One Year Later...Four Students Sexually Assault a Girl at Hoboken High School (2nd time in as many years a girl was sexually assaulted at HHS)

It was one year ago this week that a second sexual assault in as many years happened inside Hoboken High School when the four male teens pushed a 17-year-old female student into a room where she was fondled and forced to perform a sexual act. 

The Hoboken Reporter also did a very good job of documenting what the school district did and did not do concerning this incident. For instance, even though the incident took place in November, a notice was not sent to parents until the news of this story broke to local newspapers and television stations. 

Prepared Remarks - Structural, Systemic and Institutional Issues of Race in the Hoboken Public Schools: Hoboken Board of Education Meeting March 13, 2018

Hoboken Board of Education Meeting (March 13, 2018)

On Tuesday, March 13 2018 a former district mother approached the podium at the monthly meeting of the Hoboken Board of Education. She intended to read the initial few paragraphs of the document below into the record. For various reasons concerning the 5 minute limit for public comment, she was not allowed to finish. She asked for more time, was denied by the Board President and eventually police were called to the meeting. Here is the full text which included the small portion that was to be read into the record (first 2 paragraphs).  Specific  issues addressed are structural, systemic and institutional issues of race in the Hoboken Public Schools, disparity between races, and how this is playing out at multiple levels in the district.

   Civil Rights Summary HPS by Anthony Petrosino on Scribd

New Jersey Supreme Court Upholds Teacher Tenure (Reader Comments Welcomed)

Click Here for Additional Details

NJ SUPREME COURT refused to hear a case that could have eviscerated what is left of teacher tenure by removing seniority as a consideration in the layoffs of tenured instructors. This decision is another court defeat for so called “education reform” groups seeking to attack due process for teachers. Courts in California and Minnesota also rejected legal attacks on teacher tenure in those states.
Ostensibly brought by a group of parents who alleged their children's constitutional rights were denied by tenure, the litigation was part of a national effort--funded by anti-union advocates--to weaken tenure laws. 

The plaintiffs in the case, H.G. v. Harrington, are several Newark Public Schools (NPS) students and parents. The plaintiffs were supported by the Partnership for Educational Justice, a group formed by former television news anchor Campbell Brown, who is behind similar lawsuits about teacher tenure laws in Minnesota and New York.

Although the state (under Gov. Chris Christie) was the nominal defendant, the case bordered on the collusive--the commissioner and Newark school superintendent Christopher Cerf agreed with the plaintiffs. Only the intervention of the Newark Teachers Union and the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) as defendants made it anything like a true legal controversy. 

The trial court dismissed the case on the grounds of "ripeness" and was upheld by the appellate division. In legalese, ripeness means the plaintiffs failed to show the plaintiffs faced any real, provable harm to back up their allegations. The damage was "speculative," the appeals court ruled--and the state's highest court declined to review the case. 

NTU President John Abeigon said the decision was a major victory for teachers--and it was. Newark's school children still await the day when the courts move to end racial segregation and isolation in schools, underfunding, and the diversion of scarce resources to privatized charter schools.

Statement by the Partnership for Educational Justice on the decision: CLICK HERE

“Of course I’m disappointed that the courts have denied our appeals, but I don’t for a second regret being part of this lawsuit. Any parent would do the same if they saw their child hurt by a broken public education system that values the jobs of chronically ineffective teachers over the future of young students. I have been able to elevate my voice through this lawsuit, and parents like me have banded together to fight for educational justice in New Jersey. It’s up to us, the parents, to make positive change. We’re stronger together, and we will keep on fighting until every child in New Jersey has equal access to the high-quality education they deserve,” said Tanisha Garner, Newark public school parent and the lead plaintiff in HG v. Harrington.

