From the PG- way at the end of the article, the school board expresses concern over increased enrollment at Milliones/ U Prep/ whatever its name is now:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11083/1134377-53.stm
The other side of the coin, not mentioned in the article, is that increased enrollment at U Prep is the result of lower than hoped for enrollment at the Westinghouse single gender academies. Word is, 1200 for U Prep and 300 for Westinghouse. And if the 1200 figure is correct, "increased enrollment" is an understatement because the U Prep program was originally designed for 825 students. It is not possible to fit 1200 students into the former Milliones middle school building.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
21 comments:
Those attending the public hearing on Monday report that about 8 representatives from the Hill expressed concern about the situation at U Prep.
Word on the grapevine is that U Prep has a 2.5 million dollar "small school" grant. If this is true, how will the increased enrollment effect this grant?
We are hearing that PPS would have to return the grant. It is apparently under the school improvement grant program, if anyone is able to look at the language.
So what is Pitt's involvement with Milliones or University Prep or whatever it is called? What is Louis Gomez's involvement at this point in time? Any?
Well there is this upcoming conference on Campus and Community Collaborations coming up, and while it includes a visit to the Sci Tech School (as well as Falk, Carlow and the PreK and K school at CMU) there is nothing at all about U Prep:
http://www.falkschool.pitt.edu/news/2010-nals-conference
Apparently Mr. Gomez will be a panelist so maybe someone can ask what is going on.
Making the South Vo-Tech Annex building the site for the RHVAC and welding programs instead of moving them to Pittsburgh Oliver.
What do you all make of this insight/vote?
i thought U Prep also was suppose to be a multicultural school as well,seems like the majority of students are afro amer.
enrollment increase. student/teacher ratio has to change
now may or may not need more teachers here we go again just kick the can DOWN THE ROAD,no fact
finding or research meaning the long term looks good so that just throw money at it,we get it right one of these days by that time PPS be run by the STATE
When I search the Pitt Ed. Dept's website with the term "University Prep" not much comes up. There are a couple of people who list being on the steering committee and it looks like there is one doctoral candidate who has had intermittent contact with the science department more recently.
Gomez's CV lists him as the inaugural holder of the Helen Faison Urban Education Chair, but there's nothing about UPrep on there.
I do know there used to be more info about it. It seems to have been scrubbed pretty clean. Certainly wouldn't be room for offices up there next year if all those kids show up.
U Prep was the home for the "Center for Urban Education" that Derrick Lopez was heading. Guess that will become a classroom.
Staffing of teachers is based on enrollment. They will have more teachers if they have more kids.
The idea that the school would be "multicultural" and integrated at some level was one of the (many) lies they told to get it started.
There are two schools closing (teachers that need to be reassigned) and falling enrollment across the district. Still more likely to be teachers without positions next year, rather than not having enough teachers (except in things like Physics etc.)
Yet, they're forging ahead with the teacher academy. Because, they obviously know so much about making great teachers and schools. Sorry for the sarcasm, but the years of their big plans and unending failures are starting to really wear me down.
I think the Obama and Westinghouse teachers have to reapply for positions. This is another way to get rid of certain teachers and staff with who PPS wants.
Obama teachers? I believe that only happens when a "new" school is opened. Obama isn't new anymore -- other than next year's 12th grade. Schenley/IB trained teachers were supposed to have a preference there, but that hasn't really come to pass either. Teachers that should have been retained aren't, others that should be gone are still there.
They're also paying for new people to be trained when they have trained people available. @@ I wonder if the budget woes will do something about that? Will they still be paying for "every student" to take all the tests next year?
I watched the Board's Legislative meeting with great interest. It was announced publically that they have 1100 students “anticipated to go there." Many believe there have been actually 1200 that have SIGNED UP.
I am amazed that no one could anticipate that if given a choice parents would not choose Westinghouse. Particularly, those 6th-8th grade parents of Lincoln and Crescent. UPrep sounds like some private school and it is not in Homewood. Sorry, but that is just the reality.
The Board Members and Administration now have a dilemma. Both Drs. Lane and Ware-Allen spoke of a “cut-off". If the original plan called for 800-850 students in UPrep, what happens to the other 400 students who have signed up for UPrep? Remember by law they cannot be forced into a single-gender Westinghouse.
These students are most likely the 6th-8th graders of Lincoln and Crescent do you accept them at UPrep and force the Peabody students back to Peabody?(Then how do close Peabody?) OR Accept the Peabody students and force the 6th-8th graders back to the East End? But how? Either they stay at old schools,( which means Westinghouse stays small) OR you create a new non-gender-based academy at Westinghouse that you can legally force those students into. But, how do you tell the City that you are creating a new program that will open in 5 months. You would be screaming “I am making this up on the fly".
This is quite a situation. Unfortunately it is always the children who pay the price. But, this time I think some adults will pay also. But, it won't the person who is most responsible for this unfolding mess.
Very true.
A good part of the problem was caused by planning to ASSIGN students to the single gender academy, despite the fact that all legal precedents were against mandatory assignment to single gender education.
Beyond that, a good rule of thumb would be for board members and administers to strive, to the extent humanly possible, to create only schools which (in terms of location, curriculum and demographics) they would send their own children to. So, instead of laughingly noting that "kids have walked to Westinghouse for 50 years," the question would be, are you willing to allow YOUR kid to walk to Westinghouse this Fall.
"This is quite a situation. Unfortunately it is always the children who pay the price. But, this time I think some adults will pay also. But, it won't the person who is most responsible for this unfolding mess"
Mr. Taylor,
Can you clarify this statement?
I am guessing he means MR.
They could attract parents/students to Westinghouse if they made it a CTE school. They already have Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, and Science & Math Academy. They also have the space for Health Services, HVAC and Auto Body. This is what the parents want and the students want....hands on training for a future JOB. Most students do not go on to college from Westinghouse (Promise Ready or Not!). They also need to bus the students even within 2 miles. The neighborhood is TOO DANGEROUS for all of our children.
That is exactly what the Open East End Panel recommended- a quality CTE Center with strong academics, and if Westinghouse was the location a shuttle bus running regularly to the school from the busway.
The shuttle bus should also go all the way down Frankstown Ave. from the East Hills border of Penn Hills to N. Murtland Ave. The school would become very popular if it was a CTE school, more electives to chose from, and with transportation.
Offering CTE classes, even if only as introductory classes, would probably cause attendance to improve too.
Obama teachers do NOT have to re-apply. Sorry to ruin your logic.
Post a Comment