New Haven Independent

Posted by: Tim Holahan | April 28, 2009 11:54 AM

This is promising, if long overdue. It seems that the specifics (whether successful schools are really given the freedom to take innovation further, and how unsuccessful schools are held to account) will make or break it.

There are many New Haven citizens and parents who will be watching closely.

Posted by: anon | April 28, 2009 12:19 PM

Interesting plan. The Feds should help make New Haven a case study for this. If a turnaround worked within 5 years, the method could be replicated in larger cities whose school systems are much worse off, like Cleveland, Baltimore, New York, Philly, Rochester and Detroit.

But first, let's publish what the real drop out rate currently is, not a phony number.

Posted by: nomorereggiemayo | April 28, 2009 2:28 PM

Reggie ... will have a hard time letting go. Since he runs things so tightly, is he then not responsible for the current failing schools? Maybe the key to success depends on him being removed.

Posted by: City Hall Watch | April 28, 2009 3:21 PM

If there wasn't a $5 billion pool of federal dollars and an election year, we wouldn't be having this conversation. That's sad.

That Mayo admits he doesn't know how to turn these schools around and needs to hire more people who do, is just as bad. If the current crop of charters are getting better results; if the the children who just passed through the tough education can all get into private prep schools and did it on their own through hard work, long days and tons of homework - do we not have the formula for success right here, right now? What exactly are we getting for the more than $200 million a year we spend on education in New Haven?

Posted by: unprotected | April 28, 2009 7:19 PM

sounds like some of those "double dippers" will be back as consultants for a school system that was broken when they we dipping and re-dipping. so much for savings in the BOE.

Posted by: stoppassingthebuck | April 28, 2009 7:39 PM

How about a fourth tier? Get Reggies resignation. ... Instead of hiring principles bacause they are personal friends of yours how about thinking of the children for once and hiring because they are best qualified to help these children succeed in life.I am not saying that allprinciples are bad because thy are not I am just saying to do what is best for the children. why don't we go back to the old school and let the teachers teach instead of treating the teachers like robots you are only hurting the children. ...

Posted by: Election Year Again | April 28, 2009 7:41 PM

We have heard it all before. Get the teachers that think they are great fighting with those they think are mediocer. big staff cut backs in July to balance the budget. Forget it all after the election. Who cares quality goes down.

Posted by: stptia | April 28, 2009 9:22 PM

Sounds like the Mayor wants to give everyone a scholarship who graduates from high school?? Or maybe it is just those prone to destroy the good hard working experiences of others???

The incentive should be if you don't do your homework you'll end up in a low paying or with no job at all! We are failing people by giving them handouts simply to get them to stay in school!!!

Parents are failing their children and now tax payers have to pony up more cash???

We should start at the top and release Mayo from his ineffective services. He says himself that he has no idea how to get from point a to point b!!!

I quote:

"He said that in order to drive the Portfolio Schools Initiative, he is looking to hire one or perhaps two people with specific experience in dramatically renovating school systems."

THAT'S what he should be doing! Hire someone? He should do his job!

Also he says:

"It's going to be hard for me to relinquish control," he answered, which he'll have to do as tier-one schools gain autonomy. "But I'll be really involved in the tier-two schools, giving support, but on a new kind of basis. Also with those low-performing schools."

He should be worrying less about CONTROL and more about RESULTS!

Paul how can I set a filter so I don't have to read about these stories! They are wrecking my otherwise pleasant spring!

;-j

Posted by: Boristt | April 29, 2009 8:10 AM

THE PRINCIPALS ARE GOING TO HAVE MORE POWER. What a joke, Mr Mayo is just trying to put the blame on the teachers.The principals are close friends of Mayo he hired them, some dont even have the education to be a teacher let alone a principal and now he wants them to do his job.This is crazy,Where are we in oz.

Posted by: Exiled Italian Shill | April 29, 2009 8:38 AM

What do ya know? Two positive comments so far! As for the rest of the negative blogs some people will never be happy no matter is tried or rolled out. I think its worth the effort that Mayo has recognized that all is not right in the world of new haven education and is open to change, but if others continue to push on the fact that no matter what is tried they will still hate why should he even bother to try?

Posted by: Boristt | April 29, 2009 9:27 AM

EXILED ITALIAN SHILL. First what is a shill? Second Dr Mayo makes close to $200.000 a yr he's responsiable for the schools being what they are.Third as for the negative blogs is where tired of all the excuses,where spending to much money on education, This doesn'nt happen any where else but new haven.

