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At what point does the PG remember its journalistic charge to ask questions? At what point does it move from publishing well-timed public relations pieces disguised as a news feature to writing well researched, multi-sourced news pieces that truly evaluate what Superintendent Roosevelt has done? At what point does the love affair between the PG and Roosevelt end, and at what point do editors decide to take a closer look at:
-The failure of this administration to bring PSSA scores up to speed -The failure to bridge the racial achievement gap -The failure of managed curriculum to match instruction to student needs in terms of PSSA/SAT tests -The inflated grading scale and how it has placed students on the pathway to the promise when their efforts themselves did not indicate the right to be there -Research into the 1st graduates of the 50% grade policy. How many got Promise money? How many are still in college? How have they performed in college to date? -An inside look at the relationship between Roosevelt and the PFT -An investigative look at the finances of PPS. Expenditures with public money. -Investigative pieces into how merit pay has failed miserably across the nation -Investigative pieces into classroom background of central administration as well as a look at how there are currently more non-classroom individuals on the payroll than there are teachers.
Just when does the PG remember what it is supposed to be all about? Just when do reporters remember that writing articles that come from PR offices isn't really news, it's propaganda.
"The major additional costs in the contract, Mr. Roosevelt added, have to do with the six career ladder positions. The district can minimize the cost of those jobs, he said, by limiting the number of teachers who can have them. "If we don't have money, that will affect how many teachers we can hire in those positions."
So Mark, are those career ladder positions there or not? You mean to say that you dangled this pay opportunity out there like a carrot in front of the rabbit but you don't have to provide it?
"The point of the right sizing plan was to get rid of all these big middle schools that were not really producing any impressive results"
I have to think the superintendent misspoke. Our choices for our students have been expanding. The statement has serious implications for any family opting for a middle grade configuration for their kids. CAPA, Obama, Sci-Tech, each have requirements to be met for admission. The performance of the students in those schools should not be used to compare students with comprehensive middle school students.
I can't blame the PG. They are a business under fire from many competitors. When those with a differing opinion have asked it seems like they have been given space on the op-ed page.
The performance of students in CAPA, Obama, and Sci-Tech should not be used to compare the teaching skills of district staff. Again, these schools have requirements to be met for admission.
I am also glad to hear the number of career ladder postions will be limited. I was concerned there would not be teachers in some classrooms because there were too many ladders around. lol.
I don't know, I think this article comes as close as any I've ever seen to saying that there's no there there.
The headline, the whole theme of "Trust Me" coming from a man who's been here 5 years this August? The mentions that nothing much has really happened, that our schools aren't really performing better, the note that while they claim the 6-12 model will be better there aren't any scores yet and won't be for at least another year...
I'm honestly encouraged that at some point the PG or the Trib or both will actually work themselves into some sort of investigative mode. I'm not holding my breath, though.
There's probably a Pulitzer out there for the reporter that really digs down into the bowels of all this reform and testing.
Upon my second read, I can see your point, anon. Still, they give Roosevelt and Lopez far too much leeway and allow readers to formulate questions rather than asking themselves. Why is this man such a sacred cow? OK, he has raised funds for the Pittsburgh Promise. Wonderful. For true college-ready kids, this is great, although the public still does not comprehend that this fund only kicks is a reality after students have applied for aid and grants, which means they will still owe fortunes at the end of college (This is no free college education). Why the lack of clarity? Why can't someone ask the tough questions, the questions that need to be asked?
I wonder if the fact that Jody Spolar, PPS' HR or Employee Relations head (or whatever new title she may have), is married to the P-G's Director of HR, has anything to do with it? Maybe it is just coincidental. After all, reporting is unbiased isn't it?
One thing though, this new guy writing the articles now is much better than the man who used to cover PPS. I thought he sounded like he worked for the BOE!
Joe was getting burnt out I am sure. It was just good business to change things up at the PG. I remember when Ms. Chute was the reporter covering PPS and she moved to doing more broad reporting on education. I wonder if Joe would ever share the number of times he'd get calls from parents?
I think what we do everytime our board representatives come up for reelection is hope that we can trust them. Not too many of us would want to run and those that have were not lucky enough to have been elected. So the question becomes how can we encourage and support those that are willing to be the public voice for us all?
Can somebody tell me which middle schools are underperforming? I just checked the AYP results mentioned in an earlier post and see that Arsenal, South Hills and South Brook all made AYP. I already know about Rooney and the change for the kids there. I think the kids have a good chance of benefitting from a heavy focus from the district. Are there other middle schools that are not magnets or academies?
The PG article has a poll- rate the superintendent's performance:
http://www.post-gazette.com/polls/?pollID=3721
The poll does not offer space for comments. To those who may comment here- it would be helpful to indicate the basis of "Excellent" or "Good" votes, or for "Fair" or "Poor" votes to indicate how performance may be improved.
