Magnet Schools
Attract Mobile Families

Enjoyed the program and information provided. I didn't realize that a "contractor" completes the lottery selection process. I believe that the credibility of the process is critical and must be perceived as fair. As with all programs, sustained parental involvement is very important.

Here's an idea: Stop allowing schools like Hooker and Edgewood to dump "problem" students into Tier III schools. Let the Hookers and Edgewoods jump through 18 hoops to help these students, instead of labeling them "not a good fit" and dimissing them at the first sign of trouble ... like they do regularly.

Thank You Shani,Canelli,Lowenadler for all the info you have given to parents.Keep up with all the education programs you are doing a great service for all parents.

@Marc, you might be surprised to know that the lottery systems not fair to everyone. As proof, I only ask that you find out the percentage of star athletes that are "lucky" enough to get into magnet high schools. That number would be 100%. This clearly defies any semblance of legitimate probability. West Haven and Hamden consistently their very best athletes to New Haven magnet schools. Many other spots go to the children of politically well-connected. It has been going on for years under Reggie Mayo.

Very informative about magnet procedures and options available. Looking forward to seeing the broadcast. One note, however: While it's a good idea to have an appeal process for the lottery selection (one that is open, written and disseminated), it is not a very good idea to have the appeals determined by Supt. Mayo. Gives rise to claims of favoritism and bias.

Hi Ms. Shani,

Thank you for presenting this program about the New Haven Magnet Schools; it is very relevant information. I am disappointed that the article isn't more extensive. I would've liked more information about the Sound School; my son is on the waiting list there. We're also disappointed that there were no parents from New Haven on the program. We know from our friends who live in NH that it is more difficult for kids who live in NH to get into the magnet schools they want than for those of us who live in the suburbs. We find it quite interesting that NHPS is spending money advertising their magnets when kids in NH cannot get in. Someone should look into this a lot more. I will check with you for when the DVD is ready; thanks for doing these beneficial and very relevant programs; the NH community needs them.
DR

@Mary Rosario -- Nice of you to thank Cannelli for the magnet school info. However, just remember he pulls in over $100K annually to provide it.

Why not thank a teacher, who works in the trenches with our students daily and, in many cases, for less than half of what Cannelli makes?

TO LOL,
If you knew me,I work with Teachers and students and parents everyday.I thank everyone who teaches about education no matter what they make.My mother taught me manners and you dont have to make a lot of money to have them.The program is a great service and thats what it is all about.Thank You.

This comment is for Mary Rosario on my salary. Get your facts straight..I worked in this district for 35 years and spent most of those years in the trenches as a teacher and the Principal of some of the toughest schools in New Haven including Cross. Ask the staff there what we did in the 4 years so don't complain about my salary. I earned every penny of it. Why does it have to come down to money. Why can't you thank me for my thirty five years i dedicated to this school district and supervising one of the best magnet programs around? I would love to meet with you and discuss my career and what I did. How can you say that when you don't even know me. I am tired of people putting educators down in New Haven. Enough!

I have had several opportunities to meet at the Sound School, and would like to lend my voice to those who recognize, what is clearly an exceptional learning environment. The attitude and motivation visible there comes from great leadership and dedication in and out of the classroom.
Where else do you find students running between classes, and when asked why, it's not that they are late; they simply do not want to miss anything.
These students are highly motivated because what they are studying excites them and because they have the opportunity for hands on applications.
Whatever or, where ever it is, that the students are learning, the environment must be one that generates a genuine excitement for new discoveries and the potential for personal success. By owning and applying that knowledge they reinforce retention and the chances to excel in any chosen field. . That attitude and those feelings must never be at risk or extinguished in homes or communities that mock or do not demonstrate a respect for and value education. Education and training that lead to hands on applications, by its nature, instills a respect for both. Who knows what great new innovations can come from that approach to learning? Remember it was innovation and industry that made not just Connecticut Great but the United States a Leader in the World.
May I suggest that the Sound School is building leaders that are not afraid or embarrassed to think or work with their hands?
John A Vincze

I must reply to "bob canelli:"

First, I have to say that I have worked for you while you were at Cross.

Second, let me thank you for your service to NHPS and our community.

I have some questions for you because I know you know the answers.

Why does NHPS flush out those student's whose behavior is difficult to control?
(in the high schools to alternate schools to Adult Ed. to nowhere) (and in the middle schools to a contained cohort located within a Tier III school)

Why do administrators insist upon respect for their years of service even when the system they have served has failed its (admittedly so )mission?

