Why is the DOE “Creating” Failing Schools and Ignoring the Neediest?

Joel Klein’s op-ed piece in the New York Sun (http://www.nysun.com/article/41765) brags about a 19% increase in 4th grades Math scores while the Gotham Gazette writes: “The longer New York City students stay in school the worse they do in math …”

You can decide for yourself: glance at the data on the NYS Ed Department website.

Current scores compare last year’s grades with this year’s grades – they compare different kids! The Chancellor is to be congratulated on the change to the new accountability system that will track a kid’s progress and measure the growth of the individual student.

We will no longer be comparing apples to oranges.

In the three years of the Children First initiative, it is difficult to determine “success,” or, “failure.” One region has done quite well (Region 5 – School District 19, 23 , 27) over the three years while another, (Region 10 – Districts 3, 5 , 6) trails the pack. Why? The Chancellor fails to call a press conference with Superintendent Cashin and President Weingarten and point to the Teacher Centers as a key to success … probably just an oversight.

Eric Nadelstern and Michelle Cahill both reference the 40,000 “overage, undercredited” kids in our schools. Eric sees the emergence of small highs and Michelle sees the growth of the multiple pathways programs as answers.

It’s a different story at the school level. High school principals, with some exceptions, do everything they can to avoid having to accept those 40,000 kids into their schools.

The many hundreds of pages of the High School Directory tome “markets” the 1400 schools and programs. Schools produce slick pamphlets and videos and attempt to “brand” their schools. In January high schools receive the list of students that “selected” their school and the student’s “replica,” the middle school transcript – they “rank” students and the computer spins.

Schools all contest for those Level 3/4 kids – no one wants the Level 1 kids with poor attendance – those 40,000 kids who have slipped between the cracks.

Unfortunately the easiest way to deal with the issue is to pack the kids into the large high schools, and into the small high schools that didn’t attract enough applicants.

In the large high schools these kids become the cutters, the “hall walkers,” and eventually “vote with their feet,” they become long term absentees. School data plummets, graduation rates spiral downward and the schools become candidates for closing.

Who advocates for the neediest kids?

Should kids leave incarceration and be assigned to an overcrowded high school? Why do we allow middle schools to “graduate” kids without basic skills?

40,000 kids are part of a lottery. If they’re lucky, really lucky a counselor will connect them up with South Brooklyn Community High School or Manhattan Comprehensive Day and Night School or the Alpha School in East New York, wonderful places that save young peoples lives.

Math and ELA scores are faceless … and “success” is ephemeral and a topic for debate.

Those of us in schools know all too well that we live in a system that drives too many large high schools to redesign and closings and condemns too many kids to the scrap heap.

Updated by Admin: The Oct. 22, 2006 edition of the NY Times published an article on this topic.  Study Takes a Sharp Look at the City’s Failing Students

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