Winter 1996

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OTEBOOK

0 WINTER 1996

"TURNING THE PAGE FOR CHANGE"

VOLUME 3 • NUMBER 2

Desperate need for funding unanswered

Budget shortfall looms over schools

by Paul Socolar funding for programs like increased staff The School District is facing a mastrai ning time, new support networks for sive budget shortfall for next school year, parents and staff, conversion of large which threatens to bring the District's school s into small learning communities, reform plan to a grinding halt and even and full -time nurses at each school. wipe out some of the programs impleThe $ 190 million defic it represents mented this year. And if Pennsylvania well over I 0% of the District's total proGovernor Tom Ridge has his way, the jected expenses for the coming school schools won ' t get relief from the state; year. "It's been a long, long time since Ridge 's February 8 budget proposes we've faced a deficit number like this," freezing Philadelphia 's basic state educacommented Jack Myers, who heads the tion subsidy at this year 's levels.

School District's Office of Financial With no new sources of revenue comPlanning and Analysis. ing from Philadelphia or the state, recent Myers commented that one measure School District finan cial projections of the magnitude of the problem is that show a whopping $ 190 million deficit even if the entire central office adminisfor next year, if the District were to fully tration could be wiped out wjth a stroke implement the reform ini- ,----- - - - - - - - - , of the pen, the savings tiatives that have been Where's the fat? would amount to only planned . $80 million. ManageThe projected deficit ment and supervisory can be reduced to a still positions in the District Enter the Notebook's enormous $85 million have already been cut figure if all new initiaby 35% since 1989, and tives planned for next so bureaucratic waste is year are dropped, but harder to find . major cuts in existing Superintendent David programs would still be Hornbeck said the Details on page 11. necessary.

District will have to cut More than $100 million in reforms existing programs and scale back reform had been planned for next year, including plans, but it is a lso trying to drum up bringing full-day k indergarten into the additional revenue from the state, city, 27 schools still with half-day programs and private funders to address this enormous deficit. and reducing class size to 20 in all kindergartens. The budget crisis has The need for more funding is clear, forced the District to put on hold its Hornbeck said, when yo u look at "the plans to re-organize the almost 200 gross gap between what we are able to schools that are not yet integrated into spend for each student in Philadelphia the District's new cluster organization. and the average spent per child in the 62 So far six clusters have been launched, surrounding districts." That gap adds up encompassing only 67 school s, with See "Budget shortfall" on p. 11

Fund the Schools Contest

r,·Protegera a nuestros hijos la expulsion, el arresto?

El acta 26: Ley fuerte por el objetivo de la seguridad por Mary Gay Scanlon Una ley nueva se implement6 en Pennsylvania e l 28 de septiembre que requiere la expulsi6n por lo menos de un afio a cualquier estudiante que traiga un arma a la escuela. Bajo el acta numero 26, coma se conoce la ley, un estudiante tiene que ser expulsado por simplemente llevar e l arma, mantenerla bajo llave en el armario o en su mochila mientras esta en la escuela, o en el autobus de ida y vuelta a la escue la. Mientras que la ley

Will expulsions, handcuffs protect our kids?

Act 26: Tough law in the name of safety

by Mary Gay Scanlon A new law wen t into effect in Pennsylvania on September 28 that req uires the expulsion for at least one year of any student who brings a weapon to school. Under Act 26, as the law is popularly known, a student must be expelled for simply carrying a weapon, keeping it in a locker or bookbag while in school, or on a bus going to or from schoo l. While the Jaw gives school superintendents the power to choose a different punishment in indi vidual cases, the size of the Phi ladelphia School District prevents thi s from being a meaningful option for most students.

At first glance, Act 26 is perceived by many to be a good idea. People want

their chi ldren to attend safe schools, and weapons have no legitimate purpose in school. However, the approach chosen by the state legislature in Act 26 merely

Act 26 can harm rather than help the very children it is meant to protect. attacks a symptom of the underlying problem s of school and commun ity violence. By failing to take into account the reasons why children bring weapons to school, and by fa iling to tailor an appropriate pun ishment to fit each child's cir-

cumstances, Act 26 can harm rather than help the very children it is meant to protect. Act 26 raises a number of issue and some opportunities for reform activity.

Prevention Experience and studies have shown that many students bring weapons to school because they are afraid to travel to and from school without "protection."

A poll conducted recently by Lou Harris and Associates found that 38% of students in at-risk neighborhoods admit carrying some sort of weapon to school, more than three times the number of students in other neighborhoods. For students who are afraid, expulsion does See "Att 26" on p. 13

le da a los superintendentes el poder de escoger un castigo diferente en casos individuates, el tamafio del distrito escolar de las escuelas de Filadelfia evita que esta altemativa sea una opci6n significativa para la mayor parte de los estudiantes.

A primera vista, el acta 26 se percibe por muchos coma una buena idea. La gente quiere enviar a sus nifios a una escuela segura, y las armas no tienen ningun prop6sito legftimo en las escuelas. Sin embargo, el enfoque escogido por la legislatura estatal en el acta 26 meramente ataca los sfntomas del problema fundamental de la violencia en la escuela y la comunidad. Por omitir en

"La acta 26" continua en lap. 7

What's inside: 1 Eye on Special Ed ........................ 2 What's standards got to do with it? .......................................... 5 Discussion on discipline ...............8 School by school test scores ....... 10 Interactive math ......................... 12 Opinion: Privatization a public nightmare ................................... 15

Dentro Los ojos en educaci6n especial.. .. 6 C6mo obtener acceso a los archivos de sus nii\os ................... 6

WINTER 1996 PAGE2

Who ya gonna call?

Listed here are the School District 's six pilot

clusters together with the names and phone nwnbers of the cluster leaders and the Alliance

Organizing Project S parent organizers.

"Turning the page for change" I

CASE (Audenreid) Cluster Leader: Frances Williams, 35 1-7228 AOP organizer: Gl adys Inman, 755- 1014 CHAIN (Washington) Cluster

A \'Oicefor parettls, students, and classroom teachers who are working for quality and equality in our schools.

Advisory Board Shafik Abu-Tahir, New African Voices Alliance Coleen Davis, LULAC Education Project Rochelle Nichols Solomon, North Phila.

Community Compact for College Access and Success Len Rieser. Education Law Center Efrain Roche, Community Focus ewspaper Wilfredo Roias, National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights Emily Style, Co-Director, National S.E.E.D. Project - Seeking Educauonal Equity and Diversity Debbie Wei, Steering Commiuee, National Coalition of Education Activists Mary Yee, Asian Americans United Working Group Cindy Engst, Kathy Fleming, Helen Gym, Eric Joselyn, Amy Lippman, Pat Lowe, Myrtle L. Naylor, Hana Sabree, Chip Smith, Paul Socolar.

Philadelphia Public School Notebook 1s a proiect of the New Beginnings program of Resources For Human Development.

We publish four limes a year. Send inquiries to School Notebook, 3721 Midvale Ave., Phila., PA 19129. Phone: (215) 951-0330. Fax: (2 15) 951-0342.

Special thanks to . . .

