Saturday, June 28, 2014

Superintendent of Madison, CT on school reform: ‘It is not working’


Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy has just asked for a “pause” in implementation of a controversial new teacher evaluation system that uses student standardized test scores to assess teachers as well creation of a task force to study the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. Is “a pause” the answer?
You might think Malloy did this because of the growing opposition to both in his state, but blogger Jonathan Pelto points out here that he did it not because he really believes there is a problem with the school reforms but because he is trying to assure his re-election this November and can read the political tea leaves.
Whatever Malloy’s motives, here’s a powerful letter that Madison Schools Superintendent Tom Scarice wrote to state legislators explaining why Malloy’s “pause” isn’t the answer to the real problems. Incidentally, teachers, parents, community members, educators and others in his district together approved a teacher evaluation plan that does not include the use test scores. The state hasn’t approved it yet but the district is using it anyway.


Senator Edward Meyer
Legislative Office Building, Room 3200
Hartford, CT 06106
Representative Noreen Kokoruda Legislative Office Building, Room 4200
State of Connecticut
Hartford, CT 06106
Dear Senator Meyer and Representative Kokoruda:
As a superintendent of schools it is incumbent upon me to ground my work with my local board of education. My work must be grounded in two areas: in accurately framing problems to solve, and most importantly, in proposing solutions grounded in evidence, research, and legitimate literature to support a particular direction. Any other approach would be irresponsible and I’m certain my board would reject such shortcuts and hold me accountable.
In our profession, we have the fortune of volumes of literature and research on our practices. We have evidence to guide our decision making to make responsible decisions in solving our problems of practice. This is not unlike the field of medicine or engineering. To ignore this evidence, in my estimation, is irresponsible.
Legislators across the state have heard from, and will continue to hear loudly from, educators about what is referred to as education reforms. Webster defines “reform” as “a method to change into an improved condition.” I believe that legislators will continue to hear from the thousands of educators across the state because the reforms, in that sense, are not resulting in an improved condition. In fact, a case can be made that the conditions have worsened.
To be fair, the reforms did, in fact, shine a light on the role of evaluation in raising the performance of our workforce. There were cases of a dereliction of duty in the evaluation of professional staff. This is unacceptable and was not the norm for all school districts.
However, I would like to make the case that these reforms will not result in improved conditions since they are not grounded in research, the evidence that supports professional decision-making, like a doctor or engineer. It is simply a matter of substance. The evidence is clear in schools across the state. It is not working.
We have spent the better part of the last 12 years with a test-based accountability movement that has not led to better results or better conditions for children. What it has led to is a general malaise among our profession, one that has accepted a narrowing of the curriculum, a teaching to the test mentality, and a poorly constructed redefinition of what a good education is. Today, a good education is narrowly defined as good test scores. What it has led to is a culture of compliance in our schools.
We have doubled-down on the failed practices of No Child Left Behind. Not only do we subscribe to a test and punish mentality for school districts, we have now drilled that mentality down to the individual teacher level.
We have an opportunity to listen to the teachers, administrators, parents, and even the students, to make the necessary course corrections. We know what is coming. We’ve seen it happen in other states. We can easily look at the literature and predict how this story ends. New York, Kentucky and so forth, these states are about one year ahead of Connecticut. Why would we think it will end any differently for our state? We can take action to prevent the inevitable.
We have an opportunity. You as legislators have an opportunity. Our students and communities are counting on us.
I am pleased to see that the Governor has asserted his authority to address this deeply rooted problem. But we cannot stop there.
I ask the following:
1. Do not be lulled into solutions that promote “delay.” Although the problem is being framed as an issue of implementation timelines and volume, I contend that this is much more about substance than delays. Revisit the substance of these reforms, particularly the rigidity of the teacher evaluation guidelines.
2. As you revisit the substance, demand the evidence and research that grounds the reforms, just as a board of education would demand of a superintendent. You will find, as I have, that the current reforms are simply not grounded in research. As legislators, demand the evidence, particularly the literature that illustrates the damaging effects of high stakes test scores in teacher evaluations. Demand the evidence that demonstrates that this approach is valid and will withstand legal scrutiny. Demanding evidence is how every local board of education holds their administrators accountable.
3. Build on the Governor’s first steps and create even greater flexibility for local districts to innovate and create. This is 2014…standardizing our work across all schools is not the answer. That’s the factory / assembly line mentality that got public schools into this mess. We need a diversity of thought, similar to a “crowd sourcing” approach, if we are to solve the problems of the 21st century. Above all, commit to the principle that “one size fits all” does not work. We would never accept that from individual teachers in their work with students, why should we accept “one size fits all” for very different school districts across the state? There are indeed alternative approaches that fit the context and needs of individual districts. I would be happy to provide with you with our example. You, as legislators, can create the space for innovation to thrive. Promote innovation, not mere compliance.
4. Revisit the No Child Left Behind waiver that was filed with the U. S. Department of Education. This is consistently presented as the trump card in any discussion involving modifications to the reform package passed a couple of years ago. We’ve been told that we cannot make changes because of promises made to the federal government. Was there a lower threshold for compliance with the No Child Left Behind waiver? Can we take a more aggressive approach for our state and not be dictated to by the federal government to this degree? This resonates at the local level and ought to at least be considered.
5. Finally, do not be a cynic, but be a skeptic about the common core. How can this be done?
*Demand the evidence to support whether or not the standards are age-appropriate for our youngest learners. Demand the input of early childhood experts like the 500+ nationally recognized early childhood professionals who signed a joint statement expressing “grave concerns” about the K-3 standards. Or perhaps seek input right here in Connecticut from the early childhood experts at the Geselle Institute in New Haven.
*Demand the evidence that supports that every child should master the same benchmarks every year when we know that all children develop at different rates.
*Demand an accurate accounting of the current and, more importantly, future costs of implementing the common core and the new Smarter Balanced (SBAC) testing system.
*Demand the evidence that supports coupling the common core to unproven tests. In just weeks, many students will sit for these new tests. They will serve as subjects to “test out the test.” It is quite possible that you will hear even more from parents after the tests are administered. Be proactive and seek these answers in advance of the inevitable questions you will be asked.
I want to close by stating that I personally have between eighteen to twenty more years to serve in this state and I look at these problems in a very long-term sense. What can we do now, not for this year or next, but in the long-term to be the shining example for the rest of the country that Connecticut’s public education system once was considered? I’m committed to this work and I will continue that commitment for nearly two more decades.
I ask you to seize this opportunity. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Thomas R. Scarice
Superintendent

