New Haven Independent

posted by: City Hall Watch on February 8, 2010  11:58am

Let’s be clear. Our schools desperately need reform in the classroom and in the administration of our far flung educational system. The question is what reform is being proposed and how can people be asked to support something about which they know nothing about? The parents at Hooker the other night made that clear to the DeStefano/Mayo road tour. What are we suppposed to do, what are we supposed to support? There were no clear answers. What has come out, is that the business of school reform will be formulated behind closed doors and only after it is done, will it be revealed to the full NHPS Board of Education and the public.

What is disturbing is the rush to support the politics of “school reform” without knowing what it includes and signing up to lobby for school “resources” when nobody knows what is needed. Is this money? Facilities? Books?  When the mayor talks resources, he generally means money. If we’re spending roughly $17,000 per kid in school now, how much more financial resources are we talking about? If we need more money, who has it and, how does that square with a decrease in enrollment? Should/can needed school reform resources be re-purposed internally?

There are many questions and it is way pre-mature to sign on as a pol or a parent to a program that hasn’t even been drafted yet.

posted by: It's About ME!!! on February 8, 2010  12:01pm

Yet another chance for Darnell Goldson to make something about himself.  Pretty ridiculous in this context.

If you are against encouraging parents to join their local PTA, then you are pretty much against everything that might come from City Hall.

“I’m not sure I support giving blood seeing as how some vampires in my ward may have their own strategy for blood banks.”

Hey stay off my lawn or I’m gonna call the cops.

posted by: Tom on February 8, 2010  12:34pm

With all his obstructionism and showboating, I think Goldson’s got himself confused with a Republican congressman. Pretty soon we’ll see him on Fox News shedding tears with Glenn Beck and drawing up nefarious conspiracy theories on a blackboard using the letters in DeStanfo’s name.

posted by: funky chicken on February 8, 2010  1:37pm

I am not a big fan of Goldson but, I do agree that it is unfair to pressure someone to sign a pledge card with out knowing the full details and in front of cameras. But now he had a week to find out about the program and give the people of West Rock & New Haven an answer if he does or dosen’t support school reform.

PS I do support school reform and believe that it will be a cornerstone of our revival as a city.

posted by: Darnell on February 8, 2010  2:10pm

Let’s be HONEST, EVERYONE supports school reform and the concept of PTAs. The question becomes, what is New Haven reform program? No one seems to know, and even DeStefano, Mayo and Harries admitted at community meeting last week that they have a hard time explaining it to people. To ask someone to sign a pledge in front of the TV cameras without explaining what it means is unfair, and I refuse to participate in that show. Parents such as I have been eager for reform for a very long time, I’ve already had two children go through the system, and I have a third currently in 2nd grade. So far this process has consisted of a lot of sound bites with no real substance or way for parents to have REAL input.  As an alderman, I still have not been briefed by the administration.

For those folks who have commented about position, why don’t you tell here on this page what school reform in New Haven is.

posted by: The Professor on February 8, 2010  2:15pm

I’m sorry, but if Mr. Goldson thinks that the school reform agenda is “poorly defined,” it’s because he’s been spending too much time grandstanding and not enough time doing his homework on the actual issues facing the city. 

This article contains a link to the School Change website.  From the main page of that website, you can click on a section conveniently labeled “school reform documents,” which leads you here: http://www.nhps.net/scc/index.  As you see, this page contains a general overview of the agenda, as well as preliminary recommendations for implementation and other supporting documents.

The information is right in front of him.  If he reads it and disagrees, that’s one thing.  But hiding behind this “it’s poorly defined” line is yet another piece in the growing body of evidence that shows that Goldson is more interested in boosting his media presence than he is in doing the hard work that needs to be done to improve the city, regardless of who gets the credit.

posted by: Outside the Box on February 8, 2010  2:56pm

I would be surprised to learn that Mayor Destefano actually expected the Yale alderman to find 10 parents of school-aged children in his ward to join the PTA, so perhaps his inability to do so is not quite that big a deal—I don’t understand what the first part of this article has to do with the pledge, school reform or really anything else in the article.  It seems to focus on a small, mostly irrelevant aspect of this story.  That said, would it be unreasonable to expect Alderman Michael Jones to take some initiative and try to bring Yale students into the City’s reform efforts?  I’m sure that there is some for New Haven to make constructive use of 10 enthusiastic Yale volunteers in this project.

For example, perhaps it would be more appropriate for a college student to approach aldermen about trying to get their neighborhoods involved in school reform.  If Alderman Goldson has really been unable to understand the City’s school reform agenda, a student could use some free time to talk to him about it—its not like aldermen have a responsibility to work directly with city employees to clarify and craft city policy!

Alderman Goldson needs to get over whatever personal problem he has with Mayor Destefano and, at the very least, work with the administration on getting his constituents involved in school policy and the PTA.  There are ways to express legitimate policy concerns, but refusing to either work with the administration to understand its position on school reform or working with his constituents to involve them in education is absurd and irresponsible.  I liked the blood donation analogy—Goldson’s reasoning in not participating AT ALL in this is completely irrational.  Alderman should have some sort of actual commitment to helping their constituents and the city as a whole.  I’m sure there will be plenty of room for unnecessary, petty grandstanding nonetheless.

posted by: Threefifths on February 8, 2010  3:56pm

I agree with Goldson on this one. For those who surport King John and this so call school reform which is nothing more that a corporate take over run by Lawyers. Ask you self if parents are to be a part of this ,Then Why is he picking parent for the Board.You all rember this.

