August 14, 2011
A city-wide education master plan is needed quickly that will align state common core requirements in literacy, math and the sciences, with first emphasis on literacy, since that is needed for all other disciplines.
Once established, this plan must be provided to all teachers and paraprofessionals to ensure that implementation is uniform district-wide and that New Bedford Public Schools comply with the Department of Education's recommendations.
Afterward, the school administration must sustain its new plan by providing ongoing material and instructional assistance to principals and teachers and monitor the progress of the plan by evaluating student success, identifying weak areas and addressing those needs at once.
Focusing first on literacy, students must be able to read at their appropriate grade levels while at the same time have a clear understanding of what they have read. For example, children in kindergarten and first grade should not only be able to read at their grade level but comprehend what they have just read. They should be able to know their letters and sounds, as well as be able to blend sounds.
Let's focus on this important initiative, make it work, then tackle others one at a time, but always with the master plan's goals in mind. It has been said that if a schools has 10 or more initiatives at once then it has none, because focus and attention are scattered and unproductive.
To this end, we must place our most productive school principals in schools that have the weaker literacy test results.
The Education Reform Act of 1993 states that principals should be able to recommend the hiring and firing of their staff to the superintendent. While the superintendent does have the final say, this policy would allow each school to continue building a team to combat sub-par reading and writing skills.
Jill Marie Ussach
7 comments:
I'm sorry but what does she think we have been doing?? Here is a bright idea stop passing kids on who can't read!
Yeah, and me and Al Gore invented the internet together. She is so clueless. It is no wonder we are a mess. There's a re-election that shouldn't happen. We need change right? Let's start at the top.
I am amazed that a member of the school committee doesn't even know what is happening at the schools. We have a district wide literacy plan- have had one that has been updated several times in the past ten years- that I've been in the district. If Jill is so concerned about students not comprehending, then she and the rest of the Committe members need to get some testicular fortitude and say to hell with the retention statistics and get our backs when we say this kid can't be promoted. Principals are giving us a limit on how many we can promote; some pricipals will even change student's grades n report cards to "pass the problem" to someone else. Grow a set and lay down the law that says these kids don't get promoted until they have accomplished the skills necessary. This shouldn't be laid at the feet of the High School teachers/Administration who are trying to play catch up for the last ten years of education!
Bravo!
The high school teachers and jr high teachers are never to blame for anything. The problem happens after too many of our students leave the elementary schools. The students are no longer being taught how to read and everything is done whole group.
Are you a classroom teacher? If so how dare you make such a statement! Do you want to come to the Middle (not jr. high) or High school and show us how its done? I have taught all three leveles and all have challanges. We have enough issues to deal with without insulting one another.
Okay members... I agree, we shouldn't be attacking each other. Lay the problem where it belongs- parents who don't take the time to express the importance of an education, principals who are dictating how many students we can retain regardless of mastery, and a central administration who bows down to the illiterate, irresponsible parents who don't even vote, rather than listen to those in the know.
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