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Hoboken High School graduates told to appreciate every moment By Amanda Eisenberg/The Jersey Journal

Students graduate from Hoboken Junior/ Senior High School,
Wednesday, June 25, 2014. Chase Gaewski/The Jersey Journal

Hoboken High School students listened thoughtfully to principal Robin Piccapietra as she reminded her graduates to be their own advocate, be on time, challenge themselves and be kind to others. Valedictorian Leslie Markevitch said "Try to appreciate every moment it took, leading up to this moment; graduation," Markevitch said. The soon-to-be Bucknell student shared her story with her classmates and their families that took place four years earlier.
She and her family were hit by "a drunk and high driver," and the car was totaled, Markevitch said. "That moment taught me to make the most of opportunities available," the valedictorian continued. "Take a moment to appreciate this moment."
Full article: CLICK HERE 
Chase Gaewski/The Jersey Journal
Chase Gaewski/The Jersey Journal


Wednesday, June 25, 2014

News from The College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin

We're very proud of our faculty who mentor and groom excellent future scholars. We just learned that two of Dr. ANTHONY PETROSINO'S recent doctoral students - Dr. VANESSA SVIHLA at the Univ of New Mexico and Dr.CANDACE WALKINGTON at Southern Methodist University - won prestigious National Academy of Education Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowships.This Fellowship is one of the highest national honors given to education scholars. To read more about the work that Svihla began here at UT with Petrosino and is continuing in her current position, you can go to Dr. Petrosino's blog athttp://hobokencurriculumproject.blogspot.com/2014/05/dr-vanessa-svihla-receives-national.html. You can find out more about Walkington's work - which also was launched under Petrosino's mentorship - athttp://hobokencurriculumproject.blogspot.com/2014/05/dr-candace-walkington-receives-national.html. Big congratulations to all three of them!

The COLLEGE OF EDUCATION at The UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN is ranked among the top 10 nationally by U.S. News & World Report, as are several of its departments and programs.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Teach the Seven Strategies of Highly Effective Readers By: Elaine K. McEwan

Elysian Park War Memorial
Hoboken, NJ 
If the struggling readers in your content classroom routinely miss the point when "reading" content text, consider teaching them one or more of the seven cognitive strategies of highly effective readers. Cognitive strategies are the mental processes used by skilled readers to extract and construct meaning from text and to create knowledge structures in long-term memory. When these strategies are directly taught to and modeled for struggling readers, their comprehension and retention improve.

Struggling students often mistakenly believe they are reading when they are actually engaged in what researchers call mindless reading (Schooler, Reichle, & Halpern, 2004), zoning out while staring at the printed page. The opposite of mindless reading is the processing of text by highly effective readers using cognitive strategies. These strategies are described in a fascinating qualitative study that asked expert readers to think aloud regarding what was happening in their minds while they were reading. The lengthy scripts recording these spoken thoughts (i.e., think-alouds) are called verbal protocols (Pressley & Afflerbach, 1995). These protocols were categorized and analyzed by researchers to answer specific questions, such as, What is the influence of prior knowledge on expert readers' strategies as they determine the main idea of a text? (Afflerbach, 1990b).