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2009/11/parents_brought.php

That right King John pick the parents.

School reform should start with a Elected School board based on a election held by wards,Just as you do for the alderperson.

posted by: notty on February 8, 2010  3:56pm

To the Professor and Outside the box:

Here is the school reform particulars the Mayor is refering to

School Reform Goals
(1)  Raise achievement—bring student scores on CMT and CAPT exams to state averages by 2015.
(2)  Cut the dropout rate in half in five years.
(3)  Ensure that 100% of graduating seniors have the choice to go to college.
(4)  Make sure that students are academically prepared and financially able to complete college.
School Reform Roadmap
We must implement a comprehensive initiative to reform the schools using four main strategies:
(1)  Increase accountability.  Set higher and clearer expectations for students and adults, and hold them to it!  Assess each school to determine where it is in meeting high standards for success (Tier I is doing well; Tier II needs a little help; Tier III needs central office intervention).
(2)  Use a different approach.  The school is the basic unit of student need.  Provide resources and services for each school according to what students and staff require, not according to a one-size fits all approach.  In this way, we develop a portfolio of fifty different but equally effective schools that achieve the best student outcomes.
(3)  Focus on talent.  We must attract and hire the very best teachers, principals, and other school administrators available.  And we must consistently support the professionalism of teachers through their career, supporting and developing school staff so that quality and effectiveness increases.
(4)  Commit to a big promise.  Every graduating senior that wants to go to college will go to college!  The New Haven Promise scholarship program will ensure that all students who meet academic standards are rewarded with financial security for higher education.

I beg the difference, The Mayor and his cronies are grandstanding. If either one of you knew anything about politricks you would agree with Alderman Donell Goldson, This information is very shallow and does not outline how any of these issues are going to be addressed. How is the question when you look at this so call school reform. How does the Administration plan to accomplish this reform is what I believe Goldson is asking, and seeing that the Administration has not sat in any meetings with the Aldermen they want to jump on board, why would you be surprise that Goldson is requesting the HOWs on implementing school reform so that if he pledge he could at least speak to his constiuents intelligently about the reform. Would either of you sign a contract without reading and getting an understanding of all the fine print, of which there arent any in this very poor and shallow School reform. The question is not WHAT MR. MAYOR AND MR. MAYO, its HOW, HOW, HOW, HOW, EXPLAIN TO ALL OF US HOW WILL YOU ACCOMPLISH THE THINGS YOU TALK ABOUT IN SCHOOL REFORM. MAKE IT TRANSPARENT FOR ALL TO SEE AND NOT JUST A FEW. Donell continue to give them hell, continue to make the Mayor and his band of idiots accountable.

posted by: To the Goldson Haters on February 8, 2010  4:15pm

Are you folks kidding. Goldson says that the administration has not engaged him or some other aldermen, except for this public display/photo op opportunity. No where, including in this article, have I heard him say that he was opposed to or would not engage in school reform. In fact, in his response above he says that he has advocated school reform for a long time now. I remember when he talked about running for state rep that was his main platform issue. Neither have I heard him say that he had any sort of problem, personal or otherwise, with DeStefano. Just because the guy says he doesn’t want to be ambushed by high school students, and he wants more information, and wants to be engaged by and with the administration, as the folks who voted for him expect, doesn’t define him as an obstructionist. But, it really doesn’t make a difference to some of you, like the Professor, who doesn’t have anything good to say about Goldson, since he is clearly an administration stooge.

Somehow, you haters believe that he tried to garner press coverage by deliberately getting himself arrested for taking pictures of blight in his community. So what’s the sense in even engaging you all in conversation.

posted by: City Hall Watch on February 8, 2010  4:37pm

Professor:
The website you linked to is for the New Haven Public School Foundation. Even if one chose to read up on school reform at the site, it is fairly limited. It does give an overview and target areas for reform, committee memberships and the like but I wouldn’t call it comprehensive or robust. I urge everybody to go there and read up on the basics some of which has been reported in the NHI. While that’s more information than most of us had, there is not a lot of meat there for us to agree to carry the banner. I think we are all in agreement with and generally support the concept of reform. But as with any major public policy shift (reform), the devil is always in the details and what passes as reform, may well not be reform at all. My prayer is that our local education reform is as robust and groundbreaking as some would have us believe. If the public is to provide buy-in to these changes, then those promoting it as the answer to systemic failure, must tell us how and why, what and when.

posted by: David on February 8, 2010  9:06pm

Goldson, CHW etc.

Let’s say you don’t believe that the Mayor has a real school reform program - a point I strongly disagree with and most people who are paying attention and who have an open mind on the Mayor will disagree with too - don’t you all think that enlisting parents in the PTO, regardless of whether there is reform, is something alders should do?  If Alderman Goldson has time to take pictures, surely have time to talk to parents about engagement in their children’s school.  School change or not, seems like something Mr. Goldson could embrace.

