It's in this spirit that last Tuesday I picked up the latest issue of NJ Monthly magazine which is emblazoned with the headline NJ's Best High Schools. The cover promised to list the top 100 schools inside and I knew the school system we moved from - West Windsor-Plainsboro - would be on that list. That was one of the reasons we moved to 08540 in 1998. Our mailing address was "Princeton, NJ" address but the section of 08540 we moved to is really West Windsor Township. West Windsor-Plainsboro South High School (which was the only high school for the district when we moved there) is on the 2010 list at #16 out of 322 public high schools. The newer school West Windsor-Plainsboro North, which was built in response to all of the new residential development in West Windsor and Plainsboro, is still solidly in the Top 50 at #29.
The magazine then directs you to its website to see all the schools ranked 1 through 322 and so after setting down our weekly take from Fernbrook Farm in our kitchen I eagerly go to Roland's home office to pull up the magazine's site. And I scroll and scroll (and scroll) to find Trenton. Out of 322 public high schools Trenton is ranked 317.
I cannot describe the feeling I had seeing this ranking because it was on the occassion of the 2008 NJ Monthly rankings (they're done semi-annually) the Trenton Chapter of the NAACP mounted a campaign they called "310 Never Again" because, you guessed it, Trenton was ranked 310 out of 322.
For the 2010 rankings we moved 7 spots in the wrong direction; we moved even further to the bottom.
What will it take to turn around our schools?
It's Monday. School started on Friday, the office reported at the board meeting tonight that over 200 people came in today to register their kids for school. 142 were new registrants. Registration has been open since January and even on Saturdays. Perhaps the district didn't communicate the registration information effectively enough, but doesn't a parent also have a responsibility to make sure their kid is registered for school before now? I can kick the district office around for not being as efficient as they could be,but what is the explanation for a parent showing up on the second day of school to register their child?
ReplyDeleteDespite this I'm encouraged by what I have seen in the offing for the Trenton School District.
The board just approved the expenditure in excess of $200K in a agreement with Rider College to train 20 "Reading Recovery" teachers who will specialize in early interventions to address the needs of those students who are not reading at grade level. An additional 9 teachers will be "trainers" for other teachers in reading recovery skills. Each school will begin with at least one certified "Reading Recovery" specialist. For students reading at grade level or above determined by individual assessment testing, they will get a customized reading program designed to enhance their literary skills. Trenton State College has submitted a proposal for the Bonner Partnership Project at TCHS main for 400 TCHS students to receive academic assistance with a TCNJ student partner. TCHS is also instituting a program called "High Schools That Work" composed of the "best practices" of successful high schools from all over the country. There are several exciting proposals for elementary and secondary schools before me that I could not fit into this text box, but the list of Superintendents Recommendations is literally 5 pages long. I think you would be impressed with what is coming in the next year. The prospects for Imani and Naima to get a good education in Trenton have improved exponentially despite all the adversity and bad publicity the Trenton School District has gotten of late. This is a critically important topic to every responsible parent so I would not paint a rosy picture if the facts were not there to support my assertions. Besides, you and Roland know where I live so I can't hide if I lie to you. Be encouraged, things are looking up for the Trenton School district. The NAACP was just a year early.
Poverty is the reason for this, the worse it gets the lower we will sink. No Hope=poor learning skills. Now both Mom and Dad Have to work their butts off just to keep spinning their wheels and break even. Children see this and are reacting. lower ranking = worsening Poverty.
ReplyDeleteon the on the other hand In Short Talk with Neighbor hood Children, I Can't believe what they are not teaching. These were 7-9th grade Kids, and not a one of them knew a single thing thing about The Federal,state, or city governments.only 1 out of the three named the Mayor, Things I learned in a 5th grade civics class. (well that dates me.)This is a crime against us and our Children and the ruin of our future.The very tool needed to fight this travesty is not even offered. The NCLB act (Or What I like to call it, The no child's behind left unpunished act) does one thing, Prepares Children to take test.
Their seems to be something else at work here. I ran across a posting on the Democratic underground. Not only did it surprise and Anger Me, but gave me relief. As a Mother Involved with your children I hope it can do like wise for you. I'll post the top lines and the address as well.
ReplyDeleteArne having to change tune since NCLB is causing 82% of schools to fail....
Posted by madfloridian in General Discussion
Fri Mar 11th 2011, 12:39 AM
instead of causing them to be successful. As soon as the students meet a testing goal, the next year they raise the goal. The parents are not clued in that the standards are being raised, so they blame the schools and the teachers, especially the teachers.
I remember in 2003 when Howard Dean made an offhand comment after a rally, and remembered I was even questioning the accuracy of the statement myself until I thought it out. While the Bush administration was claiming it was a way for the schools to succeed, Dean said the opposite.
2003 Howard Dean on NCLB... "every school in America by 2013 will be a failing school."
"The president's ultimate goal," said former Gov. Howard Dean (D-Vt.), one of the Democrats who now harshly attacks NCLB, "is to make the public schools so awful, and starve them of money, just as he's starving all the other social programs, so that people give up on the public schools."
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/7419