The protocols provide accurate "snapshots" and even "videos" of the ever-changing mental landscape that expert readers construct during reading. Researchers have concluded that reading is "constructively responsive-that is, good readers are always changing their processing in response to the text they are reading" (Pressley & Afflerbach, 1995, p. 2). Instructional Aid 1.1 defines the seven cognitive strategies of highly effective readers, and Instructional Aid 1.2 provides a lesson plan template for teaching a cognitive strategy.

Instructional aids

Instructional Aid 1.1: Seven Strategies of Highly Effective Readers

StrategyDefinition
Activating"Priming the cognitive pump" in order to recall relevent prior knowledge and experiences from long-term memory in order to extract and construct meaning from text
InferringBringing together what is spoken (written) in the text, what is unspoken (unwritten) in the text, and what is already known by the reader in order to extract and construct meaning from the text
Monitoring-ClarifyingThinking about how and what one is reading, both during and after the act of reading, for purposes of determining if one is comprehending the text combined with the ability to clarify and fix up any mix-ups
QuestioningEngaging in learning dialogues with text (authors), peers, and teachers through self-questioning, question generation, and question answering
Searching-SelectingSearching a variety of sources in order to select appropriate information to answer questions, define words and terms, clarify misunderstandings, solve problems, or gather information
SummarizingRestating the meaning of text in one's own words — different words from those used in the original text
Visualizing-OrganizingConstructing a mental image or graphic organizer for the purpose of extracting and constructing meaning from the text

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Data Analysis Shows No Evidence of Segregative Impact of Charter Schools on Traditional Schools in Hoboken, New Jersey

8th Grade Graduating Class of 1964
Sacred Heart Academy, Hoboken NJ
Recently, there has been a great deal of discussion- often heated-- about the segregative impact of charter schools on the existing public school system. This discussion has taken place at the national, state, and local level in the United States for the last couple of years.

One such discussion is currently taking place in Hoboken, NJ. A small, local charter school recently received approval for renewal as well as expansion of its existing charter. In NJ, charter schools undergo a through review in order to renew their charter every 5 years. In addition to the renewal, Hola requested expansion to the 8th grade from the current K-6 formation. The State of New Jersey approved both requests in early March of this year

For various reasons, the Hoboken Board of Education decided to protest the decision and has subsequently entered into a legal petition/"lawsuit" in order for the renewal and expansion decisions to be revoked. (note: For alleged legal reasons the renewal and expansion decisions have had to be linked and joined according to some members of the Hoboken Board of Education. Interpretations vary.)

One of the primary arguments made by the Hoboken Board of Education is the financial toll charter schools are having on existing, traditional public schools in Hoboken and in New Jersey. This post will not address that issue.  Another main argument is that the charter schools are having a "segregative" impact on the traditional public schools in Hoboken prompting some elected officials to refer to charter schools impact in Hoboken as causing "white flight." This post will attempt to address the segregative issue only and distance itself from any inflammatory rhetoric. 

Various data have been presented on both sides of the issue either supporting or attacking the conjecture of charter schools segregative impact on the traditional public schools in the City of Hoboken, NJ. Unfortunately, most of the data reported has been relatively short term data (1-3 years of data) and little to no attempt has been made to take a more longitudinal examination of the historical low income percentage enrollment in the school district. 

I have been able to obtain from the New Jersey Department of Education/Office of Finance the 1997-2013 "October 15th" Reports or the Application For State School Aid (ASSA). In order to be as consistent as possible, for my analysis I used what is commonly considered the "Line 39" data for FULL ON ROLL as well as RES LOW INCOME to obtain a fair approximation of the percentage of low income students attending the traditional Hoboken Public Schools. This method allows for excellent consistency over the many years of data and gives a good estimate of the proportional percentages.

When this data is plotted we observe an interesting trend-- the percentage of low income students attending the traditional Hoboken Public Schools exhibits a distinct downward trend over the past 16 years. If charter schools were having a segregative effect on the public schools, we would expect to see an upward trend in the percentage of low income students attending the traditional Hoboken Public Schools. I present the data in graphic form for ease of examination. 
Click to Enlarge 
No doubt, this will not be the final word on the topic. That is not the intent of this post. And plotting such data is not the only way to support or disprove the conjecture. But I do think this analysis offers some compelling evidence that the addition of charter schools into Hoboken has not had a tangible segregative impact in terms of low income student enrollment on the traditional public schools. This may be due in large part to historic high low income enrollment in Hoboken's public schools going back many years.  On a related note, it appears that any claim of a possible segregative effect of charters on the traditional public school enrollment in Hoboken NJ has failed to take into account the historical "set point" of the district which appears to be in the neighborhood of about 60.76% low income enrollment with a standard deviation of about 5.52%. There are also a number of city wide demographic trends occurring that may be impacting these percentages-- a general but persistent rise in the average family income over time in Hoboken is certainly proven by census data. Such a trend should be possible to observe over a 15+ year period. Additional analysis with more historical data should be forthcoming. 