David

p.s. CHW, the New Haven Public School Foundation is supporting the School Change campaign, hence the website that Professor posted.  You should tell the teachers, who are taking major steps in re-defining the scope and behavior of their own union, that reform isn’t real.  If the Mayor was dictating everything to be done, his opponents would say he wasn’t open to parental input.  When he wants to get parents in on the ground level, the reform effort isn’t “real.”  Give me a break.

posted by: Goldson is Right on February 8, 2010  10:06pm

David, how does getting parents to participate in PTA meetings get them in at the ground level? What mechanism will be put in place to guarantee that they will have input? It is all a dog and pony show, sign up 600 parents t say they support school reform, and then ignore them. Goldson is right not to participate in that farce.

posted by: The Professor on February 8, 2010  11:44pm

Threefifths,

I can’t believe we’re getting back to this issue of elected vs. appointed school boards.  A purely elected board would be an unmitigated disaster.  All you’d need is someone with an agenda to push to race-bait or otherwise nefariously claw their way to victory (see Claudette Robinson-Thorpe’s 2009 campaign) and you’d end up with someone who potentially knows nothing about education calling some important shots. 

Do you have any specific disagreements with the Mayor’s appointments?  What do those disagreements stem from?  It seems to me that this whole elected vs. appointed BoE is nothing more than blind opposition to whatever the Mayor wants to do.  I’ll bet that if people who support the administration’s education priorities were to gain a majority of the BoE and Perez or James-Evans were to capture the BoA presidency, you’d be clamoring for BoA oversight of the BoE. 

To the Goldson Haters,

So let me get this straight, Goldson supports education reform but can’t be bothered to read the details of the New Haven plan?  Or maybe he has read the details and just doesn’t want to vote for anything that the Mayor supports?  Your whole viewpoint that Goldson is just a thoughtful dissenter is ridiculous on its face.  During his “filibuster” of red light cameras, he actually compared them to the Tuskegee syphilis experiments.  Now, he’s either lying or horribly misinformed when he says that the school reform agenda is “poorly defined.” If he were truly a thoughtful dissenter, the response wouldn’t be, “it’s poorly defined so I’m not signing anything,” it would probably be something more like, “this is poorly defined, but here are some areas where I would like to see more details, and I will commit to working with the residents of my ward to advance education reform that satisfactorily addresses these concerns.”  So, to reiterate, your contention that Goldson is a thoughtful dissenter would be far more convincing if he didn’t have a pattern of ridiculous comparisons and if he actually offered a constructive alternative every once in a while.

I also want to point out that I will absolutely say something positive about Goldson when he gives me something positive to say.  When commenters were questioning the credentials of the attorney that Goldson recruited to examine the Hamden fence issue, I was right there to argue that the law professor was actually a very serious academic with impeccable credentials, and that it wasn’t Goldson and the NHI trying to pass off some second-rate lecturer as a highly talented scholar and attorney.

City Hall Watch,

I think part of the point in not having every minor detail of the school reform plan fleshed out in advance is to create an opportunity for recruits to have some say in what happens.  In fact, right at the bottom of the list of committees and committee members, it says “[a]ll committees and committee members will interact with wider groups of stakeholders as well, including parents with the newly launched Citywide PTO leadership body.”

So, by asking us to buy in to a fairly defined set of principles and goals, the Mayor is encouraging the community to ensure that reform is robust and groundbreaking.  By participating in the PTO, we actually get a chance to determine the “how” and “when”!  That’s actually the great irony of people like Goldson refusing to help recruit people to get involved—the more people he recruits, the more people from his community will have their voices heard in the reform process.  And to think, a few months ago, he was waving around a spreadsheet saying that his ward didn’t have enough representation.

posted by: Threefifths on February 8, 2010  11:50pm

David

Goldson, CHW etc.

Let’s say you don’t believe that the Mayor has a real school reform program - a point I strongly disagree with and most people who are paying attention and who have an open mind on the Mayor will disagree with too - don’t you all think that enlisting parents in the PTO, regardless of whether there is reform, is something alders should do?  If Alderman Goldson has time to take pictures, surely have time to talk to parents about engagement in their children’s school.  School change or not, seems like something Mr. Goldson could embrace.

Why are we not using The Comer Model. Last I heard it is already in the school system. So what happen to it.

His School Development Program has been instrumental in shaping the ways educators, administrators, and parents view their respective roles in improving the quality of America’s schools. “The Comer Model,” currently improving the educational climate in over 600 schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia, suggests that everyone with a stake in a school should have a say in how it is operated. It calls for forming a diverse school governance team made up of teachers, parents, principals, students, janitors, cafeteria workers, and psychologists. Together, this team develops a comprehensive school operational plan and then works together to implement it. A tireless advocate for children who brings an extraordinary mix of passion and patience to his work, Dr. Comer is part preacher, part scholar, and all parent.

Notice not just parents.Every one in the school system teachers, parents, principals, students, janitors, cafeteria workers, and psychologists. Notice every one.

COMER SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

The Comer Process, commonly referred to as the School Development Program, takes a uniquely supportive view of education with a focus on developing “the whole child.” Unlike models with a formulaic approach to curriculum or teaching methods, this holistic strategy links children’s academic growth with their emotional wellness and social and moral development in a collaborative school culture congenial to learning. The program is derived from the idea that when students feel supported and nurtured in school, their outlook, life skills and academic performance will improve. Since 1968 when the model was created by Dr. James Comer, a Yale University child psychiatrist, it has been utilized in more than 1150 schools nationwide. Approximately 300 schools are currently at different phases of implementing the model.