Look, Mr. Canelli, you know what the real deal is. I guess what I am really asking is that you do something really significant for those kids who don't have anyone to advocate for them. I ask because you are one of the power structure who can actually do something.

Thanks for your consideration.

Dear OneWorld:
Thank you for the information in this article. It is good to learn more about these magnet schools in New Haven; the idea that your child can remain in the school even if you move to a different town is a very attractive aspect of having your child in one of these magnets. Of course, being exposed to a broader array of students from different backgrounds and a diverse curricula are also very important to those who live in a less diverse environment. New Haven seems to have so much to offer, one cannot help wondering why the children in New Haven still seem to do so poorly on the standardized tests. I think this is a question more parents in NH should look into.
A visit to your website turned up some wonderful video clips. My wife and I really enjoyed looking at the civic engagement videos and in particular the one from cooperative Arts high School where the students discussed the media and pop culture. Thank you for such quality programs.
The Robinson Family.

I want to apologize to Mary Rosario for blaming her for the post that i am overpaid and that teachers are the ones in the trenches. I read it wrong. Although it looks like the comment came from her it was someone identifying themselves as LOL. In fact, if i read further Mary defends me and thanks me for the work i do so i appreciate her comments. Next time I need to read each comment more carefully before I react. Thanks Mary for your support.The comments stands to the person who wrote it.

Mr.Canelli,
I meant no disrespect about your salary,I was only letting LoL know that the article was about education not about money.You were a great principal at Cross and helped my daughter Rachel out alot and many other children.I think you read my comment wrong and for that I am sorry.

I would like to know from NHPS superintendent and Mr. Canelli why more children who live in NH do not get into the fine magnet schools that NH has. Mr. Canelli is on television commercials promoting the New Haven magnet schools. Who are you promoting them to? Certainly not to the parents and children who live in NH because children in NH cannot get into these schools. If you are promoting them it means there are spaces. If there are spaces why aren't our children getting in?

Project Choice is offered to NH parents to get their children out of NH so that the spaces can be used by suburban children. Is it also possible that because these burb kids test better they will bring up the scores for NHPS?

I thank this little organization OneWorld and Ms. Shani for their dedication to informing the community; I don't think they know the politics of NHPS; it is a shame. Put more NH children into magnets so they too get the big benefits that the kids from the suburbs are getting. Educate NH kids first. Put the advertising dollars into the school curriculum not into WTNH pockets. Do more programs like this but have NH parents on; we want to hear from them not from suburban parents.

OneWorld used to do programs with people in the studio at CTV; that don't happen anymore. Why is that? CTV has some nasty videos on every Saturday night; sad. Give us more OneWorld programs that help the community.

Thanks Bev The commercials promote seats for all kids in New Haven and the 30 surrounding towns. The seats, 35% go to suburban students and 65% go to New Haven kids. The whole purpose of magnet schools is to make the district more diverse and to increase achievement and they are doing that. I hope that helps and thanks for your concerns.

I am glad to read this article about NH Magnet Schools; I see Mr. Canelli promoting the schools in commercials, yet our kid did not get into any of these schools, but kids from the suburban towns do all the time. Why don,t they have to wait to get in the way our kids do? The OneWorld agenda programs are great; we need more of them. We need to see our kids doing programs like talking about politics the same way the kids in North Haven do it. The moderator Ms. Shani talk to the kids like she expect them to have sense and to know stuff; she don't talk down to them.
our kids need to get challenge the way principal Medria show how her kids get challenged. Stop the commercials and put the money into programs like the ones where kids do real things and learn to think about real issues. Thanks Ms. Shani, Mr. Palmieri who did the great workshop with parents and teachers (see that on the OneWorld web site) and Ms. Medria, Mr. Pynn at Sound and these Oneworld people. Our kids in NH need to get into these magnet schools. Ms. Shani, keep doing the programs where you and other OneWorld people challenge our kids well.

OneWorld Responds – Dec. 16, 2011

The OneWorld Board of Directors, our youth contingent and I, N'Zinga Shani, thank all who have called and sent emails in response to this article. We appreciate the positive comments we have received especially in response to programs we have done on Hispanic Health, NH Promise and this Magnet Schools program. Please know that we take into account the cautionary notes expressed. While we often cannot grant many of the requests made, we keep them in mind in planning future programs. We are grateful to the NHI for its coverage of our work.

