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University Prep is still ran poorly and nothing has changed. Staff either on medication or quitting their jobs. The school is not safe because of decisions the district and administrators are making. "
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24 comments:
I am applying for my daughter to go to Brashear. UPREP is dangerous for the students there. My daughter says that the kids do not respect the new administrators and that the administrators walk through the hallways not enforcing rules. Every time that I go to UPREP I have to wait an hour and a half to speak to someone and the kids are all swearing and hitting each other. It is not a controlled environment. I can not wait to get my daughter out of UPREP. I worry about her every day in that building. It is not safe and my daughter is learning nothing because she said the class rooms are out of control. I thought UPREP was suppose to get my daughter ready for college. The only thing that she is ready for is how to survive when she is there and to go to a better school as soon as possible.
There are members of the larger community who are dedicated to helping you and your daughter navigate through your circumstances with some sense of control in your decision making. Seek their counsel ( 7:04 ) and include your daughter in the process.
I pulled my son out of uprep and I sent him to Brashear he said what a great difference he said there is no one in the halls security pushes them to class and the teachers have controll of the class rooms anon 7:04 do it now before it's to late he loves Brashear and the controlled secure invirement.
Uprep was on lock down yesterday for a shooting on a street over. I did not see any Police but I do know it was on lock down. My daughter called me to pick her up because she said she was scared. I went to the school and picked her up. I am scared for her safety in the school. She says that the students jump each other and bully kids all the time.
Last June there were large meetings at the Consol Energy Center to plan for the new reforms at Milliones. There were about one hundred people in the planning group that met at Consol for two days. All of the teachers were involved! Lots of plans were written. Does anyone know what happened to these plans for Milliones?
People from Pitt and the Hill District were included. Many agencies and so-called experts in and out of education were also included. A lot of time and money was spent. What were the outcomes? Who is charge? Does anyone know?
WHAT ARE THE PPS PLANS TO MAKE MILLIONES UPREP A PLACE WHERE EVERY CHILD CAN SUCCEED?
I am heartbroken over comments about white teachers needing this job because it is the only school willing to hire them. That breaks my heart. 95 of the teachers at UPrep, who come back year after year, are there because they are dedicated to fixing the problem and helping their students. I can think of maybe 3 teachers who have decided (not out of racism) that this is not their gig - and they are actively seeking employment elsewhere. But the tricky part is that they can't just up and quit on a two week notice. They have to serve 30 (or maybe 60) school days before leaving, or the State will hold their teacher license. So they need to wait for the summer to find new jobs. Most of the staff, including myself, loves the school, the community and the students. I could find a new job in a good school in a heartbeat. I am a Distinguished teacher, I have glowing letters of recommendations from various teachers, professors and principals, I scored a near perfect (196/200) on my PRAXIS, I earned a 4.0 in Grad School where I earned my teaching certificate. I have years of experience. I am NOT LEAVING. And I come back year after year. If things start to turn around (even slightly) this year, I plan on coming back next year, and not seeking a transfer. Most teachers (white or black) in the building are in the exact position I am. I also think that the Administration is great, but naive. They have not found "the" way to manage our students, and teachers are given very little control/say-so in the building. I am optimistic that this will change, because of feedback like what comes from this blog. I have worked in "good" schools in the district, and trust me, I found a lot more teachers who didn't give a damn for the students. If you are blaming the teachers, instead of supporting them, you are hurting us, and you will be upset when we all abandon ship at the end of this year. No, no one would rationally choose UPrep, unless it was all that was offered, OR unless it was something you were called by God to do, and your heart was in it 110%
I meant to say 95% of the teachers (probably more). And also, I spent nearly 500 dollars on my students last year (467.39). Do you really want to see teachers like me leave?
The school has been having riots. On the fourth floor this week a young lady was jumped by multiple girls and a staff member was injured during the fight and is now on crutches. Uprep is dangerous. They have staff quitting and talking about them having to take medication to stay focused and calm. The entire staff is abused by the kids and the school is out of control. The people that do come in make zero difference because the school is too damaged. It is the principals job to get this school under control and the principal and director are horrible. The disciple is horrible. The kids swear at the administrators and tell them what they are doing. This principal and director want everyone else to work and fix the schools problems. They worry about getting new furniture rather than the school under control. The decisions they make are just pitiful!