Dr. Comer believes that for various reasons, many inner city children enter school “underdeveloped,” lacking the personal, social and moral traits necessary for academic and life success. He also believes that many teachers lack adequate knowledge of child development or an understanding of their students’ home lives and culture, leaving them unprepared to deal appropriately with these children and their families to effectively foster their learning.

The Comer Process puts the responsibility on schools – their principals, administrators, teachers and parents – to come together to agree on an action plan for the school, with both social and academic components. Teachers, principals and parents make decisions collaboratively, in the best interests of the students. The Comer Process guides schools to set up a network of teams to manage the school and to deal with various facets of the social and academic needs of the school.

Under the Comer strategy, a successful school should look and feel like a community center, where parent volunteers are engaged in helping teachers and administrators to make key decisions about running the school and providing support for the school community. With a strong recommendation for a full-time social worker on campus, the Comer Process emphasizes the need for schools to link social services. Schools also invest in staff development and undergo regular assessments to gauge progress. According to research on the Comer Process in high poverty and high minority urban settings, this strategy has been very effective at improving student achievement when implemented conscientiously and consistently over a period of five years or more.

What you’ll see in a Comer school:

Management teams: The school runs by collaborative decision-making and consensus. Groups of parents, teachers and administrators meet in structured teams to handle routine administrative matters and problems in the school. They make major decisions together.
Emphasis on holistic child development: In every facet of school life and organization, the Comer Process links academic success with healthy child development. Various teams and groups meet frequently to discuss and work on specific problems with student behavior and how to remove obstacles to learning by creating a caring and nurturing school environment with close links to parents.
Parent volunteers: The Comer Process believes in involving parents as much as possible in the running of the school. Parent volunteers are welcomed and serve a variety of important functions within the school.
Social worker: Comer schools stress the importance of child development. In looking after the emotional well-being of all students, many of whom come from traumatic backgrounds, Comer schools have at least one social worker in place to assist the children and help manage the implementation of the Comer Process in the school environment.

http://www.jstor.org/pss/2963170

Notice read where he speaks about how to deal with discipline problems.

Again the question we should be asking is what happen to this program in the school system. Notice also under his model no school closing.

David

p.s. CHW, the New Haven Public School Foundation is supporting the School Change campaign, hence the website that Professor posted.  You should tell the teachers, who are taking major steps in re-defining the scope and behavior of their own union, that reform isn’t real.  If the Mayor was dictating everything to be done, his opponents would say he wasn’t open to parental input.  When he wants to get parents in on the ground level, the reform effort isn’t “real.”  Give me a break.

Does the New Haven Public School Foundation support the rights of parents to have a Elected
school board.

posted by: Equity on February 9, 2010  4:51am

I’m not sure how each of you set about tackling a daunting task but I wonder what the fuss here is about. You start by identifying the goals you want to accomplish. The mayor and superintendent have done that. If they had every little detail already planned, what would they need you for? Bringing together a diverse group of committed volunteers to decide the best way to achieve the goals is where you come in. Do you agree with the goals? What are your ideas for helping achieve them? If you will only sign on after all the work has been done, well that does not take any courage or effort at all. Bringing parents into the picture is a huge piece of the puzzle and in my opinion the single biggest factor in student performance.

posted by: City Hall Watch on February 9, 2010  7:54am

David:
You consistently misrepresent what I post and argue against straw men opponents. If you can’t just take issue with the point of my comment, then don’t respond to my posts at all.

As for the Foundation’s support of the school reform platform, that’s a given and I have no quarrel with that. In fact, it seems to have become the defacto communications reform tool of NHPS. Also, I have never said nor implied that “reform isn’t real.” I simply pointed out that reform is not found in the generalizations, political platforms or headlines; it’s found in the details which have yet to be worked out, publicly discussed or disclosed. Those details will define reform in the NHPS. And finally, many more parents should be involved in their PTOs but they should do so not as a lobbying arm for “resources” or in automatic support of reform as defined thus far. They should do so to support their child’s school and the teachers who teach them. It’s another touchstone to be connected to your kids and gives you an insight into their successes and challenges they have in school.

posted by: The Professor on February 9, 2010  10:10pm

So City Hall Watch,

What exactly is your point of contention with David (or me for that matter)?  We all agree that reform depends on the details, and we agree that involving parents in specifying those details is good policy.  You support involvement in PTOs, as does David, as do I, and as the Mayor asked us to.

So basically, your whole argument boils down to, “I agree with you on every substantive issue, but I don’t like John DeStefano.”  That isn’t the way to make progress on this issue, or any other for that matter.

posted by: The Professor on February 9, 2010  10:38pm

Threefifths,

I have some cursory knowledge of different school models, but you seem to be significantly more well read on the Comer model than I am.

I wonder if there isn’t some way that the Comer model could be implemented within the broader framework of the current School Change campaign.  So much of what we’ve talked about on this board revolves around the idea that the mayor and school board have worked to set broad priorities and benchmarks while leaving many of the specific details to be fleshed out after gathering significant parent and educator input.