It's too bad we can't get a breakdown by area of the city... it would be interesting to compare results from the "South" area, which has pretty much been left untouched except for upgrades to buildings, might be different from the "East" region where almost all schools have faced major changes.
While it is true the South has not been as hard hit as other areas, don't forget Prospect closing, Brookline expanding to a K-8, feeder pattern changes moving kids to Brookline from South Hills, Brashear losing Culinary Arts, etc.
It just may not be time for the South to have a full scale turn.
I'd be more interested in seeing the breakdown by people who have any actual knowledge of the schools (especially those who have been in the system and can compare changes) versus those who only read the papers.
I'd bet the excellent group consists of a combination of foundation heads, upper administrators and people who don't have and haven't had kids in the schools.
Allegheny Traditional Middle School, Rooney and Arsenal Middle School are currently underachieving Middle School. They have not made AYP and are currently in the PDE's "School Improvement II" category. Others in the same category are Arsenal Elem., Colfax, Helen Faison Arts Academy, Lincoln El Tech Acad., Miller African-Centered, Murray Elem., and Schaeffer. Schools in worse shape are those in the state's "Corrective Action" category. Those include: Allderdice, Brashear, Langley, Oliver, Peabody, Perry Schenley, and Westinghouse.
Carrick is in corrective action and yet is the school which has shown more improvement over the past five years than any other. Go figure. This numbers game is a complete sham, foisted on districts and media by education nazis.
Strange way to deal with burnout, moving from covering school board to covering city council. Wonder if Joe misses the comparatively small number of calls he used to get from parents.
Currently the poll shows the exact same percentage (28%) voting for Excellent, for Good and for Poor. Fair lags behind at 16%. So there seems to be a wide range of opinion (much wider than is apparent from a typical school board meeting or vote).
These PG polls are so bogus: ([boh-guhs] –adjective 1.not genuine; counterfeit; spurious; sham.) The voting is tied to the computer and the browser, so if there is more than one computer in your home or place of work, you can vote that many times. You can also vote everyday, and you can vote on different browsers on one computer!!!!! Very scientific, indeed! So, voice your opinion!
A strength of the article is that it points out that much money still needs to be raised if these programs are to go forward. In addition to merit pay money, large yearly contributions are also needed to fund the Pittsburgh Promise, and if the Homewood Children's Zone is anything like the Harlem Children's Zone a great deal of money will be needed there as well.
In terms of trust- we heard something similar when the Excellence for All goals were rolled out. Then when the district fell quite a bit short of the goals we were told they were only aspirational. It doesn't seem like the administration actually said "Trust me"- rather, this was the reporter's insight into the situation.
The reporter points out how many things are not backed up by his promises. This is decent journalism,they are laying a foundation of "trust me" Why should we?
I hope this is the beginning of the media openly questioning his motives.
He has delivered nothing but grant money, including 200 thousand for himself. We still need to match 40 million to get the Gates money, haven't they tapped enough local resources? He is making out like a bandit, the teachers are being blamed for all of the problems, the administrative budget is swollen with huge bonuses, and nobody cares.
He is not trustworthy, he is very cunning and sneaky. The school board can't see it, which scares me.
"The point of the right-sizing plan was to get rid of all these big middle schools that were not really producing any impressive results.
From the Pgh BOE website, the current middle schools are:
Allegheny Arsenal Classical Schiller South Brook South Hills Sterrett
- Are these middle schools that ARE producing results, or are we getting rid of them?
The closed middle schools are Reizenstein and Milliones- any others? Is it clear that the middle school configuration was the main reason for the lack of results?
http://paayp.emetric.net/District/SchoolList/c2/102027451 The above PDE site will provide the data for each of our schools. Hit the School's Name (Sterrett) then go to the selections beside "Overview" and hit "Data Table."
"Data Table" will take you to specific data/scores/progress, etc grade level categories.
Sterrett is one of PPS higher achieving schools for all students.
READING PROFICIENCY All Students 72.4% White stds. 91.2% Black/AA stds 58.6% (The PA minimum target is 63%)
MATH PROFICIENCY All Students 70.3% White stds. 89% Black/AA stds. 56.2% (The minimum target is 54%.)
Use this process to access similar PSSA DATA for any and all schools in the state of PA.
30 comments:
At what point does the PG remember its journalistic charge to ask questions? At what point does it move from publishing well-timed public relations pieces disguised as a news feature to writing well researched, multi-sourced news pieces that truly evaluate what Superintendent Roosevelt has done?
