New York Education Commissioner John King. Credit: Photo provided.

In light of threats from state officials about closing failing schools and taking control of failing districts, many people wonder if the Rochester school district has finally hit bottom. Were the last round of state exams the worst of it? And should we lo

Credit: Photo provided.

ok for student achievement to begin inching upward?

That’s been the general thinking from at least three city school officials during the last few days. They may be getting the idea from Commissioner John King, who, I’m told, frequently refers to Massachusetts as inspiration for what’s possible.

A recent New York Times article looked at Massachusetts’ success. If Massachusetts were a country, the Times says, its students would be second in the world in science, behind only Singapore. The state’s math scores aren’t far behind. 

But Massachusetts’ strategy for increasing student achievement doesn’t resemble much of what is usually touted as education reform. And oddly, it doesn’t exactly resemble what King is promoting, either.

Massachusetts raised standards, but it also increased the amount of money spent on education, putting much of the added funding into urban school districts. 

Parents are not offered vouchers that could be used at private schools, and Massachusetts didn’t close its low performing schools. It hasn’t allowed a proliferation of charters, either.

Teacher tenure remains intact, and teachers don’t receive merit pay for higher student achievement.

What state officials did instead was stay the course — allowing things to get worse before they improved. And here’s the caveat: it took a long time.

“Behind the raw numbers are two decades of efforts,” writes the Times. 

This article appears in Sep 4-10, 2013.

I was born and raised in the Rochester area, but I lived in California and Florida before returning home about 12 years ago. I'm a vegetarian and live with my husband and our three pugs. I cover education,...

5 replies on “Has the city school district hit bottom?”

  1. So, what Massachusetts seems to have done is trust that teachers (and, admittedly, administrators) know how to do their jobs and accept that there are things far beyond the control of schools and teachers that can impact student achievement.

    Makes too much sense. It’ll never fly here.

  4. 1) how much more money do we throw at the schools??? We are paying $22,000 per student per year already!
    2) when do we turn our attention to a students home life??? Many city students come to school sleep deprived, hungry, with no semblance of having been taught consideration of others …through training of basic manners, not having done home work, are pregnant, are abused either violently or sexually, on drugs etc…the litany of woes is endless & shameful. When do we look here for solutions???
    3) Most teachers in Rochester DO care about their students. Chat with a few and you will begin to understand the problems they deal with daily and the frustration s they experience. Imagine seeing these bright eyed children, who in their early years are interested in learning, eventually become less interested in learning due to what they have to experience outside of school. And, as a teacher, being blamed for the lack of learning, when it is impossible due to circumstances far beyond your control!
    4) what do we do with parents more concerned with their “rights” than how they themselves should contribute to their child’s education? These parents often threaten and harass teachers, making demands instead of offering to collaborate with teachers to enhance their children’s learning experience.

    I am not a teacher. I AM a tax payer who believes parents need to become better parents to improve how their children learn. I believe in neighborhood schools, which allow children to belong to a local community, creating bonds and additional safety nets they do not get being bused to kingdom come and back!

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