Monday, June 16, 2014

Dr. Mark Toback Resigns


Letter to Community from Dr. Mark Toback
June 13, 2014
Dear Residents,
Last night, the Wayne Township Board of Education appointed me to serve as their new superintendent of schools. While I am honored by their endorsement and confidence, I must admit that leaving Hoboken will be bittersweet, due to the many relationships built here over the past few years. Working with a dedicated staff, a talented administrative team, supportive parents, and a thoughtful group of school board members has been rewarding in so many ways.

The Hoboken Public Schools are a wonderful example of what is possible when a community redefines what it expects from the schools. By establishing higher expectations, and then investing in our schools at a level that matches our ambition, we have made significant progress in many areas. Substantial improvements in academic performance, school climate, safety, parental involvement, communication, technology and facilities are visible results of our new expectations. All of these changes will serve as a solid foundation for the work of the next school district leader.

It would be inappropriate for me not to express my appreciation for the support of the Hoboken Board of Education. Working as a trustee is possibly the most thankless volunteer community service job a citizen could undertake. On top of being thankless, it can be quite stressful due to many difficult decisions that must be made. The support from the trustees of your elected Hoboken Board of Education allowed for many positive changes to take place and continues to be a positive influence on the school system.

I will look back fondly on my days of service to this city and I remain appreciative of the opportunity to work as your educational leader. While some residents may not have agreed with me from time to time, know that my primary focus with any decision was the students attending our schools.

I have heard long-time residents and employees say “Once a Redwing, Always a Redwing." As I move along in my profession, I will always be proud to be counted as a Hoboken Redwing.

Sincerely,

Mark Toback


Wednesday, June 11, 2014

UPDATED "I'm telling you...what we were given and what has been built up in this district since 2009 has been amazing…" -HBOE Trustee Ruth McAllister (Part II- a "District in Need of Improvement")

A key component of "the Big Lie" is to convince people things were much worse before you got there and that there has been improvement since you arrived. Hoboken Board of Education member McAllister has ended recent Board meetings by telling the audience how bad things were "in 2009" and how "amazing" things are now. Recall, there was a previous post (Part I) examining some aspects of McAllister's claims. This time, let us look at the documentation and consequences of the "DINI" status of the district. 

Thirty months (30) after taking full control of the Hoboken Board of Education (May 2009-November 2011) and having full oversight of the Hoboken Public Schools, Ms. McAllister, her Kids First Board majority, and the Parents and Guardians of the School Children of Hoboken received a letter (see below) from the superintendent of schools informing them that the entire Hoboken School District was now classified as a District in Need of Improvement or a "DINI". A designation which the district never received before. 

The classification was because after two and an half years of Ms. McAllister and Kids First leadership, "the district did not make AYP (adequate yearly progress) in all grade spans within the district - elementary (grades 3-5) middle school (grades 6-8), and high school- for two consecutive years in either content area"

Ms. McAllister and her Board colleagues were in majority control for part of the 2008-2009 school year and for the entire 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 academic years before receiving this designation in November of 2011. Therefore, it is difficult (but not impossible as we have seen) for her to blame previous administrations for this unfortunate designation by the State of New Jersey in compliance with the U.S. Department of Education.  

How does this happen? While it doesn't happen over night, it does happen quickly. Recall Ms. McAllister and her colleagues made sure the district's award winning High School principal was not welcomed any longer (and you "settle" on the resulting lawsuit). You receive claims of harassment by award winning teachers. You hire a series of retired, interim superintendent of schools, assistant superintendent of schools, high school principal, and business administrators all with no knowledge and questionable commitment to the City or to the district. You decide that the future of the district lies in administrators from Newark and Keyport and you fail to successfully implement an updated K-12 curriculum with corresponding planning guides and district assessments. Finally, you hire a superintendent from a 1 school district/vocational high school that failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress in the last full year before his departure and lead a district identified for improvement by the NJDOE (DINI 1) (click here for verification; and here). The teachers are not at fault. The designation of a district in need of improvement is the result of poor decisions and poor leadership at the district and Board levels. Not amazing at all. Period. 

For Ms. McAllister and her colleagues this designation may be another example of the"amazing progress" of the district under their leadership. More likely, it may be yet another series of unfortunate facts that Ms. McAllister and Kids First just wishes were not known and vilifies anyone who brings such facts to the public's attention. 