At what point does the love affair between the PG and Roosevelt end, and at what point do editors decide to take a closer look at:
-The failure of this administration to bring PSSA scores up to speed
-The failure to bridge the racial achievement gap
-The failure of managed curriculum to match instruction to student needs in terms of PSSA/SAT tests
-The inflated grading scale and how it has placed students on the pathway to the promise when their efforts themselves did not indicate the right to be there
-Research into the 1st graduates of the 50% grade policy. How many got Promise money? How many are still in college? How have they performed in college to date?
-An inside look at the relationship between Roosevelt and the PFT
-An investigative look at the finances of PPS. Expenditures with public money.
-Investigative pieces into how merit pay has failed miserably across the nation
-Investigative pieces into classroom background of central administration as well as a look at how there are currently more non-classroom individuals on the payroll than there are teachers.
Just when does the PG remember what it is supposed to be all about? Just when do reporters remember that writing articles that come from PR offices isn't really news, it's propaganda.
Blah!
"The major additional costs in the contract, Mr. Roosevelt added, have to do with the six career ladder positions. The district can minimize the cost of those jobs, he said, by limiting the number of teachers who can have them. "If we don't have money, that will affect how many teachers we can hire in those positions."
So Mark, are those career ladder positions there or not? You mean to say that you dangled this pay opportunity out there like a carrot in front of the rabbit but you don't have to provide it?
Just what kind of individual are you, sir?
Quote from the article,
"The point of the right sizing plan was to get rid of all these big middle schools that were not really producing any impressive results"
I have to think the superintendent misspoke. Our choices for our students have been expanding. The statement has serious implications for any family opting for a middle grade configuration for their kids. CAPA, Obama, Sci-Tech, each have requirements to be met for admission. The performance of the students in those schools should not be used to compare students with comprehensive middle school students.
I can't blame the PG. They are a business under fire from many competitors. When those with a differing opinion have asked it seems like they have been given space on the op-ed page.
Adding to my previous thought...
The performance of students in CAPA, Obama, and Sci-Tech should not be used to compare the teaching skills of district staff. Again, these schools have requirements to be met for admission.
I am also glad to hear the number of career ladder postions will be limited. I was concerned there would not be teachers in some classrooms because there were too many ladders around. lol.
I don't know, I think this article comes as close as any I've ever seen to saying that there's no there there.
The headline, the whole theme of "Trust Me" coming from a man who's been here 5 years this August? The mentions that nothing much has really happened, that our schools aren't really performing better, the note that while they claim the 6-12 model will be better there aren't any scores yet and won't be for at least another year...
I'm honestly encouraged that at some point the PG or the Trib or both will actually work themselves into some sort of investigative mode. I'm not holding my breath, though.
There's probably a Pulitzer out there for the reporter that really digs down into the bowels of all this reform and testing.
Upon my second read, I can see your point, anon. Still, they give Roosevelt and Lopez far too much leeway and allow readers to formulate questions rather than asking themselves. Why is this man such a sacred cow? OK, he has raised funds for the Pittsburgh Promise. Wonderful. For true college-ready kids, this is great, although the public still does not comprehend that this fund only kicks is a reality after students have applied for aid and grants, which means they will still owe fortunes at the end of college (This is no free college education).
Why the lack of clarity? Why can't someone ask the tough questions, the questions that need to be asked?
I wonder if the fact that Jody Spolar, PPS' HR or Employee Relations head (or whatever new title she may have), is married to the P-G's Director of HR, has anything to do with it? Maybe it is just coincidental. After all, reporting is unbiased isn't it?
One thing though, this new guy writing the articles now is much better than the man who used to cover PPS. I thought he sounded like he worked for the BOE!
Joe was getting burnt out I am sure. It was just good business to change things up at the PG. I remember when Ms. Chute was the reporter covering PPS and she moved to doing more broad reporting on education. I wonder if Joe would ever share the number of times he'd get calls from parents?
I think what we do everytime our board representatives come up for reelection is hope that we can trust them. Not too many of us would want to run and those that have were not lucky enough to have been elected. So the question becomes how can we encourage and support those that are willing to be the public voice for us all?
Can somebody tell me which middle schools are underperforming? I just checked the AYP results mentioned in an earlier post and see that Arsenal, South Hills and South Brook all made AYP. I already know about Rooney and the change for the kids there. I think the kids have a good chance of benefitting from a heavy focus from the district. Are there other middle schools that are not magnets or academies?
The PG article has a poll- rate the superintendent's performance:
http://www.post-gazette.com/polls/?pollID=3721
The poll does not offer space for comments. To those who may comment here- it would be helpful to indicate the basis of "Excellent" or "Good" votes, or for "Fair" or "Poor" votes to indicate how performance may be improved.
Wow, 60% think he is doing an excellent or good job!
