On another post Anonymous wrote:
"How we got where we are, part 23, October 2008:
October 22, 2008: We start this edition with a $32,000 amendment to the Campos Research marketing contract to “to expand the services provided through the original contract to include the addition of two statistically valid representative telephone survey projects among parents/caregivers that will inform the assessment process for the District's ALA schools as well as the assessment process being done to gain a deeper understanding of the reasons why parents may be choosing other educational options or leaving the City."
Miller and Vann are reconfigured to send all grade 6-8 students to University Prep.
Board authority is granted to “make the necessary arrangements with the David Lawrence Convention Center (1000 Ft. Duquesne Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15222) in order to accommodate approximately 3,000 PPS employees for a common half day professional development session on January 27, 2009 for a total cost not to exceed $89,000.00. Having all District professional staff together at one time will build coherency and continuity around the district-wide academic initiatives as we support and commit to ensuring that students will be Promise-Ready.”
Old friends from Boston paid us a visit, with the Board voting to “enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with High School Futures, Inc. for the purpose of developing leadership teams in our high schools consisting of principals and teachers. Services will consist of developing a curriculum for leadership training and data-analysis training to provide over a period of 15 days of professional development.”
Mr. McCrea points out that High School Futures is “it is a new program, it has no history at all.”
Feeling short-handed in the Office of the Chief of Staff, the Board approves “a contract with four (4) Journalism and Communication Interns from local colleges and universities to provide assistance to Communications and Marketing staff in gathering and preparing information for publication of good news stories about District and school activities and events. Stories will be submitted for publication in community newspapers, Pittsburgh Educator and the District website. Additionally, interns will take video and digital photos to accompany news stories.”
Not satisfied yet, the Board also hires another secretary for the Office of the Chief of Staff.
The District enters into an agreement with the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh to assist with the marketing and sale of closed school buildings.
A $294,000 bid is awarded for masonry restoration at Fort Pitt.
Roughly a month before Broad Superintendent's Academy graduate Paul Gill, Chief Operations Officer, announces the end to his less than one year tenure at Pittsburgh, the Board rushes to approve a reorganization of the Facilities and Plant Operations divisions.
Derrick Lopez is name Acting Executive Director of Secondary Schools, but keeps a monthly stipend as Chief of High School Reform.
The financial statements again warn that “significant efforts must be made to reduce operating costs” and urge “an even greater premium on cutting expenses.”
Mark Brentley speaks against the continued shuffle of Hill District students: “it would really be helpful if -- at some point, if it is the leadership of this Board, or if it is through the Broad Foundation, or wherever it is from, that they tell us early on what is the plan for the poor black children in this District, and just tell us straight up. Because to continue to move, and move, and then change, has negative impact on those students....it is unspeakable, it is outrageous, it is terrible, and it definitely does not fit under the slogan that is thrown around here, the Excellence for All.”
Mrs. Colaizzi cheerleads for the Board majority: “U Prep is an unbelievable educational opportunity, we should be very proud of it, we should be looking at it as a future opportunity for our children that otherwise maybe they would never have received.”"
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Majority of grads not ready for college
From the PG:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11258/1174811-298.stm
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11258/1174811-298.stm
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Sheraden residents plead to keep Langley
From the Tribune:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_756663.html
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_756663.html
Monday, September 12, 2011
"Pittsburgh Promise able to meet obligations for the next 4 years"
From the PG:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11255/1174145-100.stm
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11255/1174145-100.stm
Sunday, September 11, 2011
How we got where we are Part XXII September 2008
On another post Anonymous wrote:
"How we got where we are, part 22, September 2008
September 24, 2008: The Board establishes Uprep “as a magnet program beginning with the 2009-10 school year."
Central office bloat continues with the opening of not one but two project manager positions for University Prep.
The Chief of Staff submits another contract with Dennis Moran Design to work with the Marketing and Communication team. “The firm will create secondary graphics including: (1) color palette, (2) fonts, and (3) imagery. They will deliver marketing materials including: (1) a capabilities brochure, (2) a multipurpose pocket folder, (3) website graphics, (4) insert sheets, (5) presentation materials and (7) additional materials as needed. Responsibilities of the contractor include print production coordination and management, layout, image creation including illustration or photography, and delivering these complete materials on time and in accordance with the marketing and communications plan.”
The financial statements again warn that “significant efforts must be made to reduce operating costs”, urge “an even greater premium on cutting expenses”, and call for sale of closed school buildings to be a “priority.”
Randall Taylor, on changes in the magnet policy, raises “issues about maintaining the diversity, the gender and racial diversity that we have in our magnet admissions and our magnet schools, and so my sincere hope as we go along is that, one, that we will have the involvement of groups like the NAACP of Pittsburgh, the Advocates for African-American Students and other groups who may want to be a part of creating a process that at the end of the day that we maintain the gender and racial diversity that we've enjoyed in this district for over 30 years.”
