The revised district report includes statements about the performance of schools with PELA principals. It lists the following schools as having PELA principals but didn't other schools such as Peabody and Weil also have PELA's?
"Pittsburgh Emerging Leadership Academy
(PELA), one of the District’s major reform
efforts, continues to show promising results
in the second year of implementation.
Schools with Principals who participated in PELA
Pittsburgh Allderdice 9-12 Pittsburgh Rooney ALA 6-8
Pittsburgh Arsenal K-5 Pittsburgh Schiller 6-8
Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12 Pittsburgh West Liberty K-5
Pittsburgh Langley 9-12 Pittsburgh Westinghouse 9-12
Pittsburgh Morrow K-5"
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There were other schools. I imagine they fail to mention them due to less than desirable results.
Allderdice results are down. Rooney ALA, Arsenal, Weil ALA, King ALA (both also PELA) and Westinghouse are among the worst results in the district. Langley keeps dropping over time.
CAPA, Schiller, and West Liberty have ALWAYS maintained GOOD results so can PELA take credit for those?
How do these results support a case for PELA schools?
Aren't Peabody and U-Prep also PELA schools? Those results are also LOW and descending!
I think all of the schools except Peabody are accounted for, unless they are including residents, assistant PELA principals etc. They manipulate the numbers to make it fit better. Some schools only had a PELA one year, not two. We do not know the test results from the past year. (Capa, Morrow, Langley and Westinghouse.)
Minadeo is getting a head PELA this year, I don't know how many others are.
Here is a link, scroll down to page 4/5.
http://www.focusonresults.net/docs/Pittsburgh_Makes_History_Achieving_AYP.pdf
Incomplete link
http://www.focusonresults.net/docs/Pittsburgh_Makes_History_Achieving_AYP.pdf
http://www.focusonresults.net/docs/ Pittsburgh_Makes_History_Achieving_AYP.pdf
Maybe this will fit.
Wouldn't it be great to know what each PELA did before becoming a principal? It seems only fair to consider this in evaluating the success of the PELA program. Isn't this what the experts want to do when they compare the performance of kids? Kind of back out the factors that deter success or add to success to really scrutinize programs and initiatives? I can only think like a parent, so I may not have a good grasp of what any academies look like from the inside out.
I should have said before becoming a PELA in my post.
What has been shocking to many, many teachers is the number of individuals who go into administration--whether it is pursuing administration opportunities by simply applying for supervisory positions--or into PELA and have been the types of individuals who simply could not cut it in the classroom. Whether the rigors of teaching were too much, the ability to connect with kids was lacking, the preparation was missing, knowledge of curriculum and subject area was missing or most notably, the ability to control a classroom was sorely lacking, I know of no PELA type who has been without question marks as a teacher. Almost invariably, there is some skeleton in the closet.
And this seems to be obvious, doesn't it? Most teachers go into the profession because they want to help students achieve greater things. They see children as being with unlimited potential and feel that forming a bond will enable them to flourish and achieve.
I know of no administrator who has gone into this role for the same reason.
The young fresh faces within PELA strike me alternately as being both humorous and disturbing. On one hand, it's kind of funny to see young people bailing out of urban classrooms. On the other, it is disappointing to realize that with so many years left before their retirement, they will not ask questions, they will not opt to do what is best for their schools and essentially, they will genuflect before the superintendent.
Since I believe that no one has all of the answers in education and that effectiveness comes in the form of the give and take between teachers--learning what works and what doesn't and assimilating new ideas--it simply strikes me as sad to work for central administrators that think they have all of the answers, that your opinion is not necessary, that every school fits into a certain mode, as does every teacher.
Sad. This is supposed to be a people industry, not a corporate entity run amok.
It is adults in roles of responsibility that put the young "at risk." In the PPS system of education, more than 70% of our Pittsburgh youth have been put "at risk" by Central Office 'players' who are seeking self-aggrandizement and 'fortune' via experiment after experiment with our most vulnerable. On the street, many are asking, Will we recover? How long will it take? What can be done to find a truly "Safe Harbor" for those being put "at risk?"
What is really shocking is the PELA's who do not understand the importance of having a Student Service Staff who deal with all the issues....academic, social/emotional/behavioral issues and barriers to learning; truancy issues, mental health issues, on and on and on. The PELA's truly seem to be clueless about the issues and what Student Services face all day every day! And with limited staff!!!! They just don't get it. Who is "minding the store?". Really people....WHO IS MINDING THE STORE? Do we REALLY care about getting students Promise Ready? All this pressure and no help and no support for Student Services. It's so much talk and expectations and no support!
The nontraditional approach is to put the money into consultants instead of support staff...
Many Peabody students are not even scheduled yet. No one cares about them because they are Peabody students with a school that is going to close next year. Many of the parents are uneducated, uncaring, and/or ignorant and don't know any different. The PELA is clueless and trying to be the counselor as well as principal. What a joke. Post this if you want or delete it, but it's the truth and someone has to say it. I am saying it even though I am anonymous. I am tired of the talk about making students "Promise Ready" blah blah blah when we are ignoring and disregarding vast numbers of students who need assistance. They WILL NOT be "Promise Ready" because there is no one to help them! The low functioning principal can't do it. She can't even run the school. Yet Student Services and Teachers are blamed for not helping students enough and not making all student "Promise Ready".
No reason to delete this kind of observation- it's mainly things like name calling, racist/sexist comments, or remarks about particular students that must be deleted.
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