It's too bad we can't get a breakdown by area of the city... it would be interesting to compare results from the "South" area, which has pretty much been left untouched except for upgrades to buildings, might be different from the "East" region where almost all schools have faced major changes.
While it is true the South has not been as hard hit as other areas, don't forget Prospect closing, Brookline expanding to a K-8, feeder pattern changes moving kids to Brookline from South Hills, Brashear losing Culinary Arts, etc.
It just may not be time for the South to have a full scale turn.
I'd be more interested in seeing the breakdown by people who have any actual knowledge of the schools (especially those who have been in the system and can compare changes) versus those who only read the papers.
I'd bet the excellent group consists of a combination of foundation heads, upper administrators and people who don't have and haven't had kids in the schools.
Underachieving School Info:
Allegheny Traditional Middle School, Rooney and Arsenal Middle School are currently underachieving Middle School. They have not made AYP and are currently in the PDE's "School Improvement II" category. Others in the same category are Arsenal Elem., Colfax, Helen Faison Arts Academy, Lincoln El Tech Acad., Miller African-Centered, Murray Elem., and Schaeffer.
Schools in worse shape are those in the state's "Corrective Action" category. Those include:
Allderdice, Brashear, Langley, Oliver, Peabody, Perry Schenley, and Westinghouse.
Oops, Carrick is also in Corrective Action !!.
Carrick is in corrective action and yet is the school which has shown more improvement over the past five years than any other.
Go figure.
This numbers game is a complete sham, foisted on districts and media by education nazis.
Yeah I sure feel badly for old Joe. Poor guy burnt himself out of gleaning news from press releases. Sheesh.
Strange way to deal with burnout, moving from covering school board to covering city council. Wonder if Joe misses the comparatively small number of calls he used to get from parents.
Currently the poll shows the exact same percentage (28%) voting for Excellent, for Good and for Poor. Fair lags behind at 16%. So there seems to be a wide range of opinion (much wider than is apparent from a typical school board meeting or vote).
These PG polls are so bogus: ([boh-guhs] –adjective
1.not genuine; counterfeit; spurious; sham.)
The voting is tied to the computer and the browser, so if there is more than one computer in your home or place of work, you can vote that many times. You can also vote everyday, and you can vote on different browsers on one computer!!!!! Very scientific, indeed!
So, voice your opinion!
I don't think this a favorable article at all. It looks like a dig at him, basically calling him a snake oil salesman.
He says "Trust me" but has not delivered.
A strength of the article is that it points out that much money still needs to be raised if these programs are to go forward. In addition to merit pay money, large yearly contributions are also needed to fund the Pittsburgh Promise, and if the Homewood Children's Zone is anything like the Harlem Children's Zone a great deal of money will be needed there as well.
In terms of trust- we heard something similar when the Excellence for All goals were rolled out. Then when the district fell quite a bit short of the goals we were told they were only aspirational. It doesn't seem like the administration actually said "Trust me"- rather, this was the reporter's insight into the situation.
The reporter points out how many things are not backed up by his promises. This is decent journalism,they are laying a foundation of "trust me" Why should we?
I hope this is the beginning of the media openly questioning his motives.
He has delivered nothing but grant money, including 200 thousand for himself. We still need to match 40 million to get the Gates money, haven't they tapped enough local resources? He is making out like a bandit, the teachers are being blamed for all of the problems, the administrative budget is swollen with huge bonuses, and nobody cares.
He is not trustworthy, he is very cunning and sneaky. The school board can't see it, which scares me.
From the PG article:
"The point of the right-sizing plan was to get rid of all these big middle schools that were not really producing any impressive results.
From the Pgh BOE website, the current middle schools are:
Allegheny
Arsenal
Classical
Schiller
South Brook
South Hills
Sterrett
- Are these middle schools that ARE producing results, or are we getting rid of them?
The closed middle schools are Reizenstein and Milliones- any others? Is it clear that the middle school configuration was the main reason for the lack of results?
Knoxville.
Gladstone.
Greenway
Sterrett? I was told that was one of best middle schools.
Pardon my surprise, I was told a lot that was not true, and it now just sinking in.
http://paayp.emetric.net/District/SchoolList/c2/102027451
The above PDE site will provide the data for each of our schools.
Hit the School's Name (Sterrett) then go to the selections beside "Overview" and hit "Data Table."
"Data Table" will take you to specific data/scores/progress, etc grade level categories.
Sterrett is one of PPS higher achieving schools for all students.
READING PROFICIENCY
All Students 72.4%
White stds. 91.2%
Black/AA stds 58.6%
(The PA minimum target is 63%)
MATH PROFICIENCY
All Students 70.3%
White stds. 89%
Black/AA stds. 56.2%
(The minimum target is 54%.)
Use this process to access similar PSSA DATA
for any and all schools in the state of PA.
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