For the past 15 plus years (starting June 9, 1996) our main goal has been to inform and engage the greater NH community on the three topics we believe have significant impact on our lives in the short- and the long-term. Those topics are: health literacy, education and civic engagement. We know there are many other issues affecting individuals; we are looking at community commonalities. Education and good health are fundamentals; without these we are seriously imperiled.

Our small 501(c)3 organization is made up of a few very committed educators, health practitioners/advisors and civic leaders. We are all volunteers. We pay for most of our technical support; we are not paid by anyone. We do not have a budget; we operate on our personal and professional resources and expertise, on the community goodwill of many professionals in our personal network, and on the caring support of many who see the benefits of our efforts over these 15 years.

I say this as a way of answering those who frequently ask -- why don't you do more of this or that programs? Producing the programs in the manner that we do them is very hard work. We need the cooperation, time commitment and technical resources of many people; that is sometimes very hard to get. Getting the programs edited is costly and time-consuming. We put a large premium on production value; we want the programs to provide benefit to our viewers. There are many other aspects that make it difficult for us to respond to special requests.

Since June 3, 2010, we have not been able to work out suitable arrangements with the management of CTV to allow production of our programs to continue there. This is the reason that we no longer invite groups of people from the community to come and participate in our community forums.

We have received several telephone requests for information about our web videos. There are video clips as well as a few full length programs on our web site. All three major sections of our web site have videos specific to each section. Below are the links to all:
Education video programs can be seen at: http://www.oneworldpi.org/education/education_videos_v2.html
Civic Engagement programs:
http://www.oneworldpi.org/civic_engagement/civic_engagement_videos.html
Health Literacy Programs:
http://www.oneworldpi.org.health/health_videos.html

Full length professional DVDs can be ordered through our web store. There are many resource links about education reform and health literacy on our web site. We invite you to browse. We thank everyone who participated in this program about NH Magnet Schools.

Many of us find this article and the postings and dialogue really informative and interesting. We will make a few observations.

Thanks for your comments Melissa; thanks also to Ms. Anderson, Ms. Ramos and everyone who has expressed appreciation for the work we do at OneWorld. We all bring various skills-set to what we do. Marc Palmieri brings both breadth and depth to the issue of public education because he has done it all: from classroom teacher, to principal, to staff development, senior administration and consultation. He understands how the education system works at every level. How he works with each group of program participants depends largely on what he thinks is needed to get the job done. The program objectives for all of us at OneWorld is to ensure that we provide information that will help our viewers and program participants in a constructive and productive way. Our interview styles compliment each other and get the tasks done.

It is wonderful to learn about some of the great things going on in these NH Magnet Schools. Ms. Shani, Ms. Aird and Mr. Palmieri at OneWorld do an outstanding job of providing the community with detailed and very relevant information about health care issues, civic discussions with teens and NHPS and educational matters in general. It would be great if they could do more of these programs; OneWorld has the very best programs on public access TV. The NHPS system should be pleased to have access to their services. What I am a little puzzled about is why the NHPS administrators are so opposed to answering questions and speaking openly to reporters. This program about why parents in the suburbs want their children in NH Magnet Schools is truly informative. This article about this program provides more information than we could ever get talking to people at the NHPS Magnet Office or checking the web site; this I think is something the NHPS administration do not understand.

What happened at Clemente with Melissa Bailey is evidence of the paranoia so prevalent in the school system. Chris Hoffman should be fired! Give people more OneWorld education programs.

There seems to be no question that magnet schools offer more than the regular schools. My question is -- why can't New Haven make all of the schools perform like the magnet schools? A check with the state of CT Dept. of Education will show that New Haven admits more children from the suburban towns than they do from New Haven itself. We know that NHPS gets more money for the children they pull in from the suburbs; however, shouldn't their commitment first be to the children of NH? What is the goal behind getting all of this money for the suburban kids? So that the nepotism NHPS and the City is so famous for can continue? Where does that money go?

If people want to see some of what these OneWorld people are doing with young people, and see what is possible when young people are challenged intelligently, visit the OneWorld Progressive Institute website and go to Civic Engagement videos. Listen to these smart young people discuss politics and some of their concerns; it is simply beautiful and inspiring. These types of activities are what every student of the right age should be exposed to. Whether children are in magnet schools or not, they should be getting this type of education. More emphasis should be placed on every New Haven public school and not just on the magnet schools. NH residents, parents should not have to line up for a lottery and fight for a space for their children in NH magnet schools. Where is the justice in that? NH children should be placed first into the available slots before out of town kids; it should not be the other way.

