Full Board Agenda- Hoboken School District June 30, 2015

Tuesday June 30, 2015 
Detailed Agenda 

HOBOKEN BOARD OF EDUCATION
158 FOURTH STREET, HOBOKEN, NJ 07030
(MEETING HELD IN DEMAREST AUDITORIUM, 158 FOURTH STREET, HOBOKEN, NJ 07030)
7:00 P.M.

Consider making your voice heard about the Hola lawsuit: http://p2a.co/2KT7RwG

  Detailed Agenda HBOE June30 2015

How Speaking Multiple Languages Benefits the Brain

Lighting- Hoboken, NJ 23 Jun 2015
Photo: Gary Hershorn
https://twitter.com/garyhershorn/status/613479278651555840

Many regular readers of this blog know that I am a co-founder of a Dual Language School in Hoboken, NJ. The program was originally intended to be part of the local public school district which I proposed as the then Assistant Superintendent but a local political group elected to the Board of Education rejected the idea of having a dual language program in their public schools. Today, six years later, the school has achieved statewide recognition, has won a number of awards, and has a waiting list a few hundred children long. The school district that rejected the dual language program? Well…the political group that rejected our dual language program and in full control of the local Board of Education is now engaged in a lawsuit claiming the school is taking too many students from the district(!), causing economic hardship, and would like to revoke both the renewal and expansion of the dual language school. 

Please watch this TedTalk video on the scientific research which examines how multiple languages benefits the brain. Its the kind of instruction we wanted in the school district and which is currently being implemented in Hoboken and in many other communities around the country. -Dr. Petrosino 

It’s obvious that knowing more than one language can make certain things easier — like traveling or watching movies without subtitles. But are there other advantages to having a bilingual (or multilingual) brain? Mia Nacamulli details the three types of bilingual brains and shows how knowing more than one language keeps your brain healthy, complex and actively engaged. 

"Modeling Ecosystems" Accepted for Publication in ScienceScope (Petrosino and Mann, in press)

Abstract: Models and modeling are present as both a crosscutting concept and a science and engineering practice in the NGSS (NRC, 2012, 2013). Many middle school classrooms come equipped with the three-dimensional models such as a plant cell, the model of DNA, a globe, and the diagram of the solar system.  Yet, there is a gap between the way scientists use models and how models are used in science classrooms.  Models are typically used in the classroom to teach a process in a static sense. Scientists often use models dynamically, to determine future events.  For instance, hydrologists study weather patterns to model the future supply of surface and ground water in an area, or NASA engineers build models of the Mars rover to predict how it will perform on Mars.  Models are not complete representations of the target phenomenon, and the strengths and limitations of the models need to be understood.  

The preceding paragraph is an abstract of a paper recently accepted for publication in Science Scope, a publication by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) -Dr. Petrosino 


20-Jun-2015

Dear Dr. Petrosino:

It is a pleasure to accept your manuscript entitled "Modeling Ecosystems"  for publication in Science Scope.  The reviewers feel it will be valuable to our readers.

When your manuscript has been slated for a specific issue of Science Scope, an editor will contact you to discuss the editing process and will work with you to get your manuscript ready for publication. During editing we will likely ask you for additional information and to make some minor changes to the text of your manuscript based on the feedback from reviewers.  I have included their comments below for you to see and to anticipate how you can work with us to meet their requests  - but no action is needed at this time.

Please note we are now recognizing connections in manuscripts to elements of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS 2013). If your manuscript does not include these connections you will be ask to supply them during the editing process. This likely does not require major rewriting on your part, but should include direct citations from NGSS concerning your strategies/content/activity. Be specific as to the components of NGSS you are citing and embed your references in the text of your manuscript as well as in a stand alone chart. Identify standards, performance expectations, and disciplinary core ideas by reference number/code from NGSS.  Include any applicable science and engineering practices and cross cutting concepts as well.   Do not include all of the practices or cross cutting concepts; rather, select only those that are most germane to the activities identified in your manuscript. . Note that we no longer use references to NSES so do not include them in your text.  Limit references to the NRC K-12 Framework to information not covered in the NGSS.  Consult the website below to access the NGSS.

