From the PG:
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/pittsburgh-cutting-about-75-special-ed-positions-637272/
- It would be interesting to know how many hours are expected to be worked for the 500k and to calculate what the cost per hour per consultant will be.
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"The board also voted to spend $513,000 in grant money to hire Success Schools as consultants in shaping the learning environment at Pittsburgh King PreK-8, Pittsburgh Faison K-5 and Pittsburgh Milliones 6-12, also known as University Prep."
"It will mean that we'll be creating an environment where teachers can teach and students can learn and our student achievement will increase," said Jan Ripper, district chief of student support services."
I wonder why Westinghouse is not included? Doesn't Westinghouse deserve to have an environment "where teachers can teach and students can learn"?
Success Schools now run Clayton Academy an alternative school on the Northside as well as J. B. Stetson Charter Middle School and Olney High School East & West in Philadelphia where the programs are school-within-a-school configurations (with about 100 students).
In Pittsburgh, the Success School model will be the whole school at Milliones, King and Faison.
Success Schools is a "behavior modification" program.
When PPS hires consultants, they are admitting that the people-in-charge at schools, whoever or whatever level, do NOT KNOW what else to do. The job and responsibility that they hold is beyond their own competence level. It seems to be happening more and more frequently. Then there is some else to blame.
The total dependence on consultants is the reason people are fleeing the city to go to other districts or to charter schools.
If PPS had creative schools (not one-size-fits-all) PPS would be attracting people into the city and expanding its repertoire of schools, options and opportunities instead of shutting them down one by one.
PPS need creative, competent, committed Pittsburgh educators to carry out the mission of a quality education for all of the city's children.
We can do this with the "right people in the right seats on the right busses."
.
More Waste, I thought the super kid teachers at King were highly effective, I guess that was a lie. How can they be empowered and effective in the school and have no control, or even know where there students are at?
The PPS is built on lies and buzzwords.
Why do we have so many administrators at the Ivory Tower and always have to bring in expensive consultants. I guess we do not have highly effective administrators. From the top down.
If the parents do not stop this we will be the next Philly? There is no sucess in public education, the same consultants and venture capitalist killed it in Philly.
Save Our Schools
Thanks for the information.
What another waste of money. As far as Westinghouse, so much money was wasted in that school, when all they had to do was include those in that community who asked over a year ago to help them. Now I understand they are paying consultants to discuss what was already presented by that Alumni group. What a rip off this district is doing to its tax payers.
From the SUCCESS SCHOOLS brochure:
"POPULATIONS SERVED:
- Alternative Education
- Special Needs Students
- Overage Students
- Underachieving & Undercredited Students
- Students with Disruptive/Disciplinary Issues
SERVICE OPTIONS:
- Alternative Education & Residential Schools
- Dropout Recovery/Prevention Programs
- Independent & Partnership Charter Schools
- School-within-a-School Programs
- Residential Juvenile Justice Programs
- Job Training & Career Readiness Programs
- Training and Consultation Services"
How do these "populations", "services", and "options" apply to Faison, King, and University Prep?
From the SUCCESS SCHOOLS brochure:
"POPULATIONS SERVED:
- Alternative Education
- Special Needs Students
- Overage Students
- Underachieving & Undercredited Students
- Students with Disruptive/Disciplinary Issues
SERVICE OPTIONS:
- Alternative Education & Residential Schools
- Dropout Recovery/Prevention Programs
- Independent & Partnership Charter Schools
- School-within-a-School Programs
- Residential Juvenile Justice Programs
- Job Training & Career Readiness Programs
- Training and Consultation Services"
How do these "populations", "services", and "options" apply to Faison, King, and University Prep?
Well, the “right people” are not those who must use “behavior modification” and “operant conditioning” to get students to behave in schools!
How desperate can they be? The African American Community must not accept this. These are schools with large African American student populations. Why are they being subjected to this kind of treatment? Can anyone answer that question?
The Public Hearing is being televised now on Verizon 44.
Success Schools is being discussed. Mr. Brentley asked whether Success Schools (at Clayton) is connected to CEP.
The current literature/brochure that is in front of me states that Success Schools is listed this way:
"Clayton Academy (Pittsburgh, PA: with CEP)"
Mr. Brentley was just told that there is no connection between Success Schools and CEP?????????????
Then why is this printed on their 2011-12 literature?
Mr. McCrea asked the same question as Mr. Brentley and was told that there was no connection between Success Schools and CEP???????????????????????????
Regina Holley asked the question about Success Schools:
"If it doesn't work, who will be held accountable?'
There was dead silence in the room.
That question was NEVER answered.
(Those who were in the room know that to be true.)
"Under the existing contract, CEP in April last year turned the school over to a new wholly owned subsidiary of CEP, called Clayton Academy Management Services, which in turn hired Success Schools to run Clayton.
In addition to Clayton, Success Schools operates six other schools, including four in Philadelphia, one in Washington, D.C., and one in Richmond, Va.
School district solicitor Ira Weiss said the proposal is with Clayton Academy Management Services so that the contract will be considered an extension, thus keeping a memo of understanding permitting nonunion teachers to remain in effect.
Success Schools kept Howard Bullard, former principal of Pittsburgh Schenley High School, as principal of Clayton, which he joined in 2008."
This is from the PG article in March (http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/education/clayton-academys-troubled-students-get-second-chance-86117/?print=1)
So, basically, we're still paying CEP, but they gave up, creatd a new entity (the subsidiary) and that new entity hired Success Schools.
So, this time, the administration seems to be skipping now middle man CEP and going right to what they say worked at Clayton, Success Schools.
