Last week the DOE spun out a press release boasting about the “success” of the high school student placement system. “Over 83% of Students Receive One of Their Top Five Choices In High School Admissions Process.”
In the real world parents and schools have been complaining about the system since its introduction three years ago. The mantra of Kleinberg has been anything that preceded their coronation is “part of the problem, not part of the solution.” The prior system although complex worked, schools and parents understood the process and could actually have a voice.
The new system is typical of Tweed. Totally designed behind closed doors and unleashed on an unsuspecting school system.
The DOE distributes an encyclopedia sized listing of the over four hundred high school choices. High school fairs are confusing and poorly attended. Students/parents must file their application by early December. They can chose up to twelve schools and must list them in a priority order.
Schools receive a list of all the applicants with their transcripts; they “match” students and insert into the big computer in the sky. Schools are urged to select five students for each available seat.
Last week the DOE spun out the results with accompanying pats on their own backs.
Principals and teachers are not cheering.
One Principal reports a third of the assigned students, 51 of the 143 students, did not apply to her school and did not meet Promotional Standards requirements (Chancellor’s Regulation A- 501). Other Principals have chimed in with the same complaints.
How can students be assigned to high schools if they do not meet promotional standards?
How many current 8th graders do not meet promotional standards?
How can students be assigned to a school if the Principal never “ranked” the student?
The DOE mumbles these students are “promotion in doubt,” however, since they may graduate they are allowed to participate in the system and they are actually placed.
In the real world kids are pushed out of the middle schools, and high schools find themselves with students with extremely limited skills and poor attendance. In spite of the yeoman efforts of high school teachers most of these kids flounder and drop out, and fingers are pointed at the “failing high schools.”
The failure is at Tweed. A leadership that is more interested in spinning out press releases and treating kids like widgets on an assembly line.
The New York Times writes about an electronics firm located in Queens. “Everyone in the company is invited to share ideas …” The business leader describes the process as “plus it up.”
The union, principals and teachers, the guys and gals in the trenches are full of ideas, eager to “plus it up.”
The fictions that Tweed spins out are disgraceful. A generation of kids is being sacrificed as ideologues “practice” on our kids.
Parents and teacher must keep up the pressure – these children are “our” children and the future of this city.
1 Comment:
1 Chaz
· Apr 7, 2006 at 8:05 pm
Peter;
Another excellent article. I could not agree more that the spin Kleinberg promotes is a misuse of the real facts.
I’m glad you brought up the issue of dumping “not ready for promotion” eigth graders into the high schools and expect the high schools to graduate them. In my school the principal informed the staff that the big jump in freshmen double period math & english classes were due to these “not ready for promotion” eigth graders but were promoted anyway. These student have caused havoic in the school and are slowly dropping out or arrested for criminal activity.
Peter, by the way many of your articles are insightful and clearly written and are school-based, unlike other article writers on Edwiz. However, I don’t see Randi or the union going to the media with these important issues showing these DOE inconsistancies. In fact, the union appears more concerned with global rights than the rights of the students in the classroom.