Posted by: FIX THE SCHOOLS | April 29, 2009 10:03 AM

The Portfolio Schools Initiative is not a new idea. It is being done right now in Hartford under Supt. Adamowski. After only one full year, Hartford's (aggregate) test scores went up by 4 percentage points. This may not sound like much, but Hartford's improvement led all state districts. If Hartford continues on this pace, their achievement gap will be closed within ten years. I'd sign up for that.

The Mayor and the Supt. are to be commended for taking this course. Closing the gap in New Haven will be difficult operationally and politically. It will necessarily involve parting ways with old methods and old friends. It is far easier for Dr. Adamowski as an outsider to come in and be the agent of change. Its not as easy if you reverse course after so many years.

Nonetheless, DeStefano and Mayo are our best hope for getting it right. For that reason alone and for the thousands of children in the district today, and kids who will be in the district in the future, we need to not let our well-developed cynicism get in the way. Its ok to remain sceptical, but lets give them a chance to do as they say they will.

Transparency has never been stronger within the system as it is today. The press (or whats left of it) has never been as tuned into the fundamental issues as it is now (Go NHI!). Most importantly, the Mayor has now essentially said the buck stops with him on the issue of school quality.

We as voters now know positively, absolutely who to hold responsible for the success or failure of fixing our schools.

Posted by: City Hall Watch | April 29, 2009 10:50 AM

Fix:
Make no mistake, voters have always known who to hold responsible. It's the same two who have now had an epiphany of sorts on education reform. I just wish it was reform they believed in vs acting like Craigs List girls who for a few dollars will drop their drawers.

Exiled Shill:
You're not exiled. You're still around and keep defending the indefensible. As for the negativity, this battle and many others have been waged for many years. Stubborn, divisive, elitist leadership that provides lip service and excuses as stand-ins for poor performance is not easily overcome by a skeleton of a reform movement ripped off from Hartford.

Posted by: FIX THE SCHOOLS | April 29, 2009 2:26 PM

CHW,

I don't agree that voters have always known who to hold accountable.

The reason why we are now "re-setting the clock" on the mayor and supt. is because up until very recently, both men never acknowledged that the schools even had any responsibility TO close the gap.

If you recall, during his ill-fated run for governor, the mayor actually ran partly on a his schools' track record, i.e. the impressive graduation rate (now understood to be bologna), the attractiveness of the magnet program, and the massive school construction program. None of these accomplishments touched upon closing the gap. Why? Well, it wasn't just because there had been no success at closing the gap, but because these guys didn't even believe it to be their problem! If you listened to the rhetoric coming from the city/school leadership on the topic of the underperformance of our low income students, the blame was always placed on either:

1) The State for not sending millions and millions more to New Haven; or

2) Poor parents themselves for not instilling middle class values in their children.

There was no recognition that the schools themselves (BOE, admin, and teachers) had any responsibility whatsoever to fix the problem on their own. They were always "doing their best" (sigh).

Lots of people and voters bought into this load of crap. People still do!

Well now, for whatever combination of reasons, the mayor himself has not only acknowledged that the situation is terrible and unacceptable, but that we (he) can and will do something about it!

It may be very late in coming, but the importance of this shift in rhetoric (and probably idealogy) cannot be over-emphasized.

Posted by: City Hall Watch | April 29, 2009 3:24 PM

Fix:

If we don't get new leadership in New Haven this November, then I will hope together with you, that's DeStefano's new love of education for all is not a foxhole conversion brought on by a change national election, federal dollars and a pitiful personal/local record of leadership. Thanks by the way, for the memory lane of his past positions on public education.

Posted by: Streever | April 29, 2009 8:29 PM

I'm happy with this work--I wish it came sooner, and I hope it stays. Say what you will about DeStefano. He eventually comes around to the position that people have advocated for years & years.

Posted by: Proud of New Haven | April 29, 2009 10:21 PM

While you negative nellies continue to focus on the negative and seek demons while ignoring the fact that there is a legitimate and factual socioeconomic divide in this county and a urban educational disparity, Dr. Mayo has set a course to reform NHPS before reform was en vogue.

Data driven analysis is a major part of President Obama's plan. Dr. Mayo has been doing it for years and has put his money where his mouth is to purchase a data system and train staff to use the technology in order to target educational interventions on a individual student level. While other districts will struggle to catch up, New Haven is primed to move ahead.