Felicita Feliciano. Ann Harris, Oscar Hernandez, Nancy Hertzler, Sand y Socolar and all of our subscribers, advertisers, and the good people who worked on producuon, translation and distribution. Special thanks for this issue are due 10 the Philadelphia Foundation, Bread and Roses Community Fund and CoreStates Bank for financial assistance. ·~ _

"It takes an entire village to fund a school reform newspaper" -u rban proverb

Public School Notebook needs your subscription.

Be part of this educational dialogue. Your support helps put this paper in the hands of people working for positive change across the city.

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Leader: Linda Gottlieb, 281-5903 AOP organ izer: Alan McHale, 546-1 156

Martin Luther King Cluster Leader: Alfred Farlino, 248-6684 AOP organizer: Marty Mason, 878-4253

Olney Cluster Leader: Alice Reyes, 456-5595

NOTEBOOK EDITORIALS•••

$ Forecast: Deep freeze

AOP organizer: Gordon Whitman, 6348922 Strawberry Mansion Cluster Leader: Karen Del Guercio, 684-8980 AOP organizer: Marissa James, 236-1289

West Philadelphia Cluster Leader: Janis Butler, 47 1-8334 AOP organizer: Kelley Bradley, 386-5757

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In hi s ch illing budget address Pennsy lvan ia Governor Ridge offered a " Budget for the 21st Century" that would march us straight back to 18th Century socie ty.

There is no subtlety to the social vision contained within Ridge's budget priorities. He wants an additional $60 million in business tax cuts (to complement the $286 million in corporate tax c uts e nacted last year). He 's demanding another boost in corrections spending that wi ll put Pennsylvania on track to spend $ I billion by next year incarcerating Pennsylvanian s. Partic ularly alarmin g is Ridge's inte ntion to fre eze spending on education. Once inflation is taken into account, thi s freeze becomes a serious slice.

In his first budget in 1995, Ridge did offer minor increases in education funding but it is now apparent that was offered to buy legislative support for his voucher sche me . Having twice lost hi s voucher fight, the Governor has taken hi s

ball and go ne home - condemning school districts across the state to either hike local property taxes or slash basic educational programs .

Ridge is accelerating a standing trend of singling out kids for budgetary a buse.

In 1975 Harrisburg supplied 55 % of schooling costs in the state. Today, that level of support has fallen to 40 %.

This is bad e nough, but Ridge has a junior partner in school neglect right here in our own Mayor Re ndell. Three years ago, Phi ladelphia schools' share of local tax reven ue was 24%. Today, they only receive 22%. The Mayor has offered good words but few good deeds to make up fo r thi s fall-off.

Actions speak louder than words.

These politicians show they have clearly forgotten that education is a fundame ntal responsibility of their office. As parents and ed ucators, we demand a full a nd fair in vestment in our families and our futures.

Snake oil for a sick system Al almost every level of government, privatization is being touted by poli ticians as the way to improve service and save money in the process . Let business do the job, they say, and the profit motive will lead to a more efficient operation.

Recently corporations have been coming into our schools w ith the message that while nobody else wants to rescue public educat ion, business is prepared to come to its aid.

But recent developments in the fo rprofit education business have show n that the corporate promises are on ly so much snake oil. The last few months have seen the collapse of Educational Alternatives lnc. 's flagship programs contracts to run schoo ls in Baltimore a nd in Dade County, Florida, and the who le school system in Hartford. All three cities have pulled the plug on E.A.l. after the promised turnaround in school quality failed to materialize.

Whi le some ci ties are backing off the experiment with a bad taste in their mouths, other c ities have n't learned these lessons. Now the focus of school privatizat ion moves is on support services like food, transportation, and maintenance.

Privatizcrs arc proceeding on a small scale, rather than system-wide. So instead of privatizing a whole school, we will sec more rnrtrativcs like Marriott lnternatronal running food services and Sylvan Learning Systems running remedial education services.

Prrvatrtation has not hit the Philadel-

phia schools in a big way, but a recent set of recommendations by the District's Management and Productivity Task Force may c hange that. They want to sta rt by privati zing school bus service.

Superintendent Hornbeck has endorsed the task force proposals.

We'd like to see a more efficient school transportation syste m, but we are n't so eager to put schoolchildre n on buses run by pri vate companies operated by low-wage wo rkers. Our arg ume nts go to the heart of the problem s with privatization: • It is no guara ntee o f effic iency.

•Insuring that private companies are acco untable is costly; there need to be safeguards again st c utting corners to make a buck.

•Any sav in gs are likely to get poc ke ted as profit.

• The d ispl acement of school di stric t empl oyees who earn decent wages hurts our communities a nd weakens the tax base.

•Once a contract is signed , it is not easy to turn back -you can't find employees and equipment and arrange for services on short notice.

The current privatization hype reflects a privatization of govern ment, where monied interests are be in g heard as policy is being made. Our goal shou ld be to keep our government and our schools open, public, and dedicated to the good of us all. not the financia l interests of a few.

Following is a partial listing of local educational advocacy organizations: Asian Americans United Contact: Juli Kang, 925-1538 Focuses on equity issues involving Asian American students and staff. Promotes multicultural , anti-raci st education.

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ASPIRA Contact: Delia Reverson, 923-27 17 Informs and involves parents and students in school reform and the education equity process Delaware Valley Association of Black School Educators (DVABSE) Contact: Martin Ryder, 473-1 925 Local chapter of nati onal organization committed to rais ing the achi evement of minority youth.

Educational Quality Contact: Cindy Engst, 329-2687 Membership organization of parents, teachers and co mmunity activists. Committed to

action for schools that work for all students.

Educators' Roundtable Contact: Robert Frazier, 689-4408 Works to insure promotion of Blacks with in school system and to address the concerns of minority students.

National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights Contact: Wilfredo Roj as, 425-6150 Unites with other groups to promote educati onal opportunities for African Americans,

Asians, Lati nos, women, and working class whites .

Parents' Union for Public Schools Contact: Sarah Gilliam, 546-1166 Informs, educates and helps parents become active parti cipants in schoo l reform process.

Offers parent resource center Pennsylvania School Reform Network Contact: Jan Hoffman, (7 17) 238-7 17 1 Works with parents, community gro ups and schools around the state to develop school reform projects.

PIT Community Outreach Committee Contact: Ron Whitehorne, 342-6926 Un ion initiative to build a teacher-co mmuni -

ty al li ance.

Philadelphia Parents of Down's Syndrome Contact: Hana Sabree, 242-8577 Network of parents who meet to share informatio n, reso urces on Down's Sy ndrome and provide support for parents around inclusion and IEP issues.

Philadelphia S.E.E.D. Project (Seeking Ed ucational E quity and Diversity) Contact: Myrt le Naylor, 248-4834 Parents, reachers, school staff and community members working towards the creation of a multicultural curricu lum and school clima1c.

Teachers' Learning Cooperative (TLC) Contact: Betsy Wice, 732-8875 Weekly meeting of teachers and orher interested people 10 discuss teach ing, chi ldren and their work.

