. It will be interesting to see how he handles the attendance issue and the fact that the school's four year graduation rate is 13 percent. Most of our students didn't graduate in four years...and that ended up being a reason to close us. The fact that these kids DID eventually graduate didn't matter.
Good luck. "To the stars despite the difficulties."
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
29 November, 2008
Ya think?
The best graduation rate of a transfer high school in 2007 was 69 percent. This comes from a 2007 report by the Office of Multiple Pathways to Education.
1) How was this graduation rate measured -- did the students have to come in the same year they graduated?
2) Brooklyn Comprehensive's graduation rate was always above 60%.
3) The graduation rate at YABC's with Learning-to-Work programs is 44% according to Mayor Bloomberg's own website. This percentage is presented as a GOOD THING.
Something is rotten in the State of DOE...
I believe we were closed because
1) All transfer high schools now STOP ADMITTING STUDENTS AFTER 18.
2) Students over 18 are shipped to GED programs because typically, according to the Office of Multiple Pathways' report, it only takes them a year to graduate.
We kept students till 21. We let them take three years if they needed them to get a REAL high school diploma.
1) How was this graduation rate measured -- did the students have to come in the same year they graduated?
2) Brooklyn Comprehensive's graduation rate was always above 60%.
3) The graduation rate at YABC's with Learning-to-Work programs is 44% according to Mayor Bloomberg's own website. This percentage is presented as a GOOD THING.
Something is rotten in the State of DOE...
I believe we were closed because
1) All transfer high schools now STOP ADMITTING STUDENTS AFTER 18.
2) Students over 18 are shipped to GED programs because typically, according to the Office of Multiple Pathways' report, it only takes them a year to graduate.
We kept students till 21. We let them take three years if they needed them to get a REAL high school diploma.
06 July, 2008
Where do closed schools go?
So, it's official. Brooklyn Comprehensive is no more.
The last graduation ceremony was a little over a week ago, at which a graduate from over ten years ago praised one of our finest teachers for making him the lawyer he is today.
In kitchens, bedrooms, cars, on couches and maybe even in someone's dreams this early afternoon, someone is mentioning, "oh yeah, I heard about that," that their high school closed. I can guarantee to a student he/she isn't happy. But, they feel, as they felt before they walked through our doors, powerless and completely accustomed to disappointment. It took a long time to break them of that feeling and I'm sure not very long for it to be re-instilled by a government agency, a disturbing and unfeeling neighbor, boss, relative, spouse or side of themselves. It's inevitable. The trick was for us to teach them how to re-instill in themselves the flame of hope. I know several of my colleagues were excellent at this.
As I don't know how they feel about appearing on the great white way of the blogosphere, I'll just describe the ways they did --
--a vivacious, youthful history teacher, with the eternal sex appeal of a knowing Jewish mother
pushed the kids to say what they meant and to realize that they could understand history because it just meant paying attention to what was happening around them and why it happened and TAKING NOTES in class.
--a furiously bright and stone cold vixen of an English Teacher told them she would not believe one stereotype or let them stereotype her and that they worked from a clean hard-nosed slate together to make themselves better -- both of them. Not a question in the world she couldn't make as clear as a tree branch and she taught them to carve their essays upward from sentence to paragraph to connected paragraphs to completed essay. Kids came back after school to make their work better and better.
--a handsome musician with words asked the kinds of questions anyone could take hours answering and then taught the students to listen to language as is if it were music. They learned to read hard books by listening to them read. And they liked them
There were more, and yes, those were my friends, but I could sit here and type for days.
There were endless frustrations. Kids came to school one day and disappeared for weeks. The brighter the kid, the less consistent and the more problems. The weaker, the more consistent, but the more in need of services that we often didn't have -- but, at least, you could work with th student and improvise. You could work with memory. I have to admit that there were certain kids I longed to see more than the kids I did see, but I was lucky because I worked in a place where it was rare that I really didn't want to see someone, though sure there were a few. More people didn't want to see me, I think.
The school will only really be closed to those people -- the ones who never want to see or think of any of us anymore.
The last graduation ceremony was a little over a week ago, at which a graduate from over ten years ago praised one of our finest teachers for making him the lawyer he is today.
In kitchens, bedrooms, cars, on couches and maybe even in someone's dreams this early afternoon, someone is mentioning, "oh yeah, I heard about that," that their high school closed. I can guarantee to a student he/she isn't happy. But, they feel, as they felt before they walked through our doors, powerless and completely accustomed to disappointment. It took a long time to break them of that feeling and I'm sure not very long for it to be re-instilled by a government agency, a disturbing and unfeeling neighbor, boss, relative, spouse or side of themselves. It's inevitable. The trick was for us to teach them how to re-instill in themselves the flame of hope. I know several of my colleagues were excellent at this.
As I don't know how they feel about appearing on the great white way of the blogosphere, I'll just describe the ways they did --
--a vivacious, youthful history teacher, with the eternal sex appeal of a knowing Jewish mother
pushed the kids to say what they meant and to realize that they could understand history because it just meant paying attention to what was happening around them and why it happened and TAKING NOTES in class.
--a furiously bright and stone cold vixen of an English Teacher told them she would not believe one stereotype or let them stereotype her and that they worked from a clean hard-nosed slate together to make themselves better -- both of them. Not a question in the world she couldn't make as clear as a tree branch and she taught them to carve their essays upward from sentence to paragraph to connected paragraphs to completed essay. Kids came back after school to make their work better and better.
--a handsome musician with words asked the kinds of questions anyone could take hours answering and then taught the students to listen to language as is if it were music. They learned to read hard books by listening to them read. And they liked them
There were more, and yes, those were my friends, but I could sit here and type for days.
There were endless frustrations. Kids came to school one day and disappeared for weeks. The brighter the kid, the less consistent and the more problems. The weaker, the more consistent, but the more in need of services that we often didn't have -- but, at least, you could work with th student and improvise. You could work with memory. I have to admit that there were certain kids I longed to see more than the kids I did see, but I was lucky because I worked in a place where it was rare that I really didn't want to see someone, though sure there were a few. More people didn't want to see me, I think.
The school will only really be closed to those people -- the ones who never want to see or think of any of us anymore.
28 May, 2007
Troubled? Send us an email...
JUST FYI, BCNHS' graduation rate was pretty high -- I think higher than 56%...so I don't get it, at all...
Troubled kids get retooled schools
BY CARRIE MELAGODAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Posted Friday, May 25th 2007, 4:00 AM
The city is revamping its schools for troubled students and axing several failing programs - including schools for pregnant girls, officials said.
Next year, the four pregnancy schools and the last seven New Beginnings centers for students with behavioral problems will be phased out because of low attendance and poor performance.
Education officials will create a hotline, an e-mail address and referral centers in each borough designed to "triage" students in danger of dropping out, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein said yesterday.
"Whatever life challenges or opportunities our students face, we have to find the individualized solutions," Klein said.
The city will create five more transfer schools - small, rigorous programs that have a 56% graduation rate for older students who are behind in credits, compared to 19% for such students at typical schools.
Yesterday's announcement comes amid a renewed focus on the city's graduation rate, which the city puts at 60% and the state calculates at 50%.
Education officials had retooled programs for problem students in 2003, when they announced the creation of 17 New Beginnings centers, one-year programs designed to boost students' performance so they can transfer back to their original school. Ten have already been shut down.
Critics of the pregnancy schools believed they were relics from a bygone era and applauded the Education Department's move.
But Giovanny Lantigua, 18, credits the Ida B. Wells school in Flushing, Queens, with keeping her on track while she was expecting.
"It was close to my home and more comfortable for me," said Lantigua, who now attends the Cascades transfer school in Manhattan and plans to graduate in January.
cmelago@nydailynews.comEnd Content Columns -->
Troubled kids get retooled schools
BY CARRIE MELAGODAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Posted Friday, May 25th 2007, 4:00 AM
The city is revamping its schools for troubled students and axing several failing programs - including schools for pregnant girls, officials said.
Next year, the four pregnancy schools and the last seven New Beginnings centers for students with behavioral problems will be phased out because of low attendance and poor performance.
Education officials will create a hotline, an e-mail address and referral centers in each borough designed to "triage" students in danger of dropping out, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein said yesterday.
"Whatever life challenges or opportunities our students face, we have to find the individualized solutions," Klein said.
The city will create five more transfer schools - small, rigorous programs that have a 56% graduation rate for older students who are behind in credits, compared to 19% for such students at typical schools.
Yesterday's announcement comes amid a renewed focus on the city's graduation rate, which the city puts at 60% and the state calculates at 50%.
Education officials had retooled programs for problem students in 2003, when they announced the creation of 17 New Beginnings centers, one-year programs designed to boost students' performance so they can transfer back to their original school. Ten have already been shut down.
Critics of the pregnancy schools believed they were relics from a bygone era and applauded the Education Department's move.
But Giovanny Lantigua, 18, credits the Ida B. Wells school in Flushing, Queens, with keeping her on track while she was expecting.
"It was close to my home and more comfortable for me," said Lantigua, who now attends the Cascades transfer school in Manhattan and plans to graduate in January.
cmelago@nydailynews.comEnd Content Columns -->
16 April, 2007
Great Article on BCNHS in NY Teacher
http://www.uft.org/news/teacher/general/big_picture/
Brooklyn Comprehensive Night HS staff feels Tweed missing big picture
by Ron Isaac
Apr 12, 2007 11:18 AM
‘Excellent’ school scheduled
Brooklyn Comprehensive Night HS, for 17 years a beacon of hope for some of New York’s most alienated youth, recently got some bittersweet news from the Department of Education. It won’t be closed at the end of this school year as had been announced; but the ax will fall a year later, in June 2008.
The school, which was lately rated “excellent” on its DOE “Quality Review Report,” emphasizes a core curriculum, has a high Regents passing rate and an enviable percentage of graduating students of those who regularly attend. It is being closed, allegedly, because of poor attendance, not academic failure.
As a result, recruitment has ceased and no new students are being registered.
“The immediate and pressing issue for us right now is trying to get permission to admit additional students,” noted Chapter Leader James Ferentino. “We could do that and still close our doors by June, 2008. Unlike other high schools being phased out, we often keep students for only one semester, or even one quarter, during which time they are able to complete their course requirements. It will be a shame if we were barred from helping any more students graduate and become success stories.”
Staff and students feel that the school is being closed because the DOE fails to see the “big picture.”
Comprehensive night high schools in the city serve more than 140,000 overage — 18-to-21— students who are under-credited but highly motivated. Those at BCNHS continue their studies, although in a relatively inaccessible location in Canarsie, while meeting full-fledged adult responsibilities during the day. Many of them must independently earn a living while caring for their own children, parents or siblings. Making daytime “transfer schools” their only option would amount to abandoning them.