Board Trustee McAllister is certainly entitled to her opinion of the condition of the district in 2009 and today. But, personally, I would think her time would be better spent looking at ways to remediate the current situation in the district rather than present ill-informed, biased, and fallacious tales of the district she and her Kids First members inherited in 2009 and the "amazing" things that have happened subsequently. 


See Part I for the "amazing" things Ms. McAllister claims has been accomplished by clicking HERE

The full "DINI" letter can be viewed by clicking here





Text of Trustee's McAllister's statement in March 2014: 

(56:20) Your biggest item is always personnel, it always it. So when we entered into this budget cycle and we knew that it was going to be tight most of us knew what it was going to mean and for those….pause….Mr. Enrico and for the teachers who are going to watch this and school employees who are going to watch this I just hope  the next couple of weeks aren't too rough because a lot of people are going to be worried and a lot of people are going to be scared and..I think that..I was always raised that ah..you know…you temper your attitude and your demenaor to the appropriate for the occassion and quite frankly that means you are not gleeful at a funeral and when there's a situation where people's jobs are on the line..people who have skill sets that really don't meet a wide variety of career choices that…a…sarcasm and insipedness is an inappropriate way to discuss any item. So…with that I'd also like to mention what actually has happened in this district over the last five years. I was elected in April of 2009. Prior to April of 2009 there was a hugh..and the whole reason why I ran was because of the whole "to do" about spending a tremendous amount of money on a new program. And the first thing I did in April of 2009…ah…(gestures to the audience) other board members (gestures to the audience) that are no longer (gestures to the audience) are here was that we had to approve layoffs. So we actually had a Board of Education that was in place and a superintendent that was in place that was talking about an expenditure of $750,000 on a program that didn't even happen when they knew full well that there was going to be a list of layoffs. There were also 525 employees in the district at that time in the district not there's 400 employees. And you know those weren't teachers between that 525 number and what we have here but that list of teachers for layoffs that were put before us in April of 2009 were all teachers and we spent the next (gestures) year and a half- whatever it was-- laying off non classroom personnel that were unnecessary. That's what was here before 2009. That's what was going on in this district in April of 2009. And no disrespect for any teachers that worked on the curriculum project before 2009 because as a business person I know that the leadership on the project is what determines the quality of the work and the Hoboken Curriculum Project that we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on prior to April of 2009 was unusable when we had a certified person in here looking at the curriculum and we have spent the last…10, 11, 12, 13….we pretty much spent the last works rewriting work that was done and once again absolutely should not be a discredit to the teachers that were working on the original project becasue the leadership is what determines whether or not what is created is usable. So this was the kind of thing that we walked in on in April of 2009….what was here when I got here were hard working teachers working in silos without strong administration behind them because their administration couldn't do what they needed them to do because they were told what to do. So, teachers working hard without materials and without…and doing the best job they possible could. I'm telling you what we were given and what has been built up in this district since 2009 has been amazing…and what I get in teachers thanking me now, thanking me for the supplies, happy because they've learned what it means to have a good administration- that they have mentors in place to help them and that's what has changed. To come up with so little experience in district and talk of nothing is being done is shameful…and to me why anyone who has been speaking like that about this district…why would they move their child into this district, it just doesn't make any sense….so I'm suspect, just like the other explosion I had if this counts as an explosion 

Rethinking the Visually Interesting Kindergarten Classroom- WHEN TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING MAY BE BAD

Hoboken, NJ Circa late 1930's
photo: David Pirmann
Imagine a kindergarten classroom. Picture the vividly colored scalloped borders on the walls, the dancing letters, maybe some charming cartoon barnyard animals holding up “Welcome to School!” signs. That bright, cheery look has become a familiar sight in classrooms across the country, one that has only grown over the last few decades, fed by the proliferation of educational supply stores. But to what effect?

A new study looked at whether such classrooms encourage, or actually distract from, learning. The study, one of the first to examine how the look of these walls affects young students, found that when kindergartners were taught in a highly decorated classroom, they were more distracted, their gazes more likely to wander off task, and their test scores lower than when they were taught in a room that was comparatively spartan.
The researchers, from Carnegie Mellon University, did not conclude that kindergartners, who spend most of the day in one room, should be taught in an austere environment. But they urged educators to establish standards.
“So many things affect academic outcomes that are not under our control,” said Anna V. Fisher, an associate professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon and the lead author of the study, which was published in Psychological Science. “But the classroom’s visual environment is under the direct control of the teachers. They’re trying their best in the absence of empirically validated guidelines.” -NY Times
---------------------------------------------------- 

Heavily decorated classrooms disrupt attention and learning in young children

Date:
May 27, 2014
Source:
Carnegie Mellon University
Summary:
Maps, number lines, shapes, artwork and other materials tend to cover elementary classroom walls. However, new research shows that too much of a good thing may end up disrupting attention and learning in young children.