President Obama has refocused the need for pre-K instruction. Dr. Mayo has overseen the creation and expansion of the largest pre-K program in the state. Put the pre-K and the data together and the momentum starts to build as evidenced in the promising and significant test score gains over the last few years.

Dr. Mayo, through the District Improvement plan has called for higher quality teachers and administrators with a transparant review process. This is now also a major component of the Reform model he has unveiled with the Mayor.

Dr. Mayo oversaw a revolutionary change in wellness in New Haven with the exclamation point being the dynamic transition to more healthy and sustainable school food for students. New Haven is the envy of other districts on these fronts and many more.

Curriculum upgrades, technology upgrades, wellness and food upgrades, facility upgrades and cutting edge energy efficiency programs, test score upgrades, pre-school expansion and other upgrades have happened under his watch and are primed to move to another level with the Reform plan.

I for one am excited about this and happy that Dr. Mayo had the vision to lead in these areas. And guess what Fix, if NHPS had more resources he could have done more faster.

Fix and CHW, name me one Urban District across that has the across the Board success that you chastise Dr. Mayo for not achieving. The fact is there are none.

Dr. Mayo should be proud of the gains he has overseen. They are factually and statistically dynamic. However, he has the vision to not accept these gains. He demands more of his staff and he works for more for his students.

So, he has raised the bar once again. New Haven will be the first Urban district to achieve across the board. It will close the achievement gap to the state average.

Dr. Mayo has never said that more work need not be done. Of course more work needs to be done. If he felt the way Fix and CHW claim he does then why has he been moving forward with the data plans, the curriculum changes, the pre-school expansion, the K-8 transition, the ELL intevention programs, the school construction program and the revamping of the Food program to name a few? He is not and has never been about the status quo. He is about moving New Haven forward. The foudation is in place. The time is now. Yes it will take money. Yes it will take renewed commitment. Yes it will take some changes in the way things are done. Dr. Mayo seems ready for the challenge and he, like the President, is challenging each of us to step up as well. I accept the challenge.

Posted by: Hood Rebel | April 29, 2009 10:36 PM

Hey Slick Fix:

Another of your rabid, disingenuous and underhanded rant like this one: until now Mayo "never acknowledged that the schools even had any responsibility TO close the gap"
Dude, at least keep it real.. But if you can't keep it real, at least check your facts on Hartford's growth over the last 2 years compared to New Haven's. You've got it wrong, Dude!

Posted by: Tom Burns | April 29, 2009 10:44 PM

I'm looking forward to this discussion and a real change that will benefit our whole school community. I believe our teachers and our union know what it will take to get our students to be the best they possibly can be. If we are truly a partner in the decision-making then I am very excited about the possibilities. I applaud JD and DR. M for their vision and their courage to change course when necessary----let's make New Haven's educational system second to none--T

Posted by: ?? | April 29, 2009 10:56 PM

It would give Mayo much more credibility if he could speak in complete sentences. We had a folksy president who you could "have a beer with" and look how that turned out.

Also, "I'm the driver" sounds an awful lot like "I'm the decider".

It is a terrible idea to make the school day longer (unless you're talking about boarding school). The middle class students who do activities outside of school will go to private school because the city schools' opportunities for things like music lessons (in the lower grades, ECA is great) are not on par with what Neighborhood Music School and other organizations provide. Parents who are actually involved in their children's education want to see them and you need at least a few committed parents if a school has any hope of success.

Posted by: PlayThatFunkyMusic | April 30, 2009 6:40 AM

I guess thiss means that Imma is getting ready to retire. This scenario has been played out so many times in the past - a new set of middle management is hired for a new asst supe. When that asst supe retires then she is responsible for getting rid of her staff. The press releases are meant for public consumption to give the aura that new and exciting things are happening in the district. Nothing changes.

Posted by: Jeremiah | April 30, 2009 7:56 AM

What's wrong with the NHPS? Most anyone who has been affiliated with them for awhile, and if they are honest can tell you:

1. Hiring for many administrative positions are done through one or two well connected New haven churches.

2. In return for the Churches giving them jobs, the newly appointed adminisrators tithe their salaries to the churches.

3. The Reverends deliver the votes of their congregations to Destefano.

4. If you are not connected to these churches it is most difficult to be promoted to administrator even if you are very highly qualified.