Also, I wonder what Peggy Moore thinks of the students in the OneWorld videos; maybe these students are the elites she was talking about. Kuddos to OneWorld for presenting excellent education and civic engagement television programs. This article is very informative as are the OneWorld TV programs. For people with AT&T Uverse, you can see OneWorld programs daily at various times.

I am pleased to read this article about how the magnet school system works. It is somewhat distressing to know that the children who live in new haven and who have the greatest need cannot get into these reported to be excellent magnet schools as easily as those from the suburbs. I think that is unfortunate. I am really delighted to read about a math and science magnet school. I hope that great effort will be made by everyone to enroll girls from minority groups and certainly from inner-cities into this esums school. This organization, ONeWorld, is to be commended for the outstanding work it is doing in informing us about various aspects of education, health care and engaging young people in positive conversations and activities. It is very important that the broader community become more engaged in these issues because whether we are directly involved or not what happens in the community, especially, affects all of us. I you have not already visited the Unwieldy website, I encourage you to do so at http:www.oneworldpi.org. This little organization is doing wonderful things in the community.

Just watched several of the OneWorld civic engagement videos to which N'Zinga Shani posts a link in her comment above. We see young people thoughtfully responding to the issues of today, and Ms. Shani, and occasionally other adult moderators, challenging them to be more specific, more concrete, give examples, back up what they're saying. Please check out these videos - you will be glad you did.

The education-focused and health-focused programs produced by 21st Century Conversations is phenomenal and should be viewed on New Haven cable television repeatedly, as the timely information is information viewers can use and understand because it is presented in a format that communicates clearly to viewers at all education levels. The show on Magnet schools is so enlightening. So many parents are perplexed by the education system and do not understand the magnet school application process. N'Zinga Shani researches current issues and delivers cable television programs that should serve as a paradigm for producers of New Haven citizen television programming.

This is very good information being provided in this article. I am wondering about the charter schools in New Haven, do they get the same amount of money from the government as the regular private schools do? What curriculum do they use? Are they compelled to use the same curriculum being used by the Magent Schools, or by the regular public schools? I would like to hear more about the charter schools in New Haven; are they a good alternative to some of the poor performing public schools? Since people in NH are having such a hard time with the lottery for the magnet schools, maybe going to the better charter schools is a better option for such parents. It seems that the NHPS management are more interested in attracting kids from the suburbs to attend the best Magnets than they are for putting the poorest kids in NH into these schools. Why else would NHPS spend money advertising the magents?
This article is very helpful and very informative. We hope that OneWorld will provide us with more detailed information about the charter schools; tell us how they are ranked and have people on the programs from the charter schools to answer questions te same way you have them on from NHPS. The videos on the OneWorld education section are very informative; we enjoy watching them. We are looking forward to seeing the video from this Magnet program on the site. Thank you Ma. Shani, thank you OneWorld, thank you NHI. You're all providing us with a great service.

V. Davis has asked some really good questions. I would also like to know if the Charter Schools get the same amount of money per child as the regular public schools in New Haven. I wonder if someone from the SDE, NHPS or Achievement First could answer that question. If the Charter schools get the same amount of money for each student why are they allowed to pick and choose which students they educate?

I thank OneWorld Progressive Institute for bringing us these programs. When Mr. Canelli is advertising his 17 magnet schools to the students from the suburbs, he is not thinking about the students in New Haven. Parents in NH should immediately start applying to get their kids into the Lighthouse Schools. Kids who are willing to work and who are focused will do very well at these Lighthouse Schools. They will also do well at Wintergreen Magnet in Hamden. Don't waste your time standing in the lottery line to get your child into the NH magnets. Learn about the Lighthouse Schools; also apply to the Project Choice if you don't mind sending your child to the suburban schools; the kids will get a broader experience. It's really nice to see Ms. Medria Blue Ellis as the principal of the Engineering and Science University Magnet. Please keep bringing us these important information programs. I also like the videos on the OneWorld web site; nice job there.