Visual Environment, Attention Allocation, and Learning in Young Children

When Too Much of a Good Thing May Be Bad

  1. Anna V. Fisher1
  2. Karrie E. Godwin1
  3. Howard Seltman2
  1. 1Department of Psychology
  2. 2Department of Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University
  1. Anna V. Fisher, Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Psychology, 335-I Baker Hall, 5000 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 E-mail: fisher49@andrew.cmu.edu
  1. Author Contributions A. V. Fisher was responsible for the conceptualization of the study and contributed to study design and data analyses. K. E. Godwin contributed to the conceptualization and design of the study and to data analyses, and she created the study materials and trained the coders. H. Seltman conducted the mediation analysis. All authors contributed to the writing of the manuscript.
    Graphic

Abstract

A large body of evidence supports the importance of focused attention for encoding and task performance. Yet young children with immature regulation of focused attention are often placed in elementary-school classrooms containing many displays that are not relevant to ongoing instruction. We investigated whether such displays can affect children’s ability to maintain focused attention during instruction and to learn the lesson content. We placed kindergarten children in a laboratory classroom for six introductory science lessons, and we experimentally manipulated the visual environment in the classroom. Children were more distracted by the visual environment, spent more time off task, and demonstrated smaller learning gains when the walls were highly decorated than when the decorations were removed.   

Journal Reference:
  1. A. V. Fisher, K. E. Godwin, H. Seltman. Visual Environment, Attention Allocation, and Learning in Young Children: When Too Much of a Good Thing May Be Bad. Psychological Science, 2014; DOI: 10.1177/0956797614533801
             
READ MORE ABOUT THIS STUDY BY CLICKING HERE

Monday, June 9, 2014

Hoboken Board of Education Agenda- Tuesday June 10, 2014

The following is the posted Board Agenda for the Hoboken Board of Education. The meeting is scheduled to take place at 1115 Clinton St at 7PM on Tuesday, June 10, 2014.

A few items of interest include:

3.01 Superintendent's Report
3.03 Committee Reports
Curriculum and Instruction- Possible topic: What will happen with Tools of the Mind for 2014-15?
9.05 Approval of the Harassment, Intimidations, and Bully (HIB) Report
10.07 Approval to Implement the 2014-2015 Budget
11.02 Approval of Continuation of Legal Matter
RESOLVED, that the Hoboken Board of Education authorizes the legal matter related to the New Jersey Department of Education and its approval of the renewal and expansion of the Hoboken Dual Language Charter School to continue with Eric L. Harrison, Esq. of Methfessel & Werbel. Furthermore, the Board authorizes an increase of $30,000 in the not-to-exceed amount*; fees and related costs for this matter will continue in a manner consistent with the Board's existing agreement with counsel.
*This will bring the "not-to-exceed" amount to approximately $50,000 for the "petition"


CLICK TO ENLARGE 
14. Public Comment (Agenda and Non-Agenda Items)
Is TOOLS OF THE MIND going to continue in Pre School for the 2014-15 school year?
Is TOOLS OF THE MIND going to continue in Kindergarten for the 2014-15 school year?




Direct Link to Agenda: CLICK HERE

Thursday, June 5, 2014

"I'm telling you...what we were given and what has been built up in this district since 2009 has been amazing…" -HBOE Trustee Ruth McAllister (Part I)


A key component of "the Big Lie" is to convince people things were much worse before you got there and that there has been improvement since you arrived. Hoboken Board of Education member McAllister has ended recent Board meetings by telling the audience how bad things were "in 2009" and how "amazing" things are now- its essential to maintain the Big Lie. Let's see... 

I was the Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools in Hoboken from 2007-2009. So, I have an interest in how the district is doing and what is said about the district. I was surprised that at a March 2014 meeting of the Hoboken Board of Education, Board member Ruth McAllister was quoted as saying "I'm telling you what we were given and what has been built up in this district since 2009 has been amazing…". This quote was part of a much longer statement she made at the meeting describing to the audience he dismal state of the district when she first came in back in 2009 and the condition of the district today in 2014 (see full text below). 


Well, Board member McAllister is certainly entitled to her opinion but she isn't necessarily entitled to her facts. We can look at any number of issues and now compare how things are now to how they were in 2009 when she and the political group known as "Kids First" gained control of the Hoboken Board of Education. In order to be as objective as possible and stay away from opinions, public relations, and "spin", let's look at Hoboken High School before Trustee McAllister and her colleagues took control of the Board and after. 