5. If you are connected, and "the right fit" promotion is facilitated even if in some cases you are not highly qulaified.

6. There is no shortage of qulaified administrative candidates out there- just a shortage of condidates who are both qualified AND connected.

7. The mayor gets the votes and stays in office.

8. Certain churches and their leaders get the tithes and the power.

9. Some well connected people, qualified or not, get the jobs.

10. The kids of New Haven lose.

11. Patronage as usual!

Posted by: TIRED & SAD | April 30, 2009 10:36 AM

"Nonetheless, DeStefano and Mayo are our best hope for getting it right. For that reason alone and for the thousands of children in the district today, and kids who will be in the district in the future, we need to not let our well-developed cynicism get in the way." WRONG!!!

This is a pipe dream. I too want to be hopeful; what parent would not want to be. However, the only way for there to be substantial, effective and lasting change to occur in the NHPS is for both DeStefano & Mayo to LEAVE. The dictatorial nature of their leadership has been stiffling to teachers and innovative principals alike, and has been a deathknell to our children. I do not believe it is because they calculating say- let us kill the future for the children. No, it is because they are self-obsorbed politicians whose egos prevent them from putting the interest of those they are supposed to be serving first.

What has been happening in the NHPS to a large percentage of students and principals has been criminal. Yet, it goes on. No one can go up against DeStefano or Mayo and earn a living in the city. The sacrificial lambs have been the students, especially those who have no dynamic parents to advocate for their education.

The Dept of Education Central Office is a warehouse for incompetent and connected administrators. Take a close look at those at 54 Meadow Street with the titles; most are from failed schools. Why are they there & at what costs? Why have they waited until thousands of our children have dropped out, ended up in trouble and just plain failed before now coming up with a 3-tier system? Why are we putting the foxes to guard the hen-house? Mayo said it himself - it will be hard to relinquish control. He is a dictator! A dictator will always be a dictator. Besides, how many schools will be on Tier 1 anyway? Of the 47 schools, let us be generous and say 4. Of the remaining 43, there are at least 23 Tier 3 schools. Get that real innovator in DC to come up and make real and sustainable changes. Think of how much NH could save by really cleaning house at the BOE. Put that money in the schools. Prepare our kids for the 21st century.

Why have DeStefano & Mayo's egos been allowed to get nurtured while the lives of so many children have been ruined? Most good principals in NH are prisoners; they cannot do what they know works, unless they have personal favor with Dr. Mayo. DeStefano should be charged with dereliction of duty for what he has allowed to happen in NH. Notice that each time he is running for re-election he comes up with another brilliant idea.
John Dow where are you when NH really NEEDS you?

Posted by: FIX THE SCHOOLS | April 30, 2009 11:07 AM

Lets be clear, if Dr. Mayo is going to remain the Supt., I WANT Dr. Mayo to succeed!!

The past is past. Be bold, be courageous, be tough. Your efforts are for the kids, and EVERYONE (even your harshest critics) know you love the kids. Go Doc!

Posted by: Seth | April 30, 2009 5:47 PM

I think education reform for New Haven is as simple as hiring young people who return to the city with a college education. The city and BOE have a poor track record of this. They tend to hire from "without," which leads to problems. People who are of the city have a better rapport with the people in the city. My hope is that one day we all see this logic prevail.

Posted by: Harry David | May 1, 2009 8:15 AM

I have been following this discussion with interest. Some belated thoughts.

Let us analyze this PSI -- Portfolio School Initiative". The key ingredient is differentiation between schools as between those that are successful and those that are not.

The first and top performing tier will receive more leeway in how they are run -- "..have a school day of 12 hours if they wanted.They will control their budget and their curriculum, staffing, and even fundraising, all of which are now tightly and uniformly controlled by central headquarters."

The second-tier schools, he majority, "...will receive support from the central office to try to elevate them to the first tier. That help would include performance incentives."

The third or bottom tiered schools will receive the most central office intervention. Turnaround experts will be called in if necessary. If these schools continue to fail, Mayo said, shutting down and potential chartering is a possibility, with the city supervising the charter school".

Note the flawed premise contained in these statements of what is purported to be a major reform initiative. That premise is that central direction and support (control?) will be provided to failing schools to help them improve. Perhaps the problem with these failing schools is the high degree of "support" and centralized direction they now receive??