BCNHS operates in the South Shore HS building during hours that the larger school is not in session. This arrangement has helped to free up space for younger students who attend already overcrowded high schools.
In a March 1 visit to the school, UFT President Randi Weingarten pledged “to do everything within our power to ensure that the vital needs of these special students are met without interruption.”
Joseph Zwerling, who teaches English and technology at the school, noted, “Our success over the years demonstrates beyond a doubt that the night high school model works.”
That seems borne out by a sampling of student testimony.
One recent BCNHS alumna e-mailed some good news to a former teacher and mentor. She is completing her master’s after having earned an undergraduate degree with honors from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Another student, after having lost one brother to untimely death and another to prison, had drifted away from school, but then returned and was welcomed by BCNHS where he reclaimed what he called his “blueprints to life.”
These are just two of the many students who have taken their cue from BCNHS’s motto: “Ad astra per asper” — “To the stars through difficulties.” But with the DOE’s plans to close the school, getting to the stars may be even more difficult.
As 19-year-old Marco Ponce said, “There are so many kids in this school who finally turned their lives around and now they want to shut it down on them. That’s not right.”
Brooklyn Comprehensive Night HS staff feels Tweed missing big picture
by Ron Isaac
Apr 12, 2007 11:18 AM
‘Excellent’ school scheduled
Brooklyn Comprehensive Night HS, for 17 years a beacon of hope for some of New York’s most alienated youth, recently got some bittersweet news from the Department of Education. It won’t be closed at the end of this school year as had been announced; but the ax will fall a year later, in June 2008.
The school, which was lately rated “excellent” on its DOE “Quality Review Report,” emphasizes a core curriculum, has a high Regents passing rate and an enviable percentage of graduating students of those who regularly attend. It is being closed, allegedly, because of poor attendance, not academic failure.
As a result, recruitment has ceased and no new students are being registered.
“The immediate and pressing issue for us right now is trying to get permission to admit additional students,” noted Chapter Leader James Ferentino. “We could do that and still close our doors by June, 2008. Unlike other high schools being phased out, we often keep students for only one semester, or even one quarter, during which time they are able to complete their course requirements. It will be a shame if we were barred from helping any more students graduate and become success stories.”
Staff and students feel that the school is being closed because the DOE fails to see the “big picture.”
Comprehensive night high schools in the city serve more than 140,000 overage — 18-to-21— students who are under-credited but highly motivated. Those at BCNHS continue their studies, although in a relatively inaccessible location in Canarsie, while meeting full-fledged adult responsibilities during the day. Many of them must independently earn a living while caring for their own children, parents or siblings. Making daytime “transfer schools” their only option would amount to abandoning them.
BCNHS operates in the South Shore HS building during hours that the larger school is not in session. This arrangement has helped to free up space for younger students who attend already overcrowded high schools.
In a March 1 visit to the school, UFT President Randi Weingarten pledged “to do everything within our power to ensure that the vital needs of these special students are met without interruption.”
Joseph Zwerling, who teaches English and technology at the school, noted, “Our success over the years demonstrates beyond a doubt that the night high school model works.”
That seems borne out by a sampling of student testimony.
One recent BCNHS alumna e-mailed some good news to a former teacher and mentor. She is completing her master’s after having earned an undergraduate degree with honors from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Another student, after having lost one brother to untimely death and another to prison, had drifted away from school, but then returned and was welcomed by BCNHS where he reclaimed what he called his “blueprints to life.”
These are just two of the many students who have taken their cue from BCNHS’s motto: “Ad astra per asper” — “To the stars through difficulties.” But with the DOE’s plans to close the school, getting to the stars may be even more difficult.
As 19-year-old Marco Ponce said, “There are so many kids in this school who finally turned their lives around and now they want to shut it down on them. That’s not right.”
30 March, 2007
Would you pay more taxes for:
1) Better schools
2) National Health Care
3) More government sponsored affordable housing
4) More no-kill shelters for animals who are homeless
5) More government sponsored programs to feed people who are hungry
6) More government sponsored job training programs
7) More government sponsored jobs and projects
8) To support more programs to save our planet, public and private through government grants
9) Elections in which candidates can only use a set amount of government funding
I would. What do you think and pass this around--let's get a feel from the blogging community. Even if you don't live in the US, do you think these -- any of these -- are worth paying a bit extra for, at all?
My reasons are
1) We spend too much money on prisons, bad shelters for animals and people (we even pay thousands of dollars a month to filthy hotels to house families) becuse we don't spend this money for schools, housing, etc.. And we don't get a full choice of candidates because we don't think big picture: If you let candidates accept any amount of private funding, they will find a way to get around limits. Let's just level the playing field.
2) National Health Care
3) More government sponsored affordable housing
4) More no-kill shelters for animals who are homeless
5) More government sponsored programs to feed people who are hungry
6) More government sponsored job training programs
7) More government sponsored jobs and projects
8) To support more programs to save our planet, public and private through government grants
9) Elections in which candidates can only use a set amount of government funding
I would. What do you think and pass this around--let's get a feel from the blogging community. Even if you don't live in the US, do you think these -- any of these -- are worth paying a bit extra for, at all?
My reasons are
1) We spend too much money on prisons, bad shelters for animals and people (we even pay thousands of dollars a month to filthy hotels to house families) becuse we don't spend this money for schools, housing, etc.. And we don't get a full choice of candidates because we don't think big picture: If you let candidates accept any amount of private funding, they will find a way to get around limits. Let's just level the playing field.
2) We create a metaphorical black hole in our society when we don't do these things. (The illustration shows you essentially that a black hole is a kind of funnel which sucks our energy and does not return it).
28 March, 2007
A cup of coffee
If I were given the opportunity to design a school, I would have lots of good models to look at, few of them public. This isn’t because the intermingling of the classes is a failure, nor is it the result of the intermixing of students of different abilities. It’s because we have stopped caring. Maybe we never did care.
People often point to the fact that Horace Mann was shocked by the violence, and particularly, the fires caused by juvenile delinquents and that is why he became interested in public schools. When I read about the teaching of speech and theater especially, I find rationales rooted in a need for order or of the training of those who will create order – lawyers and priests. Americans are an anti-intellectual group perhaps because our intellectual class was envisioned as a set of pedantic rulers by some of our earliest thinkers on education. I know, instantly, fans of John Dewey are going to clamor. But, think about it: Dewey wanted everything, including art to be functional. Even in his schools, the idea of pure fun was never raised.
We spend about 8 or 9 thousand dollars per pupil here in NYC -- and at BCNHS the average is much lower. That’s less than a car and nowhere near a year’s rent. It’s almost two hundred dollars a week. In NY, that’s about what it costs to get around town: 27 dollar weekly metrocard, 40 dollars worth of groceries, 28 dollars worth of fancy coffee drinks, 20 dollars for laundry and dry cleaning and 20 dollars for two nights of take-out or take-out and a movie. So, our kids are not worth more than our weekly expenses. And, I low-balled it except for the coffee drinks. We eat out a lot here because we have so little time.
We take cabs, too. The most expensive commodity here is time and we try to fill it with as much as we can until we are energy-less. On the Staten Island Ferry, people stand at the tip of the boat where it doesn’t feel like such a slow ride.
Are we sacrificing our future – our children’s time – for our own? Am I spending less as a taxpayer on my students than I do on my life because I am selfish. Or angry. Or because I am not paying attention.
Every time I take a cab, I know that is money I need for my cats. Do I know it’s also money I need for my students?
Now, to be fair, AS A TEACHER, I spend a lot of my own money on the kids. Why should I be spending it and not their parents, their uncles and aunts?
Should I be blamed, too, when the lack of funds is an obstacle to my work?
Quick, get me a coffee drink!
People often point to the fact that Horace Mann was shocked by the violence, and particularly, the fires caused by juvenile delinquents and that is why he became interested in public schools. When I read about the teaching of speech and theater especially, I find rationales rooted in a need for order or of the training of those who will create order – lawyers and priests. Americans are an anti-intellectual group perhaps because our intellectual class was envisioned as a set of pedantic rulers by some of our earliest thinkers on education. I know, instantly, fans of John Dewey are going to clamor. But, think about it: Dewey wanted everything, including art to be functional. Even in his schools, the idea of pure fun was never raised.
We spend about 8 or 9 thousand dollars per pupil here in NYC -- and at BCNHS the average is much lower. That’s less than a car and nowhere near a year’s rent. It’s almost two hundred dollars a week. In NY, that’s about what it costs to get around town: 27 dollar weekly metrocard, 40 dollars worth of groceries, 28 dollars worth of fancy coffee drinks, 20 dollars for laundry and dry cleaning and 20 dollars for two nights of take-out or take-out and a movie. So, our kids are not worth more than our weekly expenses. And, I low-balled it except for the coffee drinks. We eat out a lot here because we have so little time.
We take cabs, too. The most expensive commodity here is time and we try to fill it with as much as we can until we are energy-less. On the Staten Island Ferry, people stand at the tip of the boat where it doesn’t feel like such a slow ride.
Are we sacrificing our future – our children’s time – for our own? Am I spending less as a taxpayer on my students than I do on my life because I am selfish. Or angry. Or because I am not paying attention.
Every time I take a cab, I know that is money I need for my cats. Do I know it’s also money I need for my students?
Now, to be fair, AS A TEACHER, I spend a lot of my own money on the kids. Why should I be spending it and not their parents, their uncles and aunts?
Should I be blamed, too, when the lack of funds is an obstacle to my work?
Quick, get me a coffee drink!
27 March, 2007
Why smaller classes pay off...
Smaller class sizes will pay big dividends
Be Our Guest
BY LEONIE HAIMSON
Monday, March 26th 2007, 4:00 AM
In Albany, the Legislature is considering requiring that the city use a portion of the additional state aid our schools will receive to phase in smaller classes over four years. This would guarantee that the new dollars from the state go straight to the classroom, where they belong.
The federal government has listed smaller class sizes as one of only five educational strategies proven to work. The state's highest court concluded that our students are deprived of their constitutional right to an adequate education, in part because of large classes in all grades.
Despite the fact that we have the greatest number of poor, minority, and immigrant students who need the individual attention that only small classes can bring, our classes remain up to 60% bigger than elsewhere.
In some key subjects, such as Regents Math, class sizes have actually risen over the last few years - and average 32 students, compared with only 20 in the rest of the state. And yet our students have to pass the same high-stakes tests to graduate.