By 2014 and after over 5 years of complete control of the Hoboken Board of Education, Hoboken High School had received no further recognition from US News and World Report, it was recently ranked 298th our of 328 high schools by New Jersey Monthly and received a grade of "D" by the Newark Star Ledger with the caveat "Parents beware of these schools. Test scores are below average, and there is little academic growth."

Under Kids First leadership HHS's New Jersey Monthly ranking
of NJ high schools have dropped while % minority
enrolled has remained constant
CLICK TO ENLARGE 

How did this happen? Well, recall that Dr. Loraine Cella was released in a very controversial manner in February of 2010 (this resulted in a lawsuit which was settled out of court). What followed next was the decision to have a retired interim high school principal at Hoboken High School for 2 years. This was followed by an inexperienced first year principal from the suburbs for 1 year and finally an in district hire. The decision to have 4 principals in less than 4 years was a decision made by Trustee McAllister and her Kids First majority along with their superintendents. Instability at the principal level has very real consequences for students. 

Under Ruth McAllister and Kids First HHS has the
2nd lowest graduation rate in Hudson County


During this same period of time, the high school has undergone at least 4 different configurations. In 2009 there was an Alternative High School (housed in Demarest) and Hoboken High School (configuration 1). Under Kids First, the Alternative High School was dissolved and merged into Hoboken High School (configuration 2). Next, it was decided to put the 8th grade in the same building as Hoboken High School (configuration 3) and finally it was decided to put the 7th and 8th grade in the same building as Hoboken High School (configuration 4) now known as HJSHS-High School Program and HJSHS-Junior High School Program. Again, four different configurations under 4 different principals does not provide stability or create an environment for sustained academic growth. 

Furthermore, under Trustee McAllister and her colleagues in December 2013 the Hoboken school district was ranked as the 9th most violent high school in New Jersey. This finding is much more disturbing, when one looks at the last five years of the Violence and Vandalism reports (see below). One senses that what has been "built up in this district since 2009" is much less than amazing. 

Here is Ruth McAllister and Kids First's record
on Violence and Vandalism since 2009
CLICK TO ENLARGE

Another example of the "amazing" things Ruth McAllister
and Kids First have done in Hoboken since 2009 

As I said at the beginning of this post, Board Trustee McAllister is certainly entitled to her opinion of the condition of the district in 2009 and today. But, personally, I would think her time would be better spent looking at ways to remediate the current situation at the high school rather than present ill-infomred, biased, and fallacious tales of the district she and her Kids First members inherited in 2009. 



Text of Trustee's McAllister's statement: 

(56:20) Your biggest item is always personnel, it always it. So when we entered into this budget cycle and we knew that it was going to be tight most of us knew what it was going to mean and for those….pause….Mr. Enrico and for the teachers who are going to watch this and school employees who are going to watch this I just hope  the next couple of weeks aren't too rough because a lot of people are going to be worried and a lot of people are going to be scared and..I think that..I was always raised that ah..you know…you temper your attitude and your demenaor to the appropriate for the occassion and quite frankly that means you are not gleeful at a funeral and when there's a situation where people's jobs are on the line..people who have skill sets that really don't meet a wide variety of career choices that…a…sarcasm and insipedness is an inappropriate way to discuss any item. So…with that I'd also like to mention what actually has happened in this district over the last five years. I was elected in April of 2009. Prior to April of 2009 there was a hugh..and the whole reason why I ran was because of the whole "to do" about spending a tremendous amount of money on a new program. And the first thing I did in April of 2009…ah…(gestures to the audience) other board members (gestures to the audience) that are no longer (gestures to the audience) are here was that we had to approve layoffs. So we actually had a Board of Education that was in place and a superintendent that was in place that was talking about an expenditure of $750,000 on a program that didn't even happen when they knew full well that there was going to be a list of layoffs. There were also 525 employees in the district at that time in the district not there's 400 employees. And you know those weren't teachers between that 525 number and what we have here but that list of teachers for layoffs that were put before us in April of 2009 were all teachers and we spent the next (gestures) year and a half- whatever it was-- laying off non classroom personnel that were unnecessary. That's what was here before 2009. That's what was going on in this district in April of 2009. And no disrespect for any teachers that worked on the curriculum project before 2009 because as a business person I know that the leadership on the project is what determines the quality of the work and the Hoboken Curriculum Project that we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on prior to April of 2009 was unusable when we had a certified person in here looking at the curriculum and we have spent the last…10, 11, 12, 13….we pretty much spent the last works rewriting work that was done and once again absolutely should not be a discredit to the teachers that were working on the original project becasue the leadership is what determines whether or not what is created is usable. So this was the kind of thing that we walked in on in April of 2009….what was here when I got here were hard working teachers working in silos without strong administration behind them because their administration couldn't do what they needed them to do because they were told what to do. So, teachers working hard without materials and without…and doing the best job they possible could. I'm telling you what we were given and what has been built up in this district since 2009 has been amazing…and what I get in teachers thanking me now, thanking me for the supplies, happy because they've learned what it means to have a good administration- that they have mentors in place to help them and that's what has changed. To come up with so little experience in district and talk of nothing is being done is shameful…and to me why anyone who has been speaking like that about this district…why would they move their child into this district, it just doesn't make any sense….so I'm suspect, just like the other explosion I had if this counts as an explosion 


