New Haven Independent

posted by: themorethingschange on August 4, 2009  12:15pm

Wasn’t this guy supposed to hit the ground running after he left the NYC BOE position? We’re spending a substantial amount of tax dollars to have him tell us that he’s got a lot of requests for meetings? I’m all for settling in to a new job, but I’d hope for more substance from him even at this early stage in the reform process, also known as the time before the stimulus money arrives to “save the day.”

posted by: Common Sense on August 4, 2009  1:22pm

ThingsChange,

Mr. Harries seems not to have the answers yet because he and the BOE is engaged with various stakeholders around the city on education reform.  There is no plan yet because dictating a plan to teachers and administrators just would not work.  Mr. Harries knows this.  The plan, as I understand it, is going to be formulated over the next year, with Mr. Harries engaging everyone as much as possible.  There is no need to rush to make sure we end up with the best plan possible.

posted by: Hood Rebel on August 4, 2009  2:14pm

As long as every one knows that while TOC might have a role in the reform process, that group does not represent parents in New Haven.

In fact some of us are completely unclear about what TOC proposes should happen to chronically bad-behaving students, especially when they are not suspended or expelled from school. 

There is serious concerns that there is little or no data on the impact that chronic bad behavior have on disrupting our children who are focused on their learning.

I hope Harries get to meet with these folks soon. While TOC might have legitimate issues on preventing bullying, and decreasing suspension; their concerns do not specifically address the time off task and the loss of learning that takes place when the other students are disrupted and teachers are forced to move off their main purpose to instead re-direct and handle chronic bad behavior.

posted by: NHPS Teacher on August 4, 2009  4:35pm

Thank you, Hood Rebel!  I give TOC the benefit of the doubt but agree that the question you asked is long overdue.  What DO they propose should happen to chronic discipline problems?  My building is 90-95% generally good, normal red-blooded American teenagers- kids will be kids, but they are mostly polite and are open to being motivated to learn.  But I have had some classes where 2-3 extremely disrespectful and unfocused students have derailed their ability to learn and my ability to teach rather than practice crowd control.  The state is making it harder and harder for us to remove them from the classroom.

posted by: Andrew Friedman on August 4, 2009  5:18pm

Good. I hope he never meets with TOC. They are a politically-charged group which slants too far towards the immigrant community. Having TOC’s fingerprints on the reform plan can only hurt New Haven schoolchildren.

posted by: Cross Teacher on August 5, 2009  4:16am

Hood Rebel & NHPS Teacher:  I agree completely about time off task.  This is especially important in view of our dropping CAPT scores.  The classes most hurt by disruptive students are our basic level classes, usually full of kids who have scored poorly on either the CMT or the CAPT.  These are the students whose scores will have to improve in order to make signficant progress in CAPT.

posted by: FREEDOM OF THE PEOPLE on August 5, 2009  9:18am

First i’d like to say in order to bring reform or change it has to be politically moved TOC is a group of parents who are from diverse backgrounds who attempt to engage other parents in getting to know education policy and transperency in the new haven education system.  And a reply to hood rebel although TOC does’nt speak for all children directly in new haven all the issues they address include every child in the city weather their parents are involved or not. Some one needs to push for change and stop acting like our children are’nt failing and are’nt being sold out by the education system. Equal opportunity education will solve the problem not profit based reform.  you can’t blame the organizations like TOC, parents or children when the kids don’t have books to go home with or behavior specialist to assist kids with issues that our boundaries when attempting to learn everyone needs to work together put aside titles and positions and get to work for the community.

posted by: Claudia Bosch on August 5, 2009  10:50pm

Some people did not do their homework as it looks like. First, TOC represents many parents of New Haven, all of wonder- and colorful New Haven, be it from the Hill, Fair Haven or down to Morris Cove.

Second, TOC does not promote that bad, disruptive behavior in the classroom should go unpunished. Instead of the “easy-way-out” of suspension - reads: expelling the student and sending him/her home (what a delight for the delinquent) - TOC favors in-house suspension. Thus a disruptive student would be removed from the classroom but still would be in the school and there be taught and supervised by professionals who are paid to do so (even in backward Kansas - they still teach creationism - suspension cases are handled in-house). And since when can teachers at public schools pick their students and make sure that only CAPT score improving ones are worthy to be taught? Cross Teacher - have you ever thought why very elective private schools are sooo good academically? Could it be because they only want the intellectually stimulated, well-supported, well-behaved suburban cream?

Third, TOC is a group of organized parents. Parental involvement is one of the cornerstones in the school reform project. While rightly so meetings are happening between BOE/Harries and organized teachers it is time to have a meeting with organized parents too. Without parental involvement and activism (for some of us parents being a substitute teacher a home is not enough) the school reform initiative will not succeed. That is at stake. The improvement of New Haven Schools is a core concern of TOC. So please Mr. Harries, let’s have a talk!

posted by: Chris Willems, Wilbur Cross on August 6, 2009  9:22am

“NHPS Teacher” and “Cross Teacher” raise valid points - and from what I’ve read from the Teach Our Children group, we have the common goal of improving the quality of our schools.