In New York City, many middle and high schools have classes of 32 or more, with each teacher responsible for around 160 students. Just spending five minutes a week with each student after class, and five minutes to correct weekly homework assignments, would take almost 30 hours a week - a near impossibility.
We will never improve our stagnant middle school scores or lower our huge dropout rates without reducing class size. And as research shows, poor and minority students benefit the most from class-size reduction, as they need the greatest instructional support.
Despite claims to the contrary, class-size reduction would actually lead to a more effective, experienced teaching force over time.
The major problem we have is not a lack of applicants - there are more than 10 candidates for every opening. But we suffer from extremely high attrition rates as a result of our large classes, which rob teachers of any chance of success.
While the idea of giving principals more flexibility to reduce class size on their own may sound appealing, the reality is that many principals who were permitted to hire additional teachers to lower class size reported that they were simply sent more students by Tweed - erasing the potential gains they hoped to achieve. And many overcrowded schools have no room for smaller classes, even when this might be the principal's highest priority.
The city plans to create only half as many seats in new schools as new seats in sports stadiums over the next five years. We need to build more schools in this city, which cannot be accomplished by any principal alone.
Class-size reduction must be phased in slowly. The first schools to get smaller classes should be those that are currently failing. Many failing schools close and then reopen under new names, but continue to have classes of 30 students or more. This is unacceptable.
Nearly all our middle and high schools are low-performing compared with the rest of the state. Here is a tragedy calling out for common sense and bold action. Another generation of New York City children should not lose out on their chances of success simply because we lacked the political will to provide them with the smaller classes they deserve.
Haimson is executive director of Class Size Matters and a founder of the city parent blog, nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com.
Be Our Guest
BY LEONIE HAIMSON
Monday, March 26th 2007, 4:00 AM
In Albany, the Legislature is considering requiring that the city use a portion of the additional state aid our schools will receive to phase in smaller classes over four years. This would guarantee that the new dollars from the state go straight to the classroom, where they belong.
The federal government has listed smaller class sizes as one of only five educational strategies proven to work. The state's highest court concluded that our students are deprived of their constitutional right to an adequate education, in part because of large classes in all grades.
Despite the fact that we have the greatest number of poor, minority, and immigrant students who need the individual attention that only small classes can bring, our classes remain up to 60% bigger than elsewhere.
In some key subjects, such as Regents Math, class sizes have actually risen over the last few years - and average 32 students, compared with only 20 in the rest of the state. And yet our students have to pass the same high-stakes tests to graduate.
In New York City, many middle and high schools have classes of 32 or more, with each teacher responsible for around 160 students. Just spending five minutes a week with each student after class, and five minutes to correct weekly homework assignments, would take almost 30 hours a week - a near impossibility.
We will never improve our stagnant middle school scores or lower our huge dropout rates without reducing class size. And as research shows, poor and minority students benefit the most from class-size reduction, as they need the greatest instructional support.
Despite claims to the contrary, class-size reduction would actually lead to a more effective, experienced teaching force over time.
The major problem we have is not a lack of applicants - there are more than 10 candidates for every opening. But we suffer from extremely high attrition rates as a result of our large classes, which rob teachers of any chance of success.
While the idea of giving principals more flexibility to reduce class size on their own may sound appealing, the reality is that many principals who were permitted to hire additional teachers to lower class size reported that they were simply sent more students by Tweed - erasing the potential gains they hoped to achieve. And many overcrowded schools have no room for smaller classes, even when this might be the principal's highest priority.
The city plans to create only half as many seats in new schools as new seats in sports stadiums over the next five years. We need to build more schools in this city, which cannot be accomplished by any principal alone.
Class-size reduction must be phased in slowly. The first schools to get smaller classes should be those that are currently failing. Many failing schools close and then reopen under new names, but continue to have classes of 30 students or more. This is unacceptable.
Nearly all our middle and high schools are low-performing compared with the rest of the state. Here is a tragedy calling out for common sense and bold action. Another generation of New York City children should not lose out on their chances of success simply because we lacked the political will to provide them with the smaller classes they deserve.
Haimson is executive director of Class Size Matters and a founder of the city parent blog, nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com.
20 March, 2007
article on BCNHS from NY DAILY NEWS
Night HS gets 1 more year
City to close school in 2008
By TANYANIKA SAMUELS
Posted Tuesday, March 20th 2007, 7:17 PM
Students at Brooklyn Comprehensive Night School have gotten a reprieve, but concerns linger about the ultimate fate of the Canarsie program.
The city Department of Education planned to close the school this summer, but it will now remain open through June 2008, officials said.
"We wanted to support the students that are already there. Now they'll have a little more time," Education Department spokeswoman Melody Meyer said last week.
The city is set to open a new transfer school - the Brooklyn Bridge Academy - in its place. Critics, however, contend the new program is a day program, while Brooklyn Comprehensive helped students at night.
"It's a relief that the school is staying open another year so the kids who are with us can graduate from us, but it doesn't solve the problem of where kids like this can go in the future," said English teacher Floraine Kay.
Education officials said the details of the new transfer school are still being worked out.
"Many transfer schools have night components, but we're not sure what this one will look like," Meyer said.
Brooklyn Comprehensive is geared toward 18- to 21-year-olds who have dropped out or aged out of mainstream high schools for lack of credits. The school opened its doors 17 years ago and offers students an opportunity to earn an actual diploma, rather than a GED.
Enrollment had been on the decline for years and factored into the decision to close the program, education officials said.
The night program - which is no longer accepting new students - is housed in South Shore High School, which is being gradually phased out by the city due to low student performance.
Brooklyn Comprehensive students greeted the news of its delayed demise with equal parts relief and dismay.
"I wasn't happy about it closing down," said Kyle Penceal, 18. "I was stressing, trying to cram everything in by June 2007. Now I can relax a little bit."
For Marco Ponce, 19, the program was a "perfect" fit.
"It allows me to have a job in the day to help my mom with the bills, and I can continue my studies instead of dropping out like I thought I had to," he said.
"There are so many kids in this school that finally turned their lives around, and now they want to shut it down on them," Ponce added. "That's not right."
City to close school in 2008
By TANYANIKA SAMUELS
Posted Tuesday, March 20th 2007, 7:17 PM
Students at Brooklyn Comprehensive Night School have gotten a reprieve, but concerns linger about the ultimate fate of the Canarsie program.
The city Department of Education planned to close the school this summer, but it will now remain open through June 2008, officials said.
"We wanted to support the students that are already there. Now they'll have a little more time," Education Department spokeswoman Melody Meyer said last week.
The city is set to open a new transfer school - the Brooklyn Bridge Academy - in its place. Critics, however, contend the new program is a day program, while Brooklyn Comprehensive helped students at night.
"It's a relief that the school is staying open another year so the kids who are with us can graduate from us, but it doesn't solve the problem of where kids like this can go in the future," said English teacher Floraine Kay.
Education officials said the details of the new transfer school are still being worked out.
"Many transfer schools have night components, but we're not sure what this one will look like," Meyer said.
Brooklyn Comprehensive is geared toward 18- to 21-year-olds who have dropped out or aged out of mainstream high schools for lack of credits. The school opened its doors 17 years ago and offers students an opportunity to earn an actual diploma, rather than a GED.
Enrollment had been on the decline for years and factored into the decision to close the program, education officials said.
The night program - which is no longer accepting new students - is housed in South Shore High School, which is being gradually phased out by the city due to low student performance.
Brooklyn Comprehensive students greeted the news of its delayed demise with equal parts relief and dismay.
"I wasn't happy about it closing down," said Kyle Penceal, 18. "I was stressing, trying to cram everything in by June 2007. Now I can relax a little bit."
For Marco Ponce, 19, the program was a "perfect" fit.
"It allows me to have a job in the day to help my mom with the bills, and I can continue my studies instead of dropping out like I thought I had to," he said.
"There are so many kids in this school that finally turned their lives around, and now they want to shut it down on them," Ponce added. "That's not right."
Letter to the editor of NY Teacher
Brooklyn Night also on chopping block
Mar 1, 2007 3:50 PM
To the Editor:
The Department of Education is not closing five high schools, as you report in the Jan. 18 issue [“Unanimous support for 5 high schools on DOE chopping block”]. It is closing six! It is also closing the Brooklyn Comprehensive Night HS.
It’s bad enough that we did not even get mentioned in the articles in The New York Times and the Daily News or in the television news media. But not to even be mentioned in our own union’s newspaper is unforgivable.
The Brooklyn Comprehensive Night HS is not a failing school. Our Quality Review Report, performed this October by a company from Cambridge, England, retained by the DOE was Excellent.
Over the past 17 years, several thousand students have received their high school diplomas from the BCNHS. The vast majority of those BCNHS alumni would have received a GED at best, or possibly nothing, if the BCNHS had not been in existence. Yet the DOE has decided to close the Brooklyn Comprehensive Night HS without any justification.
Are we just “collateral damage” since we are housed in one of the traditional high schools that is being closed?
How can our union allow this to happen? What is our union going to do for the faculty and the students of the Brooklyn Comprehensive Night HS?
Jim Ferentino,Brooklyn Comprehensive Night HS
EDITOR’S NOTE: The UFT is talking to the DOE to ensure that members’ rights are protected and that students are well served.
Mar 1, 2007 3:50 PM
To the Editor:
The Department of Education is not closing five high schools, as you report in the Jan. 18 issue [“Unanimous support for 5 high schools on DOE chopping block”]. It is closing six! It is also closing the Brooklyn Comprehensive Night HS.
It’s bad enough that we did not even get mentioned in the articles in The New York Times and the Daily News or in the television news media. But not to even be mentioned in our own union’s newspaper is unforgivable.
The Brooklyn Comprehensive Night HS is not a failing school. Our Quality Review Report, performed this October by a company from Cambridge, England, retained by the DOE was Excellent.
Over the past 17 years, several thousand students have received their high school diplomas from the BCNHS. The vast majority of those BCNHS alumni would have received a GED at best, or possibly nothing, if the BCNHS had not been in existence. Yet the DOE has decided to close the Brooklyn Comprehensive Night HS without any justification.
Are we just “collateral damage” since we are housed in one of the traditional high schools that is being closed?
How can our union allow this to happen? What is our union going to do for the faculty and the students of the Brooklyn Comprehensive Night HS?
Jim Ferentino,Brooklyn Comprehensive Night HS
EDITOR’S NOTE: The UFT is talking to the DOE to ensure that members’ rights are protected and that students are well served.