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WINTER 1996

EYE ON SPECIAL EDUCATION

by Hana Sabree There is a song that goes, "Everyth ing must change. Nothing stays the same," and that is how it was at the end of 1995 . Hassan had just turned 16 years old, and we engaged in a rite of passage process that all sixteen year old males eagerl y seek: the coveted driver's license. But Hassan wi ll not be wearing a T-shirt that reads, 'T m 16. Give me the keys to the car." He did receive a PA non-driver's photo ID. Besides making him feel like a big shot, it can be used to identify him if (God forbid) he gets lost or is in an accident, to cash checks, and to register to vote when he turns 18.

Acquiring Hassan 's non-dri ver's ID completes one of the goals on hi s transition pl an. ;7

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What is a transition plan?

According to the Parent Education Network (PEN) , "a transition plan is a coordinated set of acti vities based on indi vidual stude nts' needs and interests.

These acti vi ties shou ld lead to a smooth movement from school to adult living. The transition planning process helps your daughter or son build upon skill s leadin g to a greater level of independence in the areas ofrecreation and leisure, livin g arrangeme nts, hi gher educat ion or techni cal training, and employment."

Basically, a transition plan is a written document developed along with yo ur chi ld 's IEP (Indi vidual Education Plan) which is designed to prepare yo ur child for ad ult li fe after high school. Federal law insures that your child is entitled to receive educational services unti l age 2 1. However, when your child graduates from hi gh school , he or she must be established as eligible in order to receive adult services.

The transition process is guaranteed for your chi ld under federal law.

The Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1990 (IDEA) mandates that your child's IEP include a statement for transition services for him or her beginning no later than age 16 and, when determined appropriate, beginning at age 14 or younger. The sooner the better. At sixteen one has less time in which to prepare.

The law also requires that s tudents be in volved in their transiti on plannin g meeting, so their interests and preferences are voiced. Many times thi s is the first time they are included and empowered. This can increase their motivation to stay in school and in still in them a belief that they have a fu ture.

Where does one begin?

The process begins at the school yo ur ch ild attends. When your son or daughter is in the e ighth grade or turns 14, yo u should be contacted by a special ed ucati on transiti on coord inator. Your chil d will be given a vocational assessment, and you wi ll be given in formation about vocational programs and high schools. It is also the schoo l's responsibility to contact other community adu lt agencies who wil l assist yo u and your child in preparing for life after hi gh school.

Now is the time to request information about travel trai ning, because as an adu lt there will no longer be a yell ow school bus.

Two excellent sou rces of in formation to help prepare a child for life as an adult are: Pare nt Education Network 333 East 7th Avenue York, PA 17404 (800) 522-5827

Parents Union 3 11 South Juniper St. Phi la., PA 19107 (2 15) 546- I 166

Just remember, our chi ldren are constantly changing and growing. As they enter adolescence, we must become even more diligent in seeking information to prepare them for life after hi gh school.

Become info rmed, begin to con tact and visit ad ult agencies, and if you have questions, call the aforementioned organizations for help . Don't forget, "Everythin g must change," and it will at the age of 21 for ou r ch ildre n.

To submit information or updates to "Eye 011 Special Education," call the Notebook at 951-0330 or mail to Phil adelph ia Public School Notebook/RHO, 372 1 Midvale Ave., Phi/a. PA 19129-1532.

Photo: Fred Engst

Charter schools may be coming to Pennsylvania. Are they a route to privatization or to community control?

Competing visions cloud outlook for charter schools in Pennsylvania "Charter schools" have been a hot topic of debate in Harrisburg this winter. Pennsylvania lawmakers are now working on a bill that wou ld allow parents and teachers to set up the ir own schools, which could receive state and local money but would be independent of state and school district regulations. .

The idea behind charter schools is that a local group can be awarded a "charter" to start and run an innovati ve public school - granting it freedom from the dayto-day interference of the loca l school board and from certain state mandates.

In the past five years, almost 250 charter schools have opened nationwide. In New York City, another I 00 alternati ve public school s operate within the school system but with similar freedom from regulations .

The charter school movement is snowball ing. New Jersey just adopted a law allowing for 135 charter schools in the state, and President Clinton endorsed the charter school concept in his January State of the Union message. Abou t half the states have now authorized charter schools, and the Pennsylvania state House is now looking seriously a t the concept.

The charter school movement is really several movements with different agendas. A conservative wing includes advocates of vouchers and privatization who have now turned to charters; they see charters as a way of c reating quas i-private schools that will escape regulation or promote a "free market" in education. On the other hand , some advocates of community control

in education support charters as a way of creating innovative and diverse schools that respond to the diversity of community needs. These different groups have different visions of charter schools and of what ki nd of legislation should be adopted .

The Pennsylvania House Education Committee has been debating several key questions about the charter school plan proposed for the state: •Should local school boards or the state have the final say on whether to grant charters to schools?

• Should teachers have to belong to the local teachers' union , or could they form their own bargaining unit or be non-union?

•Should charters be free from state regulations on issues li ke class size and curriculum, or should they be required to apply to the state for waivers of specific regulations?

• Under what ci rc umstances would charters be revoked?

According to news reports, the Education Committee has reached agreement on a few key issues: c harters will not be granted to for-profit corporations, and charter schools may use academic standards (but not sex, race, ethnicity, or handicap) to exclude certain students from admission.

The legi slation, tied up in committee for months, is likely to move toward a vote in February. While the governor and members of both parties support the general concept of c harter sc hool s, it is unclear what kind of bill will emerge out of the wrangling in Harm.burg.

Harlem Restaurant (1920s) I sit on stage performing the jazz show, I ask myself a question, the answer I don't know.

Should I really be up here performing for the whites·' Have their lies blinded my eyes to the point I don't have sight.

Maybe I should leave. perform for my own kind, Instead of the whires that whipped my dad 's spine.

I can play on stage bur I can't sit in the audience and attend, They smile in my face but they're not my friends. l have pride in myself, I guess that's why I do my job, And no martcr how they treat me, my pride can't be robbed.

Hate and happiness arc two feelings inside.

Orher feeling is love from my family which helps me get by.

So to my questions I have many answers.

They are spread over my environment like a cancer.

So I' II keep on playing because my family depends on me.

And I'll be the best damn jazz player I can be.

Parents Union's Resource Center welcomes parents to visit our library Come find out about your school

311 S. Juniper St.

Rm.602 Philadelphia, PA 19107

Carlton Bowen, 10th grade, Parkway School, N. W

(215) 546-1166

SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

PAGE4

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New program engages families

Parent participation up at Heston School

by Chip Smith Parent participation at the Heston School increased significantly in recent years due, in part, lo parent organ izing independent of the existing Home and School Association. These gains will be tested this spring and next year as the Fels Fund phases out its support of Parents Union organizer Habibah AbdusShahid and a special activities budget al the school. Abdus-Shah id spoke with the Notebook about the activities she and her predecessors organi zed at the K-5 school, whose student body is 99% African American and over 90% from low-income families.

The Parents Union project sponsored family nights, parent outings to plays and discount shopping centers, special children's programs - talent and fashion shows, as well as an essay contest - put on with parents' help, and a "Parent's Comer" in the school where parents can feel at home and be ava i!able when teachers req uest assistance. Parents also have been mobili zed to stop traffic al 52nd and Lancaster to obtain a crossi ng guard as well as to attend City Council and School District meetings to press fo r pol icy changes.

