Everybody’s saying that the outcome of this year’s presidential election will be determined by the state of the economy over the next few months, and I’m sure they’re right. But a president affects a lot more than the nation’s economic policy, so we ought to be paying attention to the candidates’ stands on things like, […]
education
Posted inNews & Opinion
[UPDATED] Vargas says no excuses for grad rate drop
UPDATE: (Monday, June 11) At a press conference earlier today, Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas did not make excuses for the district’s anemic 2011 graduation rate. The State Education Department has released data showing that the rate was 45.5 percent for those students who entered ninth grade in September 2007 and graduated in June 2011. […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
NEWS BLOG: Getting the wrong message from school ‘report cards’
It was good to see Michael Winerip’s column in yesterday’s New York Times, on media compilations of “best” schools. Several national magazines do these lists. So do lots of local newspapers. As Winerip notes, the lists are popular – and they are powerful. “Nobody in his right mind would take these lists lightly,” he writes. […]
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EDUCATION: Most laid off teachers will be hired back
More than 50 Rochester school district teachers are receiving layoff notices beginning today. About 25 teach special education, and 14 are math teachers, says Rochester Teachers Association President Adam Urbanski. Only weeks ago, Superintendent Bolgen Vargas said he planned to increase the teaching staff in the fall. Urbanski says the layoffs are due to lower […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
ANNUAL MANUAL ’09: Rochester Colleges
 [ COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES ] BY LEAH KRAUS With nearly a dozen colleges and universities in the area, Rochester offers an academic atmosphere mixed with all the fun that comes with having a rich vein of young adults making the most out of their college years. For those already past their four (or seven) boisterous years of […]
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‘Arms’ for the schools
Improving Student Performance: Can We Get Our Arms Around It
Posted inSpecial Sections
The mayor and the schools: who’s in charge?
Elections are about the future, and the Rochester school district may be a mirror of the city today, and what it could become. Shrinking enrollment — shrinking job market. Low test scores — low-paying jobs. High dropout rate — high crime rate. It’s not just Rochester. All across the country, cities with large urban school […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
School improvement: the price is wrought
When you hear stories about New York State’s urban schools and budget problems, you might assume that only the “Big Five” urban districts (including Rochester) are in a bind. But a new report from the Campaign for Fiscal Equity says, basically, we’re all in this together. Well, most of us. On March 30, […]
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Coursus interruptus
In a world where everyone is an expert at something, my lack of expertise in any one area is a problem. I’m surrounded by professionals: doctors, educators, curators, software gurus. In lieu of grad school, which seems really hard and expensive, continuing education is my only hope. When the two-color continuing-ed brochures arrive in […]