19 March, 2007
article on BCNHS in City Limits.org
www.citylimits.org
City Limits WEEKLYWeek of: March 19, 2007Number: 579
GOOD NIGHT, NIGHT SCHOOL:BROOKLYN COMP TO CLOSE
When this nontraditional school closes next year, only one other similar school will be left for students who are busy from 8:00 to 3:00. > By Matt Sollars
Ladonna Powell, 19, lives on her own, works at a bakery in Manhattan to pay the rent, and attends high school classes at Brooklyn Comprehensive Night High School because they fit into her schedule. Powell says the school, one of only two night high schools citywide, is important for struggling students who can’t make it to a day school but want to earn a diploma.
“Each person has their own problems,” she said. “We need this school to stay open. It’s a second chance.”
The public school is slated to close, however. The city announced in December that Brooklyn Comprehensive, which opened in 1990 to help students who had trouble in a traditional high school setting, would close this June. Teachers and students said they felt stunned and betrayed. The teachers’ union mounted a lobbying campaign, and by late February the staff was told the school would remain open until June 2008.
The city says five new "transfer schools," designed for “overage, under-credited” students, will replace Brooklyn Comp’s services. But while they will have some nighttime classes, it looks like they may not have an after-hours curriculum as complete as Brooklyn Comprehensive, which has the full high school curriculum except art and P.E. The other similarly complete nighttime school in operation is the Manhattan Comprehensive Night and Day High School, located on Second Avenue near Stuyvesant Town. The Department of Education cites “low demand” as the reason for closing the night school.
“Attendance has dropped significantly in recent years,” said Melody Meyer, a department spokesperson. She pointed specifically to an abysmal 33 percent attendance record at Brooklyn Comp last year.
The school’s former principal, Malaika Holman Bermiss, says “attendance was always horrendous.” But she and some current teachers counter that the attendance rate dropped precipitously after the school was moved from Midwood High School to South Shore High School in Sept. 2004, due to space constraints at Midwood.
Indeed, school attendance records seem to support Bermiss’s argument. Brooklyn Comp had a 66 percent attendance rate in 2003-04, its last at Midwood. That’s not too far from the 72 percent average for transfer schools in the city. But in the next school year – the first at South Shore – attendance fell to 49 percent. Then it dropped to 33 percent last year. Meanwhile, attendance at traditional high schools citywide is 90 percent.
South Shore, which itself suffers poor attendance and is slated to close, is a large white building at the intersection of Flatlands and Ralph Avenues in Canarsie. A 20-minute bus ride from the nearest subway stop, the school is remote to reach even by car. In addition to the long commute for a student population scattered throughout Brooklyn, teachers and students do not feel safe, particularly at 10 p.m. when the school day ends. The day begins at 4 p.m.
“Muggings have been bad,” according to English teacher Sharon Pearce, in an observation echoed by several others. “Some parents won’t allow their kids to come to school any more,” says the 14-year Brooklyn Comp veteran.
Current principal Catherine Bruno-Paparelli did not respond to requests for comment, and officials declined to show a reporter around the school.
Charles Turner, Brooklyn district representative at the United Federation of Teachers, called moving a night school to such a remote location “a thoughtless decision.” He believes Brooklyn Comp has become “collateral damage” of the decision to shutter South Shore, one of five schools that DOE announced in December would close.
Pearce finds it ironic that the city decided to close Brooklyn Comp and send students to transfer schools, which accommodate up to 250 students. “We were one of the new ‘small schools’ before there was the expression,” she said.
Bermiss fears that a new school, even one that looks like Brooklyn Comp but meets during the day, will miss out on helping a certain sliver of students. “It’s a time frame issue,” she said. “Some of our students had neither children or jobs, but what they needed is what we offered them at 7 p.m. in the evening.”
She believes Brooklyn Comp was hampered by not ever having its own facility. Before she retired in 2005 after 34 years in the city school system, Bermiss did propose an expansion of Brooklyn Comp that would have include a dedicated facility. Now she hopes that the extension through next school year will allow the teachers and staff at Brooklyn Comp to keep the school going in a different format and location.
“My concern is that there be a full-time night school in Brooklyn to meet the needs of students,” Bermiss said.
Student Natalie White, 19, certainly agrees. White started at Brooklyn Comp in September after she “messed up” at Erasmus Hall High School in Flatbush. Close personal attention from teachers quickly helped White gain confidence in herself.
“I never got an A in any class before,” she said. But after getting help from teachers in English and Spanish and A’s in both classes, she said, “I kind of knew I had some kind of potential.”
However, White knew she would not have enough credits to graduate by June 2007, so she stopped going to school. “I thought it was the end,” she said. “I was kind of thinking of giving up or going to another school.”
Now that another school year has been added, White says she will return and hopes to have enough credits for her diploma by January 2008.
- Matt Sollars
City Limits WEEKLYWeek of: March 19, 2007Number: 579
GOOD NIGHT, NIGHT SCHOOL:BROOKLYN COMP TO CLOSE
When this nontraditional school closes next year, only one other similar school will be left for students who are busy from 8:00 to 3:00. > By Matt Sollars
Ladonna Powell, 19, lives on her own, works at a bakery in Manhattan to pay the rent, and attends high school classes at Brooklyn Comprehensive Night High School because they fit into her schedule. Powell says the school, one of only two night high schools citywide, is important for struggling students who can’t make it to a day school but want to earn a diploma.
“Each person has their own problems,” she said. “We need this school to stay open. It’s a second chance.”
The public school is slated to close, however. The city announced in December that Brooklyn Comprehensive, which opened in 1990 to help students who had trouble in a traditional high school setting, would close this June. Teachers and students said they felt stunned and betrayed. The teachers’ union mounted a lobbying campaign, and by late February the staff was told the school would remain open until June 2008.
The city says five new "transfer schools," designed for “overage, under-credited” students, will replace Brooklyn Comp’s services. But while they will have some nighttime classes, it looks like they may not have an after-hours curriculum as complete as Brooklyn Comprehensive, which has the full high school curriculum except art and P.E. The other similarly complete nighttime school in operation is the Manhattan Comprehensive Night and Day High School, located on Second Avenue near Stuyvesant Town. The Department of Education cites “low demand” as the reason for closing the night school.
“Attendance has dropped significantly in recent years,” said Melody Meyer, a department spokesperson. She pointed specifically to an abysmal 33 percent attendance record at Brooklyn Comp last year.
The school’s former principal, Malaika Holman Bermiss, says “attendance was always horrendous.” But she and some current teachers counter that the attendance rate dropped precipitously after the school was moved from Midwood High School to South Shore High School in Sept. 2004, due to space constraints at Midwood.
Indeed, school attendance records seem to support Bermiss’s argument. Brooklyn Comp had a 66 percent attendance rate in 2003-04, its last at Midwood. That’s not too far from the 72 percent average for transfer schools in the city. But in the next school year – the first at South Shore – attendance fell to 49 percent. Then it dropped to 33 percent last year. Meanwhile, attendance at traditional high schools citywide is 90 percent.
South Shore, which itself suffers poor attendance and is slated to close, is a large white building at the intersection of Flatlands and Ralph Avenues in Canarsie. A 20-minute bus ride from the nearest subway stop, the school is remote to reach even by car. In addition to the long commute for a student population scattered throughout Brooklyn, teachers and students do not feel safe, particularly at 10 p.m. when the school day ends. The day begins at 4 p.m.
“Muggings have been bad,” according to English teacher Sharon Pearce, in an observation echoed by several others. “Some parents won’t allow their kids to come to school any more,” says the 14-year Brooklyn Comp veteran.
Current principal Catherine Bruno-Paparelli did not respond to requests for comment, and officials declined to show a reporter around the school.
Charles Turner, Brooklyn district representative at the United Federation of Teachers, called moving a night school to such a remote location “a thoughtless decision.” He believes Brooklyn Comp has become “collateral damage” of the decision to shutter South Shore, one of five schools that DOE announced in December would close.
Pearce finds it ironic that the city decided to close Brooklyn Comp and send students to transfer schools, which accommodate up to 250 students. “We were one of the new ‘small schools’ before there was the expression,” she said.
Bermiss fears that a new school, even one that looks like Brooklyn Comp but meets during the day, will miss out on helping a certain sliver of students. “It’s a time frame issue,” she said. “Some of our students had neither children or jobs, but what they needed is what we offered them at 7 p.m. in the evening.”
She believes Brooklyn Comp was hampered by not ever having its own facility. Before she retired in 2005 after 34 years in the city school system, Bermiss did propose an expansion of Brooklyn Comp that would have include a dedicated facility. Now she hopes that the extension through next school year will allow the teachers and staff at Brooklyn Comp to keep the school going in a different format and location.
“My concern is that there be a full-time night school in Brooklyn to meet the needs of students,” Bermiss said.
Student Natalie White, 19, certainly agrees. White started at Brooklyn Comp in September after she “messed up” at Erasmus Hall High School in Flatbush. Close personal attention from teachers quickly helped White gain confidence in herself.
“I never got an A in any class before,” she said. But after getting help from teachers in English and Spanish and A’s in both classes, she said, “I kind of knew I had some kind of potential.”
However, White knew she would not have enough credits to graduate by June 2007, so she stopped going to school. “I thought it was the end,” she said. “I was kind of thinking of giving up or going to another school.”
Now that another school year has been added, White says she will return and hopes to have enough credits for her diploma by January 2008.