National Research Council (NRC). (2013). The Next Generation Science Standards. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.  http://www.nextgenscience.org/

Currently, we are able to publish the majority of our manuscripts within 15-18 months of acceptance. If you have any questions about the status of your manuscript or the editing process, please e-mail me at ----.

Thank you for your submission to Science Scope. We look forward to sharing it with our readers.  I would be delighted to get any other middle level ideas you have.


Sincerely,

Editor, Science Scope

Breaking News: Appellate Court Denies Hoboken BOE Motion for a Stay Concerning Hola Expansion

On Wednesday, June 17, 2015 the Appellate Court of the State of New Jersey denied the Hoboken Board of Education's motion to stay in a decision impacting the 7th and 8th grade expansion for the Hola Dual Language School in Hoboken, NJ. This marks the third straight legal defeat of the Hoboken Board of Education in their attempt to stop the 7th and 8th grade expansion of this award winning School:

As a model program district, the school (Hola) will serve as a resource for other school districts in the northern region and neighboring areas and will enable educators to witness firsthand exemplary practices in world languages instruction and assessment. It will also enable administrators and teachers to dialog about issues of mutual concern, the discuss the potential for future collaboration regarding curriculum development projects, or professional development initiatives. -NJ Dept. of Education 

Having lost twice previously before the State of New Jersey's Department of Education (also, click here), the Hoboken Board of Education filed an emergency motion with the Appellate Court to stay (the act of temporarily stopping a judicial proceeding through the order of a court) the 7th and 8th grade expansion while the issue is litigated in court. On Wednesday June 17, the court denied that request for a stay. 

In order to obtain a stay, a plaintiff (the Hoboken Board of Education in this situation, the party that initiates a lawsuit) must show that it is likely to win on the merits when the broader case is litigated before the Appellate Court, and must also show that more harm will come to it (the Hoboken Board of Education) than the defendant (Hola) if there is no stay. The decision on Wednesday suggests that the Appellate Court found the Hoboken Board of Education's arguments unpersuasive toward the merits and the harm. 

It is unclear at this point whether or if the Hoboken Board of Education will end its litigation at this juncture. Should they continue with their litigation, the next step would be a full hearing before the Appellate Court.  This process could take a number of months, come at some cost, and will likely assure continued unease within certain segments of the community. That being said, the continuation of litigation is certainly within the legal rights and options of the plaintiffs. 

Related Link: Former Hoboken Board member Sullivan blogs on her thoughts about the lawsuit on Forbes.com.  

Charter Schools Increasingly More Efficient in Hoboken, NJ: Total Funding vs. Per Pupil Expenses from 2009 to 2015

Memorial Day Parade- Hoboken, NJ 1915
6th and Washington St- Hoboken Historical Museum

Because we have data over time we can do some interesting longitudinal comparisons and spot trends and trend lines that are not always as clear when comparing data from one year to the next. I decided to look at two sets of numbers that have been talked about a fair amount lately. One is the amount of funds allocated to charter schools and the other is per pupil spending. From 2009-10 to 2014-15 we can see that money sent to the 3 charter schools in Hoboken, New Jersey has gone from $4,180, 880 to $8,386,226. During that same time, the number of students enrolled in charter schools has gone from 311 to 626 students and the per pupil costs has gone from $13,443 to $13,396 (see full data at end of this post). But when we plot trend lines (dotted lines), we see an unmistakable downward trend in per pupil spending over a 6 year period vs the resources allocated to charter schools.

Click to Enlarge 

According to a newspaper report published on April 23, 2015, the per pupil cost in the traditional public school district in Hoboken, NJ is $24,318 and is the highest in the its county (Hudson County, NJ). The higher per pupil spending of the traditional public schools in Hoboken vs. charter schools is often attributed to the high cost of educating children with special needs. But a recent analysis indicates the Hoboken School District is made up of 11% children with special needs while the charter schools in Hoboken are comprised of 8% special needs children.

