Bringing aboard a longtime New Haven activist and current Hamden principal as his new education consultant, mayoral hopeful Jim Newton called for more recruitment of minority teachers, saying they are better suited to teaching minority students.
Gary Highsmith (pictured at right with Newton at left), who left his post as Beecher School principal in New Haven last year to take the helm of Hamden High School, stood by Newton at a new campaign field office on Dixwell Avenue Wednesday as the pair released a 10-point education platform.
Highsmith grew up in New Haven public schools, attended Southern Connecticut State University, then worked in the city school system for 16 years before leaving to work for the Hamden school system. The campaign announced Wednesday he will be shaping Newton’s education platform as the candidate seeks to oust seven-term incumbent Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. in a September primary.
After 14 years, “I felt it’s definitely time for a change in leadership,” Highsmith said. Highsmith was an active member of the campaign that elected John Daniels New Haven’s first black mayor in 1989.
(Separately, Newton told the New Haven Advocate this week he opposes gay marriage. Click here to read that story.)
Highsmith and Newton Thursday advocated an aggressive recruitment drive for teachers, particularly African-Americans and Latinos, who they said are underrepresented within teaching staff.
“The one thing that’ll close the achievement gap is high-quality teachers,” said Highsmith. More minority teachers need to be brought in to teach the student body, which is majority black and Latino, he said. Students need to be able to look up at the blackboard and see someone who understands them and sets high expectations for them, Highsmith argued. Minority teachers familiar with students’ culture are better at communicating to minority students, he argued. “Things don’t happen in a cultural vacuum.”
The Newton campaign also accused the school system for valuing patronage over quality: “The New Haven Public School system must move from being a bastion of political patronage used to reward political and other loyalties, to a system where only the best and brightest are hired.”
DeStefano’s campaign manager, Adriana Arreola, brushed off the patronage allegation, for which Newton provided no specific evidence: “They’re hired based on their qualifications as good educators,” not on political connections. “We’re very proud of our teachers and what they’re doing in the school system right now,” she added. “Over 80 percent of graduates this year are going on to two and four-year colleges. That’s something that the school system should be proud of.”
Is the school system doing its job in aggressively recruiting teachers? “The city is actively recruiting new teachers right now,” responded Arreola. Teacher Visitation Day had about 100 prospective teachers visit the schools, and Teach for America brought over 60 teachers into the area, she said.
Stressing parental involvement, Highsmith also called for a revival of the city-wide parent teacher association, which was once active but has fizzled, he said. He hoped a revived group would include voices from outside the system. While he acknowledged administrators’ impulse is to “close ranks” and get defensive when criticized, Highsmith said a Newton administration would be “open to hearing oppositional voices.”
Does the preparation for Connecticut Mastery Tests dominate the classroom? Would the city benefit from having more schools like Amistad Academy, which has done wonders for helping minority students achieve on tests? Click on the play arrow to watch Newton’s response.
Highsmith also called for expansion of pre‑K services, a focus Arreola contended has long been a priority for the mayor. The Newton plan calls for an independent audit of all “major educational programs” in the city. The audit, which would be conducted through focus groups of students, parents and school staff, would determine whether the schools are “spending wisely,” and which programs need be expanded or cut.
When I considered running for state rep in New Haven several years ago, I did a little research and found that in New Haven:
--¢ At James Hillhouse High School, which is located in the 93rd District, 35.1% of the students do not graduate, compared to 89.9 % statewide.
--¢ Annually in New Haven, 6.1% of the high school students drop out, compared to 1.8% throughout the state.
--¢ CAPT testing in 2005, 52.3% tested below proficiency in math, 44.9% in science, 46.5% in reading, and 41% in writing.
Ms. Adriana Arreola, stated that over 80 percent of graduates this year are going on to two and four-year colleges. 80% of what number, once the dropouts and non-grads are factored in, how many are we really talking about? And how successful will they be with the education they are receiving?