Wouldn’t it be possible for the details of school reform to be both in line with the broader priorities that the mayor and school board have set AND in line with the Comer model, for example?

posted by: JOSIAHBROWNFORMAYOR on February 10, 2010  8:11am

There may be a perfectly reasonable explanation but am wondering why an East Rock Alderman’s child goes to a neighborhood/zone school in Morris Cove?

posted by: Threefifths on February 10, 2010  11:44am

The Professor

Threefifths,

I have some cursory knowledge of different school models, but you seem to be significantly more well read on the Comer model than I am.

I wonder if there isn’t some way that the Comer model could be implemented within the broader framework of the current School Change campaign.  So much of what we’ve talked about on this board revolves around the idea that the mayor and school board have worked to set broad priorities and benchmarks while leaving many of the specific details to be fleshed out after gathering significant parent and educator input.

Wouldn’t it be possible for the details of school reform to be both in line with the broader priorities that the mayor and school board have set AND in line with the Comer model, for example?

This Comer model was suppose to be already in the school system. The question shoud be ask to
the Mayor and BOE wha happen to it. Notice All school employees are involved with the Children
Education. Notice also DR.Comer model doesn’t put childern out who are behavior problems, Then are sent to Social Workers. Blame is placed on every one not just parents. Here is another model By the educator Marva N. Collins she use the Socratic Method which is used in some of the Law schools.

    Marva N. Collins
Educational Program and Philosophy
My educational program and methodology is based on the Socratic Method. Socrates, an Athenian philosopher and teacher, lived from about 470 – 399 BC. The Socratic method teaches by using a series of questions and answers by which the logical soundness of a definition, or a point of view, or the meaning of a concept, is tested. The Socratic method is based on logical analysis, consequently, it develops superb reasoning skills in students.

I select reading materials that contain ideas that are abstract. These ideas may, and will, mean different things to different students. There may not be one correct answer, but several interpretations are possible. Socrates asks, in Plato’s Republic, what is “justice?” As Socrates’ queries of his students reveal, “justice” as a concept has several definitions. The purpose of teaching, I believe, is not just to master factual material, but also to teach the student how to think, and to encourage him/her to think, indeed. The ability to reason, to analyze logically, will survive long after the student’s retention of memorized fact is lost.

Before beginning any reading selection, I first pre-read the selection (it is folly to attempt to teach what one does not know) and I extract all of the difficult words. These “words-to-watch” become the vocabulary words for the class to learn. Every student must be able to pronounce, spell, and know the meaning of each of these words prior to starting the reading in class. It makes no sense to delve into the selection if the students do not understand the words in the material to be read. Otherwise, the reading will both tedious and meaningless.

Then, I refer to the title of the reading, and ask, “ What do you think this selection is going to be about?” This process is gathering information from the title. Other questions that may be asked, before the reading actually begins, include, “Is this story going to be about pain?” “A good conscience?” “How do you know?” Next, identify the purpose for reading the selection. As the reading progresses – readings must be done aloud, never silently – ask pertinent questions, such as “What do you think will happen?” Predictions must use logic, reason, evidence, in order to develop meta-cognitive skills.

Students are taught to examine their line of reasoning. What information from the reading supports your response? This teaches the student the importance of factual responses as compared to interpretative answers. Certainly, students will score higher on standardized tests when they know how to think critically and analytically. Tests do not want to know what we think; they measure the correctness of our factual responses. Thus students are taught to refrain from making wild conjectures. Inquiry becomes a disciplined process in which students use prior acquired knowledge and evidence to arrive at new insights and understanding.

In the Socratic method the teacher controls the rate and flow of information. Understanding takes place during the reading, at each important juncture, not at the end of the selection. This method encourages participation by all students, thus it alleviates discipline problems, and eventually eliminates them entirely. When students misbehave, it indicates that they have not developed the habit of “right” reasoning. My methodology is designed to teach that choices have consequences. I use discipline, self-discipline, not punishment to engage the students in “right” thinking. Ultimately, the teacher should increase reading longer amounts of text between stopping points. This will increase the students’ ability to gain meaning from extended reading. Always stop at points in the reading to ask questions, such as, “Why did you (the student) give the answer you did?” And, “Can you point to the sentence, or paragraph, in the reading that supports your conclusion?”

Stop-points in oral reading should occur at logical places such as where the story changes and especially at highly abstract passages. The master teacher never shies away from difficult reading selections or passages therein. The class is only as good as its leader! Stopping at abstractions allows for oral discussion, the refinement of ideas, and the use of vocabulary, and for guidance by the teacher. Stop points also provide discussion time, increased verbal and writing skills, and the development of critical thinking.

My educational program does not allow the inane use of independent seatwork, busy work sheets, and workbooks. These so-called education tools do not connect ideas into a logical thought process. They do not, and cannot, teach children how to read, or how to write. They presuppose that the participant is already an independent reader, and is already imbued with critical and analytical thinking skills, or that the student is able to grasp, without supervision or guidance, the relevant points being made by the author. There are more reasons why I do not use work sheets in my classes, and I do not permit their use by any teacher in my school.

Upon completion of a reading selection, students should write daily letters to the characters in the selection, or to the author of the material. Students should write a critical review of the selection. Which character did they identify with the most? Why? What did this character teach them? What life-lesson, if any, did they learn from the reading? Why is this life-lesson important to them? Again, workbooks and worksheets can never accomplish this. There is a difference between “busy work” and “thought work.”

