The administration was faced with a difficult issue regarding its plans for single gender education at Westinghouse.
It has finally acknowledge that students cannot be forced into single gender classes. Alternatives for students who do not want single gender were to assign them to U Prep, or to also offer mixed gender classes at Westinghouse. However, the first option- students not choosing single gender defaulting to U Prep- resulted in too many students at U Prep. And the second option led to complaints from single gender proponents that the plan was being diluted.
The solution was to have it both ways. At Wednesday's legislative meeting Dr. Lane stated that students living East of Negley would be assigned to Westinghouse. The plan is that core classes will be single gender while art, PE and CTE classes will be mixed. Students assigned to Westinghouse would have 30 days to opt out and be assigned to another school, most likely U Prep.
HOWEVER, the actual language of the Board resolution does not mention the 30 day opt out and does not specify which classes will be single gender and which will be mixed. The language simply states that single gender and coeducational classes will be offered at Westinghouse. It's a hope for the best approach- ie, hope that most students will go with the assignment to single gender, but if too many opt out the district will be able to keep them at Westinghouse anyway by offering mixed core classes if necessary. To maintain the mixed classroom safety valve there will not be two schools at Westinghouse, just one school with single gender core classes and the option to add mixed classes if necessary. But really there kind of will be two academies, with the principal planned for the girls' academy signing on as "co-principal."
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So what do we get for all of this maneuvering? Pretty much the same thing that has been at Westinghouse for almost 2 years now- single gender core classes, mixed electives- but because that arrangement was not attracting enough students grades 6-8 and part of the Peabody feeder are assigned to attend. Still no word on whether the single gender classes have had any real effect on GPA's, attendance, PSSA scores, graduation, etc.
PG article:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11125/1144307-53.stm
The article mentions Board member Jean Fink's comment about student ambassadors' enthusiasm for single gender.
But, why should the opinion of a small group of students selected because they favor the single gender option be more important than the opinions of other students? Why not poll the student bodies of Peabody and Westinghouse as a whole?
Fast forward to October 2011. There will be a mess with students opting out and a lawsuit. Bet on it!
If this was a special legislative meeting will there be video posted to the PPS website or will it be televised as is the norm with legislative meetings?
It should be posted (when?); probably not televised since it was not scheduled.
per Board office the video should be posted to website (not yet, though) and it should be televised. 7:00 tonight might be a good place to check, if the airing follows past pattern.
If there is one place where it makes great sense to do single gender classes is physical education and health. They seem to say that PE will be Co Ed. Really?
Frankly, I see this as six schools under one roof.
One is boys HS. Two is girls HS. Three is Co Ed HS.
Four is boys middle school. Five is girls middle school.
And six, if this is the case, Co Ed middle school.
.
???
Somebody had to have misspoken about the co-ed gym classes, right?
Well, the language authorizes the administration to create all of those arrangements, but the admin's hope is that students will just stay in the single gender classes they are assigned to. They will be able to have only single gender core classes at Westinghouse unless there are too many opting-out students to fit at U Prep. Why they expect single gender core classes to make such a big difference is another question.
The language the board approved does not specify which classes will be gender and which will be mixed, but according to admin the plan is mixed PE. No discussion or explanation as to why but a lot of decisions these days come down to cost.
A lot of decisions come down to cost. Those darn children are so expensive. If we only got rid of the kids then things in the schools would be so much less expensive.
The whole school isn't going to be taking PE at one time. To put the boys with one teacher and the girls with another is not any more expensive than having two classes with them both being co-ed.
One takes gym, the other health. Simple.
Physical education isn't the top worry, but it does show how crazy this has become.
Remember, we need to do something DIFFERENT. PPS is INNOVATIVE! So if tradition is mixed academic classes and separate PE classes, switch it up and see what happens.
Gates/Broad,Board,Teacher(s),Staff
Superintendent has it "BOTH WAYS"
Also PPS,my point is MY WAY OR THE
HIGHWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!how many WAYS can we go?
Different can be better or worse. PPS needs to do it BETTER.
Same with change. We can change for the sake of change. That might be churn. But, we really don't mind change if it is BETTER.
We need to improve our opportunities, improve upon the knowledge of the students, BETTER the world.
The article also has Sherene Shealey throwing Homewood organizations under the bus by saying it was their idea. I also heard she said this plan came from community meetings in December 2009. She is incorrect. Single Gender was illegally instituted in the school in September 2009. The community committee was hand picked by Mark Roosevelt and, according to some participants had their instructions. One of those instructions was the Allderdice could not be included in their discussions. This whole proposal is one big sham being perpetrated on a struggling community. It sad Sherene Shealey is not doing her homework.
The organizations listed as represented on the panel mostly have some sort of financial relationship w/ PPS. Also participants will tell you that at many meetings, particularly as time went on, there were only a few people there. When meetings open to the community were later held to explain what had been decided, people complained that they didn't know the panel even existed.
Seriously, if the decision had really been up to parents and regular community members, would their solution for Westinghouse be the same single gender core classes that existed for 2 school years now, plus adding 6-8 and part of the Peabody feeder?
Mark,
You misjudge people, I know this first hand. You had no idea who the "good guys" were.
You made a judgement call that was 100% wrong. You bet on the wrong guy.
Say what, Victoria?
1:49 p.m. good point remember she is a ENGINEER person who design classroom STRUCTURES among other things and not classroom CURRICULUM
that's really a BIG DIFFERENCE i am glad that you brought that point
out another point Dr. Allen for someone who has a youth service organization you think she understand maybe she missed the BOAT my point is maybe she gets funding from Gates /Broad money yes
under the table think about this one everybody
Single gender classes won't work for students.Thanks for sharing this post.
Anon 5/5 4:06 p.m., i think somebody just wanted to get you off the phone and told you what you wanted to hear.
The minutes from the 5/4/11 legislative session are available under Board of Education on the district website. No video has been posted.
It might be time to switch to being optimistic that the school will work well. One indicator, have all the students who served as ambassadors bought in to attending?
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