Is it not ironical that those most responsible for our failing schools will, under this epiphany, now receive more of the same central direction that got them here?? If more successful schools deserve more leeway in running their schools why would the less successful ones not need even more innovation and leeway -- which is the opposite of what is being proposed?? They get more "support" from those who have been so supportive for so long?

With the results we have all seen. The New Haven School district ranks in the bottom 10% of all Connecticut schools in all measures of performance, 4th and 8th grade reading, writing math and science scores in the CAPT and other tests.

Tax dollars -- to the tune of around $5 billion have been expended on our schools over the past 10 years, with $1.5 billion for facilities improvements and the rest for other education expenses -- have produced these extremely poor results because of the heavy hand of those directing our schools. So the plan to turn these around is to provide them with more central support? Does something seem amiss here?

I cannot say I know all the elements of what makes a school successful and what makes them fail. Yet we have resisted even recognizing we have a problem for the past 10 years and have resisted those who had the temerity to point out that we have a problem. And we do have successful schools -- some in the public system and some in the more innovatively managed Amistaad/Achievement First cadre of schools.

Achievement First takes it's intake from the same pool as the New Haven public system -- I understand the intake by lottery is managed by the Public schools -- yet they have consistently achieved much higher successful outcomes in terms of graduation rates and performance on mastery tests. Yet in the public school system, those schools serving the under-priveleged, lower income population that need education the most to secure better paid jobs in our economy, seem to perform the worst.

Some of the elements for success seem to have been identified at Amistad and other successful school systems. Perhaps freedom from restrictions that inhibit innovation and enterprise are part of the reason.

I know of no organization that succeeds when it's leadership (principals) cannot be offered incentives for performance, when that leadership cannot have a freer hand in incentivizing teachers and administrators to perform better, and when work hours and schedules are so tightly managed without regard for the interests of the purported beneficiaries -- the students.

The Mayor has identified the social ills the City faces -- low income, crime, affordable housing. The good news is that the Mayor seems to have had an epiphany just before his next run and now recognizes education as the key. Yet nowhere in the releasees I have seen has there been any reference to how education will change in the second and bottom tiers. What incentives, teaching hours, curricula changes, teacher selection and assignments, etc., will be considered to improve performance?

Non-incremental changes are needed and are claimed for this new PSI. Yet no fundamental changes in thinking have been made public, so credibility is a bit strained. What makes these new promises any more credible now, given the record of the past several years?

It is progress in itself that the condition of our schools has been diagnosed. I wish we are given more information to assess the credibility of those who would now profess to save our schools and the education culture that has brought us to where we now are.

AT a time when Hartford, Bridgeport and even NYC, among other school systems, are making giant strides, this is no time for coyness and secrecy as to exactly what are the means by which these new objectives will be met. WE remain to be convinced.

Harry

Posted by: FIX THE SCHOOLS | May 1, 2009 9:14 AM

Tired and Sad,

In lieu of any real opposing mayoral candidate, we HAVE to put our faith in the dynamic duo. There is no other choice unless you want to find a last minute viable mayoral candidate.

So, if we have no real choice right now then all we can do is support any legitimate in-house reform efforts that DeStefano/Mayo decide to make. The devil will be in the execution of the plan, but the vision expressed by the mayor and the supt. is VERY legitimate, very AMBITIOUS.

So where does that leave us?

Well, we can whine and gripe about years past, but that won't help fix the schools and prepare our kids for the 21st century and the knowledge economy. So I suggest that we rally around this vision, hold them to their word, and make it easier for the politicians to shake the place up.

The only reason why accomplishments won't match the vision will be because the mayor and the supt. will feel that the tough solutions will not be politically acceptable. In order to become the best urban district in the country, thousands of people are going to have to change the way that they do business. And we the the public must support that change. We must demand that action follow ideas. If we fail to be a part of the political process, the union leadership and the patronage system will dilute all efforts and progress will not occur.

Posted by: Hood Rebel | May 1, 2009 12:32 PM

When are you folks going to stop the bigoted assumptions and comments like: Achievement First accepts the "same" students as rest of New Haven.

FYI! Black and latino kids on free and reduced lunch at Beecher as a group are not necessarily "the same" as black and latino students who attend Celentano, and these students also, are not necessarily "the same" as black and latino kids who attend Roberto Clemente; and black and latino students on free and reduced lunch at Clemente are not necessarily the same as black and latino students who attend Amistad...Christ!

New Haven's responsibility is to provide the highest quality education for all children, no matter what it takes, in a differentiated way that makes sense.

