In the mid-2000’s, many school districts across the country challenged military recruiters’ access to their high schools. Recruiters had high quotas to meet the demands of the Iraq war.
And even though the No Child Left Behind Act required high school administrators to give military recruiters similar access as college recruiters to students or risk losing federal education funding, many parents, teachers, and school officials strongly resisted.
Some of those parents, teachers, and school officials were at the city school district. They asked why students from poor backgrounds and with less opportunity to attend college should be served up for military recruiters.
But times have changed. The Iraq war is over and school officials are taking a different look at the military. Van White, president of the Rochester school board, has assembled a Military Academy Advisory Committee to explore the possibility of creating a military academy in city schools.
The committee, which is an impressive group led by Todd Baxter, a veteran with 22 years of military experience and the former Greece police chief, and Lieutenant Colonel Ulises Miranda III, the senior instructor of the JROTC, will have about two months to come up with recommendations.
It’s unclear whether the committee will recommend a standalone school or a program within city schools, where it would be located, or what kind of curriculum would be used. It’s not even clear where the money will come from, since White says that the school budget for 2016-2017 is almost all accounted for.
A military academy would not be for recruiting and training of service men and women; it would instead borrow from that style of training.
But a military academy, much like the military itself, appeals to many people who are often testimonials to the rigor, discipline, confidence, and character-building skills that can be gained. At a meeting yesterday, several men, including Baxter, talked about how the military gave them opportunities they would not have otherwise had and changed their lives for the better. The strict standards of dress, performance, and conformity, they say, were good things that transformed them from teens with no direction to young adults with a purpose.
And they believe strongly that some of Rochester’s youth would benefit from the same calling.
White has another goal. He is aggressively trying to find alternatives to receivership — an intervention by the state —for some of the district’s most troubled schools. A military academy is just one of those alternatives, he says; the district can counter the attraction to charter schools with its own alternatives. Some on the committee even see the military academy as an option for suburban kids.
While a military academy might lead some students to enlist somewhere down the road, right now, it’s not Uncle Sam who wants them, it’s the RCSD.
This article appears in Feb 3-9, 2016.
First of all, I don’t believe we have troubled schools, we have troubled students. That is why the military academy approach would work well. Uniforms, discipline and character building is needed across the urban educational spectrum. Unfortunately those that are in need for such a structured approach are not going to select the academy option. What will happen is that those that would like to learn without the disruption will look upon the academy as a safe heaven. That will still leave the troubled student on the loose doing what they do best, without any accountability. What we need is an all inclusive program.
Will a military type academy have a positive influence, you bet. Somehow, however, we need to find a way to connect with ALL the troubled students who interfere, interrupt and disrupt our urban classrooms. For some reason we continue to allow bad behavior to “rule” the classroom.
Semper Fi
Dutch, you are wrong. We have troubled students and troubled schools and everything else in the RCSD is troubled. The cycle can’t be fixed by adjusting one thing.
The entire district is broken and creating one Scared Straight school is laughable. Structure is needed in all schools like in life but that structure has to run throughout the system. You can’t hold students accountable when they are surrounded by processes, procedures, policies and many adults who know nothing but failure.
President White has again redefined inefficiency through his power of persuasion by getting over 2O people to waste their time investigating a concept that everyone knows will never become a viable option. This is simply the powerful delegating ideas so the train continues to inch forward. If the board wanted options they would approve a transparent, doable, formal policy that allows for new models of all kinds. The tinkering has gone on for thirty years and no one is buying it-except apparently the 20 naive individuals participating.
I tend to think of this in the context of other specialty school programs – School of the Arts for kids who have an interest or aptitude in performing arts, STEM focused programs with robotics or even the Aviation High School operated by NYC’s Public School System. Not purely vocational, these programs allow schools to engage students in ways that more generalized programs may not.
