New Haven Independent

Posted by: Boristt | September 3, 2009 7:49 AM

Yes nice new school reggie now lets try to hire enough custodians to maintain it instead of streaching a skeleton crew and then when the school starts to get run down will blame the 3 custodians when the school really needs about 5.

Posted by: no pure EL | September 3, 2009 4:46 PM

We got dispensers but nothing to put in them. No tissues. Trash on the floor.

Custodians need to be rehired!

Posted by: data fair? | September 3, 2009 8:15 PM

how many of new haven's 20,000 students showed up for school on the first day? how many were turned away because they didn't complete correct paperwork or didn't have their identification?

Posted by: Consti2amend | September 4, 2009 6:52 PM

1. "...officials are holding high-level negotiations with local and national union leaders this week to try to pave the way for reforms."
Why? What can the union do to help the children learn? Was the union consulted about the "new schools" first {LOL}?

2. "...Mayo hit on other key points, too: Education begins in the classroom. The school reform initiative places more accountability on individual schools, teachers and principals."
Again, why? Don't the parents have a roll in their child(ren's) education? How will the "school" help with the accountability?

3. "...incorporating the newest message of a school system shifting its focus from remaking buildings to remaking the way learning takes place inside them."
NOW we will shift away from school buildings, only AFTER $1.5 billion dollars are spent! Tell me, what will a "new school" teach? We couldn't have put NEW equipment into "old" schools? How will this "remaking the way learning takes place inside them", be handled? I mean, this couldn't possibly have taken place in an old school, could it?

4. "...he laid out key foundations of the next step -- a sweeping school reform initiative that will focus on boosting student achievement."
How can you possibly say this? There is nothing you can do about this, especially if you don't have the student's PARENT(S) on the same side!!

5. "...In a call-and-response style, Mayo hit on other key points, too: Education begins in the classroom. The school reform initiative places more accountability on individual schools, teachers and principals."
NO! Education begins at home! How can a "NEW SCHOOL BUILDING" be held accountable? How can the teachers/principals be held accountable without the parents ALSO being held accountable??

6. "...A good education starts with a good principal,... Good schools next start with good teachers,"
See the above response!!

7. "... A lot of work went into "making the building happen for you," Mayo said. "What I want you to do is to respond, respond by working hard. Are you going to do that?"
Hey Reggie, are you talking to the "building(s)", the teachers, the principals, the students, or the PARENTS you left out of the equation??

Why can't we get rid of the "OVERLOADED" middle management in our school system, and bring back what is REALLY NEEDED? TEACHERS!!

By the way, keep politics OUT of OUR school system!! Do NOT "push" the OBAMASSIAH's political "indoctrination" INTO/onto our children!!
Maybe a "corrupted" version of the "Separation of Church and State", to read "Separation of Politics and Schools"!

On another note; Is this {the NEW schools} the reason why MY house taxes went UP 25% this year? Please HIRE me, just so I can pay for THIS increase! How DID those people in the tax dept. find out about the three new outlets and the ceiling fans I installed all by myself? I did NOT add any square footage to my house, my property value went down, schools got built, services went down. I just don't get it!
My latest rant IS over!

Posted by: teachergal | September 5, 2009 7:58 AM

CONSTI2AMEND.........You are right on! This superintendent lives on planet Mars and the new buildings are not the "key" to a successful education. I agree with you, "parents" are the key, w/o a responsible parent standing behind a child, you cannot expect the child to succeed. Parents/teachers/admin working together is the key, and of course, don't let me forget the student. My first week of school i have had students arguing with me about where to sit to what work to complete, many have come in to learn but just as many have returned to fool around, cut up, and disrespect each other as well as staff.
And on that note, what is this change from "detention" to "after school reflection",(as stated in the parent handbook) give me a break. We need to be looking proactively about strategies that build community and stress positive behavior. There are many out there but wait....we don't have time for that as we are spinning our wheels practicing how to take tests and throwing curriculum at them that is too hard to digest.
Let me stop, its Saturday. I have a lot to do this weekend to prepare for my lovely 7th/8th grade students. If i can get their attention,that is, maybe I can actually teach something! Wish me luck!

Posted by: Consti2amend | September 7, 2009 1:13 AM

TEACHERGAL,
"We need to be looking proactively about strategies that build community and stress positive behavior"
Forget "building community", or "stress positive behavior"! The child will, more than likely, need to be emotionally built up! In my neighborhood, the children are following in their parent's footsteps. I can hear them through my window, as young as 5 - 6 years old, swearing/cursing, the name calling {YES, using the "N-word"} as well as other demeaning words. The i(mo)ronic thing being, the parent(s) are out there using the same words for "regular conversation" with their child!! GO FIGURE!

As for stressing "positive behavior", I believe it should be PUNISH BAD BEHAVIOR! Someone HAS to stand-up and say "NO" to the children!

In my humble opinion, if the parent(s) is/are NOT capable of doing this, maybe we should bring back the "orphanage"? Remove the child(ren) from their parent(s), to a place where they can be taught right from wrong! I will venture a guess that quite a lot of them are already on some form of "government assistance", so why NOT "privatize" these places? After all, we ARE privatizing prisons {NOT that I am referring that they belong in a prison!!} So our tax dollars WILL still be spent on raising the child(ren), and they can continue to go to the NEW public school buildings!

I understand what you are referring to in your post. I come from a long line of school teachers! From kindergarten through post graduate studies. As the "child" gets older, and into a higher grade, the "work" becomes to "hard" for most, so they either quit or just give up!
Is this REALLY what the "No child left behind" was supposed to do? I didn't think so, either!
It should be, we teach toward the "average" student in the earlier grades. Then, when REAL success/intelligence can be measured, start to separate them according to desire/test scores. Success and desire WILL show-up in the test scores. For a majority of children, this will manifest itself by the 4-5th grade.
ANY child who passes into the "success and desire" arena, should be "targeted" for more "challenging" schoolwork!
This does NOT mean the rest are left to fend for themselves. On the contrary, they should STILL be taught to the average level. We MUST never give up on "our" children, and their future!
In fact, it is my belief that we should have, for young adults who do NOT graduate from high school, a program curricula that teaches some "hands-on" work. Weather it be some form of shop classes, where the young adult can pick what they wish to, or something else ( I am at a loss for "what else", at this time). This could/should be free, just like grades pre-k through 12.
We MUST not, like I have posted, just turn the young adults out on the street, and give up on them! At least NOT until they prove to us, that we ARE just wasting time/money on them!

p.s. The grand picture is this: NO diploma, NO "government assistance"! NO "free" money for FAILURE! Just teach them, if their parent(s) won't, what NO really means.
They have to make choices, why can't WE have a say in what the consequences SHOULD be? NOT an elected "official" who will want to "reward" them, by buying their vote on MY tax dollars!

Posted by: Linda M. Drazen | September 11, 2009 6:29 PM

The new building is impressive and certainly will be uplifting to the students, faculty and staff. I know this from my own experience as an educator. However, right down the road there is Edgewood school, a bright star for the school system, with 3 boarded up windows since the spring. That is terrible and makes the school community feel third rate. It is a terrible thing to see a house or a block of boarded up windows.I do live on the block and urge the Superintendent to take care of the windows at Edgewood.