The elitists of the city ought to stop describing the children of our diverse community in such a bullshit monolithic one dimensional manner. Our children are NOT all THE SAME!

Posted by: FIX THE SCHOOLS | May 1, 2009 4:32 PM

Hoodie,

Less than 35% of black and latino children in CT. are performing at grade level. Compare that to 65% of white children. What are the reasons?

Poverty? Nope. AF serves a disproportinatley higher number of low income children than does the district. More special ed and ESL kids in the district? There are more, but the higher number doesn't come close to explaining the variance in performance.

Posted by: FIX THE SCHOOLS | May 1, 2009 4:44 PM

I didn't finish my rabid rant...

To what end do you continuously offer your lame excuses and diversions? i.e. "Our children are not the same!"?

Of course children are not the same. And thats the point. No matter how different low income minority children are from one another, no matter their academic potential (same as white kids), the school system fails miserably at serving their needs. The system has never been able to deliver a sufficient number of New Haven's children to the doorstep of college, ready to succeed.

AF is merely an important data point evidencing that we can do a lot better than we have been doing. Finally Destefano and Mayo realize this.

Posted by: Hood Rebel | May 1, 2009 6:33 PM

Slick Fix,

Between us friends, ofcourse YOU would call me "lame", I am not like you and your little elitist group.

But let's hope Doc. Mayo and the Mayor take a hard look at what really works for ALL children to succeed and not the fast and loose data that you sling around to defend your turf.

I understand your position: How dare a lame "hoodie" like me, continue to point out the bias and bigotry you purport by insisting the children of our community are "the same."

How dare lame "hoodie" like me point out that some AF schools are also on the state list of schools not making adequate yearly progress and an AF highschool of homegrown AF students retained, lost ( or drop-ed out?) a whole group of kids who live in the hood (nearly half) forcing a State Department of Education review.

HONESTY IN DATA MATTERS; not just your self-selected, transparently underhanded attacks and sideswipes.

Keep up the rabid rant, dude!

"hoodie" keeping it real!

Posted by: Yes We Can | May 1, 2009 8:11 PM

Fix:

You cannot help yourself. You try to be nice and supportive but then, God forbid, someone pierces the veil of AF and the claws come out. You sir are a disengenuous elitest, period end.

Please sir explain why an AF school does not make AYP. If you have all the answers how do you not make AYP. I cannot be the system, the kids or the parents as you say so it must be you.

Please sir explain how you claim one number of 9th graders and then a dramatically smaller number take the CAPT test in 10th grade. Are you holding kids back? "Counseling" kids back to NHPS?

Please sir, answer me how many Principals your schools have had over the last three years:

a) 1;
b) 2;
c) 3
d) More

I will give you a hint, it aint a or b.

You do not have the corner on logic to urban education. At best, you are a piece (perhaps a valuable one) to the puzzle but that is it.

Get over yourself dude!

NHPS makes no excuses. It has moved ahead and has received the deserved attention of US News and World Report, the State of CT and the Nation.

More work is to be done and it will be done with or without you.

Yes We Can!

PS Hey Harry David next time you are on planet earth let me know and I will be happy to deal with your distortions of fact. With your math skills you need to go back to school. If you are going to make things up why not go whole hog and claim $1 trillion?

Posted by: teachergal | May 2, 2009 12:20 PM

Maybe we need to look at what the private schools are doing. What about Hooker school, I'm sure they're doing something special that the rest of us don't know about? It must be the excellent teaching staff and administration.

More young teachers???? They are coming and going quicker than you can blink an eye. They are both disallusioned and frustrated, unless they are teaching at Hooker, and the specific support is not available. They are either leaving teaching or moving to the suburbs.

Experienced, older teachers are being made to feel like they should be put out for pasteur even though they have much to offer from their years of experience and education. But what do i know, i'm one of them. Being professionally developed by teachers who could be my own children. That would be fine if they weren't teaching us about things that have been around for years. No differentiation of professional development for teachers that's for sure. I worked at a school that was doing "Readers/Writers Workshop" when it first introduced. We were criticized, too radical, too much responsibility given to children" and now, it is the new "Reading Initiative" for all schools in New Haven. LOL!

Students, they have more needs than ever before. Social skills and character education are more important than ever and like it or not, they must be taught in school. But we don't have much time for that with all the test prep/testing we do. No wonder so many of our students hate school. So would I.