The direct teaching method reinforces skills learned in every reading selection. The child is taught to refer to what has been learned previously to support an opinion. References come from many different sources, from poetry, newspaper editorials, magazines, great speeches, novels, or any other written material. Everything everywhere provides potentially excellent material for developing reasoning skills. To illustrate, a piece of paper represents trees, because wood is processed into paper. A piece of paper also represents the water that nourishes the tree, the woodsman who cuts down the tree, or the trucks that take the felled tree to the processing plant. Direct teaching expands the mind beyond the two covers of a book and the four walls of the classroom. Textbook word-for-word, lock-step methods never make good critical thinkers. There is a difference between word reading and word understanding. And, there is a difference between knowing how to read, and loving to read.

My methodology of teaching has the advantage of establishing an intellectual environment that promotes the gaining of textual information, conversational information, vocabulary building, idea building, idea sharing and expansion, and it demands the attention of all participants. It alleviates guessing. It teaches abstract thinking. Critical thinking involves a general attitude of questioning and suspended judgment, the habit of examining before accepting. The teacher and the student now have a common goal, which is the gaining of knowledge and information sharing. Direct teaching does require new behavior by both the teacher and the students, therefore it does require some degree of behavior modification. In my long teaching career, I have learned that the benefits are worth the effort. Once teachers try the Socratic Method, or direct method, of teaching, they will never again return to anything that cannot produce the “magic.”

Here is her website.

http://www.marvacollins.com/biography.html

Here is more on the Socratic Method

http://www.garlikov.com/Soc_Meth.html

Professor Check out whta Dr. Jonathan Kozol Said.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/education/blog/2009/04/jonathan_kozol_on_de_facto_sch.html

That is one of the problems.

Wouldn’t it be possible for the details of school reform to be both in line with the broader priorities that the mayor and school board have set AND in line with the Comer model, for example?

For get the mayor and the school board.This school reform is nothing but greed and profit for the corporate vampires who are going to suck the taxpayes dire. Professor Ask you self
ow come this school reform is being run By lawyers.Arne Duncan, the U.S. secretary of education,Joel I. Klein and Garth Harries, All are lawyers. Garth Harries and Joel I. Klein who Garth Harries work for at one time,Both got waviers.

Harries will begin work on July 6. He’ll make a $140,000 salary; a significant cut from his last post, where he acted as a cabinet member to the New York City chancellor of schools. In his six years at the NYC education department, Harries focused on an effort to build small schools in poorer neighborhoods. He said he oversaw the creation of over 330 district public schools and over 60 charter schools.

Harries will be returning to New Haven after getting his undergraduate degree from Yale University. He later earned a law degree from Stanford Law School; worked as a consultant with McKinsey & Company; and directed economic development projects in poor neighborhoods in Philadelphia. He also did a stint in politics, coordinating a Democratic field operation in Pennsylvania during the 1996 presidential campaign.

Classroom Time

He has one year of teaching experience, as a high school history and math teacher at the Vail Mountain School in Colorado.

When the New Haven post was created, Mayo elicited some concern by saying he wouldn’t require the new school reform czar to have teaching experience.

“If the reform plan is all about accountability, how can you ask this person to evaluate teachers if he or she hasn’t done any teaching?” asked Dave Cicarella, president of the teacher’s union at that meeting. Board member M. Ann Levett agreed with him that a person would be best qualified if they had walked in a teacher’s “moccasins.”

Harries defended his skill set Monday.

“It’s absolutely right that in doing this work, you have to experience the role of teachers,” he said. He conceded he has little comparable classroom experience — his one-year teaching gig at the elite prep school was a far cry from the New York or New Haven school districts.

“I don’t compare it to the experience that urban teachers have,” he said. However, “what’s important is the degree of empathy and understanding of teachers,” he said. He said his wife is a former schoolteacher, and he’ll be surrounded by top staff on Mayo’s team who have a lot of experience teaching in city schools. The new post, he said, will rely upon an understanding of how school “systems” work, something he’s got six years of experience with.

“Frankly, an external perspective to New Haven and its schools is an opportunity for innovation,” he said.

Harries faced a similar line of questioning when he took over his most recent NYC post, tasked with reforming special education. Special education advocates fought his appointment because he didn’t have experience in special ed.

Reached Tuesday morning, Cicarella still had reservations.

“Basically, he has no teaching experience,” said Cicarella. “This seems to be kind of the trend, that they use more management-type people” in top administrative roles, people who “want to run school systems like a business.” Sometimes those people do a good job; sometimes they don’t, he said.

Cicarella said he understands that Harries won’t directly evaluate the teachers or the principals, but “there’s still some concern” that he’ll oversee those reforms “without having any knowledge of what the teachers do.”

Feel free to read the rest.

http://nycrubberroomreporter.blogspot.com/2009/06/garth-harries-leaves-new-york-city-and.html

Look at the New Haven Board of education and ask you self how many of them are in the field of education?

Elizabeth Torres has worked in the housing and community development field for the past 14 years. Her first job was with a national nonprofit starting as a receptionist and then spending 10 years growing through the ranks and ultimately responsible for creating 84 units of affordable housing leveraging over $15,000,000 of financing from HUD, CHFA, and DECD.

