The Rochester school district is in a state of emergency and an aggressive agenda for change is urgently needed, says school board member Van White.
This week White will present a talking paper, “We’re Beyond Reform, It’s Time for a Revolution,” to Superintendent Bolgen Vargas and the rest of the school board.
The seven-page document calls for sweeping changes. For instance, White says he wants to restore reading teachers in elementary schools, return the district to neighborhood schools, and extend the school year by two weeks to a month during the summer.
Some ideas, such as holding nonpartisan school board elections, are bolder.
“Our board leaders are vetted by a big boss political system,” White says. “What value does that add to educational outcomes? Maybe in the past we’ve eliminated good, highly experienced people.”
White also says he wants to create “Opportunity Zones” in the city’s poorest neighborhoods. And he says he wants to approach neighboring suburban superintendents about accepting children in grades K to 3 in their schools from the zones.
And White’s calling on area colleges to create a high school on their campuses to accept students from the zones.
White says there is no better antidote to neighborhood decline than high- quality schools. But Opportunity Zones could help expedite breaking up the concentration of poverty in Rochester, White says.
“At this rate it will take decades to break it up, and we can’t wait that long,” he says.
There’s been no shortage of studies and action plans over the years on how to improve student achievement in city schools. But most have been difficult to implement due to a lack of resources, and some would argue, the political will.
White will have to convince at least four board members to act on some of the ideas, which may not be easy. Some board members have opposed some of these ideas in the past. And he will also need allies in local and state government to implement his ambitious Opportunity Zones.
Rochester city schools, Rochester school board, Rochester graduation rates
There’s been no shortage of studies and action plans over the years on how to improve student achievement in city schools. But most have been difficult to implement due to a lack of resources, and some would argue, the political will.
This article appears in Oct 24-30, 2012.
More fanciful thinking. The suburban schools don’t want City kids; anyone who has dealt with “urban-suburban” kids knows what a disaster that program is, with violence, disruption, fights, etc. As for high schools on college campuses, why not put them on farms, or on the middle floor of a downtown office building, or at the offices of City Newspaper? Makes no sense whatsoever; moving the school has never improved performance (just ask NYC educators who have watched this approach fail for years). “Opportunity zones”?? Been there, done that, failed then and will fail again. Now, if you want to talk about extending the school year you might have something. But much more important — start hauling in the parents (if you can find them) and make clear: your kid doesn’t come to school, you go to jail. Your kid doesn’t do his/her homework, you get fined. That’s apparently the only language they will understand.
Sarbane:
“Been there done that, failed then and will fail again” Please wait to see the details of the plan before you pass judgment. I’m certian that there will be things that you will support in this plan (extended school year) and thingswhich you will not support. But let’s be careful not to use language that will discourage others from contributing resources to ideas which they believe may work. And if you have other “revolutionary” ideas, by all means bring them forward and I will defend your right to present them without others casting negative predictions or judgments upon them. Given where we are at, we can not afford to discourage ANYONE from participating in our effort to turnaround this District.
Sarbane – I’m glad you brought up the one group that never gets any blame in school reform – PARENTS!!! It’s not the job of colleges and suburban high schools to help the city schools, it starts and ends with the parents getting their kids to school and making sure they are engaged. If parents can’t handle that, they shouldn’t be having kids. Maybe sending parents to jail for truancy is a bit harsh, how about denying aid such as welfare if a student has a bad attendance record?
It is a shame!I was a School Bus Driver and I can tell you Stories! But, there are other Issues, to get the Kids Educated! The Students not getting enough SLEEP!! They are up until 2 – 3 am, watching TV , Parents are on Drugs, Alcohol, partying, nobody takes care of their Offspring. This little Darlings adopt the Language of this Adults and use it on the Bus and the School and educate the more decent kids. I loved my kids on the Bus, because they are only the Result of their Parents. NO ONE CARES, except, if something bad happened, then there is the big Outcry, so they can sue and getting out Money from this Process and can continue to party… As long, the System works for them, as long this Roots are spreading, this kids will not fit in with the Suburbs-kids, where Parents try to do the right thing, can afford good Clothing, etc.. there will be fights, bad Language and the City Kids not understand, why they are not liked…I also agree to the post, make SSI depending on Schoolparticipation of the kids, Homework and also start doing Drugtests on “Parents” to get SSI in the first Place! Just saying ..just thinking…because, the Victims are the Kids!
A decade ago I called for a return to nonpartisan board elections, a far better governance reform than mayoral control. A return to neighborhood schools has also long been warranted. Having spent several years (to no avail) howling at the moon in support of these ideas, it is nice to see them taken up again. Thanks to Van for raising them, and to City newspaper for drawing attention to them.
Tom Brennan
Northwest Rochester