- Matt Sollars
12 March, 2007
meet my future
Exclusive
Subs, but paid tops
Scores of teachers earning 70G & up working as fill-ins
BY ERIN EINHORNDAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, March 11th 2007, 4:00 AM
Hundreds of tenured teachers whohave failed to land permanent jobs in city schools are on thepublic payroll earning hefty salaries to work as substitutes andfill-ins, the Daily News has learned.While most substitute teachers make $141.70 per day, 236 of the564 teachers whom nobody wanted to hire currently pull down morethan $70,000 a year, plus benefits, to do the same work,according to a News analysis of Education Department data.Forty of those teachers make more than $90,000 - and some areslated to get raises next year, bringing them to the six-figurelevel."It's outrageous - an example of where teachers unions justaren't in the real world," said Jason Brooks of the Foundationfor Education Reform and Accountability, a conservative Albanythink tank. "Anytime you can get a better-qualified teacher,whether a sub or full time, that's outstanding. But for a systemthat's continually looking for more money, to be payingsubstitute teachers so extraordinarily much is ridiculous."The teachers union blames Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, sayinghe undermined the teachers' ability to find jobs by publiclycriticizing them. Klein has argued teachers who can't find jobsdon't deserve them.The 564 teachers on the department's unwanted list as of Feb. 1are not necessarily bad teachers. Only 24 received unsatisfactoryratings from principals last year.But none was able to find a permanent job, despite thousands ofteaching positions available every year for teachers in everylicensed area, said DOE labor policy director Dan Weisberg."The majority of teachers [who applied] did get hired," Weisbergsaid. "These folks did not. ... There are market forces at workhere."As many as 54 of the teachers also were on the unwanted list lastyear at this time, the data show. Under current union rules, theycan stay on the list indefinitely, receiving regular contractualraises.This situation is the product of a compromise the department madewith teachers in 2005.Teachers union President Randi Weingarten said she had warnedKlein that the contract change was a bad idea, and said theadministration made it worse by bad-mouthing teachers on theso-called excess list."These folks are good teachers, and they deserve to be employed,"she said. "I fault management 100% for this because they neverpicked up a finger to say to principals that these are goodpeople. ... They put an incredibly unfair taint on teachers inexcess."Before contentious contract talks in 2005, tenured teachers wholost jobs because a school closed or a position dried up wereassigned to new positions in the school system - regardless ofwhether the new principal wanted to hire them.Veteran teachers also had bumping rights, enabling them to takejobs from teachers with less seniority."It did huge harm," Weisberg said. "We had many, many multiplehorror stories from principals who would talk about five or sixexcesses walking into their buildings in September and claimingjobs they had intended to give to other candidates who were agood fit for the building."Having those teachers work as overpriced subs is a vastimprovement, he said. "We do get some value from them in subbing,but there's no question it's a cost to the system."Some of the teachers on the list say their years of experiencehas hurt them in trying to get jobs."Some told me I was too old. Some told me I was too expensive,"said Judy Cohen, a teacher who makes $90,472 a year.She said she sacrificed job security two years ago when she lefther classroom to become a mentor in a program that was eventuallyeliminated. "I had an excellent career, and I'm a good teacher,"she said.Others have been hurt by their less than stellar reputations -deserved or not.Eva Chejfetz was touched by scandal when a schools investigatorfound that she was having an affair with her boss, former Region4 Superintendent Reyes Irizarry.Teacher Enid Ximines, who also makes $90,472, said she couldn'tget a job because she was fighting an unsatisfactory rating shesays her principal gave her after she filed an age discriminationsuit against him.Now she's teaching a different class every day at Tilden HighSchool, not using her skills as a math teacher, even thoughthat's a shortage area. "To me, it's really demeaning toexperienced teachers to be treated that way," she said.Shop teacher Warren Katz, who earns $93,416, said he couldn'tfind a permanent job because he was fighting allegations hefailed to properly monitor an autistic student at a time when hisshop room at a Staten Island high school was short on teacher'saides. He's now working as a long-term sub in a Brooklyn specialed shop class.Others, like Simon Pluda, a $93,416 Queens Spanish teacher,landed on the unwanted list after a stint away from the classroomawaiting a disciplinary hearing on charges he refused to discuss."I teach anything they send me to teach," Pluda said, adding thereal problem is principals who "gave me [unsatisfactory ratings]for no reason."
Subs, but paid tops
Scores of teachers earning 70G & up working as fill-ins
BY ERIN EINHORNDAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, March 11th 2007, 4:00 AM
Hundreds of tenured teachers whohave failed to land permanent jobs in city schools are on thepublic payroll earning hefty salaries to work as substitutes andfill-ins, the Daily News has learned.While most substitute teachers make $141.70 per day, 236 of the564 teachers whom nobody wanted to hire currently pull down morethan $70,000 a year, plus benefits, to do the same work,according to a News analysis of Education Department data.Forty of those teachers make more than $90,000 - and some areslated to get raises next year, bringing them to the six-figurelevel."It's outrageous - an example of where teachers unions justaren't in the real world," said Jason Brooks of the Foundationfor Education Reform and Accountability, a conservative Albanythink tank. "Anytime you can get a better-qualified teacher,whether a sub or full time, that's outstanding. But for a systemthat's continually looking for more money, to be payingsubstitute teachers so extraordinarily much is ridiculous."The teachers union blames Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, sayinghe undermined the teachers' ability to find jobs by publiclycriticizing them. Klein has argued teachers who can't find jobsdon't deserve them.The 564 teachers on the department's unwanted list as of Feb. 1are not necessarily bad teachers. Only 24 received unsatisfactoryratings from principals last year.But none was able to find a permanent job, despite thousands ofteaching positions available every year for teachers in everylicensed area, said DOE labor policy director Dan Weisberg."The majority of teachers [who applied] did get hired," Weisbergsaid. "These folks did not. ... There are market forces at workhere."As many as 54 of the teachers also were on the unwanted list lastyear at this time, the data show. Under current union rules, theycan stay on the list indefinitely, receiving regular contractualraises.This situation is the product of a compromise the department madewith teachers in 2005.Teachers union President Randi Weingarten said she had warnedKlein that the contract change was a bad idea, and said theadministration made it worse by bad-mouthing teachers on theso-called excess list."These folks are good teachers, and they deserve to be employed,"she said. "I fault management 100% for this because they neverpicked up a finger to say to principals that these are goodpeople. ... They put an incredibly unfair taint on teachers inexcess."Before contentious contract talks in 2005, tenured teachers wholost jobs because a school closed or a position dried up wereassigned to new positions in the school system - regardless ofwhether the new principal wanted to hire them.Veteran teachers also had bumping rights, enabling them to takejobs from teachers with less seniority."It did huge harm," Weisberg said. "We had many, many multiplehorror stories from principals who would talk about five or sixexcesses walking into their buildings in September and claimingjobs they had intended to give to other candidates who were agood fit for the building."Having those teachers work as overpriced subs is a vastimprovement, he said. "We do get some value from them in subbing,but there's no question it's a cost to the system."Some of the teachers on the list say their years of experiencehas hurt them in trying to get jobs."Some told me I was too old. Some told me I was too expensive,"said Judy Cohen, a teacher who makes $90,472 a year.She said she sacrificed job security two years ago when she lefther classroom to become a mentor in a program that was eventuallyeliminated. "I had an excellent career, and I'm a good teacher,"she said.Others have been hurt by their less than stellar reputations -deserved or not.Eva Chejfetz was touched by scandal when a schools investigatorfound that she was having an affair with her boss, former Region4 Superintendent Reyes Irizarry.Teacher Enid Ximines, who also makes $90,472, said she couldn'tget a job because she was fighting an unsatisfactory rating shesays her principal gave her after she filed an age discriminationsuit against him.Now she's teaching a different class every day at Tilden HighSchool, not using her skills as a math teacher, even thoughthat's a shortage area. "To me, it's really demeaning toexperienced teachers to be treated that way," she said.Shop teacher Warren Katz, who earns $93,416, said he couldn'tfind a permanent job because he was fighting allegations hefailed to properly monitor an autistic student at a time when hisshop room at a Staten Island high school was short on teacher'saides. He's now working as a long-term sub in a Brooklyn specialed shop class.Others, like Simon Pluda, a $93,416 Queens Spanish teacher,landed on the unwanted list after a stint away from the classroomawaiting a disciplinary hearing on charges he refused to discuss."I teach anything they send me to teach," Pluda said, adding thereal problem is principals who "gave me [unsatisfactory ratings]for no reason."
Wildness
Exhausted and with pain in every joint, I prowled the subway car for seats. A young black man got up instantly and gave me his. When another seat opened up and I offered to move to it so that he and his friend could sit back together, he nearly insisted that I do not, but I did because I wanted to do something to return the favor. The sympathy he felt for me was instant.
A few days later, my friend Sharon and I were riding the subway and a group of very stoned urban teenagers got on the train. One asked as politely as anyone could, if he could have one of our brownies (our nutritious dinner) and Sharon gave him one. Before he took it, he asked if we were sure that we had enough for ourselves. He was quite serious. We did, and then he graciously took it and thanked us both. All right, he was stoned. But, he was more polite than many adults I've met.
We forget sometimes, when we are surrounded by wildness from every age and level of anger, that our young people are capable of goodness.
Every day, my students help each other in some way. There is never any violence at our school -- not to say that people don't verbally assault each other periodically. But, the air is full of deep breaths and watchful eyes. Our security team will talk a kid out of getting too heated, as will our small and new counseling team, our teachers and the rest of the student body. No one wants to see a fight, even if they act like they do sometimes. They like gossip and rumors like most teenagers. But, the school has been home. A peaceful and quiet one.
If you got to www.bcnhs.org, you can read student essays. One student simply says, "I love it here."
A few days later, my friend Sharon and I were riding the subway and a group of very stoned urban teenagers got on the train. One asked as politely as anyone could, if he could have one of our brownies (our nutritious dinner) and Sharon gave him one. Before he took it, he asked if we were sure that we had enough for ourselves. He was quite serious. We did, and then he graciously took it and thanked us both. All right, he was stoned. But, he was more polite than many adults I've met.
We forget sometimes, when we are surrounded by wildness from every age and level of anger, that our young people are capable of goodness.
Every day, my students help each other in some way. There is never any violence at our school -- not to say that people don't verbally assault each other periodically. But, the air is full of deep breaths and watchful eyes. Our security team will talk a kid out of getting too heated, as will our small and new counseling team, our teachers and the rest of the student body. No one wants to see a fight, even if they act like they do sometimes. They like gossip and rumors like most teenagers. But, the school has been home. A peaceful and quiet one.
If you got to www.bcnhs.org, you can read student essays. One student simply says, "I love it here."
08 March, 2007
"THOSE [NEW SCHOOLS] ARE BETTER ATTENDED BECAUSE THEY HAVE MAYORAL SUPPORT"
Lights Out for Brooklyn’s Longtime Night High School?
by Mary Frost (mfrost@brooklyneagle.net), published online 03-08-2007
New ‘ Transfer School ‘ Coming By Mary FrostBrooklyn Daily EagleFLATLANDS — For more than 17 years, Brooklyn Comprehensive Night High School was the only nighttime high school in Brooklyn offering a regular high school diploma to disadvantaged older students who, for a variety of reasons, couldn’t make it through traditional high school.
Students with undiagnosed learning disabilities, students in crisis and young people carrying adult burdens make up a large percentage of the student body. The school provides small classes and supportive services to the students, many of whom work during the day.
Only 12 percent plan to go to college, compared to about 63 percent of other city high-schoolers. Statistically, the students at Brooklyn Comprehensive Night School are the least likely to graduate from any academic program, anywhere.
Now, the city is moving to close Brooklyn Comprehensive Night School because of low attendance. This year, attendance averaged 44 to 47 percent. In 2004, attendance was about 66 percent.
The students are “devastated,” says English teacher Floraine Kay. She blames the drop in attendance on the school’s move to South Shore High School at 6565 Flatlands Ave. — a dangerous nighttime neighborhood — from its previous home within the relative safety of Midwood High School on Bedford Avenue.
