Thursday, December 15, 2011
Summer Dreamers
Based on the agenda review, it sounds like what is happening is that all kids who are not proficient and who want to attend Dreamers will be placed in a lottery. The program will be in 3 locations only, Milliones, King and Carmalt, and it will supercede the longstanding successful program at Lincoln. If by some chance there is some space left kids who are proficient might be allowed to attend.
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You really have to wonder if PPS considered all the consequences of decisions like this. Such as, the consequences of telling kids that you only get to go to camp if you do poorly on your PSSA's (while at the same time schools are trying to get everyone geared up to do a good job on PSSA's). Or conversely the fact that everyone now knows that if a kid is going to Summer Dreamers, he or she is not proficient. Meanwhile, if there was a successful and affordable program at Lincoln, would it have been more economical to simply expand that program to other schools rather than spending money to design and extensively market (with expensive color brochures) a completely new summer program.
Plus what about students with disabilities who more than likely will not be able to do well?
With only three sites, has the admin staff been trimmed? I really think a lot of people thought the gravy train that was the ARRA funds would never end, even after the state redirected part of that money to general operations.
Was it not fascinating to watch Administration's efforts to eliminate the Lincoln's Freedom School while simultaneously lauding its success and admitting to modeling elements of Summer Dreamers after the success at Lincoln??
And, was it not equally fascinating (and revealing) to hear Ms. French explain that it is Admin's preference to get National groups (supported by Gates) to provide them with the assistance they need to improve programs??
Is there no one at PPS who can think outside of the box and tailor PPS programs to be much more effective and successful than the "national" experts have been able to do up until this point?
If not, if there is no one who can do that at Central Office, is it not time to identify those who can do the job? For instance, those who put together the Freedom School?
If PPS Central Office is admitting, by deference to "national" entities, that they are NOT CAPABLE of advancing education in Pittsburgh, what do we have to lose by commissioning Pittsburgh Educators, as Mark Brentley continually suggests, to take on the roles, the responsibilities, the design, the implementation, the documentation, the evaluation and finally the successful fruition of public education in Pittsburgh???
PPS seems to make up its PSSA philosophies as they go. There is a rumor among upperclassmen---that apparently has merit and has just come to the surface in the past couple of days---which has it that the Pittsburgh Promise is dropping its PSSA scores for more cash idea.
I'm sorry to tramp on this thread, but I always have a solid disdain for businessmen dressed as educators, and the people in charge of the Promise are no educators. They managed to get Lippert--who is also no educator--to concoct and then enforce a 50% grading policy so as to get more kids on the pathway to the promise, even when they don't really don't deserve any such reward thanks to poor academic performance, and now this.
At the end of the day, whether its Summer Dreamers, Pittsburgh Promise or myriad other consultants or blow hards who AREN'T in the classroom, this district is full of people who are making wads of money (much more than classroom teachers) who have no idea what the kids need or how to get them to realize their potentials.
From "Dr."Lane on down, this administration are worse than any small minded politicians who are good at covering their own rear ends.
Don't know much about Freedom School but it looks like it is a national program, not homegrown in PPS
http://www.childrensdefense.org/programs-campaigns/freedom-schools/
And now today the P-G reports that Lane's "academic leadership team" (French, Lippert, Otuwa, Poncelet, and Rudiak), are asking that they receive no pay raises this year. This will save the district about $67,000. How big of them... What a bunch of b.s. considering they got raises before the state money was reduced. The best thing they could do is move on to their real life's work - whatever that is.
In what universe can these five be entitled to a bonus?
Think about how soft this formula is or how low the bar is: after all the glossy postcards, billboards, press releases of the day, pats on the back from venture philanthropists, PPS still hasn't cracked the top 470 school districts in the state. We are right about where we were before Mr. Roosevelt and Dr. Lane carpetbagged into town.
The pay for performance formulas for the assistant superintendents have no teeth.
Reread that News article/press release. Two of the cabinet only conceded their $2000.00 pay increase for the upcoming year. ($165.00 per month pretax) Each still took their bonus portion. This will save the district $4000.00 as the approximate amount of $68,000 total bonus is still being paid out/received.
The staff cost (time value of money) of writing and issuing a press release for $4,000 of savings borders on misappropriation of funds.
The PR control of local media was a lynch pin of the Roosevelt administration and part of the blueprint of any corporate structure. PPS is the BP of the education world. What's disturbing is that local electronic media and the PG prefer to not question.
I agree that their decision is pretty strange. It doesn't seem to be very effective. Thanks for the information.
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