The chart presents a fairly clear indication of increased efficiency over time as well as value added should the trends play out over the next couple of years. In essence, as charter schools educate more students in Hoboken, they do so with greater financial efficiency and without compromising quality. In truth, the perception and reality of better educational quality is magnified by the educational outcomes of the Hoboken School District under the stewardship of a group known as "Kids First" who have had super majority control of the Hoboken School District since May of 2009 (Click for more information: HERE1, HERE2, HERE3, HERE4).

Data: New Jersey Department of Education 

SEVERAL FIRED AFTER DISTURBING VIDEO AT APPLE MONTESSORI SCHOOL IN HOBOKEN

WABC By Anthony Johnson
Thursday, June 11, 2015 04:48PM
HOBOKEN, N.J. (WABC) -- The video of a child being roughed up by a staff member at the Apple Montessori School in Hoboken has stunned many who saw this incident.

They can't believe an apparently frustrated worker shoved a 2-year-old down after having trouble putting on the child's hat.

"I was really shocked to see it and being an educator for over 43 years, I'm like, I'm appalled at the way they treated that child," said Larry Sciancalepore, a Hoboken resident.

The incident apparently happened almost one month ago.

But school officials say they just saw the shocking video Wednesday.

Hoboken Councilman Michael Russo says his child goes to the school and he wanted some answers.

"I just spoke to the ownership of the school, and they are doing everything possible to make sure that situation doesn't happen again. They've instituted some swift and immediate actions in the school," Councilman Russo said.

The school issued a statement Thursday afternoon saying, "The director and assistant director of the location, who had possession of the video on June 4, 2015, have been terminated for their mishandling of this incredibly serious situation. A teacher and a second teacher's aide that were present for the incident have also been terminated."

"If I was the parent of that child, I'd really be, I'd really be mad, angry," said Joseph Vetter, a Hoboken resident.

Ranking Of Top Countries In Reading, Science, And Math

Sinatra Drive North & 11th Street- Hoboken, NJ 

The OECD is out with new global rankings of how students in various countries do in reading, science, and math. Results of the full survey can be found and delved into here.

You can see below how Asian countries are obliterating everyone else in these categories.

The United States, meanwhile, ranks below the OECD average in every category. And as the WSJ notes, the US has slipped in all of the major categories in recent years:

The results from the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which are being released on Tuesday, show that teenagers in the U.S. slipped from 25th to 31st in math since 2009; from 20th to 24th in science; and from 11th to 21st in reading, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, which gathers and analyzes the data in the U.S.

Here are the top countries

OECD

Read more:  http://www.businessinsider.com/pisa-rankings-2013-12#ixzz3cftSaUd1

Detailed Agenda- Hoboken Board of Education June 9, 2015

AGENDA

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

HOBOKEN BOARD OF EDUCATION

158 FOURTH STREET, HOBOKEN, NJ 07030

(MEETING HELD IN DEMAREST AUDITORIUM, 158 FOURTH STREET, HOBOKEN, NJ 07030)

6:30 P.M.

  HBOE June 9 2015 Meeting

The Hoboken Board of Education loses 'HoLa' charter expansion battle (again)

Little League Game- Hoboken, NJ (May, 2015)

Turns out it is a lot easier to say something is "arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable" than to actually prove it to the NJ Education Commissioner. Such is the case with the Hoboken Board of Education and its claims against the NJ Department of Education, the NJ Commissioner of Education, and the Hola Dual Language Charter School. In addition to the Board's appeal battle against the original decision siding with the Hola Dual Language Charter School, the Hoboken Board of Education wanted to issue a "stay" disallowing the already approved 7th grade from forming in September. In the documents they submitted, the Hoboken Board of Education declared the decision to grant Hola's expansion as "arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable"-- terms that they are certainly allowed to use but must also actually back up with evidence, facts, and compelling arguments (spoiler alert--- they failed). 