Another good summary of the lawsuit: CLICK HERE. 
Complaint-H.G.-v.-Harrington-Stamped-ORIGINAL: CLICK HERE

2018 NJ PARCC Results for 7th and 8th Grade Hoboken City and Free Charter Schools

512 Adams Street- Hoboken, NJ

The following are the scores and ranks for the 2018 New Jersey PARCC English assessments for Grades 7 and 8. The information provided here supplies 1) the total number of public schools ranked for each grade level in New Jersey; 2) the rank of each district in Hoboken by grade level in New Jersey; and 3) the actual raw PARCC score average for the school district in Hoboken (Hoboken City District, Hoboken Charter District). Finally, a percentile score is presented which gives a sense of where the district is ranked among all the other NJ public school districts on the particular grade level PARCC assessment for 2018. 


All Hoboken public (free) charter schools scored above the 50th percentile with the Hola Dual Language School scoring above the 90th percentile in both grade 7 and grade 8. The Hoboken City Schools scored at the 15th percentile for 7th Grade English PARCC and the 10th percentile for the 8th grade English PARCC.

2018 PARCC RESULTS

PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN HOBOKEN

7th and 8th Grade English 

English 7th Grade (507 Total NJ Districts)

Hola CS   Rank #49   Score= 787   Percentile=90.33
Hoboken CS   Rank # 78 Score= 783 Percentile= 84.61
Elysian CS   Rank #242   Score= 764   Percentile= 52.26  
Hoboken City Rank #430 Score= 742 Percentile= 15.18

Click to Enlarge

English 8th Grade (505 Total NJ Districts)

Hola CS   Rank #31   Score= 791   Percentile=93.86
Hoboken CS   Rank # 67   Score= 783 Percentile= 86.73
Elysian CS   Rank #207   Score= 766   Percentile= 59.01  
Hoboken City   Rank #453   Score= 738   Percentile= 10.29

Click to Enlarge 

2018 PARCC Mathematics Scores For Hoboken Secondary Schools in Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry

Budweiser Clydesdale Horses in Hoboken- 12/8/18
photo: The Jersey Journal 

The following are the scores and ranks for the 2018 New Jersey PARCC Mathematics assessments. The information provided here supplies 1) the total number of public schools ranked for each grade level in New Jersey; 2) the rank of each district in Hoboken by grade level in New Jersey; and 3) the actual raw PARCC score average for the high school districts in Hoboken (Hoboken City District, Hoboken Charter District). Finally, a percentile score is presented which gives a sense of where the district is ranked among all the other NJ public school districts on the particular grade level PARCC assessment for 2018.


Not a single tested grade level is scoring above 33% in the Hoboken School District in Algebra I, Algebra II, or Geometry. As I explained in previous posts, Mathematics in general and Algebra in particular are a civil rights issue as explained eloquently by mathematician and civil rights leader Robert Moses.


These scores, coupled with the Grade 3-8 Mathematics scores reported earlier, indicate that there are not many students completing their studies in the traditional Hoboken public schools that would be considered "college ready" by traditional standards. It is important to realize that being admitted to college does not indicate college readiness.

2018 PARCC RESULTS

PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN HOBOKEN

HIGH SCHOOL  Algebra I & II and Geometry 

Algebra I (509 Total NJ Districts)
Hoboken CS Rank #172 Score= 769 Percentile= 66.2
Hoboken HS Rank #472 Score= 750 Percentile= 7.26

Geometry (332 Total NJ Districts)
Hoboken CS Rank #273 Score= 721 Percentile= 17.77
Hoboken HS Rank #280 Score= 720 Percentile= 15.66

Algebra II (315 Total NJ Districts)
Hoboken CS Rank #308 Score= 689 Percentile= 2.22
Hoboken HS Rank #214 Score= 714 Percentile= 32.06

Click to Enlarge

It is important to realize just a few weeks ago news was released that Hoboken High School plummeted in the bi-annual NJ Monthly rankings of New Jersey High Schools and is now ranked 260th out of 305 New Jersey High Schools. 