Inclusion....wonderful concept but underfunded and unfair to many of our struggling students.
I see countless numbers of students sitting in classrooms not knowing which way is up and no one there to support them. Why aren't we providing direction and support to make this philosphy work. There are ways that wouldn't take money just some out of the box thinking.

Mayo needs to retire....he is a bully and dictator as many who have had the pleasure of meeting with him will agree. He puts on his happy face for photo shoots and large group meetings only. Behind closed doors he's scary! $200,000 dollars a year, what a crime.

Tier 1, 2, 3 schools??? Does anyone remember the Bold Goals initiative from years ago?? Sounds like more of the same rhetoric but only time will tell.

How about taking a look at what they are doing in other countries that have successful high school/college graduation rates. There are many things we can learn from our world neighbors.

Lastly, Our young children come of school with lots of enthusiasm that is quickly snuffed out with the bombardment of academic skills that are placed on them. If we spent kindergarten on social skills, communication, story telling, drama, music and art, before bombarding them with academic skills we might see some different results.

Just my two cents for the day!

Posted by: KickenItLive | May 2, 2009 9:19 PM

Hoodie,

Let's say you're right. These kids need individual attention. Is Mayo the one who can really get the job done? He doesn't speak in whole sentences, his accension to supt was predicated on politcal favors and cronyism, his doctoral degree was completed through an act of academic dishonesty, he has seen no reason to actually teach these kids anything - relying on the Comer school model that ignore imparting of knowledge, and has allowed the Board President to remain after such Board President just about got fired for committing a fraud against his own students, rehires a disgraced administrator who had a history of inappropriate behavior towards his youthfull student, and continues to enforce manditory campaign contributions, on behalf of the Mayor, amongst BOE employees.

What am I missing? What are you waiting for? Get real, cause right now your not real at all. There's no way you can educate and inspire kids in that cesspool.

Posted by: FIX THE SCHOOLS | May 3, 2009 6:05 PM

YES WE CAN,

YES! If any AF school does not make AYP - then they own it! Goodness, is it possible we actually agree on something?!! Halallujah!!

Lots of schools fail to make AYP (adequate yearly progress), even including some excellent gap-closing charters schools. Why? Because winning this war doesn't happen overnight and it may not happen over several years. It is incredibly hard work. There are successes and failures. But the basic difference between great schools and bad ones is that there are alot more successes at great schools and a lot more failures at bad ones.

And at great schools, when they fail to bring a student all the way to the doorstep of a 4 year college, then school leadership owns the failure. They don't blame the student or the family. The adults in the building sign up to deliver the child to the doorstep of college. No excuses. Whatever it takes. You don't win em all, but you sure as hell don't put the blame on anyone else. Not the student, not the parents, not the state, not the money. The school owns it.

The next time you see a poster to this site blame poor parenting, or a lack of funding as being the problems with public schools, you will be reading the words of someone who has no place in the future of urban education.

A couple of other points:

Its fascinating that for years some of the supporters of the status quo (Hoodie, YesWeCan, and others)say that charter kids aren't the same, that they are somehow "creamed". That AF either enjoys the benefit of a positive lottery bias somehow, or they push out the weaker scholars. And yet as you point out, the data tells us that some AF students have a long way to go. So which is it? Do they have an elite group of students who would succeed wherever they go? Or do they keep kids who are really struggling?

YWC, what principal turnover are you talking about? And in any event are you saying that principal turnover is inherently bad? While I think that consistency in school leadership is a lot more desireable than constant change, it sure doesn't trump student achievement. But in general there has been remarkable principal consistency in AF CT. Some principals leave their positions to take on more responsibility as well or to take on another job. Growth and professional ambitions are to be encouraged not stifled. But what is your point about turnover? You don't like it even if current leadership might not be working?

on NHPS, hopefully they will NO LONGER make excuses. I really think they are cutting it way back. But are you kidding with "they don't make excuses"? Look, I am no longer going to dwell on ancient history with NHPS. The district has made some important first moves to reverse course - which is what FIX has been fixated on for a long time. Why dwell on old comparisons when you are in agreement about what to do now. (p.s. This doesn't mean we will ALWAYS be in agreement, although I hope so!)

And lastly Hoodie, I will repeat what I wrote above. Less than 35% of black and latino children in CT. are performing at grade level. Compare that to 65% of the state average. At AF, Jumoke, KIPP, and Uncommon Schools, the numbers of minority students performing at grade level are 30% higher. What are the reasons? And more importantly, what have you got against that kind of wonderful reversal?

