There are schools in the Rochester school district in the same situation as East High, said State Education Commissioner John King at a press event at Greece Odyssey Academy High School today. And Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas could be ordered to come up with plans to turn those schools around, too, he said.
King would not give a time frame or say which school could be next. But he made it clear that he has little sympathy for these failing schools. They’ve been given the necessary funds and support, he said, but they have not sufficiently improved.
The Rochester school district has many schools identified by the state as priority schools — those that are persistently failing academically and are in need of immediate remedial attention.
Once a failing school is singled out by the SED, officials have limited options and limited time to try to fix the school’s problems. They can: close the school; convert it to a charter; open a new school while phasing out the failing school; turn the school over to SUNY to manage; or work with an educational partner organization.
Vargas has issued a request for proposals to find an EPO for East High, though he’s said he’s not necessarily committed to that option. He must submit a turnaround plan for East by April 30.
King said he would like to see Vargas coordinate multiple EPO’s for East, such as Monroe Community College, businesses, and BOCES. King defended the options the state offers to school districts. Evidence shows that with the right leadership, they work, he said.
King was at Odyssey to observe how teachers are implementing the higher standards curriculum referred to as Common Core, and how they are using a $1.5 million “Strengthening Teacher Leader Effectiveness” grant. The grant is to train and develop teachers’ skills.
This article appears in Apr 2-8, 2014.
“Evidence shows that with the right leadership, they work, he said.”
And what evidence is that?
The arrogance of people like the Commissioner, who are likely part of the larger system that has for years made political decisions or supported those who did that never really addressed the underlying poverty or racism. No it does not mean poor children cannot learn what it does mean is that if you put up enough barriers and let urban communities deteriorate for years, reduce revenue sharing with local governments, further the wealthy with corporate welfare tax breaks, abandon progressive income taxing, segregate housing opportunities to favor the wealthy, what do you think will result?. It is also interesting that most private schools can decide not to accept the common core curriculum and can make local decisions as to how best to meet their students needs.
Could it be that there is another agenda which points to having the responsibility for public education shift to private sources where recent interest shown by Hedge funds could benefit? If you look at privatization efforts elsewhere, one of the strategies is to allow the decline of public services with limited ability to meet boarder needs of the increasingly poor communities . The need continues to increase and so on. Other factors including globalization,, millions of jobs lost to automation and huge tax breaks for the rich are like a vice that continues to squeeze and squeeze. Status quo politicians do not want to go up against the big businesses that fund them or speak truth to the public who often see especially as applies to education an increasingly desperate matter as they fear their children will be caught in a downward cycle of a lower standard of living Just now realizing how serious the economic future could be easily positions them to be caught with stark reality. Bonnie Cannan