"I expect Hoboken to be a model for educational excellence for all diverse communities"- Hoboken Superintendent Dr. Christine Johnson (2015-present) 





A question people are starting to ask....

2018 PARCC Mathematics Scores For All Hoboken 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Grades - Every Charter District Above 50th Statewide Percentile, Hoboken City Schools Below 50th Percentile for All Grades

9th and Bloomfield St- Hoboken, NJ (1900)

The following are the scores and ranks for the 2018 New Jersey PARCC Mathematics assessments. The information provided here supplies 1) the total number of public schools ranked for each grade level in New Jersey; 2) the rank of each district in Hoboken by grade level in New Jersey; and 3) the actual raw PARCC score average for the 4 districts in Hoboken (Hoboken City District, Hoboken Charter District , Hola Dual Language District, and Elysian School District). Finally, a percentile score is presented which gives a sense of where the district is ranked among all the other NJ public school districts on the particular grade level PARCC assessment for 2018. 

Not a single tested grade level is scoring above 50% in the Hoboken School District in Mathematics. As I explained in previous posts, Mathematics in general and Algebra in particular are a civil rights issue as explained eloquently by mathematician and civil rights leader Robert Moses. 


note: "Hoboken City" represents the traditional Hoboken Public Schools (Connors, Calabro, Wallace)

2018 PARCC RESULTS

PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN HOBOKEN

ELEMENTARY  MATHEMATICS 

3rd Grade Mathematics (560 Total NJ Districts)

Hoboken CS  Rank #22  Score= 782  Percentile= 96.07

Hola CS  Rank #39 Score= 776 Percentile= 93.03

Elysian CS Rank #151 Score= 764 Percentile= 73.03

Hoboken City Rank #327 Score= 750 Percentile= 41.06

Click to Enlarge

4th Grade Mathematics (552 Total NJ Districts) 

Hoboken CS     Rank #8        Score= 780     Percentile= 98.55     
Elysian CS        Rank #95      Score= 765     Percentile= 82.79
Hola CS            Rank #151    Score= 759     Percentile= 72.64     
Hoboken City   Rank #327    Score= 750     Percentile= 40.76  

Click to Enlarge

5th Grade Mathematics (559 Total NJ Districts) 

Hola CS            Rank #51      Score= 770     Percentile= 90.87
Elysian CS        Rank #74      Score= 767     Percentile= 86.76  
Hoboken CS     Rank #118    Score= 762     Percentile= 78.89
Hoboken City   Rank #463    Score= 735     Percentile= 17.17 

Click to Enlarge

6th Grade Mathematics (553 NJ Districts) 

Hoboken CS     Rank #32      Score= 767     Percentile= 94.21
Hola CS            Rank #67      Score= 761     Percentile= 87.88 
Elysian CS        Rank #92      Score= 759     Percentile= 83.36
Hoboken City   Rank #366    Score= 739     Percentile= 33.81

Click to Enlarge

7th Grade Mathematics (505 NJ Districts) 

Hoboken CS     Rank #20      Score= 768     Percentile= 96.03
Hola CS            Rank #61      Score= 761     Percentile= 87.92   
Elysian CS        Rank #305    Score= 742     Percentile= 39.60
Hoboken City   Rank #485    Score= 721     Percentile= 3.96

Click to Enlarge

8th Grade Mathematics (473 NJ Districts)* 

Hola CS            Rank #10      Score= 764     Percentile= 97.88
Elysian CS        Rank #297    Score= 726     Percentile= 37.21
Hoboken City   Rank #454    Score= 701     Percentile= 4.02

Click to Enlarge

*Hoboken CS Algebra I in Grade 8 so not ranked on Grade 8 Mathematics

Those interested in Hoboken High School, might be interested in seeing how the school recently did on the 2018 New Jersey Monthly Bi-Annual statewide ranking by clicking HERE. 