“We went from 69 to 47 percent attendance,” Kay told the Brooklyn Eagle Monday. She says that overall enrollment has also dropped drastically since the move to the troubled South Shore campus. “Our last year at Midwood, we had from 500 to 700 students,” she said. After the move, enrollment dropped to 500 students; this year that number is down to roughly 300 students, Kay said. “Six kids got mugged the first six months You want to have a night school, this is the last place to put it.”
Deadline Extended One YearOriginally, the city gave the school until the end of this year, which scared away potential students, Kay said. But this week, with the help of Randi Weingarten and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), the deadline was extended to June 2008.
“We got an extra year,” said Stuart Marques, spokesperson for the UFT. “There are about 200 kids there — half of them are going to graduate this year. A hundred would have been dispersed. They’re letting those people who were going to graduate stay one more year. Randi was instrumental, but there were a lot of people involved.”
New Transfer School ComingMelody Meyer, a spokesperson for the New York City Department of Education, told the Brooklyn Eagle yesterday that “Brooklyn is getting a new transfer school, which is what Brooklyn Collaborative Night School was.”The new transfer school, Brooklyn Bridge Academy, will open at the same location as Brooklyn Comprehensive on the South Shore campus, Meyer said.
When asked why the city was closing one transfer school and replacing it with a similar school at the same location, Meyer said, “The newer model of transfer school is tied in with a mayoral initiative called ‘Learning to Work.’ The mayor dedicated money to this model, which targets students most at risk for dropping out. It’s a stronger model and it’s been incredibly successful. Brooklyn Comprehensive is under capacity. These new [transfer] schools are better attended because of mayoral support.” Meyer said that transfer schools’ criteria for enrollment requires that the student is at least two years behind his or her expected credit level. “It’s an incredibly personalized program. Some students will go to one class every day and study that subject intensively; others will need night school. The schools will have the ability to accommodate students who are overage and under-credited.”
Fix Was In?Kay feels that, regardless of attendance, the “fix was in” to close the school. The Department of Education announced in December that South Shore was being phased out, to be replaced by new, small schools.
“In September, we were assigned an attendance teacher. I know she was instructed to move people off the rolls much more quickly. I know she was in it to shut us down.”
It doesn’t make sense to close this school of last resort, says Kay. “You can’t compare us to South Brooklyn High School. They have 25 counselors — we have three. We’ve never had that kind of support, though we’ve asked for it.” She also pointed out that Brooklyn Comprehensive Night School costs the city only about $7,500 per student per year, compared to the average high school cost of $12,400 per student.
In an e-mail to the Eagle, Kay said that Brooklyn Comprehensive “had a policy of trying to work with students even if they did not immediately make significant changes.” Because of the unique nature of the student body, the school “risked having attendance records which reflected their absences.”
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2006All materials posted on brooklyneagle.com are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, posted on Gotham Gazette.com or any other blog without written permission, which can be sought by emailing arturc@att.net.
Main Office 718 422 7400
So:
1) We didn't have Mayoral Support
2) No mention of the fact that the new school is being opened by the mommy of the Chair of the Office of New Schools
3) Oh and THE NEW SCHOOL IS DURING THE DAY.
4) AND OUR NAME IS BROOKLYN COMPREHENSIVE. NOT BROOKLYN COLLABORATIVE. THEY ARE CLOSING US AND THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW OUR NAME.
by Mary Frost (mfrost@brooklyneagle.net), published online 03-08-2007
New ‘ Transfer School ‘ Coming By Mary FrostBrooklyn Daily EagleFLATLANDS — For more than 17 years, Brooklyn Comprehensive Night High School was the only nighttime high school in Brooklyn offering a regular high school diploma to disadvantaged older students who, for a variety of reasons, couldn’t make it through traditional high school.
Students with undiagnosed learning disabilities, students in crisis and young people carrying adult burdens make up a large percentage of the student body. The school provides small classes and supportive services to the students, many of whom work during the day.
Only 12 percent plan to go to college, compared to about 63 percent of other city high-schoolers. Statistically, the students at Brooklyn Comprehensive Night School are the least likely to graduate from any academic program, anywhere.
Now, the city is moving to close Brooklyn Comprehensive Night School because of low attendance. This year, attendance averaged 44 to 47 percent. In 2004, attendance was about 66 percent.
The students are “devastated,” says English teacher Floraine Kay. She blames the drop in attendance on the school’s move to South Shore High School at 6565 Flatlands Ave. — a dangerous nighttime neighborhood — from its previous home within the relative safety of Midwood High School on Bedford Avenue.
“We went from 69 to 47 percent attendance,” Kay told the Brooklyn Eagle Monday. She says that overall enrollment has also dropped drastically since the move to the troubled South Shore campus. “Our last year at Midwood, we had from 500 to 700 students,” she said. After the move, enrollment dropped to 500 students; this year that number is down to roughly 300 students, Kay said. “Six kids got mugged the first six months You want to have a night school, this is the last place to put it.”
Deadline Extended One YearOriginally, the city gave the school until the end of this year, which scared away potential students, Kay said. But this week, with the help of Randi Weingarten and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), the deadline was extended to June 2008.
“We got an extra year,” said Stuart Marques, spokesperson for the UFT. “There are about 200 kids there — half of them are going to graduate this year. A hundred would have been dispersed. They’re letting those people who were going to graduate stay one more year. Randi was instrumental, but there were a lot of people involved.”
New Transfer School ComingMelody Meyer, a spokesperson for the New York City Department of Education, told the Brooklyn Eagle yesterday that “Brooklyn is getting a new transfer school, which is what Brooklyn Collaborative Night School was.”The new transfer school, Brooklyn Bridge Academy, will open at the same location as Brooklyn Comprehensive on the South Shore campus, Meyer said.
When asked why the city was closing one transfer school and replacing it with a similar school at the same location, Meyer said, “The newer model of transfer school is tied in with a mayoral initiative called ‘Learning to Work.’ The mayor dedicated money to this model, which targets students most at risk for dropping out. It’s a stronger model and it’s been incredibly successful. Brooklyn Comprehensive is under capacity. These new [transfer] schools are better attended because of mayoral support.” Meyer said that transfer schools’ criteria for enrollment requires that the student is at least two years behind his or her expected credit level. “It’s an incredibly personalized program. Some students will go to one class every day and study that subject intensively; others will need night school. The schools will have the ability to accommodate students who are overage and under-credited.”
Fix Was In?Kay feels that, regardless of attendance, the “fix was in” to close the school. The Department of Education announced in December that South Shore was being phased out, to be replaced by new, small schools.
“In September, we were assigned an attendance teacher. I know she was instructed to move people off the rolls much more quickly. I know she was in it to shut us down.”
It doesn’t make sense to close this school of last resort, says Kay. “You can’t compare us to South Brooklyn High School. They have 25 counselors — we have three. We’ve never had that kind of support, though we’ve asked for it.” She also pointed out that Brooklyn Comprehensive Night School costs the city only about $7,500 per student per year, compared to the average high school cost of $12,400 per student.
In an e-mail to the Eagle, Kay said that Brooklyn Comprehensive “had a policy of trying to work with students even if they did not immediately make significant changes.” Because of the unique nature of the student body, the school “risked having attendance records which reflected their absences.”
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2006All materials posted on brooklyneagle.com are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, posted on Gotham Gazette.com or any other blog without written permission, which can be sought by emailing arturc@att.net.
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So:
1) We didn't have Mayoral Support
2) No mention of the fact that the new school is being opened by the mommy of the Chair of the Office of New Schools
3) Oh and THE NEW SCHOOL IS DURING THE DAY.
4) AND OUR NAME IS BROOKLYN COMPREHENSIVE. NOT BROOKLYN COLLABORATIVE. THEY ARE CLOSING US AND THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW OUR NAME.
07 March, 2007
The Life of Riley the ATR: My reward for 14 years of excellent work
The first two periods, I work in the Earth Science classroom. Increasingly, I think the Earth Science teacher is a good guy. Still going too fast, but he has a set curriculum to meet. And two days ago he reviewed for the test and basically then gave a similar test to the review. The trouble is, the kids were so busy being fidgety, angry, disappointed and inconsiderate, they didn't hear it.
Then I have 100 minutes of unassigned time. AND NO PLACE TO BE.
I'm working on a glossary for the class. BUT I HAVE NO COMPUTER TO USE.
My classroom is now the NEW College and Career Prep Center. Just keep adding insult to injury, why don't ya? Make me homeless and put my replacement in my home.
I was in agony today. Intense arthritic pain. On top of it all.
So, I clocked out and went home.
I needed a chair, a computer and some quiet. I have that at home.
Sure, I lost money.....but the pain and the time was much more costly. I napped with my cats who nursed me carefully and steered clear of me when I coughed or applied mentholated pain reliever.
Glossary almost done.
Then I have 100 minutes of unassigned time. AND NO PLACE TO BE.
I'm working on a glossary for the class. BUT I HAVE NO COMPUTER TO USE.
My classroom is now the NEW College and Career Prep Center. Just keep adding insult to injury, why don't ya? Make me homeless and put my replacement in my home.
I was in agony today. Intense arthritic pain. On top of it all.
So, I clocked out and went home.
I needed a chair, a computer and some quiet. I have that at home.
Sure, I lost money.....but the pain and the time was much more costly. I napped with my cats who nursed me carefully and steered clear of me when I coughed or applied mentholated pain reliever.
Glossary almost done.
06 March, 2007
The Fifteen Foot Guy: An allegory about why our location is just unfit for a Night High School
"I swear, Miss. I SWEAR. The guy was fifteen feet tall and he was attacked by a whole bunch of little guys. It was kind of funny. Kind of. I mean, I admit it, I was kind of laughing. That guy was fifteen feet tall."
--"Where did this happen, Dale?"
-- "Right here. Right outside this door."
--"In the hallway?"
-- "No, Miss. Not the hallway. The parking lot. The door to exit the school is right beneath us. You know that, right? So, it's like it was right outside this door."
-- "Last night?"
--" Naw, naw. This evening. As we were walking into the building. You know how they got that tree right by the entrance. First, all you see is cars, then there's that humongous tree, ain't got no leaves on it."
-- "Did you tell security?"
--" Miss, I didn't have to tell them nothing, 'cause they done seed it through their cameras. They're not allowed to go outside and do nothing about it. That's for the PO-leece."
-- "Did you tell the principal?"
-- "I think security did. I hope so. Anyway, I'll tell Mr. Allen. He's the AP, that's close enough."
-- "The principal needs to know."
-- "He'll tell her, won't he?"
-- "Why won't you just go tell her? She's just down the hall."
