Woodchucks munch the grass to one side of the Fifteenth Tabernacle on what’s left of Leopold Street in the City of Rochester — the street is part of a weird island of warehouses, apartments, and empty lots in the foreground of the city’s skyline. Leopold, near Ormond Street and Central Avenue in Northeast Rochester, has […]
Tim Louis Macaluso
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, health care, and local politics for City.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Rochester city schools still grappling with absenteeism
Rochester schools superintendent Bolgen Vargas’s goal was 95 percent attendance on the first day of school. In the weeks leading up to opening day, Vargas sounded upbeat and confident that city students and parents would meet the challenge. But the district fell short. First day attendance was about 83 percent overall. Only two schools – […]
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Public schools: white students becoming the minority
As students head back to school this week, they may find themselves playing a part in a historic change. This fall, minority students are expected to outnumber white students in the nation’s public schools for the first time, according to a report by the Pew Research Center. While much has been made of the demographic […]
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Pinning down prostate cancer
At 65, Jim Johnson says he feels like a young boy again. He says that he has none of the sexual tension or drive that begins around puberty and accompanies men through most of their adult lives. “I don’t have any of the desire for sex,” he says. “Believe it or not, it’s quite liberating. […]
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Teacher report cards show performance discrepancies, but why?
The New York State Department of Education has released the final versions of its professional evaluations for teachers and principals throughout the state for the 2012-2013 school year. And for the first time, parents can contact their school district and find out how their child’s teacher was evaluated. Some parents and school officials are going […]
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Pre-k is a high point for Rochester
While student enrollment has been declining in the upper grades in city schools, enrollment in universal pre-k is strong.
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Johns Hopkins wants out of Buffalo schools deal
Well, well. Maybe turning around failing urban schools is harder than some education reformers would have us believe. Johns Hopkins University, in a much publicized move, took over the management of two failing Buffalo schools – East and Lafayette — last year. But now, according to the Buffalo News, it looks like the university wants […]
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Forums on public education kick off in September
A “community read” of education historian Diane Ravitch’s book and a virtual appearance by Ravitch on Wednesday, September 10, will kick off a series of public forums.
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State commits $340 million to universal prekindergarten
New York City schools and agencies will receive the bulk of the $340 million universal prekindergarten funding recently announced by Governor Andrew Cuomo. The funding is the first installment on Cuomo’s promise to invest $1.5 billion over five years in a statewide program. Eighty-one school districts applied for the funding. New York City’s Department of […]
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Administration problems add to Vargas’s challenges
Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas says he’s making progress in improving city schools, and results are coming. But he faces some serious problems that he says could roll everything backward: open resistance from the administrators union and several changes among top administrators in central office. Vargas is at a key point in his tenure with […]
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Historic West Main church to be demolished
Marvin Maye, the Rochester developer who has been trying for months to get permission to demolish a church at 660-668 West Main Street, received the go-ahead today from city’s Zoning Board. Maye, who owns the property, has faced strong resistance to demolishing the church, which is on the city’s list of historic places. Opponents have […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Many city teachers not up to par, says new report
Student behavior and disciplinary issues are not the main reasons so many Rochester public schools are failing; ineffective teachers and problems with developing the curriculum are. And only 30 percent of poorly performing schools are functioning well enough to make the improvements they need to make. Those were some of the conclusions that a group […]