Let me tell you how uprep handles their problems. The Garfield and Hill District boys were fighting with each other. People came into the school to mediate the boys and on the first meeting they give all the boys that were creating problems for the school delivered pizza and pop. Does that make any sense to you? Reward kids that are fighting and disrupting classrooms with pizza and pop on the first meeting they had together. The good kids are left behind and it is so sad. The kids still do not like one another because they were rewarded for bad behavior.
Get Johnson Martin out of retirement. He can fix U-Prep!
Today at uprep the school was out of control. Gang fights the hill district against Garfield. At least 80 kids were involved. The school was out of control. Many charges are being filed.
Criminal charges against students? When there is more school pride there is a cohesive feeling and fewer problems like this. Miss you Schenley! A lot.
The school is out of control because of the administrators. Weak admin. Kids were ran over by kids trying to get to the fight running down the steps. Kids stepped on, pushed down the steps and more.
Mrs. Carla Rivers and Mr. Horne are staying late nights to strengthen the extra curriculum in the school.
What is the "extra curriculum"?
February 6, 2016 at 11:49 AM
Take one guess. Mr. Horne thinks he is the man. He is a man with Freeman that is causing a circus at uprep. The school is dangerous and out of control because of them! The board needs to get them out of there now!
In the past, the board/district had a group of "troubleshooters"-- people who were at the supervisory level/ certification but could be pulled if there was a "principal emergency"- not all schools had v.p. back then, and if a principal was injured, ill, or OUT OF CONTROL, these experienced adminsitrators came in short term. They were the heelclickers that are hangin at the board. They didnt walk-through and pick at teachers-- they came in, looked at the situation, sometimes with a new eye and dug in. In the past superintendents came- not for a photo-op, but to sit down and say, " what's going on? what do you think would help?" Sometimes principals would tell the building committee (union) to ask for help if he/she couldnt get it thropugh normal channels. But first, you haver to admit you are in trouble-- newsflash-- being written about here is trouble! if you are an administrtator, or an area super-- and it isnt getting better-- make a change-- try something-- ask for help
Does Jason Rivers know what is going on?
Anon 4:38 pm I really don't think so and he really don't care as long as that pay check keeps coming in just like the pps teachers who most don't care if there class is learning or not they got the union to protect them and if the admin wants that teacher out of there school they will just go to another and do the same.
Horne is as good as Hardy
I believe that we are overlooking a huge point in this issue. The problems that continually happen in buildings such as uprep have very little to do with teachers, administrators, or the school district, and everything to do with how the students in these schools are being raised. I can guarantee that the majority of the teachers who teach at uprep work their hands to the bone day in and day out trying to make a difference, but are hit with many obstacles that most people couldn't even imagine. These students have learned to act out with disrespectful and violent behaviors, not from their teachers, but from their environments, communities and upbringings. We are going to continue to see problems like this arise until the public is willing to place some accountability on the parents and families of these children.
In a school environment that has an established structure, fosters support, consistently addresses negative behaviors with viable alternatives for correcting and changing them, students begin to see the value of the eucational setting.
There is an inner city tech high school in Harrisburg where students live in crime riddled neighborhoods who risk walking long distances through rival territories and encountering drug dealers because they want to achieve. That school is a model learning environment, the students are actively involved in all phases of it, and who their parents are and what their homelife is doesn't override what that school does for them.
Remember that there were students in most recent history who have done massive damage in certain schools in our country who came from "perfect" homes.
Don't pass this buck,4:26!
Students coming from the same neighborhoods and same home environments as the U prep students (Hill and Garfield) also attend Sci Tech and Obama magnet schools. No fights between 30 students or incidents of disruptive or violent disrespect in those schools.
What's the difference?
Students are thriving in a culture where learning has been put first and foremost and where rules are consistent and where they feel a sense of value.
That's the difference.
Some of the students at magnet schools sci tech and Obama come from the Hill and Garfield, but only students who can meet various GPA, attendance and other requirements. U prep on the other hand must accept all students in the feeder pattern. And, it is generally much easier for magnet schools to disenroll disruptive students than it is for comprehensive schools to do so.
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