Mark Brentley, knowing that Uprep had only 138 students, questions the need to two project managers: “Can you tell me what is the -- what is a project manager for the University Prep?”
In a tag line more worthy of Cosmo (“50 is the new 20!”), Mark Roosevelt explains the grading of all E's as 50%: “I, myself, am not a statistician, but to those who are, there is a great body of evidence to show that if an E is treated as anything less than that, it is over represented in a student's grade accumulation and, therefore, is unfair to the student....let me just make it clear. If a student takes an exam or takes a test or hands in an assignment on which they earn a 20, when they're handed that back, they are given a 20, and that is how it's described and that is how it's presented to them. It is only when the grade point average is compiled for that course that it would be represented as a 50.”
Mark Brentley counters that “it would be very, very hard for me to believe that seasoned, established educators would support this....a false hope that he or she is really progressing when they're really not...the biggest and most important thing here is that it never accurately measures that student's achievement, and when you're playing those kinds of shell games, it's unfair to the students....when you really, really look at it, it simply makes no sense. These kids are shortchanged if this process is being used, and somewhere, somehow somebody's got to give some of these students some tough love....it is not only our job, it is our duty to make sure that we're open and honest and fair with all students.”
In a real gem that we will revisit later, Bill Isler states emphatically that “I can tell you this: Mr. Roosevelt has no authority to sign any contract or negotiate any contract without board approval. This board approves every single contract. That's part of the school code.”
Brentley discusses Roosevelt's whereabouts: “Mark, we are going through some trying times here. We've closed so many schools. We have so many new that you would need all hands on deck at all times, and it was just stunning to see that on the very first day of school you were teaching and not within our district.”"
"How we got where we are, part 22, September 2008
September 24, 2008: The Board establishes Uprep “as a magnet program beginning with the 2009-10 school year."
Central office bloat continues with the opening of not one but two project manager positions for University Prep.
The Chief of Staff submits another contract with Dennis Moran Design to work with the Marketing and Communication team. “The firm will create secondary graphics including: (1) color palette, (2) fonts, and (3) imagery. They will deliver marketing materials including: (1) a capabilities brochure, (2) a multipurpose pocket folder, (3) website graphics, (4) insert sheets, (5) presentation materials and (7) additional materials as needed. Responsibilities of the contractor include print production coordination and management, layout, image creation including illustration or photography, and delivering these complete materials on time and in accordance with the marketing and communications plan.”
The financial statements again warn that “significant efforts must be made to reduce operating costs”, urge “an even greater premium on cutting expenses”, and call for sale of closed school buildings to be a “priority.”
Randall Taylor, on changes in the magnet policy, raises “issues about maintaining the diversity, the gender and racial diversity that we have in our magnet admissions and our magnet schools, and so my sincere hope as we go along is that, one, that we will have the involvement of groups like the NAACP of Pittsburgh, the Advocates for African-American Students and other groups who may want to be a part of creating a process that at the end of the day that we maintain the gender and racial diversity that we've enjoyed in this district for over 30 years.”
Mark Brentley, knowing that Uprep had only 138 students, questions the need to two project managers: “Can you tell me what is the -- what is a project manager for the University Prep?”
In a tag line more worthy of Cosmo (“50 is the new 20!”), Mark Roosevelt explains the grading of all E's as 50%: “I, myself, am not a statistician, but to those who are, there is a great body of evidence to show that if an E is treated as anything less than that, it is over represented in a student's grade accumulation and, therefore, is unfair to the student....let me just make it clear. If a student takes an exam or takes a test or hands in an assignment on which they earn a 20, when they're handed that back, they are given a 20, and that is how it's described and that is how it's presented to them. It is only when the grade point average is compiled for that course that it would be represented as a 50.”
Mark Brentley counters that “it would be very, very hard for me to believe that seasoned, established educators would support this....a false hope that he or she is really progressing when they're really not...the biggest and most important thing here is that it never accurately measures that student's achievement, and when you're playing those kinds of shell games, it's unfair to the students....when you really, really look at it, it simply makes no sense. These kids are shortchanged if this process is being used, and somewhere, somehow somebody's got to give some of these students some tough love....it is not only our job, it is our duty to make sure that we're open and honest and fair with all students.”
In a real gem that we will revisit later, Bill Isler states emphatically that “I can tell you this: Mr. Roosevelt has no authority to sign any contract or negotiate any contract without board approval. This board approves every single contract. That's part of the school code.”
Brentley discusses Roosevelt's whereabouts: “Mark, we are going through some trying times here. We've closed so many schools. We have so many new that you would need all hands on deck at all times, and it was just stunning to see that on the very first day of school you were teaching and not within our district.”"
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Westinghouse enrollment
Enrollment numbers are normally updated on the first of every month. Westinghouse started school early, in August, but there is no information on enrollment:
http://www.pps.k12.pa.us/15212011160423557/site/default.asp
http://www.pps.k12.pa.us/15212011160423557/site/default.asp
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