School Board, Critics Fail To Bury Hatchet

It's one thing to fight with ConnCAN over stats.
But it's an entirely different matter to attack the life line for over 1,000 New Haven school children who attend New Haven's Achievement First Schools (Amistad Academy and Elm City College Prep.)

What in the world would cause this group to actually try to cut Amistad's funding?

Almost 5% (over 1,000) of New Haven's public school kids now attend either Amistad Academy or Elm City College Prep. The vast majority are African-American or hispanic and poor. They are admitted by random school choice lottery. They enter on average 2 years behind grade level and after only two years in the program, 70% to 80% perform at or above grade level - and are on their way to college.

The city of Bridgeport just sold Achievement First a school building for $1 so that it could open a public school in the east end of town. Hartford is also trying to lure Achievement First to their town with the promise of funding.

So why do the cities Bridgeport, Hartford, and even New York City seem to see things so differently than DeStefano and Mayo? Who knows. But just contrast our Mayor and Superintendant's statements about Amistad to those made by Joel Klein, New York's schools Chancellor in this AF teacher recruiting video posted on Youtube.


Copy and paste:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w304EAMct1E&quot; rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w304EAMct1E&lt;/a&gt;

Let me see if I understand this. Recently, several Schools were listed in a national report as drop out factories. State Board of Education stats, reported by New Haven, report that nearly 65% of the kids at high schools like Hillhouse drop out and never graduate. CAPT test scores are below 50%. Yet, the Board of Ed President, Superintendent, and the Mayor all beleive the solution to these achievement problems are to fire the leaders of ConnCAN and stick their collective heads into the sand.

Can anyone spell "New Leadership"?

The sad truth that everyone should know - if the BOE would fess-up - is the the number of kids that fail to make proficient is disproportionately higher than the kids, the Public Schools themselves, have designated to have social emotional problems. The truth is the don't manage these children in an effective way that keeps them from interfaring with the educational experience of the others. Standards are lowered so as not aggitate these kids, thus giving the rest a false belief in their own achievement in the classroom. Some of these kids who graduate from New Haven Public Schools have trouble reading training manuals for minimum wage jobs. That is a very serious failure.

OH, no, are we back to this argument? Where the leaders of the city and ConnCan act like delinquent 14 year-olds? "Did you diss me? Yes, you did!"

Let's get the facts straight. Charter schools, in general, are frequently not very good. New Haven public schools face all kinds of very real problems and nonetheless employ many fine, hard working and talented educators. There are success stories in BOE schools, as well as massive failures.

Achievement First (Amistad) schools, however, are simply, truly fantastic. Its true: other cities are dying for Achievement First to move in.

I don't care if their success is "unfair". They are saving many kids right now in New Haven and they could save many more. And our mayor and BOE have a simple answer: no way, we won't let those kids be saved, because it wouldn't be fair.

This battle is so classic - DeStefano and his loyalists demonizing and marginalizing anybody who dares raise a challenge to his platitudes, happy talk and lack of results. If ConnCan has ideas and a track record that shows positive results, and they appear to, then perhaps there are aspects to their approach that makes sense and should be embraced. But that as usual, would be too easy. Whether its the State Department of Public Works, the DOT, YNHH, Tweed Airport Authority, Easthaven or the Regional Development Authority - it's always the same: bully, demean, demonize and destroy anybody who challenges the status quo.

Despite what the mayor, the BOE and Super Mayo keep saying - the NH public schools are in deep trouble despite being flush with cash that far exceeds better performing districts across the country. Wilbur Cross, one of our best performing schools seated one of the largest freshmen classes this year - more than 600 students. Four years from now, more than half - more than 300 students will not be graduating. That national study listed WC as one of three drop out factories in New Haven referenced above.

If we don't quit holding our breath at CMT time, hoping to fail less than the previous year, but posting failing scores nonetheless, seducing ourselves with mediocrity and justifying poor results, we will never get out of this rut and our children will continue to suffer. It's important to be a cheerleader for NHPS - it's more important to be a leader.

Now, Mayor DeStefano and Super Mayo: Is this the best, the very best we can do?

Can you say "elected school board"? This city is more of a third world dictatorship than anything else. Castro and Chavez, you've got company.

"demonizing, demeaning and attempting to destroy anyone who challenges the status quo". That has a familiar ring. This should not be about demonizing those who are educating our children. It should be about who's not educating them and taking action. When the smoke clears an admission must be made that NHPS student scores indicate a failure of the system in educating the majority of their students. You can't dispute the facts. Grow up and stop blaming the messenger for delivering the message. This should be about giving our children the best education that state and federal dollars can buy. It should be about sitting down with CONNCAN and finding out what they are doing right and getting out of the way when you no longer have the stamina or committment to do the right thing for our children This is about their future well being.

I don't know if this is a comedy, a tragedy, a catch 22 for DeStefano & Co...

I mean, DeStefano & Co obviously cater to certain types of people, all of whom don't vote. There is no question about it. From what I read here and elsewhere their policies and decisions drive out the middle class, educated, and pretty much anyone who votes, all of whom probably make up the majority of people who would be actively involved in their child's education.

Then the hordes of kids of the non-voting, apathetic masses of parents come back and burn DeStefano & Co through the public schools with their poor performance and insane drop-out rates. And don't forget these youngsters' extracurricular activities like "marking" people by shooting them.

Well, if all goes as planned (Big D's Plan that is), the children will drop-out, grow-up, go to prison, come back to New Haven, get a place to live through HANH, choose not to vote, get a city job (remember that article?), then start voting DeStefano. (People who read NHI a lot will get this joke - I am not going to dig up a bunch of articles.)

I forgot to add, I am actually a huge fan of public education, and like DeStefano (cringe) I oppose charter schools for a number of reasons. Public education (not some-of-the-public charter, or some-of-the-public-religious charter) and the separation of church and state are two of the greatest accomplishments in human history. Those people who want to undermine the public education system based on New Haven and this administration are short sighted and need a course or two in history.

Here's an interesting notion. Why not let ConnCan provide funding to Amistad for a law suit in order to gain equal funding per student. It's worked in other states.