Claudia: Wilbur Cross (and other schools, I’m sure) have needed a more effective in-school suspension program and a better way to address our plague of truancy.  Too many kids miss too much school!

Also, do you know what role the “Code of Conduct” drafted by TOC and approved by the board will play in the upcoming school year?  Does is run parallel to the “Administrative Procedures” manual?  It’s really important we are all able to get on the same page with respect to following the rules.

I hope TOC members, as well as concerned parents, continue to get active at their schools, and when possible, participate in the “School Planning Management Team”.  It is essential we come together to work for our kids.

Lastly , many teachers have taken part in two conversations with the union this summer.  These were facilitated by Robin Golden as part of the Yale Law School Clinic’s “Educational Adequacy Project”.  We had the opportunity to give our ideas around a few issues (performance evaluations, transfers/assignments, work rules) and these have been written down, to be shared with the negotiating team.  The teaching contract is up for renewal this year.

For others who, like me, are trying to peer behind the curtain for more information - there is a press release from yesterday (8/5) at http://www.nhps.net that outlines more of where the process of school improvement is heading.

I hope this site provides more updates http://newhavenschoolchange.org/

In order to build trust, more transparency is needed.

posted by: Jeremiah Levine -TOC Parent Leader on August 6, 2009  2:09pm

I think the school system’s response to the Independent needs a little clarification. The information I’ve found online, including an article in the Independent and statements made by Mr. Harries, says that Garth Harries was supposed to start work in New Haven on July 6. Now we are hearing that he wasn’t officially at work yet on the date TOC’s letter was sent out, on July 9. I’d like to know, was he at work or not?
Regarding suspensions: no one in TOC or elsewhere is suggesting that kids should never be suspended. TOC and the BOE are in complete agreement that there are violations that require suspension. But there are also many violations that don’t warrant at-home suspension. TOC’s main concern is that suspensions have been used prematurely, inappropriately, and discriminatorily in our school system.
This has been documented. According to the CT Board of Education’s reports, NHPS had 6050 out-of-school suspensions in the 2007-2008 school year, and 3694 of them were in response to school policy violations (not violent, sexual or weapon-related offenses).  The BOE’s reports also state that in 2006-2007, 18% of black students and 13% of Hispanic students were suspended, compared to 4% of white students.
These are numbers that demand explanations. These aren’t the concerns of a political group concerned only with the immigrant community. We’re talking about thousands of kids that are missing weeks of school because of school policy violations.
TOC’s requests have always been that other steps are progressively implemented before reaching the suspension stage, and that these steps are documented and subject to review. Nobody is asking that kids never get punished. TOC is simply asking for due process and fair treatment, to ensure that all New Haven’s kids get a chance at a decent education.
Finally, I’d like to remind all critics who say that TOC doesn’t represent New Haven parents that TOC is an open organization whose members are almost all New Haven parents from diverse backgrounds, and anyone who wants to who wants to can come to TOC membership meetings, listen to the stories being shared, and express your own concerns.

posted by: resource on August 6, 2009  4:21pm

For the teachers and others above - and anyone else - interested in school discipline, dealing with disruptive children, and time on task, here is a relevant report that came out this week which seems to indicate that the parents of TOC have got the right idea: fair discipline helps create stronger schools and better results for kids.

The report is called “Safety with Dignity: Alternatives to the Over-Policing of Schools” - Here’s the link:

<a>http://www.annenberginstitute.org/Commentary/index.php</a>

Here’s an excerpt:

Student discipline in many of New York City’s neediest schools is aggressive, impatient, and harsh. However, some schools are recognizing that these methods of discipline are simply ineffective: not only do they fail to correct behavioral issues, they inform a school climate that eclipses schools’ ability to educate students. In light of criticisms along this vein, these schools have adopted alternative policies to address safety and discipline that turn around the axis of respect, clarity, and fairness in disciplinary procedures, and expectations of responsibility for student safety on all members of the school community. And these schools are seeing improved student outcomes as a result of their efforts.

posted by: New and Improved on August 6, 2009  10:41pm

I still say that Mayo should be heading up reform.  That’s what he’s paid for.  The man collects 180K to smoke cigars and eat microwave popcorn.  His research director is incompetent and an even greater waste of tax payer’s money.

posted by: Pinnochio on August 7, 2009  6:13am

The link to the NYC storys on Harries has been blocked on Board of Education computers. So much for free speach. Johnny Boy is using North Korean tactics now.

posted by: Tom Burns on August 10, 2009  12:58am

Great Article—and I will be emailing the author as requested—-
But what about the student who does the right things and is frightened to death to come to school because of the lack of consequences for those who don’t do right?——-I am all for compassion and empathy for the problem child so I hope this guy has a real program we might emulate—-what we do now certainly is not enough for both groups of children—-but we’ll keep trying until we get it right—Tom Burns School Counselor and former problem child

posted by: Jim on August 10, 2009  12:59pm

Glad I send my kiddo to St. Bernadette’s ...

http://www.saintbernadette.org/