Evasiveness and Half-Truths at the Hoboken BOE: Petition is not a Lawsuit and "no one is against the renewal of Hola"

At a recent Hoboken Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Toback reiterated that the petition against the Hola Dual Language School and the NJ Department of Education is not a lawsuit and that it is not against the renewal of the Hola Dual Language Charter School.  Keep that in mind as you read this excerpt from the "petition": 





Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Wayne school district Superintendent Raymond Gonzalez resigns to take job in Westwood

This is a story that may have more relevance as time goes by-- for now, everyone is wishing Superintendent Gonzalez all the best at his new position. -Dr. Petrosino




APRIL 24, 2014    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014, 11:23 PM

WAYNE TODAY

The Board of Education announced at tonight's meeting that Superintendent Raymond Gonzalez would be leaving the district on Aug. 1.
FILE PHOTO

The Board of Education announced at tonight's meeting that Superintendent Raymond Gonzalez would be leaving the district on Aug. 1.
WAYNE - The Board of Education announced this evening that Dr. Raymond Gonzalez has resigned from his position as superintendent of Wayne Schools effective Aug. 1.
Gonzalez was hired in December 2011. His contract with the Wayne school district was scheduled to expire in 2016, at which time he would have likely been guaranteed three additional years if renewed.
"Thank you for your service and the leadership that you provided to our district. I can assure everyone this board wants to fill the vacant seat as soon as possible but our primary focus is to have the best candidate for the job. So we are in no rush for our search for that person," Board President Laura Stinziano said at the meeting.
Board member Cathy Kazan said that the resignation was unfortunate.
"Rest assured we will move forward and find the best qualified person to head our district," said Kazan.
"You came to our district at a very critical time and guided us along," board first vice president Robert Ceberio added.
Board member Don Pavlak Jr. said that, "We haven't always agreed on certain things but you brought something to us when we needed it."
The superintendent's departure will mark the second time in more than two years that the district will be without a permanent leader, unless the district finds his replacement by the official end of the school year.
While Gonzalez did not comment on the resignation during the public meeting, a statement was issued by the district's public relations firm this evening.
"While I'm sorry to say goodbye to the district, I'm pleased about all that has been accomplished during the past two and a half years with the board's support," Gonzalez said. "Together, we've made significant and sustainable advances in meeting the district's goals in the areas of student performance, communications, operations, and technology. In short, Wayne Township Public Schools is in a better place now because of the positive changes that have taken place - and I'm confident the district's talented and committed administrative, instructional, and support staff members will continue this bold, forward progress."
Regarding its search for a new superintendent, the Wayne Board of Education is now reviewing various options, according to the release, including whether it will retain the services of an executive search firm - with a specific education specialty - to manage the overall process and identify candidates.
Prior to the hiring of Gonzalez, Dr. John Sico Jr. served as the last full-time superintendent, serving just nine months of a three-and-a-half year contract before announcing his retirement in 2009. Over the next two plus years, the school board relied on several interim leaders between 2009 and Gonzalez's hiring in December 2011.
Gonzalez's resignation caught several members of the board off guard, considering he had an additional two years remaining on his contract.
"It's unfortunate. We thought he would be here a little longer," said one board member, who asked to remain anonymous.
According to the press release, Gonzalez is leaving to become superintendent of the Westwood Regional School District in Bergen County, where he once served as principal of Berkeley Elementary School. He would reportedly be taking a cut in pay of $25,000 to $30,000 in this position.
Westwood, a borough of 11,011 residents, has a much smaller district compared to Wayne, which includes four elementary schools, one middle school and a junior/senior high school. The Wayne school district has 14 schools, including two high schools, which serve a population of 54,069.
During his time as superintendent, Gonzalez set personal strategic goals in which he earned monetary merit bonuses of $17,000 per the terms of his contract. These terms are based on legislation approved by Gov. Christie in 2011 that placed a cap on annual salaries earned by superintendents.
Prior to the cap, the top salary a school superintendent could earn in the state was reportedly around $280,000. With the effective cap maximum, salaries now range from $125,000 - $175,000, depending on the number of students in a district.
The goals, which were approved by the board last June, caught backlash from the public and community. Many questioned the necessity of the bonuses after Gonzalez and district officials exhibited a lack of communication with parents following alleged incidents of abuse by substitute teachers.
Email: wintersd@northjersey.com
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