Thursday, February 26, 2015

What is working?

Anonymous wrote:

"New Posting: 
What is working in a PPS classroom ? 
Anecdotal stories anyone"

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

In PPS some students learning some not,some graduating and some not ,some students going to school some not ,some dropping out of school some not,some students taking advantage of Pgh. Promise some not oh forgot some students get suspended some not my point is there is some things working in PPS just don't know what's positive or negative

Anonymous said...

I had a great experience today with the SOS program ran by a wonderful special needs counselor/teacher/etc. I was at Plants and Flowers by Lisa in Mt. Oliver. The owner was training the student and both were enjoying the experience immensely. This is something that is working. Kudos to PPS Special Education Departmnet.

Questioner said...

What is the SOS program? Does it place special needs students at local businesses for training?

Anonymous said...

SOS is, sort of a life skills program. Students are taken out into the community and taught how to function. Some have to be taught to take the bus, fill out job applications, interact with others.
The gal who teaches this program is a saint. She does things to help the kids the rest of us won't look at because they are so low functioning. God Bless her!

Anonymous said...

Here is a link describing the program from the PPS website...
http://www.pps.k12.pa.us/Page/947

The SOS program is in no way a life skills program. It is a transition program. Transition is part of the IEP for a student with any disability. It originally started as a program for students with Specific Learning Disabilities because they are the students that slip through the cracks the most and have historically had the least amount of services available to them. It has since been expanded to include students with other disability labels. Students get into the program through teacher recommendations - and it is usually the "cream of the crop" students in the program because you have to be able to trust them out in the community.

Students who are in life skills programs are not in this program because they already have a ton of services available to them.

The program includes service learning projects, mentorships in the community and finally ends with paid internships in their senior year.

As with any program, the success varies from building to building.

Anonymous said...

Seemingly with the lack of response to this posting not much is working in the PPS classroom. However PPS' PR machine continues to work hard at putting out the kind of journalism that is without substance. Absent push-back and/or challenge from the community and in particular the Black community in detailing the failure of PPS to educate it's children, this kind of journalism will be 'carte blanche' with it's propaganda.
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2015/02/27/Survey-Most-see-potential-in-Pittsburgh-Public-Schools-A-Schools/stories/201502270299

Anonymous said...

As a former pps parent (kids graduated) I have always found the surveys like the A+ survey next to useless. The questions are written to get a certain response. 450 is not a great sample either and as far as the surveys conducted by the district, the participation rate was usually so low that i questioned the results anytime they were reported. A+ really seems to just operate to make the district look good. I should say try to make the district look good. Let us know when A+ sets up shop in the most trouble schools and how that goes. Not for any roll out of a report but as an independent observer or volunteer support staff.

Anonymous said...

I couldn't agree more with the post from Feb. 28 @8:23 am. It is an absolute joke that A+ schools and the PG reporter believe that a survey of 450 people can accurately illustrate the "happiness" of PPS parents, students, employees. There are 25,000 students in the PPS and yet ONLY 450 parents/guardians, etc. were surveyed??? At least be smart enough to survey AT LEAST 5,000 people and then we will see what the TRUE survey results will be!! Survey numbers can be "juggled" any way they want to show the results they want! Who is to say that the favorable surveys were not hand picked to get the results that they wanted!!

I have been a teacher in the PPS for 15 years and it is so bad for the students, teachers, and even many building principals. I honestly don't even know where to begin with the examples of how things are falling apart! PPS is a sinking ship with a captain and crew that does not have a clue as to what is REALLY taking place within the schools!

Anonymous said...

The article fails to inform whether "the phone survey of 450 registered voters" included any PPS parents. That would seem to be the demographic one would target for credibility on any level.

Anonymous said...

The timing is impeccable for such an article.. Without anyone holding PPS' feet to the fire, it's agenda is a 'cake walk' and the school board candidates are seemingly on board. No pun intended.

Anonymous said...
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