Tensions with the established Home and School Association were unavoidable, even though there was a rough division of labor where the Home and School raised funds for major purchases like copying equipment and worked to see that parents were infom1ed of school activities. Now, however, these lingering tensions are being resolved as the Home and School has picked up sponsorship of parent outi ngs, and activists in the Fels-funded project have become active in the association.

An important change in climate at the school occ urred over the past year when parent input played a key role in changing the principal. Confl icts with the former principal had undermined the effectiveness of two previous parent organizers working oul of the Carroll Park Neighbors community organization. In 1993 these organi zers led successful parent and commu nity mobilizations lhal forced Licenses and Inspections lo tear down abandoned houses across the street from the school that had posed a danger lo the students. Only years later, however, after the successful functioning of the project inside Heston - via the Parent 's Corner and its activit ies - did the situation develop lo the point where a change

in princ ipal became possible.

A leave of absence due lo ill ness resulted in an interim principal whose warmth and willingness lo meel and work with the community convinced parents and their leaders that a permanent change was essential. The principal on leave was persuaded not to return , and this past November her replacement was confirmed in the new pos ition.

Habibah Abdus-Shah id poin ted out that thi s change took place regardless of the fact that the new principal is wh ite, while his predecessor is African American.

Abdus-Shahid sees the organizing process building tigh t relationshi ps among the parents who are becomi ng active in the school. "Peop le have come to rely on one another. When someone's utiliti es get shut off, everyone goes together to get them turned hack on.

When a part-time j ob becomes available, it 's spread among the parents whenever poss ible."

The school has become much more a center of community activity, now remaining open unti l 8 o'clock each night fo r sports, Scout and other club acti vities. Parents who were not active in the Home and School have now become members. And Home and School meetings have become more lively, with schoo l staff bringing up ideas and community organizations taking part.

An added dimension of the increased parent engagement at Heston is the spark it provided for broader mobi li zing throughout the Overbrook Cluster during last winter and spring's public meetings around the School District's Children Achieving program.

Evidence of this on-going groundwork was this December's protest march lo the School Board by several hundred parents and comm unity people from the Overbrook Cluster. Demonstrators objected to the politically-insp ired removal of Floyd Alston from the Board President's position, called for a thorough investigation of Counselor James Bowles' firing at Overbrook High School, and demanded action to improve education throughout the district. A fol low-up demonstration on Monday, January 8th, was canceled by the "bli zzard of '96."

Organizing conti nues, however, and the re is an important lesson to be learned here that successful mobilization builds on parent relationships developed at the school level.

The organizing process builds tight relationships among the parents.

African American history offered at Fels High School

by Ed Roberson Beginning in September, 1995, Fels High School started to offer an African American His tory course. For the first lime students will have the opport unity to part1c1pate in a class that studies indepth the contrihut1ons that African Americans have made to society.

The course focuses on the cu lture or African Americans and their achievement> in medicine, science, agriculture,

engineering, sports, literature, entertainment , and educati on. It is hoped that thi s curriculum offering will help bridge the gap of understanding that ex ists among many of our students.

Supporters of the course allribute its implementation to the j oint efforts of the Fels Home and Schoo l Assoc iation; William Williams, Fels' principal; and Mrs. Corbin. the African American hi story teacher.

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Access to your child's records is a basic right.

Opening up the files

How to gain access to your child's school records Reprinted below is an excerpted version of a letter f rom the superintendent prepared by the District for general distribution. The Notebook is reprinting it to support the administration s efforts to inform families of their rights pertaining to students records.

Dear Paren ts: We wish to inform yo u that Federal and State laws provide that parents have the right to inspect and review the school records of their chil dren. In keeping with the spirit of the law and w ith our own desire for parents to partic ipate in the educational process, we in vite yo u to review the progress of your children by inspecting some or all of the records.

These records are kept for all students: Achievement Records [s uch as report cards], Attendance Records, Test Records and Medical Records.

These records are kept fo r some children enrolled in regu lar ed ucation classes, as needed: Counseli ng Records, Psychological Records, and Discipline Records.

Add itional reco rds are kept for students enrolled in Special Education classes, for example: Counseling Records, Ed ucational Records, Psychological Records, Psychiatric Record s Physical and Occupational Therapy ' Records, Speech Records, Hearing Records, Vis ion Records, and Neurological Reco rds.

We also wish to inform you that you have the following additional rights: _You must be allowed to see you r chil d's records within a reasonable period of ti me but not later than 30 days after the school has received your request.

Yo u may request an explanatio n or interpretati on of the records by school personnel. Please all ow the principal rcasona_ble time to schedule personnel to meet with you. _Yo.u may obtain a fi rst copy of your child s educational records without charge.

After you have in spected your chi ld's records, if you believe somethin g in them is not correct, you may request a

meeting with the principal or hi s/her des ignee and try to resolve the matter; if matters are not resolved, yo u may request a formal hearing with the regional superintendent/cl uster leader or hi s/her designee.

Special Educational student records hearings are cond ucted by the Executive D irector of Special E ducation, or the Director of Spec ial E ducati on for Technical Support Serv ices or their desig nee .

Poli cy statements re levant to the access and release of student information appear in the School D istrict's Student Handbook. Yo u m ay obtain copies of these documents fro m the prin c ipal of yo ur school.

If yo u have any concerns regardi ng compliance w ith the law or access to and correction of your ch il d's educational records, yo u may fil e a written complai nt with the Fami ly Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W., Wash ington, DC 20202-4605.

HOUSE OF

OuROWN Specializing in Contemporary, Cultural, Social and Political Issues • Social Sciences • C ul tural Stud ies •M ulticultural •History •Po li tics • Literature •Arts •G lo ba l •Enviro nm ental

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WINTER 1996

PAGES

SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

"What's standards got to do with it?"

Families need a real measure of what's learned

by Rochelle Nichols Solomon

Development Project: • Standards are statements about the expectations held for students at various points in their educational experience at grade 4, 8, and 12, for example.

• Content standards tell what students should know and be able to do.

• Pe1forma11ce standards describe how well students should know material or be able to demonstrate what they know for example: proficient, exceeding proficient, approaching or failing to meet proficiency.