Posted by: Harry David | May 3, 2009 9:46 PM

YEs: We Can: Not too productive to get so fixated on precisely how much we spent on education in the past decade if you will just allow that we spend 60% + of the City's budget on education and do not get our money's worth.

You wrote: "PS Hey Harry David next time you are on planet earth let me know and I will be happy to deal with your distortions of fact. With your math skills you need to go back to school. If you are going to make things up why not go whole hog and claim $1 trillion?"

I have no desire to distort facts and will be happy to correct any you can point out. If you add the $1.5 billion spent on school construction to the annual budgets spent on education in the General Fund including pension and benefit costs, plus the Special Fund budgets, the capital fund budget with attendant interest costs, and you will find that $5 billion is not an exaggerated estimate for what we spent on education over the past 10 years.

I am not really interested in quibbling about whether the money comes from the City or the State, from the General, Special or Capital funds -- New Haven taxpayers ultimately pay it and have a right to expect more in the way of educational performance.

No point in debating the precision of this number -- my main point was that we are not getting educational performance for whatever we are spending. If we can agree on this we can make progress.

Harry

Posted by: Yes We Can | May 4, 2009 7:30 AM

Harry:

I will not "allow you" the inflated and invented 60% figure that you have created as it is not true.

I find it very interesting that your statements go from "fact" to "estimate" pretty quickly when you ask simple questions. If you spent more time understanding what you are looking at as opposed to so giddily making up facts by adding up every number you can find with no acknowledement of revenue offsets (the true bottom line) whatsoever then you would, perhaps, be performing a public service.

My favorite is your catchall defense of, if you show me where I made a mistake I will correct it. History shows you will not correct it whether in these factually challenged rants or in your public statements. Rather, you will simply note that there is some disagreement with your math but you stand by the point. Or you will find some other numbers some where and add those in to offset what you were forced to keep out. That does not strike me as a desire to correct the record. Instead it seems that your desire is and remains to start with the conclusion and then work your way backwards.

Transparancy and accountability are critical in any government. This is true not only of the elected officials but also the watchdogs like you.

Posted by: Harry David | May 5, 2009 11:56 AM

Yes We Can: CAn I call you YWC? I am beginning to feel as if I know you!!

You come across as a bit angry -- I would be angry too at having to deal with all these big confusing numbers. But I try to contain myself and deal as rationally as I know with such information as is available.

I had nothing better to do this morning and thought I'd check out that "inflated and invented 60% figure" that so aroused your ire. I have to admit that I owe you an apology. After a bit further research I find that the figure I should have used is 57.88%. I apologize for the error and offer the basis for this number below.

I also will confess to applying creative accounting techniques in trying to bring together ALL the costs the City of New Haven incurs for education -- and not just the numbers displayed in line item 900 of the General Fund.

I found the following in the 2009-10 City of New Haven budget. Forgive me if I will not take the trouble to find the exact page numbers -- I am sure it is all there.

Education Costs

General Fund $173 MM
Pension/Benefits $ 40 MM
Debt Service $ 37 MM
Capital Fund $ 35 MM
Special Fund $ 71 MM

Total $356 MM (57.88% of total below)

Total Budget
General Fund $464 MM
Capital Fund $ 51 MM
Special Fund $100 MM

Total $615 MM

Let us put this matter to rest. If you wish to challenge me to a duel on the green I shall have to take fencing lessons and obtain term insurance, something I'd prefer not to have to do.

Posted by: Jeremiah | May 5, 2009 5:16 PM

For years Reggie Mayo, and before him John Dow complained that there was a shortage of qualified candidates to serve as administrators in the NHPS.
This to me is quite curious. Over the years of working in the NHPS, and into the present, I have met many very qualified teachers who desired to become administrators. Some of these potential candidates had years of exemplary service as teachers in the NHPS, had won professional awards and recognition outside the school system, had 'real' advanced degrees from good universities, (not bogus diploma mills) and demonstrated great dedication to the mission educating the children of New Haven. In almost all of these cases these educators never advanced to administrative positions.

Others,some qualified, many not, were routinely and in short order advanced through the ranks at breathtaking speed.

Does someone have the courage to explain how this happened?

Posted by: Tom Burns | May 12, 2009 12:01 AM

Let's hold everyone accountable, but the children.