Today, Ms. Torres is the Executive Director of Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust, Inc. a community housing and development organization focused on creating affordable housing, healthy homes and providing homeownership counseling for low income families. Since coming to Bridgeport, Ms. Torres has completed 25 units of affordable housing leveraging over $4,000,0000 of public and private resources and is working on another 53 representing over $10,000,000 of community investment. Ms. Torres has expanded BNT’s operations to include Pre Purchase Homeownership Counseling and a Healthy Homes Initiative. Her most recent success includes securing a $2,000,000 three year grant from HUD to implement the City of Bridgeport’s first Lead Elimination Action Program (LEAP).
Ms. Torres is also a member of the New Haven Board of Education and serves as the Treasurer for Casa Oto–al, Inc. Last but not least she has two children and one grandchild.
Administration & Finance Committee (Chair)

Michael R. Nast, a graduate of New Haven Public Schools and Fordham University, was Superintendent of Stamford Public Schools from 1994 to 1999, having risen through the ranks of Stamford’s school system from high school principal to the top post. He started his career as a science teacher at James Hillhouse High School. Administrative positions held in New Haven include chairman of the Science Department at Hillhouse, assistant principal at Wilbur Cross High School and principal at Cross.

Upon retiring from the Superintendent’s position in Stamford, Mr. Nast served as an educational consultant to many school districts in New England and New York, worked for the Education Alliance at Brown University, and served as interim Superintendent for both the Amity Region 5 and New Hartford School Districts. He currently is an adjunct professor in the University of Connecticut Administrative Preparation Program and is a consultant to the Center for Secondary School Redesign in Rhode Island.
Administration & Finance Committee

Development; a Certificate of Advance Studies in Administration, Planning and Social Policy; and a Doctorate of Education. He is, currently, Professor of Education at Southern Connecticut State University; former President of the New Haven, Connecticut Board of Education (member: 1993-2003 also 2006 to the present); and a Fellow at Yale University, where he served for seven years as Assistant Dean of the College and a member of the Psychology faculty. Dr. Torre is an elected member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences of Puerto Rico and was awarded the Academy’s Medal of the Academician. Other awards include: the Society for Chaos Theory in Psychology and the Life Sciences’ first award for “humanitarian, ground-breaking contributions to the understanding of the mind through the application of dynamical science perspectives to educational psychology”; the Connecticut Association of Latin Americans in Higher Education (CALAHE) award “for contributions made toward the improvement of educational opportunities for Hispanics in higher education”; and others. Through the use of Recurrence Quantification Analysis, Dr. Torre’s research seeks to identify characteristic patterns in the autonomic nervous system associated with particular emotions, (i.e., the emotions children experience as they learn). His publications include: articles on non-linear dynamics applied to education; a book-length research monograph on the triadic nature of the mind and university students’ quality of thinking; chapters on educators “Eugenio Maria de Hostos and “Michael Apple”; an edited volume on Puerto Rican Migration; and a book in-progress on the “Ecology of Education.

President
Curriculum Committee

Susan R. Samuels came to New Haven to attend Quinnipiac University. Later, Ms. Samuels graduated from Connecticut School of Broadcasting in 1987, attended Albertus Magnus College in 1990, and most recently became an honors graduate of the medical assistant/secretary program at Sawyer School (2006). She is a Justice of the Peace, and an independent contractor with the United States Social Security Office of Disability Adjudication and Review.

Curriculum Committee (Chair)

Susan R. Samuels came to New Haven to attend Quinnipiac University. Later, Ms. Samuels graduated from Connecticut School of Broadcasting in 1987, attended Albertus Magnus College in 1990, and most recently became an honors graduate of the medical assistant/secretary program at Sawyer School (2006). She is a Justice of the Peace, and an independent contractor with the United States Social Security Office of Disability Adjudication and Review.

Curriculum Committee (Chair)

Mayor John DeStefano, Jr.

Click here to visit the Mayor’s Web Site.

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Alex Johnston is Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCAN). As ConnCAN’s first employee, Alex launched what is now regarded as one of the nation’s leading state-level education reform organizations. In the five years since, he has led ConnCAN’s effort to advocate for state policies that will ensure every Connecticut child has access to a great public school. In 2009, ConnCAN achieved three major legislative victories through its ‘Mind the Gaps’ campaign: overhauling the state’s teacher certification rules, opening up stores of longitudinal student achievement data to the public and securing $8 million of funding for the expansion of high-performing public charter schools in the midst of an $8 billion state budget deficit.

Before helping to found ConnCAN, Alex Johnston directed operations at the New Haven Housing Authority, working as a member of the management team tasked with turning the agency around from the brink of receivership. A graduate of Harvard University, Alex received a D. Phil. in politics from Oxford’s Lincoln College on a Rhodes Scholarship, where he studied the impact of government funding on nonprofit service providers. Alex serves as the sole external member of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools’ business planning working group and serves on the state commission charged with developing Connecticut’s P-20 data system.