• Opportunity- to-learn standards reflect the community's commitment to provide resources that will allow all chilOn a Saturday morning two years ago, dren to ach ieve at the expected high levmore than fifty North Philadelphia pare ls. ents, stude nts, and organi zation and comSome of the reasoning that motivates munity leaders came together at Temple Pholo: Shelley Bcmian ardent supporters of standards is provided University to analyze student achieveby professor and author Asa Hillard. He ment data from North Philadelphia and to Parents, educators and community members are participating in an ongoing process to states, "Our write the new district-wide standards for all Philadelphia students. exp lore slrate- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - curren t cei ling gies for for students is chang ing tion. But the question is what does this • Engagement of all sectors of the really much ach ievement student need if she is going to have the community. Transforming education is a closer to outcomes. At choice to move past the entry level, givdynamic process that requires the onwhere the the c los in g goi ng partic ipation and com mitment of ing shampoos? What kinds of mathematfloor ought lo general sesical and problem-solving sk ill s will she the com m uni ty and its key stakeholder be." The stansion of this need to know to order supplies, pay her groups. dards-setting "Everybody taxes , figure out what prices to charge • Standards-based professional develprocess helps Counts" and salari es to pay? Does she need to be opment for teachers. To have the optius to begin to identify the floor and the forum sponsored by the North Philaable to read and understand the chemimum impact in the classroom, trai ning of ceiling. It asks if we truly believe all childelphia Compact, a parent stood up and cals listed on dyes and relaxers? Failure teachers and others directly tied to children can learn at hi gh levels - and then angrily expressed hi s frustrations with to be able to do so could easily cost some dren's learning is essential. Standards are builds on this belief. public schools . unfortunate person a head of hair, and not a prize held hi gh over the heads of Furthermore, the standards-setting H is daughter, he shared, was graduatthe unlucky employee her or his j ob. students who arc then si mpl y to ld to process is (or should be) an inclusive one, ing from high school that year. She was a Similarly, what kinds of skills will the "j ump." Standards are a tool. Teachers good student, did her homework and had compare students ' work to the standards; good attendance. He and hi s wife had not and then, by continu ousl y evaluating onl y made sure the ir daughter d id her their individua l and collective teaching school work, they had been active in her strateg ies a nd the sc hoo l enviro nment, school as well. And yet, now they had they assess what each student, or group • Aren't standards just another trap for poor Black and Latino kids? learned that their daughter's test scores of students, needs to reach the standard .

• Standards are just another bureaucratic strategy to undermine the local on the SAT's (Scholas tic Aptitude Tests) This app roach is radically different from school governance and decision-making powers people have worked so were so low she mi g ht not be able to get the one most teachers use now. hard for. into a four-year college. Visibly upset, the • Comm itment to opport11nity-to- /earn • Oh - now that our kids are being successful, they are going to come up father wondered aloud if hi s child had standards. Adequate materials, trained with something else to keep them out! gotten a quality education and ended by professionals, time for teacher collabora• Teachers have been working hard to develop curriculum that works: asking, "Can't you give us some kind of ti ons, effecti ve communi cation wit hin teachers, not the system, know what their students need. test that we [parents] can give our kids to and across schoo ls, avail ab le courses, • Isn't this just another top-down thing? make sure the schools are teaching support services, added schoo l hours or

At present, interested communitybased organizations and individuals are joining with the School District to develop education standards for the city's schools. Th e author, director of the North Philadelphia Community Compact and a long-time defender of public education, views standards as "a Long-term process aimed at raising expectation s and achievement in [Philadelphia] public schools. Standards are not magic, but they do offer a powerful strategy for transforming schools for all children."

ngst

s . if Jn-

The standards -setting process helps us to begin to identify the floor and the ceiling. It asks if we truly believe all children can learn at high levels.

Some arguments that standards advocates must be prepared to answer:

ind

of

them?"

This story is an all too common experience. T he search for an answer to this father's question has moved many from skeptic ism to strong advocacy for education standards. It is one strategy for dramaticall y changi ng our pub lic education system, now beleaguered by low expectations and gross failure.

An initial di scuss ion of standards is aided by a few basic defi nitions. The fo llowi ng are borrowed from Ruth Mitchell - author, national expert in the field of standards, and director of the Compact's national Standards-Based Professional

involving not just teachers and school adm ini strators, but parents, higher education faculty, business and community leaders, and others. All members of the community need to be involved in deliberating about what stude nts neeq to know, at what levels, and when they need to know it.

Such deliberations lead in many directions. One parent, for example, shared the fact that her daughter wanted to be a cosmetologist and, therefore, did not need the higher level math or science courses typ ically associated with college prepara-

:s

Pho10: Anuro Ho High standards will push teaching and learning forward.

you ng person need to pass the apprentices hip test for e lectrician, carpenter or automobile mechani c? What kinds of ski ll s will many college students need in order to gai n the part-time and full-time jobs they will need to pay for their college ed ucation? And, given the rapid changes in technology, what kinds of ski Ils wi II be needed that will allow training, retraining and retraining again , as jobs change? These conversat io ns are desperately needed so that students can make the connecti on between schoo l and the ir future abil it y to demand , get and keep decent jobs.

Throughout the country the mo ve toward setting hi gh and rigorous standards for public school systems has gathered momentum and turned into a movement of sorts. Philadelphia, w ith its ambitious Children Achieving reform age nda, is o ne of many ci ties where standards arc a key strategy for transforming public schools. Many advocates for the children hi storicall y denied opportunities for quality education arc convi nced that thi s movement 1s of major importance.

At the same time they cauti on: standards are not a quick fix. Rather, standards arc one piece of a long-term process that must include the foll ow ing:

even an ex tended school year -many of these supports arc necessary to ensure that students have a n adeq uate and eq uitable ed ucatio n at high levels. In additi o n, the enti re commu nit y w ill need lo actively support standards -defining them , helpin g children to achieve at high leve ls, holdi ng sc hoo ls acco untable, a nd advocating for resources for public schools.

Standards can be a powerful too l for transforming public education.

Philadelphia, with its ambitious and comprehensive reform plan, grounded rn standards, has a c hance. But it wil l not be s im ple, ea~y. or quick. Picture Tina Turner wa iling, "What's standards got to do, got to do w ith it ?" - and a grow rng chorus responding, "EVERYTHING!"

Standards can be a powerful tool for trans!orming public education in Philadelphia.

For more i11for111atio11 about the Compact Sra11dal{/s-Based Professio11al Developme11t Project, co/I/act Rochelle Nichols So/0111011 at (215) 739-9340, fin (215) 739-8550; or at Th e Lightho11.1e.

152 West Le/ugh Ave11ue, P/11/adelp/11a , PA 19133 The Compa cr is a program of the Philadelphia Ed11catio11 h111d It iI 011e of St.\ Co11111111nit) Compacts fm St11de11t S11ccess, a national 1111ttat1ve coordinated by th e Ed11cation Trust and supported by The Pew Charitable Trust.5

SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

PAGE6

Wll

E

Los 01os EN EDUCATION ESPECIAL por Hana Sabree Hay una canci6n que dice, "Todo ticne que cambiar, nada queda igual".

Asf fue como pas6 a fines del aiio 1995 .

Hassan acababa de cumplir 16 aiios, y nos empeiiamos en los ritos usuales que todos los varones de 16 aiios ansiosmente buscan: la cod iciada licencia de manejar. Pero Hassan no usara una cam1silla que diga, "Tengo 16 aiios, dame las llaves del carro". Recibi6 una tarjcta de identificaci6n de PA. Ademas de haccrlo sentirse importante, la puede usar como 1dentificaci6n si sc pierde o ttcnc un accidentc (que Dios no lo perm1ta), para cambiar cheques, y para registrarse para votar cuando cumpla 18 aiios. El adquirir su tarjeta de idcntificaci6n complcla uno de las objetivos en su plan de transici6n.

Que es un plan de transici6n?

