Monday June 21 at 5:30, BoE building.
Written materials on the plan will not be made public until AFTER the meeting- preventing members of the public from asking Board members to raise questions and concerns about the proposal at Monday's meeting.
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23 comments:
I'm a little confused about the existence of this thread, Questioner. Are you asking for speculation as to what new elements of the configuration may be in the mix?
Mainly just letting those who would be interested in this issue know that there will be a presentation on Monday. And pointing out the lack of advance materials, because later there will be claims made about how good the process was.
Thanks Questioner. I understand now. I cannot wait to read the recommendations about school reconfiguration. Why is it that I expect high schools to go through some incredible shake-ups in the next five years, and I don't mean CAPA, Obama or Dice, for that matter.
Do open single gender high schools as distinct campuses and;
Westinghouse H S as an all city PUBLIC boys or girls school makes sense.
And then use another building - such as Langley or Gladstone or Oliver or old Schenley or Reizenstein - as the school for the other gender.
Eliminate all feeder patterns for PPS high schools.
Do not force single gender public education nor prohibit other families from around the city to not have the option choose it as an alternative to Central Catholic / Oakland Catholic / Ellis.
A forced single gender 6 - 12 is not ideal nor E4 All-ish.
Obama is to move. Shake. CAPA got 3 extra grades. Shake. Dice, stirrrr.
I tend to think that some of the ideas here are just a little too soft where the folks in charge are concerned. The idea here is to continually push the envelope so as to look progressive, and damn the consequences in the process. In looking at how middle schools were decimated, I'm thinking that the closure of a few comprehensive schools are subsequent re-opening from that pool is in the offing. How feeder patterns will go is the question.
Simple, on paper.
If the logic is that morals and social skills must be incorporated into education, as schools move closer to the idea of actually raising kids now thanks to the deterioration of the family, I guess I'd be at a loss to understand how single-gender schools makes sense.
Yeah, Obama and CAPA news is a given. It's what will transpire with the comprehensive schools which scares me.
On the topic of single gender education- even the strongest proponents of this approach in the educational world emphasize that single gender must be optional not mandatory, and that extensive outreach and preparation is necessary before implementing this format. Unfortunately single gender classrooms in Pittsburgh are mandatory for feeder pattern students and preparation has been minimal to nonexistent.
And, while additional choice to the extent practical is always welcome, something to consider is that there have been few if any single gender schools established in Pittsburgh in recent years. Rather, the trend has gone in the opposite direction, with Shadyside changing from boys only to co-ed nd Winchester changing from girls only to co-ed. The few remaining single gender schools are able to maintain enrollment by drawing students not only from the city of Pittsburgh but also from many communities beyond city limits.
Finally, the legal issues raised by mandatory single gender education cannot be ignored.
Attempting to move Obama to the Peabody building is risky. Too risky. We will look back one day and regret it.
PG article:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10172/1067092-298.stm
No surprises- changes are exactly what we heard were being planned before committees were even formed.
One detail to note is a proposed move of Obama to Peabody in the Fall of 2011, contrary to assurances made to families of the Class of 2012 when they chose the program that it would remain at Reizenstein through the 2011-12 school year. As a result, the Class of 2012 will have spend its 4 years of high school in 3 different buildings.
The PG article also notes that Brashear, a school that is to be "transformed," is "one of the lowest performing schools in the state." At the same time, Brashear is among "America's Best High Schools" according to US News & World Report. Go figure.
The * in the PG chart is next to Faison as one of the lowest performers in PA. The PG should have just done an article and not a chart so that the typos can be easily fixed.
The move of Pgh Obama 6-12 to Peabody's building in the fall of 2011 is interesting for a number of issues.
First, it does not make sense to allow FRESHMEN into PEABODY for the fall of 2010. Put those students elsewhere this summer.
Next, the open building at Reizenstein, with its new roof going on this summer, allows for other things to occur.
Perhaps Obama's move to the HS at Peabody could begin with only the 9-12 in fall of 2011 and then the middle school kids the next year. ?
Or, perhaps the Westinghouse move could be for boys and the girls into Reizenstein.
? A new roof is being placed on Reizenstein for just one more year of use of the building?
Or, is a new use planned that has not been voted on (with voting just a formality)?
Or, leaking roof is just not part of what a school setting should be, even if it is a one year use. Buckets + dripping = bad.
More salt in the sore that has been part of the Schenley legacy.
Use of the closed facilities has merit. Use of the open facilities should be a no brainer.
Yes, they probably do have to replace it, because it would be really ironic if students were moved out of Schenley ostensibly due to the risk of falling plaster, only to be hit in the head by plaster at Reizenstein. Especially after the falling plaster in the Peabody auditorim. Any idea what the cost of the new roof is?
I think we should start taking bets on how many students PPS looses in the next year.
First of all, it's "loses", not "looses". Second of all, keeping the Reizenstein building in some way, shape or form makes complete sense. The building is simply too new to discard it and it's beyond unfortunate that the roof should have been allowed to deteriorate in the manner it has while still being allowed to house students.
As for the idea to put one part of Obama in Peabody and another someplace else, the whole idea behind Obama and the IB program is to carry an entire 6-12 scenario as a whole. This was the reason for moving out of Frick and it is the modus operandi for everything that has transpired since. Moving to Peabody makes perfect sense in this regard. IB gets a home of its own.
Lastly, about Brashear, I've always been at a loss to see the "greatness" there. Unless I am mistaken, the school lost numbers in the past two PSSA tests and it would seem logical to have some oversight of a new program there. I am somewhat surprised that Carrick was not placed into this equation, as well. Although the school did better in PSSA testing last year, it has been freefalling where population is concerned. I have to wonder if this is all just the tip of the iceberg.
Lose population? A great many people see Promise dollars as a large impetus for staying.
I certainly dont see these high school changes as a way to increase enrollment. Maybe if we have fewer kids to educate, we can get those ones to be somewhat proficient.
At the education committee meeting, administration members said that feeder pattern students will NOT be required to attend a single gender school. Apparently Milliones will no longer be single gender at the high school level, making a non-gender based option available. However, Milliones will still be gender separate for grades 6-8, meaning that some other non-gender specific option will need to be provided for Westinghouse and Milliones 6-8 feeder pattern students.
Tribune article:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_687102.html
A quote to consider when reconfiguring:
"A school is often the heart of its local community. It has traditions, values, memories that bind the generations. What is [lost] is an anchor of the community, and that removes an important institution," Diane Ravitch, an education expert and former assistant secretary of education, wrote in an e-mail to AOL News. "Schools are not like shoe stores; they should not open and close in response to consumer demand. They should be forces for stability in their community."
http://www.aolnews.com/brooklyn-school/article/future-of-failing-metropolitcan-corporate-academy-hinges-on-court-decision/19523639?icid=main|main|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fbrooklyn-school%2Farticle%2Ffuture-of-failing-metropolitcan-corporate-academy-hinges-on-court-decision%2F19523639
To Annette Werner:
AMEN!
kudos Annette, and Amen!
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