But they're not hiring them to run the schools, they're just hiring their services to tell them what to do, right?
CEP seems pretty shady, in terms of information available about their owners and all. It's based in Nashville, it's hard to find info about the officers and they have some connection to "Beechnut Academy" in Texas. And some shady dealings, perhaps:
http://www.texaswatchdog.org/taxonomy/term/362
And some older stories are linked on this page:
http://www.houstonpress.com/2001-05-31/news/moving-out-of-state/
Tales from his time just after being head of the Republican Party in Tennessee: http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=49258804305307213&postID=5437022540058194085
(I had to use "find" on that page to get to the story with RR in it.)
At the very least we can say that the board/administration didn't do a good vetting job on CEP.
But is anyone surprised? I'm sure they had a lovely powerpoint, though, telling of their great successes.
Success Schools has a little more information on their site (like bios of the officers).
Dr. Holley was given a blanket space out from the pther Board members.
As usual, The Board foes not respect the Questions of certain members-thus they repeat the question using the Board approved member they want to ake the question.
Is Dr. Lane leaving-or this private vacation time she must use.
Rumors are running that she is using her time to retire starting in January 2013.
How long is Dr. Lane's contract?
IS the HEAT on for Taregeted teachers?
Maybe another thread heading:
After watching the televised Board meeting-went to PPS web site
to purview job postings, after Dr. Holley's comment.
As a parent I became confused by looking at all the new job postings for Central ADM.
I came across one of the numerous job functions for a postion that struck me as a serious method of concern.
Please read my last phrase copied from one of the postings.
WHAT IS the term HEAT standing for in PPS language--moreover, what is targeted as an interpretation for observations in classroom.
Conduct H.E.A.T. observations of targeted teachers twice per year.
Just saying: The brochure that we got last week in Philadelphia at the Success Schools office states that Success Schools operates "Clayton Academy, Pittsburgh PA with CEP."
The quotes are a direct statement from the brochures stacked on the counter in the Success Schools office.
There will be two(maybe three)Success Schools employees stationed at Milliones U-Prep for one year to implement the behavioral program.
No mention of dangerous missing kindergarten children from MLK. Sadly I am not surprised.
I am curious about whu success schools is needed at Faison. Everything we read in the paper about this school states it is in jeopardy if the young teachers it has now are lost to seniority. But if success schools are needed now, then it sounds like the district is admitting the teachers and principal can't control these elementary school students. So maybe these young teachers are not all that after all. Maybe the papers should look more closely at this and the foundations too. Someone is not being honest here. They should look at rise anevwrite about the toll it is taking and how many people are on mood elevating drugs or are on sick leave or are suing the district as their pensions are being stripped of them. Then consider how this terrible situation effects students and families. The people at Bellefield making decisions about what is happening do not seem very capable. I have never seen such ignorant and low behavior in leaders. They seem to just be guessing and bullying their way through this. There is no real vision there except for themselves as individuals who stand to gain money. What a sad, sad mess.
Pittsburgh, why are you permitting these people to turn predominantly black schools into prisons? Have you come so far only to turn your children back into compliant souls who never lift their eyes up from the ground? Demand principals, teachers, and leaders who know what they are doing. Do not settle for imitators who only like to dress up and make themselves visible. Demand better or be re-enslaved.because that is what you are looking at here. Schools of silence and compliance. Prisons of uniformity, drill, and rote learning. Schools where "yessir" is the highest evidence of student learning.
When I was a teacher at Milliones,
(before it closed and re-opened as U-Prep), we were told it was our fault that PPS had to close the school because of poor behavior and low test results. So it closed and we were tossed to this school and that and then it re-opened as the much touted U-PREP.
The staff were hand picked and most YOUNG. Now whose fault is it that the school is failing and out of control?!
"Success Schools office states that Success Schools operates "Clayton Academy, Pittsburgh PA with CEP."
Yes, that's what the quote above says too. CEP -->> created wholly-owned subsidiary (that means it's still theirs) of Clayton Academy -->> that wholly-owned subsidiary hired and pays Success Schools to run the school aka the wholly-owned subsidiary.
Path of $$: PPS >> $$ >> CEP for wholly owned subsidiary Clayton >> pays Success Schools to actually run it.
Ummm, it's like you pay your kid to mow a lawn. Your kid decides s/he doesn't like the job or you give her/him too much grief about the bad job they are doing. S/he puts an ad on Craigslist and finds someone to take it on.
You still pay your kid, your kid then deals with the actual mower and pays them whatever (presumably smaller and definitely not larger) amount the kid and the new mower agreed on.
"Where's the U in U-PREP?"
To answer a question on another thread since it fits here as well:
There is one sweet, young, intelligent white woman who is stationed there (at U-Prep) as the University of Pittsburgh 'person."
She tells us, as did Alan Lesgold and Louis Gomez, that she/they have no influence over or capacity to change what the District requires.
Their hands have been tied, therefore, it is what it is.
She has told us that the money runs out after next year and she will no longer be assigned there.
Enough said?
(No, it is really not "enough", but we're trying to distinguish fact from opinion and sticking to it. It's a PSSA skill!)
The ideas that Success Schools are being paid for were already discussed (& dismissed by administration) at Faison. I guess PBIS (a school wide behavior plan) sounds better when "experts" bring it up. The district is paying consultants to provide information about PBIS that is already well known.
If this is such a concern to PPS, why are the suspended, expelled students reported each month so low? We never hear about behavior issues in the press/media unless a parent reports it. We should all be in shock that this is an issue that warrants this amount of consulting cash.
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