The Board was successful in using harsh words against the families of Hola and the decision of the Commissioner to renew Hola's charter and approve its expansion. In the later (actually PROVING their point of harm), they failed to make a compelling argument. What is next? Well, first, there will likely be a dismissive attitude about the current ruling of the Commissioner as being "expected" from the Hoboken Board of Education. Then, there will be a decision by the Appellate Court on the matter (a.k.a. "the lawsuit"). Should the Kids First majority controlled Hoboken Board of Education lose the case, they can then appeal the case to the NJ Supreme Court.  

Some background for those new to this issue--- Back in April of 2015, the Hoboken Board of Education voted to continue the lawsuit against the Hola Dual Language Charter School expansion to 8th grade and that the appeal would be funded via private funding. 

A fact sometimes lost in the confusion, is that the Hola Dual Language School was originally intended to be a program within the Hoboken Public Schools. Unfortunately, despite endorsements by the then Superintendent of Schools and the Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools, the dual language school (Hola) was rejected by every sitting Kids First member of the then Hoboken Board of Education. Seems like the Kids First dominated Hoboken Board of Eduction did not want a dual language program in the traditional publics schools in 2009 (thus depriving the district of over 250 new students) and they also wanted the Commissioner to neither renew Hola's charter or approve its expansion in 2014-15 (essentially dismantling an award winning and state recognized dual language charter school). Fortunate for everyone involved in this issue, facts, and well supported arguments have been trumping scare tactics and fanaticism. -Dr. Petrosino 

In a recent story published online by NJ.COM, the families of 21 students at Hoboken Dual Language Charter School known as "HoLa" have been nervously anticipating a decision about their school's plan to expand to seventh and eighth grade. For those families, some good news has come -- but the appeal battle against the expansion, waged by the Hoboken Board of Education, is raging on.

On May 28, New Jersey Education Commissioner David Hespe sent a letter to Hoboken saying that its motion to stay Hespe's March 20 ruling, which re-affirmed the charter's previously approved expansion, was denied (see letter below). He said the district failed to provide evidence showing that his March 20 decision was "arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable."

Hoboken parent Jon Messner, whose children attend fifth and third grade at HoLa, said the waiting has been a stressful ordeal. "We had no reason to think there would be a reason to look elsewhere as we had the decision... and now we have to just wait and hope," he said.

The May 28 ruling was "great news," said Messner, who likes HoLa because the students are taught all their subjects in Spanish, and become truly bilingual.

Interim Superintendent Richard Brockel did not immediately return a request for comment on Wednesday. HoLa founder and board president Barbara Martinez was elated.

"We got approval twice already. They are not likely to prevail," she said. "We hope that the Hoboken Board of Education finally stops trying to harm a really good public school option for Hoboken families."

In its April 15 motion to stay the March 20 ruling, Hoboken's BOE spoke of segregation and the alleged unsustainable financial impact of charters (independently run public schools financed with public money) on taxpayers. It claimed Hespe's analysis "was patently inadequate and flawed."

According to the district's motion, about 37 percent of HoLa students are minorities, versus 69 percent of the district's enrolled students. About 11 percent of HoLa students qualified for free and reduced lunch, versus 9, 40, 52 and 88 percent of students at Hoboken's traditional public elementary schools.

Hoboken's lawyer, Eric Harrison, says the fight isn't over -- the district expected this decision and will file a motion with the appellate division, hoping to get a ruling before HoLa's new seventh grade students' 2015-2016 school year. "Hoboken still believes in the merit of its appeal and it's out of a desire to protect everybody, including the parents, that we are seeking this stay," he said. The district has spent $50,000 on the fight, according to the Star-Ledger.

from nj.com: CLICK TO ENLARGE

from nj.com: CLICK TO ENLARGE 

   Hola - Decision - 5-28-15

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2015/06/hoboken_charter_school_will_expand_despite_hoboken.html#incart_river_mobile