De acuerdo a la Cadena de Educaci6n de Padres (PEN), un plan de transici6n cs un grupo coordinado de act i vidadcs basado en las neccsidades e interescs ind1vidualcs del estudi ante. Estas actividadcs deben traer c iertos resultados y a un movimienlo uniforme de la vida escolar a la vida ad ulta. El plan del proceso transic ional ayuda a su hijo o hija desarrollar habi lidades conducentes a un nivel mayor de independencia en las areas de recreo y di versi6n, de vivienda, educaci6n a nivel alto o entrenam iento tecnico y empleo.

Basicamente, el plan de trans ici6n es un documento escrito desarrollado a la par con el plan educativo individual del niiio(a) que sc diseiia para preparar al niiio(a) para la vida aduha despues de la escuela secundaria. La ley federa l le garantiza a su hijo(a) el derecho a recibir scrvicios educat ivo hasta la edad de 21 aiios. Sin embargo, cuando su hijo(a) se gradue de escuela secundaria tiene que establecerse para recibir servicios coma ad ulto. La Icy federal le garanti za a su hij o(a) este proceso de transici 6n.

El Acta de Indi viduos con Imped imiemos del 1990 (IDEA) ordena que e l plan educativo de su niii o(a) incluya una declaraci6n de servic ios de transici6n para el o e lla comenzado a no mas tardar de las 16 aiios, y cuando apropiado a los

pronto mejor. Hay menos tiempo para prepararse a las 16 aiios.

La Icy tambien requiere que las estudiantes estcn envueltos en las reuniones de planificaci6 n transicional para que pucdan expresar sus intereses y preferencias. Muchas veces esta es la primera vez que se les incluye y se les da poder. Esto puede aumcntar su motivaci6n para permanecer en la escuela e instilar en ellos quc tienen un futuro.

261 los act' y la refc

Pre I den tra< mi< sin

D6nde se empieza?

El proceso empieza en la escuela que su hijo(a) asiste . Cuando su hijo(a) este en el 8 grado o cumpla los 14 aiios, el coordfnador de educaci6n especial transitoria se debe poner en contacto con usted . Se le dan\ a su hijo(a) una cvaluaci6n vocacional, y se le dara a Ud. informaci 6n acerca de los programas vocacionales y escuelas secundarias. Es la rcsponsabilidad de la escuela de ponerse en contacto con otras agencias adu ltas de la com unidad que le asistiran en planificar y proveer asistencia para preparar a su hijo(a) para la vida despucs de la escuel a secundaria. Ahora es la hara de pedir informaci6n acerca medios de tran sportaci6n ya que una vez adulto no se le provee un autobus escolar.

Hay mucha informaci6n y conocimientos que hay que saber para preparar a su niiio(a) para la vida como aduho desp ues de la escuela secundaria.Pueden comunicarse con estos recursos excelentes para recibir informaci6n: Parent Educalion Network Parents Union East 7!h Avenue 311 South Juniper SI.

333

PA 17404 (800) 522-5827 York,

Phila., PA 19107 (215) 546-1166

Recuerden que nuestros niiios estan siempre cambiando y creciendo. Segun e ntran en la adolescencia, neces itamos ser mas di ligentes en la busqueda de informaci6n para la vida desp ues de la escuela secundaria. lnf6rmece, haga contactos y visite las agencias de adultos, y si tiencn preguntas, llamen a las agencias antes mencionadas para ay uda. Nose olvide "Toda Camb ia", y cambiara a la edad de 2 1 aiios para nucstros niiios.

Traducci6n por Miguel Rivera-Diaz

Recuentos tragicos de la guerra de Vietnam

La clase graduada del 1965 de la escuela Edison en pelicula En el 1965 en la csc uc la secundaria de Ed ison en Filadclfia, los cs1udiantcs pus1eron en csccna "El Mundo de Shakespeare"; y cjcrcieron " Rio de la Luna" en su fiesta de grad uaci6n; y obscrvaron c6mo una caravana de carros trajo al Prcs1dentc Lyndon B. Johnson al rnero frcntc de la cscucla.

Esc aiio cl Presidcntc Joh nson sc prcocupaba cnv1ando miles de tropas Amcricanas a Vietnam, a pesar de las protcstas a traves de toda la naci6 n. Los resultados fueron desastro10s para los e>tud1antes de la escucla sccundaria de Edison. 66 J6vencs de las clasc graduanda de 1965 de la cscuela sccundaria de Edison muncron en la guc rra de Vietnam. inguna ot ra cscucla pcrdi6 tantos cstud1antcs como la cscuela Edison.

La clasc dcl "65" cs un documcntario aharncntc aclamado quc cuc nta la histona de"" cstud1antcs de la cscucla sccundana de Edrson. Como fuc quc tan-

tom las esc1 apn star

14 aiios o mas temprano. Micntras mas

Los de esa clase term inaro n en Vietnam y e l terrible impacto que la gucrra tuvo en sus vidas? El "Yearbook" se transmitira cl sabado 2 de marzo a las 4 p.m . en la em isora WTXF-FOX en Filadelfia (Canal 29).

El "Yearbook" da una mirada a las vidas de estos j6venes que nunca pudieron regresar de Vietnam - a traves de relatos quc cuentan las fami lias, las am igos y maestros - y a sus compaiieros que pclearo n y sobrev ivieron pero que todavfa estan sufriendo los profund os impactos que la guerra tu vo en cllo . Este impacto todavfa se reOcja en Edison ya travcs de Filadelfia.

El "Yearbook" es un documentario de 75 minutos, producido localmcntc, librc de comerciales, producido y dirigido pa r Steven Jimenez. Jimenez espcra tencr cste docu mentario en video mas Larde en cl aiio.

Tmducci611 pnr Mig uel Rivera-Dia'-

aso est1 adr esc est1 est1 si6 Ierr av sor

Abriendo los archivos

Como obtener acceso a los archivos de sus hijos A seguir, se encuentra un extracto de una carta preparada por el distrito escolar para distribuci6n general. "The Notebook" encuentra de gran significado el que la administraci6n este tomando medidas para informar a las familias sabre sus derechos de ver los registros de sus niiios.

Queridos Padres, Queremos informarles que !eyes federales y estatales estipulan que las padres tienen el derecho de rev isar las registros escolares de sus hijos. Dado nuestro deseo en que las padres participen en el proceso educativo y para segui r Ia ley, les mvitamos a que revisen el progreso de su hijo repasando parte o el reg1stro completo.

Mantenemos las siguiente reg istros para todos las estudiantes: progreso academicos (las notas), de as istencia, de examenes y registros medicos.

Los siguientes registros sc mantienen para alguitos niiios en clases regu lares, segun se neces nen: de consejerfa, psicol6gico, y de discip li na.

Se mantienen registros adicionalcs para estud iantes de educac i6n es~ec1al , par ejemplo: registros de conseJena, ed ucativo, psicol6gico, psiquiatrico, de terapia ffsica y ocupac ional, del ha~la: de audicfo n, de visi6n, y neurolog1co. . Tarnbicn queremos in forrnarles que t1enen _las siguicntes dercchos: debcn perm1t1rle ver las regi stros dentro de un pcnodo raLU nablc a no mas lardar de 30

di as desde que las escuela recibi 6 su pedido.

P uede pedir un a explicaci6n o interpretaci6n por parte de l personal de las escue la. Favor de perrnitirle suficiente tiempo al princ ipal para que pueda coordinar la cita.

