From the PG:
"As Pittsburgh Public Schools tries to tackle academic and financial
challenges, administrators Tuesday night presented the school board with
an array of data that show wide variations across the district's 54
schools."
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All of the non-magnet high schools except Allderdice had a problem with chronic absenteeism; time to pilot a later start time? And ask students what can be done to make them less likely to miss school?
Brashear is reported to have one of the very lowest value added scores. But isn't Brashear still the site of the Teachers' Academy, where some of the very best teachers were sent to model effective teaching?
Last night's meeting was a three hour meeting with 2 1/2 hours spent on an UPDATED Whole Child Whole Community document that is available here:
http://www.pps.k12.pa.us//site/Default.aspx?PageID=2&PageType=17&DomainID=4&ModuleInstanceID=1&EventDateID=12027&CurrentView=month
Many questions were asked by Board Members, many good questions, important questions, even critical questions.
Too many were NOT answered. Often it was admitted that they "did not know the answers".
Too frequently the answers were absolutely wrong.
Unfortunately, nothing can be done about the misinformation since those who have correct information are excluded from the process.
Actually it is much more than "unfortunate"; it is the reason PPS has so many of its schools in the lowest 5% of PA schools and another substantial group of schools in the lowest 10% in Pennsylvania. Yes, Dr. Holley, that is "even worse." It is UNCONSCIONABLE! Dr. Holley and others asked very insightful questions that need honest, forthright solutions which are available!
It seems the DATA packet that was distributed at the Education Meeting is not included on the PPS website.
It included fact sheets for every school with numbers or percentages for enrollment, capacity, % of Black and White students, Math and Reading disparities, VAM, SPPs, special ed, ELL, feeder attendance, and chronically absent data.
The Board of Directors have this information.
Wasn't the board going to go paperless? Emailed copies would be easier for board members to share.
Maybe this kind of detailed information in one place wasn't meant to be shared or it would be on the website.
We might infer that is reason it is not on the website or sent electronically.
But hopefully not. Webmaster, can you have the data packet materials posted?
The district has been emphasizing attendance this year. Ms. Lane said 41 of the district's 54 schools showed improvements in attendance in the first semester this school year.
This is because principals have relaxed the suspension rules and the teachers are left to deal with the unruly students and their parent if they can get hold of them.
It would be good to take a closer look at the statistics. Remember how the ALAs were always reported as improving but the magnitude was tiny.
Any data that is collected or reported by the Schools and District internally, have been found to be manipulated to show improvement. The more frequently that is done the greater the actual problem in schools. The manipulation has a deleterious effect. In fact, it backfires!
The data that is collected externally by impartial sources without dependence on PPS, shows the decline that is taking place in not only achievement, but the many other critical data points that reflect the progress or lack thereof in PPS.
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