-- "Miss. I don't know her. I really don't know nothing about her. Maybe she'll think I was involved. I ain't feeling her. I never did. What's she gonna say -- probably that something's already been done. Or she'll come after me like I was involved"
-- "Were you?"
-- "NO! I spent the whole time behind that goddamn tree hoping this thing would be over with and that I wouldn't bust out laughing."
--"I'll tell,Mr. Allen."
-- "Yeah, I think that's better. I mean, I should have done something, shouldn't I? But I couldn't. I mean, I'm only FIVE FOOT TEN."
--" It's okay, Dale."
--"I guess it has to be."
--"Where did this happen, Dale?"
-- "Right here. Right outside this door."
--"In the hallway?"
-- "No, Miss. Not the hallway. The parking lot. The door to exit the school is right beneath us. You know that, right? So, it's like it was right outside this door."
-- "Last night?"
--" Naw, naw. This evening. As we were walking into the building. You know how they got that tree right by the entrance. First, all you see is cars, then there's that humongous tree, ain't got no leaves on it."
-- "Did you tell security?"
--" Miss, I didn't have to tell them nothing, 'cause they done seed it through their cameras. They're not allowed to go outside and do nothing about it. That's for the PO-leece."
-- "Did you tell the principal?"
-- "I think security did. I hope so. Anyway, I'll tell Mr. Allen. He's the AP, that's close enough."
-- "The principal needs to know."
-- "He'll tell her, won't he?"
-- "Why won't you just go tell her? She's just down the hall."
-- "Miss. I don't know her. I really don't know nothing about her. Maybe she'll think I was involved. I ain't feeling her. I never did. What's she gonna say -- probably that something's already been done. Or she'll come after me like I was involved"
-- "Were you?"
-- "NO! I spent the whole time behind that goddamn tree hoping this thing would be over with and that I wouldn't bust out laughing."
--"I'll tell,Mr. Allen."
-- "Yeah, I think that's better. I mean, I should have done something, shouldn't I? But I couldn't. I mean, I'm only FIVE FOOT TEN."
--" It's okay, Dale."
--"I guess it has to be."
03 March, 2007
The End of Mayoral Control of Our Schools
Thanks to the ICE Yahoo group for posting this;
The End of Mayoral ControlBY ANDREW WOLFMarch 2, 2007
URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/49636
When the history books are written, it will be noted that the beginning ofthe end of New York's grand experiment with mayoral control of the schoolscame at 6:30 a.m. on January 29, 2007. It was then that the city's schoolbuses began to roll on new routes suggested by an extraordinarily expensiveoutside consultant, hand-picked without competitive bidding by theDepartment of Education.In a certain sense it is a sad reflection of our times that the outrage overthe direction of the schools came as a result of the peripheral issue of busroutes. That eighth-grade reading scores haven't budged in eight years, areflection of educational stagnation impacting tens of thousands of ourstudents, doesn't seem quite as compelling as one child waiting in the coldfor a bus that never comes.The outrage over the bus plan has re-energized parent activists. When themayor eliminated the 32 school districts and their superintendents fouryears ago, protests were held throughout the city. A time-tested strategywas employed to defuse parents and activists: give them jobs and contracts.The creation of the job of "parent coordinator" in all city schoolsconverted more than 1,000 possible foes to true believers.Other jobs were found for citywide parent leaders such as Ernest Clayton,then the head of the United Parents Association, once the city's mostvisible parent group. When was the last time you heard about the UnitedParents Association?On Wednesday, the mayor and chancellor announced, at a hastily called pressconference, the appointment of a "chief family engagement officer" for thepublic schools, Martine Guerrier, who had been the appointee of thepresident of Brooklyn, Martin Markowitz, to the Panel for Education Policy.The cost of all this has risen. Mr. Clayton was brought into the fold as aparent support officer in Queens for a mere $60,000 salary. Ms. Guerrier isbeing paid a cool $150,000.The announcement was made just hours before a rally was held at St. Vartan'schurch in Murray Hill. The rally was sponsored by the Working FamiliesParty, the political arm of the city's unions and left-wing "organizing"groups such as ACORN.This must come as a disappointment to the mayor and chancellor, who havegone so far as to give groups like ACORN and the Northwest Bronx Communityand Clergy Coalition control over some of the new small high schools.Certainly, the United Federation of Teachers is doing all it can toencourage the outrage. But the concern of parents throughout the city isreal. It emanates from the mistakes made by a top-down structure that hassystematically excluded New York's greatest strength, our communities.Last week, scores of angry parents couldn't get into a forum with thechancellor in the South Bronx because the room was filled. In Forest Hills,parents at a middle school are upset that one of the new small high schoolswill be placed in their building. In Riverdale, parents are livid that their5-year-olds who are accepted into a long awaited gifted and talented programmay be bused to another school miles from home.In Throggs Neck, parents are shocked that one of the city's top middleschools, M.S. 101, is being dismantled. One of Brooklyn's state senators,Carl Kruger, is upset that the gifted and talented programs in his districtare being compromised, while Korean-American parents at the Bronx HighSchool of Science feel their children have been discriminated against onforeign language offerings. There is plenty of grassroots outrage over thedirection of the schools.It's no wonder that the chancellor, when in Albany on Monday, got a grillingby legislators. It is convenient for many, such as the editorialists at theNew York Post, to lay all this at the feet of the UFT. But this is not acase of the dog eating the homework. The mayor and Mr. Klein are beinggraded by the public here, and the public is concluding that unfetteredmayoral control has failed.I favor the mayor running the schools, but under the watchful eye of anentity that can apply some restraint on foolishness when it occurs. Thelogic would be a reconstituted independent board of education. With themayor term-limited, the principle of electoral accountability is, for theBloomberg administration, moot. This issue will surely come before theLegislature, perhaps sooner than we think.
The End of Mayoral ControlBY ANDREW WOLFMarch 2, 2007
URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/49636
When the history books are written, it will be noted that the beginning ofthe end of New York's grand experiment with mayoral control of the schoolscame at 6:30 a.m. on January 29, 2007. It was then that the city's schoolbuses began to roll on new routes suggested by an extraordinarily expensiveoutside consultant, hand-picked without competitive bidding by theDepartment of Education.In a certain sense it is a sad reflection of our times that the outrage overthe direction of the schools came as a result of the peripheral issue of busroutes. That eighth-grade reading scores haven't budged in eight years, areflection of educational stagnation impacting tens of thousands of ourstudents, doesn't seem quite as compelling as one child waiting in the coldfor a bus that never comes.The outrage over the bus plan has re-energized parent activists. When themayor eliminated the 32 school districts and their superintendents fouryears ago, protests were held throughout the city. A time-tested strategywas employed to defuse parents and activists: give them jobs and contracts.The creation of the job of "parent coordinator" in all city schoolsconverted more than 1,000 possible foes to true believers.Other jobs were found for citywide parent leaders such as Ernest Clayton,then the head of the United Parents Association, once the city's mostvisible parent group. When was the last time you heard about the UnitedParents Association?On Wednesday, the mayor and chancellor announced, at a hastily called pressconference, the appointment of a "chief family engagement officer" for thepublic schools, Martine Guerrier, who had been the appointee of thepresident of Brooklyn, Martin Markowitz, to the Panel for Education Policy.The cost of all this has risen. Mr. Clayton was brought into the fold as aparent support officer in Queens for a mere $60,000 salary. Ms. Guerrier isbeing paid a cool $150,000.The announcement was made just hours before a rally was held at St. Vartan'schurch in Murray Hill. The rally was sponsored by the Working FamiliesParty, the political arm of the city's unions and left-wing "organizing"groups such as ACORN.This must come as a disappointment to the mayor and chancellor, who havegone so far as to give groups like ACORN and the Northwest Bronx Communityand Clergy Coalition control over some of the new small high schools.Certainly, the United Federation of Teachers is doing all it can toencourage the outrage. But the concern of parents throughout the city isreal. It emanates from the mistakes made by a top-down structure that hassystematically excluded New York's greatest strength, our communities.Last week, scores of angry parents couldn't get into a forum with thechancellor in the South Bronx because the room was filled. In Forest Hills,parents at a middle school are upset that one of the new small high schoolswill be placed in their building. In Riverdale, parents are livid that their5-year-olds who are accepted into a long awaited gifted and talented programmay be bused to another school miles from home.In Throggs Neck, parents are shocked that one of the city's top middleschools, M.S. 101, is being dismantled. One of Brooklyn's state senators,Carl Kruger, is upset that the gifted and talented programs in his districtare being compromised, while Korean-American parents at the Bronx HighSchool of Science feel their children have been discriminated against onforeign language offerings. There is plenty of grassroots outrage over thedirection of the schools.It's no wonder that the chancellor, when in Albany on Monday, got a grillingby legislators. It is convenient for many, such as the editorialists at theNew York Post, to lay all this at the feet of the UFT. But this is not acase of the dog eating the homework. The mayor and Mr. Klein are beinggraded by the public here, and the public is concluding that unfetteredmayoral control has failed.I favor the mayor running the schools, but under the watchful eye of anentity that can apply some restraint on foolishness when it occurs. Thelogic would be a reconstituted independent board of education. With themayor term-limited, the principle of electoral accountability is, for theBloomberg administration, moot. This issue will surely come before theLegislature, perhaps sooner than we think.
28 February, 2007
25 February, 2007
A snapshot of our schools
From the Flatbush Courier Life 2/24/2007
02/24/2007
Principals unable to quell violence - Public advocate blames DOE for not doing more to help
By Michèle De Meglio
The city’s Department of Education (DOE) is not doing enough to ensure that teachers, principals and students are safe in local school buildings, according to the public advocate.
In a new report, Betsy Gotbaum charged that principals and teachers lack the resources necessary to deal with conflicts between students.