P uede obte ner la primera copia del registro ed ucativo de s u niiio s in costo algun o.

P uede pedir una c ita con e l princ ipal de las escue la o s u representante s i no esta de ac uerdo con algun a info rmaci6n en el registro de su ni iio. Si no esta satisfecho, puede pedir una audiencia formal con e l superintende nte reg ional, un lfder del "cl uster" o uno de sus representantes.

El director ejec uti vo de educaci6n espec ial, el d irector de apoyo tecn ico para educac i6 n especial, o uno de sus representantes estan encargados de aud iencias sobre estudia ntes en educaci6n especial.

E l reglame nto sobre acceso de inforrnaci6n estud iantil aparece en el Iibro de estudiantes del d istrito escolar. Puede obtener una copia de este doc umen to par media del princ ipal de su escue la.

Se liene algun a pregunta sobre el cumpl imiento de esta Iey o e l acceso o recti fi caci6n de l registro ed ucativo de su ni iio, favor de env iar un a queja par escrito a: Family Policy Compl iance Office, U.S. Departme nt of Ed ucat ion, 600 Independence Avenue S. W. , Washington, D.C. 20202-4605.

Traducci6n por Iris Losada

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'96

WINTER 1996

PAGE7

SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

El acta 26: Ley fuerte por el objetivo de la seguridad Viene de lap. 1 tomar en consideraci6n las razones por las cuales los niiios traen armas a la escuela y por omitir tomar las medidas apropiadas para acomodar las c ircumstanci as particulares de cada nifio, el acta 26 puede hacer mas daiio que ayuda a los nifios que la ley quiere proteger. El acta 26 pone en pie un numero de temas y la oportunidad para una actividad de reform a.

Prevenci6n La experiencia y los estudios han demostrado que muchos estudiantes traen armas a la escue la porque tienen miedo de viajar desde y hasta la escuela sin proteccion. E n un estudio conducido recientemente por Louis Harris y sus asociados encontraron que el 38% de los estudiantes en vec indades a riesgo admiten cargar cierto tipo de armas a la escuela, tres veces mas el numero de estudiantes en otras escuelas: Para los estudiantes que tienen temor, la ex pulsi6 n no hace nada para arreglar el probJema de llevar la seguridad a la escuela y a veces castiga a los estudiantes que ya son victimas.

El acta 26 puede hacer mas daiio que ayuda a los niiios.

s or-

al 6n 1t1snal jer 1tes.

"6n du10

~di-

~S U

n,

En vez de estas medidas se le debe requerir a las escuelas que desarro llen programas significati vos para prevenir la violencia, incluyendo mediacion entre compaiieros y servic ios de con sej erfa para los estudiantes , e ntrenamiento para los maestros sobre e l manejo de los salones de clases, y otros metodos para tratar con con fl ictos en la escuela.

Ademas, deben desarrol! ar programas de "pas illos seguros" en donde el niiio se pueda sentir seguro de camino a la escuela y a su casa, y programas en la comunidad para tratar con los problemas en la escuela.

Muchos otros niiios llevan armas debido a presiones de familia, problemas mentales, u otros impedimentos. El expulsar a estos nifios no intercede a favor de sus problemas individuales y s implemente mueve el problema de la escuela a las calles. En vez de excluir al nifio de lo que pueda ser su unico acceso a alguna ayuda, se deben ex tender a los estudiantes Servic ios que pueden ay udarlos, y se debe demandar a las escuelas que busquen estos servicios.

Fi nal mente, un gran numero de estudi antes fallan el acta 26 porque simplemente exhibieron curiosidad o poco juicio que se espera de los jovenes.

Simplemente, ya sea el ni iio o los padres no saben acerca de! acta 26. A lgunos ejemplos de estos son: •El nifio de 7 aiios que cargo una cuchilla que su mama coloco con su almuerzo para que pudiera cortar la fruta ; •Una nifia de 12 aiios que tenfa un l!avero el cual cotenfa un cuchillo pequefio; •Un niiio de 16 afios que dejo una herramienta de su trabajo despues de la escuela en el bolsi ll o de su abrigo.

La policia La Icy es extrema e imprecisa al definir Jo que const ituye un arrna. Los cfectos son de criminali zar a Jos cstudiantes por Jo que constituye un artefacto comun en la csc ucla como un co mpas o un par de tijeras. La ex puls ion no es la reacc ion adec uada para estas si tuaciones.

El tratar a nuestros estudiantes justamente y hacerlos sentir seguros debe de ser nuestro prop6sito El acta 26 demanda que Jos distritos de escuelas locales reporten cualqui er acto de viole nc ia (que es una ofensa criminal de menor cuantfa) a la policfa.

En Filadelfia los directores ll aman a la policfa tan pronto que se descubre un arrna sin esperar ponerse en contacto co n Jos padres. Esto ha resultado en que los niiios, en un caso uno de once afi os y uno hasta de ocho, sean removidos de la escuela por parte de la policfa, muchas veces con esposas, sin el apoyo y presencia de los padres. Estos niiios esperan en la estacion de policfa o en un centro de detenci6n de jovenes por mas de ocho horas mientras procesan los cargos Como ha de entenderse, ellos terrninan traumatizados por esta experiencia.

Nada en el acta 26 requi ere que la escuela reporte al niiio a la po licfa antes de notificar a sus padres. La seguridad de la escuela no es afectada porque por definici6n estos estudiantes solamente han cargado el arma, no la han usado. La escue la tiene el poder de confiscar el arrna y suspender al estud iante. Por lo tanto, el implementar una regulaci6n que requiera que la escue la notifique a los padres primero, ali viarfa el trauma de un arresto para estudiantes que puedan ser bien j ovenes, y no afectarfa la seguridad de la escuela. Es digno notar que un adulto que comete un delito menor tiene la oportunidad de entregarse por sf mismo. Los niiios deben de tener la misma oportu nidad. Por lo menos no de ben ser ll evados al cuartel de policfa s in un respaldo de un adullo. Las esc ueJas de Nueva York requieren que la escue la en vie un adulto responsable con

;, Coal es su opinion?

e l niiio, s i los padres no se pueden Jocalizar an tes de not ificar a la policfa.

El planear Un consorcio de partidarios de escuelas locales se ha estado reuniendo desde el otoii o pasado para identificar problemas que han salido a relucir debido al acta 26, para proponer soluciones, y para convencer al di strito que tome accion.

Para e l credi to del consorcio, alg unos oficiales del distrito escolar han reconocido los efectos rigorosos de! acta 26 y han estado discutiendo c6mo tratar esta Jey, mas notable es el desarroll o de una propues ta para poner a estos niiios en escuelas de remed iaci6n o "remedial" en vez de expulsarlos por completo.

Desafortunadamente, ha habido poca inforrnac i6n sobre donde sc puede cnviar a estos estudiantes o que tipo de programa dichas cscuelas pucdan ofrecer.

Personas interesadas en estos asuntos pueden ponerse en contacto con su escuela local, oficiales del dis trito escolar, miembros de la junta educativa, y miembros de! concejal municipal de la c uidad , para preguntarles lo que estan hacie ndo sobre la violencia escolar yen la comunidad que esta afectando a Jos estudiantes. Tambien pueden ponerse en con tacto con el centro de ley educativa al 238-6970 para mas inforrnaci6n accrca de! acta 26 y otras preocupaciones o recomendaciones de pane del consorcio.

