Wednesday, April 20, 2011

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15 comments:

kathy fine said...

I know that you are all actually paying attention and have been worried by the lack of oversight on our school board. We have an opportunity to start to make a difference.

Dr. Regina B. Holley has over 36 years of educational experience, both in the class room and in administration. Most recently she retired as principal from Lincoln Elementary in Homewood. She is willing to continue her advocacy for the children of our city by running for school board and pushing for real educational policy. She will ask the questions needed to ensure that ideas are sound and thought through BEFORE implementation. She will ask for checks throughout the implementation process to make sure that reforms are on track. Check out her website at www.voteholley.com.

But we need your help. Dr. Holley is running against an incumbent that has been endorsed by the Democratic Committee in Pittsburgh, meaning she will be well funded and politically connected. We need you to:

Spread the word about Dr. Holley by recruiting 10-20 voters
Put a sign up in your yard
hold a coffee for Dr. Holley
spend some time knocking on doors
Volunteer on election day
Contribute to her campaign (teachers, contributions under $50 dollars can remain anonymous)-make checks payable to :

Concerned Citizens for Holley
901 N. Highland Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Please help in any way that you can. Dr. Holley has the experience would be a true advocate for common sense. Please email info.voteholley@gmail.com and let's start the process of real reform.

Anonymous said...

Wow

http://wepartypatriots.com/wp/2011/04/20/pennsylvania-georgia-seeking-to-reclaim-wages-already-paid-to-teachers/

Anonymous said...

Groups consider strategies to limit city's dropout rate

Seven weeks before the class of 2011 will graduate, more than half of the seniors at Peabody and Westinghouse high schools have something standing between them and their diplomas
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/education/s_733502.html#ixzz1KFiltNbD

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/education/s_733502.html

Anonymous said...

Another incident not far from Peabody:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11115/1141887-100.stm

Anonymous said...

Pay close attention, this could easily happen here. Robert Bobb is an Eli Broad "Graduate".

http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2011/04/25/eli-broad’s-last-hurrah-in-detroit/

Anonymous said...

Regina B Holley...

Holley is lather rinse repeat. Wasn't she the principal of Faison? How can that be considered a success?

I forgot administrators/CEO's are held to lower standards than the teachers. Blame the teachers elect the person that ran one of the worse schools in the district.

I don't get it.

Questioner said...

No holley was principal of lincoln very different results.

Kathy Fine said...

Anon 12:48

Dr. Holley was the principal at Lincoln K-8. During her tenure there, she has received accolades from the students, parents, and teachers for her leadership in educating a student body that is predominantly poor. She has won awards at the local and the state level.

She is concerned about the lack of sound educational basis for much of the PPS programming, the often poor implementation strategies and the fact that no one is being held accountable. She worries that too much money is being spent on consultants and PR, money that should be spent in the classroom.

I am still waiting to hear from the many of you that have been keen to the fact that we need a real change in leadership at the board level. We have a chance to get an experienced, articulate and dedicated advocate for our children and our schools, but we can't do it without a real grassroots effort. Please, we need your help. (info.voteholley@gmail.com).

Need a doctor? said...

How to tell if your school district has been infected by the Broad virus.

http://parentsacrossamerica.org/2011/04/how-to-tell-if-your-school-district-is-infected-by-the-broad-virus/

Toward the end of the posting (which sounds like it could have been written here in Pittsburgh) there are a couple comments about the abject silence of your local newspaper with regard to the Broad Foundation and its connection to your school. Uncanny.

Anonymous said...

http://www.obamaeagle.org/student-life/2011/05/13/college-bound-reading-club-taking-reading-to-the-next-level/

The link above will take you to an article about a book club at Obama. There is no limit to what we have to learn from each other of the possibilities when effort and thought are spent. PARENTS asked for more exposure to the classics and the school's response was the club. What we have to learn from this is that parents can no longer be the missing factor in a school's success. If you are reading this and have kids in elementary school now and think you have years before needing to worry about this stuff, think again. Don't wait until your kids come home from college for the summer and hear them lament what they did not get in high school compared to others.

Anonymous said...

Drop out rates how come there has not been a serious discussion about
drop out rates among african american males a PPS school board meetings?I thought the goal was every student in PPS dist are to
graduate but also on time if it was
at CAPA there would be a discussion
and also a high rate of white males
as well.HUMMM lets outsource the drop out rates in PPS,enclosing
when black males drop out of school
they DROP in behind PRISON WALLS
i hate to go there but we have a serious problem of this issue in
PPS

Concerned Parent said...

Not to play into the rumor mill, but this one has me concerned. Has anyone heard about an Obama teacher who was sexually and/or physically assaulted by a student? I've asked around and have heard second and third hand confirmations of this but nothing official. A young female teacher is what Im hearing.

Anonymous said...

"In 2009, the foundation spent $3.5 million creating an advocacy group to buttress its $290 million investment in programs to increase teacher effectiveness in four areas of the country: Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla., Pittsburgh, Memphis and Los Angeles.

A document describing plans for the group, posted on a Washington Post blog in March, said it would mobilize local advocates, "establish strong ties to local journalists" and should "go toe to toe" with union officials in explaining contracts and state laws to the public."

Remember how NO ONE in the media would report on the incident at UPrep? Notice how NO ONE writes critically about Gates/Broad initiatives? Let's all take a moment and acknowledge how compromised Eleanor Chute clearly is.

Long but good article:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11142/1148445-298-0.stm

Anonymous said...

City Data Forum eye opener.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/pittsburgh/1276138-moving-minadeo-colfax-linden-where.html

"I have a 1st grader in Minadeo elementary school. The school is suffering serious behavior-related problems these days, and it looks the new principal is not handling the issues appropriately. Many parents and teachers are not happy with the situation, and I'm planning to move my kid to another school.

I also have a daughter (at kindergarten) who gets special education in a different school, but mainstreaming in the coming school year. Our neighborhood school is Minadeo, but as stated above, I'm trying to avoid that school. I hope them to go to the same school however.

I have heard good things about Colfax, Linden, Greenfield, and Liberty. Among them, Colfax (very close to my house: about 5min drive) and Linden (which is a magnet school, and currently placed at 12th and 20th on the waiting list...) are under consideration. I would greatly appreciate any advice or experience regarding these schools.

And for those whose kids are going to go to Minadeo: you may want to check out other schools."

Directly PELA related, it is sad.

Anonymous said...

temporary GPA lower for sports whst's next will they use this same
tatic to ride on a school bus as well be elgible to go to lunch are you all on the board missing the same BUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! when PSA scores are low PLEASE!!!!!!!tell me this is a JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! also is there a new university in which you only have to 25 on the ACT and SAT test to be admitted.i hope it will be one of the new university on the Pgh. Promise list on one of the colleges you can attend.