To support her claims, she cited the report’s findings that 25 percent of the 158 administrators surveyed insist they are not properly equipped to defuse brawls between students or prevent them from happening. “The spike in crime and other incidents in our schools coupled with what I’ve been hearing from principals and other administrators – that they lack the resources to effectively deal with behavior problems in their schools – is a cause of great concern,” Gotbaum said. Crime has been a problem in several local schools as of late. According to local police precincts, recent crimes at borough schools have included a student from the Secondary School of Law at the John Jay Campus in Park Slope claiming last January that she was whipped with a belt after being confronted by a group of students in the hallway, and a student at Madison High School in Midwood being arrested last November for allegedly beating and robbing a classmate of $2. Even teachers have been victimized in Brooklyn school buildings. Last June, a teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School, 29 Fort Greene Place, said that her backpack was stolen after she forgot it in the school’s cafeteria when she left to teach a class. “We can’t expect teachers to teach or students to learn in an environment in which they fear for their safety,” Gotbaum said. To create an appropriate learning environment, she said the DOE must provide conflict resolution training to all teachers because, according to her report, 82 percent of administrators surveyed said just a handful of teachers, or none at all, received such training. “They spend so much time on professional development – they should spend some of that time on conflict resolution,” said Richard Mangone, a social studies teacher at Lafayette High School, which has had its share of criminal incidents, and the school’s United Federation of Teachers (UFT) chapter leader. “We get tons of professional development and a lot of it is not high quality,” he continued. “They’ll go over statistics – region scores, reading scores…but we should have far more training on the practical aspect of how to teach classes.” Some Brooklyn parents questioned whether the responsibility of defusing violence in schools should even lie with teachers and administrators. “I’m concerned that you’re asking teachers to do way too much,” said Carlo Scissura, president of District 20’s Community Education Council (CEC). “The better solution would be to maybe have some safety officers go into the classroom to talk to the students every now and then.” But then there’s the problem of the city’s limited number of school safety agents supervising activities in local schools. “There’s a shortage of safety agents,” said James Dandridge, president of District 18’s CEC. That’s because “safety agents are underpaid and once they get the experience they leave for better paying jobs. When they leave, there’s nobody to replace them.” Some Brooklyn parents suggest that the DOE implement intervention services to prevent disagreements between students from escalating into all-out brawls that put school administrators and staffers in danger. They’ve called for the creation of school-based health centers in more local schools, as the facilities provide medical and psychological care to youths. “These children are dealing with adult issues,” says Carmen Colon, president of the Association of New York City Education Councils and the former president of District 13’s CEC. “How about putting in a school-based health center? How about having some additional guidance counselors? Maybe an employment guidance counselor for parents. You have to service the whole child.” She also suggests offering incentives for students to stay out of trouble, thereby limiting, or hopefully eliminating, fights in school. “Give stipends or awards for community service for these kids so they want to get off the streets on weekends,” Colon says. The DOE did not respond for comment by the time this paper went to press. —Thomas Tracy contributed to this story.
©Courier-Life Publications 2007
02/24/2007
Principals unable to quell violence - Public advocate blames DOE for not doing more to help
By Michèle De Meglio
The city’s Department of Education (DOE) is not doing enough to ensure that teachers, principals and students are safe in local school buildings, according to the public advocate.
In a new report, Betsy Gotbaum charged that principals and teachers lack the resources necessary to deal with conflicts between students.
To support her claims, she cited the report’s findings that 25 percent of the 158 administrators surveyed insist they are not properly equipped to defuse brawls between students or prevent them from happening. “The spike in crime and other incidents in our schools coupled with what I’ve been hearing from principals and other administrators – that they lack the resources to effectively deal with behavior problems in their schools – is a cause of great concern,” Gotbaum said. Crime has been a problem in several local schools as of late. According to local police precincts, recent crimes at borough schools have included a student from the Secondary School of Law at the John Jay Campus in Park Slope claiming last January that she was whipped with a belt after being confronted by a group of students in the hallway, and a student at Madison High School in Midwood being arrested last November for allegedly beating and robbing a classmate of $2. Even teachers have been victimized in Brooklyn school buildings. Last June, a teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School, 29 Fort Greene Place, said that her backpack was stolen after she forgot it in the school’s cafeteria when she left to teach a class. “We can’t expect teachers to teach or students to learn in an environment in which they fear for their safety,” Gotbaum said. To create an appropriate learning environment, she said the DOE must provide conflict resolution training to all teachers because, according to her report, 82 percent of administrators surveyed said just a handful of teachers, or none at all, received such training. “They spend so much time on professional development – they should spend some of that time on conflict resolution,” said Richard Mangone, a social studies teacher at Lafayette High School, which has had its share of criminal incidents, and the school’s United Federation of Teachers (UFT) chapter leader. “We get tons of professional development and a lot of it is not high quality,” he continued. “They’ll go over statistics – region scores, reading scores…but we should have far more training on the practical aspect of how to teach classes.” Some Brooklyn parents questioned whether the responsibility of defusing violence in schools should even lie with teachers and administrators. “I’m concerned that you’re asking teachers to do way too much,” said Carlo Scissura, president of District 20’s Community Education Council (CEC). “The better solution would be to maybe have some safety officers go into the classroom to talk to the students every now and then.” But then there’s the problem of the city’s limited number of school safety agents supervising activities in local schools. “There’s a shortage of safety agents,” said James Dandridge, president of District 18’s CEC. That’s because “safety agents are underpaid and once they get the experience they leave for better paying jobs. When they leave, there’s nobody to replace them.” Some Brooklyn parents suggest that the DOE implement intervention services to prevent disagreements between students from escalating into all-out brawls that put school administrators and staffers in danger. They’ve called for the creation of school-based health centers in more local schools, as the facilities provide medical and psychological care to youths. “These children are dealing with adult issues,” says Carmen Colon, president of the Association of New York City Education Councils and the former president of District 13’s CEC. “How about putting in a school-based health center? How about having some additional guidance counselors? Maybe an employment guidance counselor for parents. You have to service the whole child.” She also suggests offering incentives for students to stay out of trouble, thereby limiting, or hopefully eliminating, fights in school. “Give stipends or awards for community service for these kids so they want to get off the streets on weekends,” Colon says. The DOE did not respond for comment by the time this paper went to press. —Thomas Tracy contributed to this story.
©Courier-Life Publications 2007
22 February, 2007
Why can't Americans teach their children?
Over and over in my head, I hear it: "Why can't the English teach their children how to speak?" That famous song from "My Fair Lady." As you know, in that musical, a professor takes on the challenge of teaching a poor cockney girl how to speak properly. In the abstract, it seems awfully condescending. In New York, we can't even do that.
Here are some interesting facts about trying to get your kid an education in NY:
1) You will wait online for a day or more outside the elementary school of your choice, should you be so lucky as to know of one you want your kid to go to and should it be within your borough. I mean, you could have your five year old commute from Brooklyn to Manhattan, but it's a bit impractical.
2) Your child will have many choices for high schools. If he or she is good at taking tests, he or she may get into a competitive high school. If not, well, he or she may be able to attend one of the "new small schools" co-run by private organizations with staffs whose average age will probably be 22.
3) Should your child attend one of the last remaining "local" high schools, it's likely the Dept. of Ed will try to close the school so that it can break it apart into little schools which cost less money to run because they will be co-run by a private organization who will hire all new NEW teachers. 21 and 22 year olds.
4) I'm a pretty decent teacher. At 22, I was full of hot air and I cried in front of my students. I survived because I had mentors, experienced principals and nice students.
5) Your kids new teachers WILL NOT have mentors. The average age of these principals of these new small schools is about 25. He/she doesn't necessarily have to have taught for very long.
6) Some of the kids who will be going to school with your kids will already be very frustrated. So, they won't be so nice.
A lot of this is not new. This was pretty much what life was like when I was growing up. But, you see:
1) My mother begged my way into a Hebrew School we couldn't afford and I got to stay because I AM A VERY GOOD TEST TAKER.
2) I got into Stuyvesant High School -- one of the best public high schools in the country because I AM A VERY GOOD TEST TAKER.
3) I got into Barnard College because I AM A VERY GOOD TEST TAKER, I write well and I WENT TO A FANTASTIC HIGH SCHOOL. And when my mother went crazy, my teachers took care of me. I hear, sadly, that Stuyvesant is no longer a caring place and that's awful. So many of the kids who went to school with me were brilliant, but very much in need of help -- like me.
I think it's tragic that the school has changed. It was always a pressure cooker, but it was such a warm and good place for me back in 85.
4) I am a VERY GOOD TEST TAKER because I COME FROM A FAMILY OF EDUCATED PEOPLE WHO ARE GOOD TEST TAKERS. I practiced for tests with MY MOTHER'S practice texts. Oh yeah, and my mother speaks fluent French, my grandmother spoke Russian, Polish and knew Latin. And her English was exemplary.
5) Oh, and I'm white, lower-middle class, and even my crazy mother knows better than to screw with my education. I am in the minority in NYC. My students do not have these advantages.
What would it take? What if we just decided to take EACH KID and TEACH HIM/HER.
Here are some interesting facts about trying to get your kid an education in NY:
1) You will wait online for a day or more outside the elementary school of your choice, should you be so lucky as to know of one you want your kid to go to and should it be within your borough. I mean, you could have your five year old commute from Brooklyn to Manhattan, but it's a bit impractical.
2) Your child will have many choices for high schools. If he or she is good at taking tests, he or she may get into a competitive high school. If not, well, he or she may be able to attend one of the "new small schools" co-run by private organizations with staffs whose average age will probably be 22.
3) Should your child attend one of the last remaining "local" high schools, it's likely the Dept. of Ed will try to close the school so that it can break it apart into little schools which cost less money to run because they will be co-run by a private organization who will hire all new NEW teachers. 21 and 22 year olds.
4) I'm a pretty decent teacher. At 22, I was full of hot air and I cried in front of my students. I survived because I had mentors, experienced principals and nice students.
5) Your kids new teachers WILL NOT have mentors. The average age of these principals of these new small schools is about 25. He/she doesn't necessarily have to have taught for very long.
6) Some of the kids who will be going to school with your kids will already be very frustrated. So, they won't be so nice.
A lot of this is not new. This was pretty much what life was like when I was growing up. But, you see:
1) My mother begged my way into a Hebrew School we couldn't afford and I got to stay because I AM A VERY GOOD TEST TAKER.
2) I got into Stuyvesant High School -- one of the best public high schools in the country because I AM A VERY GOOD TEST TAKER.
3) I got into Barnard College because I AM A VERY GOOD TEST TAKER, I write well and I WENT TO A FANTASTIC HIGH SCHOOL. And when my mother went crazy, my teachers took care of me. I hear, sadly, that Stuyvesant is no longer a caring place and that's awful. So many of the kids who went to school with me were brilliant, but very much in need of help -- like me.
I think it's tragic that the school has changed. It was always a pressure cooker, but it was such a warm and good place for me back in 85.
4) I am a VERY GOOD TEST TAKER because I COME FROM A FAMILY OF EDUCATED PEOPLE WHO ARE GOOD TEST TAKERS. I practiced for tests with MY MOTHER'S practice texts. Oh yeah, and my mother speaks fluent French, my grandmother spoke Russian, Polish and knew Latin. And her English was exemplary.
5) Oh, and I'm white, lower-middle class, and even my crazy mother knows better than to screw with my education. I am in the minority in NYC. My students do not have these advantages.
What would it take? What if we just decided to take EACH KID and TEACH HIM/HER.
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