In December and January parents, students and the community at large receive an outpouring of printed materials about the New Haven Public Schools of Choice. There are flyers, newsletters, open houses, fairs, articles, TV announcements and programs. As a parent and a former school administrator, I recognize the importance of tapping on an extensive variety of mediums to reach out - effectively and efficiently - to the families who on the basis of this information are making critical decisions about the education of their children.

The philosophy and model characteristics of the various magnet programs and other schools of choice are well-received and have a great appeal among parents. Yet, the application process, enrollment and compliance requirements are complex and not well-understood by all. Articles such as Magnet Schools Attract Mobile Families and OneWorld's TV conversations with educators and parents stimulate discussion and open the doors to questions and answers for those who are looking for more detailed information and clarification. The article makes an excellent contribution by serving as a preview to the upcoming OneWorld TV program which will air now in January.

Once again, OneWorld succeeds in its commitment to serve as a medium of public discussion on topics that are important to the well-being of our community and, most importantly, our youth. Without an operating budget, this small 501 C3 organization - spearheaded by director/producer/moderator N'Zinga Shani - relies solely on networking and on the creative talents and contributions of a small group of volunteers: educators, health practitioners, expert advisors, students and civic leaders. OneWorld is credited with fifteen years of dedication to advancing the agenda of health and education. In spite of great budgetary and logistic challenges, in recent years the organization has expanded its (multimedia for multi-audience) education agenda by creating an impressive user friendly website – with a blog, video clips, full length programs, and a variety of links on education, health literacy, youth and civic engagement.

Best wishes and continued success in 2012,


Lisette Bernier-McGowan

Magnet Schools Attract Mobile Families
Reading this article makes it easy to understand why some parents in NH are frustrated that they have to stand in line and participate in a lottery, but suburban parents can apply once and get all of their children into the same NH Magnet School. There is something that is clearly odd about this situation. People can appeal but Dr. Mayo is the only person who gets to hear the appeal – another odd situation. I thank OneWorld Progressive Institute for bringing us these very informative television programs. People in New Haven need to be able to see these programs at least twice weekly. Why can people in the suburbs (such as Branford and North Haven) see the programs two to four times weekly, but we in NH cannot? This is also a very odd situation. I encourage people in NH, Hamden and WH to visit: http://www.oneworldpi.org to learn more about what this little very community-friendly organization is doing for us, and I encourage the people at OneWorld to keep the faith and keep going. God does not like ugly; he is going to even the scales very soon. We need more programs such as those provided by OneWorld. God bless you all for doing what you do, and thanks to the New Haven Independent for covering this work. Peace and blassings.

OneWorld Responds to Questions:
We would like to respond to the best of our abilities to the very thoughtful questions asked by Mr. Cyril and others:
1) Ques: I would also like to know if the Charter Schools get the same amount of money per child as the regular public schools in New Haven. Answer: We spoke to the director of the Charter Schools Program at the State Dept. of Education (SDE); he says – all charter schools, elementary, middle and high schools receive $9,400 per student annually. This amount is based on the student count as of Oct. 1, 2011. The student count is taken on Oct. 1 every year; the amount they receive might change annually. Charter schools in NH include Amistad, Achievement First and Common Ground.

2) Ques: If the Charter Schools get the same amount of money for each student why are they allowed to pick and choose which students they educate? Answer: According to the SDE, the Charter Schools are not supposed to pick and choose who they educate; they are supposed to educate the students who apply and are accepted. If parents have concerns about how their applications are handled they should bring those concerns to the attention of the school administrators. If parents are not satisfied with the response they get, they should contact the Charter Schools Section at the SDE, 860-713-6574; the director is Robert Kelly.

3) Lighthouse Schools –OneWorld has received several questions about what are Lighthouse Schools in the NHPS system. Answer: According to people in the NHPS, Lighthouse Schools are a part of the No Child Left Behind Federal Program (NCLB). There are three Lighthouse Schools in the NHPS system; they are: Nathan Hale – Pre-K-8, Worthington Hooker, K-8, and Troupe School K-8. NCLB allows children to be transferred from low-performing schools to high-performing schools. There is no lottery application required. Parents can file a transfer application in the summer (by August) to have their children transferred out of a present low-performing school and into one of the three schools listed above. Worthington Hooker and Nathan Hale are Tier 1 schools. Troup is presently a Tier 3 school with additional resources for after-school enrichment programs and a new principal in 2011/2012; it is expected to become a high performing school. We hope this information is helpful to all who inquired. For more detailed information we suggest calling NHPS, or visit the web site at: http://www.nhps.net