On the August "Start a new post" Anonymous wrote:
"Has anyone else pulled their kid/kids from PPS and feels guilty about it? I believe high achieving kids can get a good education in PPS, and most public schools.
My kid does not deal with the disruption, yelling and stress well. We decided to put him in a private school, for middle school. We hope to get him enrolled again in high school in PPS.
I have not given up on the schools, but I had to make the choice based on my kid. I feel guilty because I am very pro public schools.
I do know a lot of high performing kids fleeing the district, I never thought we would be one of them.
This was a hard decision for moral and financial reasons.
Can PPS woo us back in a few years?
I am uncertain, only one board member, Mr. Brentely speaks up, and attempts to hold the "employee" Mr. Roosevelt accountable. I commend his efforts even though we do not live in his district.
Btw, we live in one of the most "desirable" feeder patterns in the city, and we are still uncomfortable. This is not based on test scores, it is more of a safety, teacher/principal switching (RISE), lack of stability that pushed us over.
Is anyone else in this situation?"
9 comments:
More mixed reactions- it is difficult to see families turn away from PPS but sometimes it seems like the only way concerns will be addressed will be if enough families leave.
This post from Hard Decision is a message that can't be ignored.
There are families who, after considering the Pittsbugh Promise, have decided to stick it out. Others who will likley be vocal about expanding those served by the Promise to include their non-PPS students. Still more who think that since public school students will get lazy and skip the research and work for other scholarships, more opportunities will be available for their kid to be considered, making private school still worth it.
This loyalty to public school expressed by Hard Decision is worth noting. We see the catholic school version all the time from many local politicians. Once someone posted "PPS offers a good education to those who wish to receive one" on this blog. What needs added to that thought is "and are not prevented from doing so by a chaotic, disruptive, or threatening environments."
Admin knows exactly where the in/out movement is occuring and they have the numbers.
A colleague has sent her oldest daughter to PPS for her entire education, but sent her younger one to a private middle school. Her intention was to send the now 8th grader to Obama. Because of the impending move, she will no longer do this. Living in Knoxville, her daughter would have to take 2 buses to Peabody, and she will not let her do that. Her choice for high school? Not what she had hoped.
Only Capa and the science school will be real magnets for the whole city. Highland park will have a harder time getting approved for Allderdice.
Obama at Peabody will help the resoration of the community. Sci-Tech will always have numbers as the old Schenley loction would have had, due to its location. You can always find a way to stick any situation out when you know there is a limit to how long you have to put up with it. The IB kids who did their last years at Reizenstein did that, they knew it was temporary. Four years is a long time to make the commute to Peabody/IB. The families who will make it work are the ones who will drive their kids at least one way everyday.
The parents who are ABLE to drive them.
Roosevelt Talking about the Promise?Single Gender Academies NOW on KDKA-TV___11:45 AM.
Maybe someone who watched can fill us in on what was said. At the tail end the superintendent encouraged parents and students to visit CAPA, where students feel at home and "loved." Why not take them to our flagship school, University Prep?
One way to show some love is to provide a decent facility, with natural light, clean restrooms, etc.
Other students who can use some love are those in schools being phased out- such as Schenley and Peabody leftovers.
Too often these days decisions seem to be made primarily to serve the interests of the adults in the system, such as those whose careers and bonsus depend on test scores- when really for kids, what may be more important than a couple of percentage points on an arbitrary scale of "proficiency" would be a vibrant high school sports program and a focus on skills that will best serve them beyond high school.
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