Selase Williams, Southern Connecticut State University Provost, views himself as a bridge builder, but of the metaphorical sort—bringing together people from different backgrounds, connecting students to faculty and creating new links between Southern and the communities it serves.
Williams, the first provost in SCSU’s 112-year history, began his duties on Sept. 2, 2005. He is serving as provost and vice president for academic affairs and his responsibilities include overseeing all academic programs at Southern and playing a key role in the day-to-day operations of the university. As the second highest ranking individual at the university, he will be acting president when the president must be off campus for a significant period of time.
Williams previously served as an academic at California State University at Dominguez Hills for 11 years, 10 of those years as dean of the college where he supervised nearly 200 full-time faculty, 175 part-time faculty and 42 technical/clerical staff. In his last year at Dominguez Hills, he participated in the solicitation of more than $2 million in gifts from private and corporate donors. He also developed partnerships with public schools and community colleges that streamlined the process to enter into bachelor’s degree programs at California State.
His commitment to quality education for all students, but especially those who have historically been deprived, spurred him to become a founding member and board president of the New Designs Charter School in Los Angeles.
He believes those accomplishments have prepared him well to be an effective leader on campus and in the Greater New Haven community.
“It is my strong belief that we, as educators and educational administrators, have a responsibility to empower people of all races, ages, religions and genders with the knowledge, skills and abilities to achieve their personal and professional goals,” he says. “Our location in an urban community and our standing as a public institution are strengths. I think it would be fair to think of ourselves as ‘the people’s university.’
Williams initiated several projects while at Dominguez Hills, including a first-year student success program, the establishment of policies and procedures to effectively diversify the faculty, and attracting millions of dollars in grants to support faculty and student research. He plans to explore similar initiatives and goals here at Southern.
Williams says he is a strong advocate of international education. “I have traveled extensively during my lifetime – to Asia, South and Central America, Africa and Europe. I have to say that these were life-altering experiences. I want our students to have the opportunity to experience that.”
Back at home, Williams describes his management style as a “collaborative decision maker.”  “Ernest Hemmingway once wrote, ‘No man is an island.’ I agree with that. I want to build teams of people.”
On a personal note, Williams said he is a strong supporter of the arts – especially music. “I love jazz and I started playing the drums when I was 10 or 11 years old.”
He also is an avid golfer and also hits the tennis courts for an occasional match. “I have found golf to be a very humbling experience, but also one in which you can learn a lot about yourself and other people. You learn about the need for patience and discipline because your game is never going to be perfect.”
Williams and his wife, Deborah, a talented artist and curator, reside in New Haven. He has two adult daughters – Beth and India, and a 12-year-old daughter, Nubia.
Curriculum Committee
Term Expires: 9/2010

Ferdinand L. Risco Jr. is a native of Philadelphia, PA. Educated in the Philadelphia Public School System, he graduated from William W. Bodine High School for International Affairs prior to enrolling in Temple University where he received a Bachelors’ of Business Administration degree.
Mr. Risco was a Distinguished Military Graduate and the recipient of a USAA Army ROTC Scholarship at Temple University. Commissioned as a Regular Army Infantry Officer, Mr. Risco’s First assignment after completing a host of schooling to include the Infantry Officer’s Basic Course and Airborne School was B Co, 2nd BN 7th IN (M) Fort Stewart, Ga. were he served as a Platoon Leader.  While at 2/7 IN (M) he served as the Battalion Support Platoon Leader, the Battalion Maintenance Officer and ultimately severed as the Commander’s Staff Advisor of Logistics (S-4) responsible for an annual operating budget and equipment in excess of $125 million.
After a medical discharge from the Armed Services, Mr. Risco embarked on a business career in which his professional experiences have included work in the corporate sector, Federal and State Government agencies. He began his corporate development with Airborne Express (now DHL) as a Field Services Supervisor and Hiring Manager. Mr. Risco’s next professional experience was with the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Group. After only six months with the company Mr. Risco was promoted to the level of Department Manger. His responsibilities included leading the Warehouse Operations in one of the 54 manufacturing facilities in the United States.
Mr. Risco is currently employed with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority –Metro North Railroad. Prior to his recent promotion, he managed the daily activities of five unionized supervisors, seventy-six craft personnel, representing multiple unions; maintenance activities, including equipment overhaul, running repair work and inspections of 342 pieces of rolling stock. Now, he serves as a Manager in the Labor Relations Department for Metro North Railroad.
Mr. Risco completed his graduate studies and received a Master’s of Business Administration degree from the University of New Haven. Mr. Risco is extremely involved in his community and has served as Chairman, Board of Directors, Edgewood PTA, After-School Program. He is a member of several professional and fraternal organizations from which he has received many awards and accolades. Mr. Risco is married to Stacy, his wife and business partner. They have 4 children and reside in New Haven, CT.
Administration and Finance Committee
Term Expires: 9/2013

Check it out Professor you have Three people on this school board who have degrees in education and you have one who doesn’t have a degree and you have another from what I see also doesn’t have a degree. Susan R. Samuels came to New Haven to attend Quinnipiac University. Later, Ms. Samuels graduated from Connecticut School of Broadcasting in 1987, attended Albertus Magnus College in 1990, and most recently became an honors graduate of the medical assistant/secretary program at Sawyer School (2006). She is a Justice of the Peace, and an independent contractor with the United States Social Security Office of Disability Adjudication and Review

You see Professor I do Research and I have Friends of mine who have PHD IN EDUCATION and they send me a lot of information on education.
I am going to say it again this so call school reform was done here in 1994 by edison and it failed.

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=2688

So for get about the mayor.The are we not using people must demand a elected school board with term limits
and ask what happen to the Comer model and why it.