Source: Click Here
     

"I expect Hoboken to be a model for educational excellence for all diverse communities"- Hoboken Superintendent Dr. Christine Johnson (2015-present) 

Hoboken Board of Education and the Hoboken Education Association- Contract July 1, 2014-June 30, 2016

The following is an example of a teacher contract from a school district in New Jersey.

  TeachersCBA Hoboken 2014 16 by Anthony Petrosino on Scribd

N.J. District is Segregating Black Students, suit says

Hoboken,NJ. - Mayor Cooke was the mayor of Hoboken
from 1912 to 1915. That is Demerest High School in the background.

In a story that will do doubt be of interest to many people who follow what is going on in education- the South Orange Maplewood School District in New Jersey is being accused of systemic deprivation of adequate education to its African American students. Of course such claims require data - both objective, 3rd party quantitative as well as qualitative data- like testimonials and stories of how various aspects of segregation may or may not have played out over time within a school district. -Dr. Petrosino  

By Karen Yi

kyi@njadvancemedia.com,

NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

FULL STORY: Inside the suburban South Orange Maplewood School District, parents for years have accused the district of systemically depriving African American students of access to challenging classes. 

Now they've taken their grievances to federal court. (Click for video/audio)

The Black Parents Workshop filed a civil rights lawsuit against the district on Tuesday alleging the decades-long practice of placing students in tiered classes based on test scores or their perceived abilities (known as leveling) was discriminatory and disproportionately hurt African American students.

The suit also accuses the district of maintaining de facto segregation with one predominantly black elementary school and five elementary schools that are overwhelming white. That percolates through to the district's high school, where black students are more likely to be placed in lower-level courses when compared to their white peers, the suit said. 

"What we have in the South Orange Maplewood School District is a public school system where children are segregated by race in its elementary schools, (and) experience few black teachers in their classrooms," said Walter Fields, chairman of the parent advocacy group that filed the suit.

"African-American children are subjected to punishment for offenses that their white peers also commit but receive lesser punishment, and where all students walk through the same front door at Columbia High School but are then segregated by race in classrooms due to the district's embrace of tracking and leveling."

During a school board meeting last week, the district moved to eliminate 11 levels in math and science courses at the high school and middle schools, instead offering academic or honors courses for most core STEM classes.

At the meeting, Interim Superintendent Thomas Ficarra said it was time to start making changes, given that 2016-17 data show 65 percent of African American students were enrolled in the two lowest levels of Geometry, and none met expectations on the state standardized exam. 

What If Everything You Thought You Knew About Teachers Unions Turned Out to be Wrong?

An economist finds that teachers unions raise teacher quality and increase kids’ educational attainment… 

EduShyster: It’s a well-known true fact that teachers unions make it much harder to get rid of bad teachers. But you conducted a study that purports to find the opposite. In fact, you titled your study The Myth of Unions’ Overprotection of Bad Teachers. Tell us about what you found.

Eunice Han: What I found is that the facts are the opposite of what people think: that highly unionized districts actually fire more bad teachers.

EduShyster: That sound you just heard was of jaws collectively dropping. While we give readers a chance to re-combombulate themselves (and arm themselves anew with anecdotes), can you walk us through your argument? And feel free to use a formula. 

Han: It’s pretty simple, really. By demanding higher salaries for teachers, unions give school districts a strong incentive to dismiss ineffective teachers before they get tenure. Highly unionized districts dismiss more bad teachers because it costs more to keep them. Using three different kinds of survey data from the National Center for Education Statistics, I confirmed that unionized districts dismiss more low-quality teachers than those with weak unions or no unions. Unionized districts also retain more high-quality teachers relative to district with weak unionism. No matter how and when I measured unionism I found that unions lowered teacher attrition. This is important because many studies have found that higher quality teachers have a greater chance of leaving the profession. Since unionized districts dismiss more bad teachers while keeping more good teachers, we should expect to observe higher teacher quality in highly unionized districts than less unionized districts – and this is exactly what I found. Highly unionized districts have more qualified teachers compared to districts with weak unionism.

