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"Failing schools" is a term of jargon now, thanks to the federal "No Child Left Behind" law, which requires school systems to accommodate students who want to move out of schools deemed to be failing by virtue of standardized test results. But the "failing schools" experience through which Connecticut generally and Manchester particularly are going shows that schools are really neither the cause of the problem nor its solution. No, the problem is poverty and the neglect that results from childbearing outside marriage, about which schools can do little.
Poverty and child neglect gather in the worst housing, which is concentrated in cities. Neglected children are indifferent and delinquent and drag their schools down, whereupon parents who want better for their kids move to the suburbs.
Manchester used to be such a suburb but now it too has a core full of older and apartment housing where single-parent families live, and the four elementary schools that serve that core have been classified as needing so much improvement that their students are free to move to the town's six other elementary schools. This fall nearly 200 students did move, creating serious imbalances in class sizes and worsening the socio-economic differences among schools.
And yet, of course, Manchester's schools are all under the same management, and that management long has worked conscientiously to provide them equal resources.
The only solution may be to redistrict the elementary schools to ensure a socio-economic mix in each, which for many families would be the end of neighborhood schools. But the school system won't be to blame for this. It isn't failing; too many parents are.
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Chris Powell is managing editor of the Journal Inquirer.
NOTE: NBBOE MEMBERS SHOULD REVIEW THIS TO ASCERTAIN NB IS NOT FACING THE SAME DILEMMA & PROBLEMS AS MANCHESTER EXPERIANCED!
Maybe Tim O'Brien should move back to Manchester and help make improvements to both the school system and the socio-economic system. Our loss would be their gain.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, according to the demographics, New Britain is about 15-20 years ahead of where Manchester is. We lost much of our middle class throughout the 90s, when the gangs were shooting each other up. Our challenge is to prove to parents that New Britain schools are capable of providing their children with a quality education, and the only way to do that is to raise test scores with the population we currently have.
ReplyDeleteAs a former resident of Manchester I can speak to one problem that used to exist about a decade and a half ago. Under a past superintendent one of the more urban schools with the largest minority population was used as a dumping ground for bad teachers. Since parents in this area were more less likely to complain and academic scores were already low it was used as a tool to remove teachers from other schools and drive them from the district.
ReplyDeleteThis, fortunately, has been corrected. However, it is hard for all schools to be provided with equal funding and resources. Parent involvement in a wealthier school through fund raisers and donations can give a school resources others don't have.
While it is important for the school board to monitor school performance it is far more important to monitor district performance and the performance of socioeconomic subgroups. Redistricting can solve some problems, but often it only plays the numbers game by spreading the lower performing students evenly to make all schools appear even. More effort should be focused on finding best practices to effectively close the performance gaps that exist, rather than simply trying to cover the problem over.
I agree...Tim O'Brien should move back to Manchester and be on their common council or Board of Education, and/or run for Mayor, to help improve their situation. Seems to me he wants to turn New Britain into another Manchester....
ReplyDeleteDespite numerous attempts by Dr. Kurtz to throw myriad new programs into NB schools to try to raise test scores, the results have been largely, failures.
ReplyDeleteIn this current age of technology and advancements in all phases of science, where do NB schools stand with regard to proficiency in science - as measured by statewide tests ?? At or near the bottom with relation to our DRG!! The new programs ( especially Kaizen Thursdays) have reaped no benefits to students.
Frank:
ReplyDeleteDo you want to investigate something? Try finding out how many of Sharon Beloin-Saavedra's family members (close and extended) feed at the public trough! What kind of amenities has she been able to arrange for her own? Why do you think she toes the line for Doris?