A public military school approach that emphasizes teamwork, discipline, physical fitness and academic achievement could be a great option for some (but clearly not all) families. I don’t see it as a pipeline to the military any more than SOTA is a pipeline to Broadway – some go that route but most simply get a good education along the way to whatever career they pursue.
At the same time, there are valid concerns about the high number of expulsions at Buffalo’s Maritime Academy Charter School – they have high graduation and achievement rates but also high attrition. If you took any of our district schools and lopped off the lower 25% of students who don’t show, don’t achieve, or cause trouble of one sort or another, you could have great numbers there too. The problem is that we’re charged with educating all-comers, not just the above average ones.
We should, by all means see if this concept has legs but it should be thought of as one tool in the toolbox and it has to be done in a way that doesn’t hurt the rest of our schools in the process. If it helps retain high potential students that otherwise might leave the district for greener pastures, maybe that’s a win too.
The troubled students dictate the troubled schools. The very last person I blame is the “boots on the ground” or teacher. The teachers are saddled with an impossible job. I believe that I stated that the solution must be ALL inclusive. That means that I agree that the current new program here and then one there and then change this to that, doesn’t work. That’s playing musical chairs with programs with lousy outcomes. progress can be made with an educational enhancement that connects the academics with the real world. They are boring these kids and as a result,….drop out rates that boggle the mind. I have been at this for over four years now. Have I written letters,….dozens. Have I written Van White,….multiple times. Am I discouraged,….not really. I’m a pretty stubborn person and I will be heard.
My background should give me some credibility, but that doesn’t seem to matter either. I immigrated to America and moved to Minnesota street, which is just a few blocks from East High School. I went to Edison Tech. I owe all I have to that school. I served in the USMC for a tour and then attained my Radiologic Technologist Registration. A medical imaging manager for 28 years. Now while that doesn’t make me an expert on immigration, education nor medicine,… it does give me some hard earned experience and insight to life. You would think that this would get you some attention. Nope. Last but not least I served on the committee that looked into the U of R take over of East High. I was the only non-educator on that committee and it was an eye opener to be sure.
I will keep plugging away because I have the time and I feel that I owe something, would like to contribute and give back. Trust me,…I WILL BE HEARD. And I aint going away anytime soon.
Semper Fi.
Let’s start with the obvious: The overwhelming majority of the students of the CSD are great kids, who deserve a future. The overwhelming majority of CSD teachers and staff are uncommonly dedicated, smart and committed to their students (no wonder the ‘burb districts love poaching from the CSD). There have always been pockets of excellence, including SOTA, SWW, a nationally-recognize teacher mentor program (a great vestige from the McWalters/Urbanski era), a highly acclaimed Pre-K program, numerous elementary schools and other departments.
Kudos to Van White for this action. Under good leadership a military academy may well thrive and find a niche.
One of the biggest problems has been the need, as illustrated by Gotta Say It’s vitriolic and uniformed rant, the need to scapegoat. It is all the more difficult to move forward when portions of our community love to hate the CSD. And spout nonsense. Another big problem has also been the abject failure of leadership, and outright destructiveness, from Brizard and Vargas. But they are gone now, and talk to anyone who actually, you know, works at the CSD and they will tell you of the hope many of them feel thanks to the return of sane leadership. Let’s hope that continues.
You know, I have to say that I have enjoyed the discussion. Nope, didn’t cause a jump in the graduation rate,….not yet anyway. But some good points have been brought up. In the end, I believe there is hope for improvement. But I firmly feel that this will only come to fruition with a “blanket approach”. We need All of our urban kids to have the opportunity to learn. While they may be born into poverty, they DO have hidden talents. It’s up to us, schools and the members of this community to provide the very best opportunity to have these kids discover their talents. That will free them from the poverty scourge. And, hopefully they will pass that on to their children.
I thank City Newspaper for the opportunity to vent, to contribute, to share. It’s a great place to spend some time to exchange thoughts.
Semper Fi.