EduShyster: You’re an economist and your study takes a basic tenet of microeconomic theory, that as the price of labor rises, less labor will be employed. We hear this argument constantly, except, as you point out, in the case of teachers unions, which have somehow figured out how to have their expensive cake AND not get fired for eating it on the job.

Han: We know that unions increase salaries and benefits, but people also argue that unions make it harder for teachers to get fired. Rarely do you see those two things happening at the same time. Based on microeconomic theory, as salaries go up, employment goes down because the employers can’t afford both unless there is some dramatic increase in revenue. This is especially true in districts that are under intense financial pressure. Think about the economic argument that you hear being made against raising minimum wages for fast food workers, that paying employees more will trigger higher unemployment. But for some reason, when it comes to teachers unions the claim is made that they are getting both: higher salaries AND higher employment. I thought that something was missing so I decided to investigate. This is the first study to rigorously test this assertion. 

EduShyster: In 2011, four states essentially eliminated collective bargaining for teachers, which gave you an unusual opportunity to test your argument in a real-life laboratory. What did you find?

Indiana, Idaho, Tennessee and Wisconsin all changed their laws in 2010-2011, dramatically restricting the collective bargaining power of public school teachers. After that, I was able to compare what happened in states where teachers’ bargaining rights were limited to states where there was no change. If you believe the argument that teachers unions protect bad teachers, we should have seen teacher quality rise in those states after the laws changed. Instead I found that the opposite happened.

Han: Indiana, Idaho, Tennessee and Wisconsin all changed their laws in 2010-2011, dramatically restricting the collective bargaining power of public school teachers. After that, I was able to compare what happened in states where teachers’ bargaining rights were limited to states where there was no change. If you believe the argument that teachers unions protect bad teachers, we should have seen teacher quality rise in those states after the laws changed. Instead I found that the opposite happened. The new laws restricting bargaining rights in those four states reduced teacher salaries by about 9%. That’s a huge number. A 9% drop in teachers salaries is unheard of. Lower salaries mean that districts have less incentive to sort out better teachers, lowering the dismissal rate of underperforming teachers, which is what you saw happen in the those four states. Lower salaries also encouraged high-quality teachers to leave the teaching sector, which contributed to a decrease of teacher quality. 

EduShyster: You conclude that teachers unions are a net positive for educational quality. (Note that I’m looking over my shoulder even as I type these words!) But I think what a lot of people reading this will want to know is what impact unions have on student achievement. 

Han: Since there’s currently no data on student performance by school district levels with nationally representative samples, I use high school dropout rates as a measure of student achievement. My study found that unions reduce the dropout rates of districts. This is where my study differs from some earlier ones that found that unionism either had no impact or had a negative effect on the dropout rate. I define unionism more broadly than those earlier studies. It’s not just collective bargaining that matters, it’s the union density of teachers in a district that’s important. Union density measures the strength of the union, because even when teachers can’t engage in collective bargaining they can use their collective *voice* to influence the educational system. What I found was that union density significantly decreased the high school dropout rate, even in districts without collective bargaining agreements. This is important because, as the research of Raj Chetty and others has found, the upward mobility of an area is higher when the dropout rate is lower. So, when unions, via high union density, reduce the dropout rate, they improve the educational attainment as well as the welfare of all children in the area. 

EduShyster: Your study upends so many assumptions people hold about teacher unions, and I’m helpfully including another link here in hopes that they will peruse your findings in detail. If there’s one thing you’d like them to take away from your research, what would it be?

Han: I hope that people open their eyes to these results and move beyond their prejudice. I used to share that prejudice before I did this study. Obviously, if people can accept the findings of my paper, the direct policy implication is that we should be promoting union-friendly environments.  


Eunice Han will join the economics faculty at the University of Utah this fall. She has a PhD in economics from Harvard University and is a senior research associate with the Harvard Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School.