Trad11cci6n par Miguel Rivera-Diaz

ILDIFIE DJESSSSONSS: • ..·:·. :.

African Myths, legends & Rituals

··: : . :·.

A series of new films from Africo, presented in collaboration with the Franklin lnstitute's new exhibit, AFRICA.

~@~J\,i0i:

P@__y.~n~u1n:.~·

by Mou ssa Sene Absa

A bittersweet coming of age slory, in Senegal, likened to an African versio n of American Graffiti or Crooklyn.

Sun Feb 4 at 6:00 & Wed Feb 14 at 9:00 pm

' ' ''

' '

Three Tales from Sene9al The Franc by Djibril Diop Mombety little Bird by Monsour Soro Wade Fary, The Donkey by Monsour Soro Wade Three short films from • Senegal that adap t the

.

ancient African storytel ling tradition.

Wed Feb 7 at 7:00 & Wed Feb 14 at 7:00

·~

WOME:N:

Keita: The Heritage

WORK AND RITUAL

of the Griot

THESE HANDS by Flora M'mbugu Schelling

Las bienvenidas de! Public School Notebook a su correspondencia, las criticas, u oponiendo puntos de vista.

Por favor envfelos al School Notebook, 3721 Midvale Ave. Phila. PA 191 29.

A day in the life of Mozambican women

refugees working in stone quarnes.

MONDAY'S GIRLS by Ngoz1 Anwurah A look at a Waikiriki initiation ceremony that highlights the conflict between modern individualism and traditional commumlles in Nigeria.

Sun Feb 18 at 6:00 & Thurs Feb 22 at 9:1 5

Also in Februarv·

Riege las noticias Ayude a distribuir Philadelphia Public School Notebook. Usted puede ser parte del equipo que distribuye School Notebook a traves de la ciudad.

Cop ias estfo disponiblc para la distTibuci6n en su escuela, lugar de trabajo e iglcsia. Estan dispon ibl e para un evento publico, una reuni 6n en la escuela o en un cen tro comunal.

Favor de Jlamar a l School Notebook, 95 1-0330, si esta intercsado en formar parte de! cqu ipo.

by Ousmane Sembene, master storyteller and Senegalese filmmaker

THE GATE OF HEAVENLY PEACE Thurs Feb 8 at 7:00

The unusual story of Pierre He nn Th1oune (called Gt1e/waar, the Noble One) political ac1ivist, p hil a nde ring patriarch

and pillar of th e Christian community.

Wed Feb 21 at 9:00, Thurs Feb 22 at 7:00 & Sun Feb 25 at 3:30

• extraordinary a deep. powerful and nveungly complex study of Tiana men· Nt>Thttk This documentary by Carma I lmlon anti Richard Gordonisacompclhng1aleabout1hcmnc1workmgli or the "democracy movement" in Chma in 1989 and thcrcasonsforusfailurcandthc rc!iultm~mas1.auc

From the presenters of the Ph1ladelph1a Festival al World Cinema May 1-12. 1996 For 1nlormal10n call 1·800-WOW PFWC

3701 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA, 215/895-6542 For a reel good lime,

v1s11

our hom e page • hltp //www l1bertyn e1org/- pfwc

SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

PAGE8

Discussing discipline:

by Ron Whitehorne

Albert Shanker, the longt ime head of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), tells the same story every time he speaks on the subject of discipline. It is abou t the kid who in the second grade does something horrendous in the classroom. A hushed si lence falls as all the other kids wait for a terrible punishment to be visited on the boy. But nothing much at all happens. An important lesson is learned . Yo u can pretty much get away wi th ignori ng and even challengi ng school authority. Unti l students are he ld accountable in a serious way, our schools wi ll continue to be plagued by disrupti on.

But there is another speech I have heard from parent and community activists many times. It goes something like this: If teachers knew how to teach, if they respected our children and their capacity to learn, and if they stayed in touch w ith parents, then there wou ld be little disruption of school in the first place. The answer to the disorder in our schools is to make teachers acco untable.

These points of view represent two poles in a sharpening discussion of the whole question of discipline in our schools. It 1s a discussion that the movement fo r education reform can not ignore.

There is little question that, in the mi nds of both teachers and parents, school climate and safety arc centra l concerns.

Polling data show that parents rank Jack of discipline along with vio lence as leading problems. Polls also show that over half of high school and middle school students believe that misbehavior by other students interferes with their own learning. No program that claims to offer real change in ed ucation can ignore add ressing these concerns.

Repression versus change At a general level the debate over the respo nse to student mi sbehavior parallels the argument over how to deal wi th crime. Do we focus on repression, on catching and incarcerating those who violate the Jaw, or do we concentrate on eliminati ng the social and economic roots of crime?

In the context of education, there are many ways that the schoo l environment in nue nces student behavior. Schools that are overcrowded, understaffed and inadequately supplied with instructional materials are incapable of meeting the needs o f all students. Those students who need extra help typicall y are shortchanged.

As they fa ll further and further behind, these stude nts often express the ir frustrat io n by defying school authori ty and disrupting instruction. While occasionally the heroics of a teacher or a counselor turn a studen t around, more typically these students spend much of their school career excluded from c lass, suspended from school and being transferred from one school to another, al I the while exacung a price from teachers and their fellow students when they arc in the classroom .

If schools were provided with the needed resources and orga1111ed around the needs of all students, 11 is likely that many, t I not most, of the students who currently arc labeled as chronic behavior problems would be able to experience

success. A one-s ided focus on stiffer sanction s for student misbehavior sidesteps the fundamental problem and ends up blaming the victims.

But this is the starting point and not the e nd of the discussion. We are a long way from gaining the resources and the institutional supports that could provide a successfu l school experience for the children who are now fail ing. Whi le we must fight to make our schools places where all children can achieve, this is going to be a Jong and difficult struggle.

In the meantime, as parents and teachers we need to make the schools as effective as possible given the resources at hand.

Furthermore, even with reformed schools, the soc ial conditions outside the school will conti nue to produce antisoc ial behavior that wi ll find expression in the schools. In thi s framework we need to look at what steps can be taken now to make our schools safer and improve the climate for learning.

was afraid - and she is not alone. T he issue of weapons cannot be addressed in isolation from the larger iss ue of violence in the schools.

When teaching stops As serious as the whole question of violence is, in the minds of teachers it is equaled if not surpassed by behavi or that disrupts and undermines instructi on and the authority of the teacher in the classroom. Included here are behaviors that when taken in isolation are petty, but when chronic and pervasive become serious. Examples are calling out, inappropriate talking, leav ing one's seat, eating and drinking, chroni c lateness and coming to class unprepared. A lso incl uded are behaviors that more overtl y show a lack of respect for the teacher's authority, such as cursing or maki ng insulti ng

WINTER 1996

A classrooill for schools ic minor offenders, are simil arl y hardpressed.

School D istrict poli cy requires due process fo r students. Techni cally that means that before students are suspended, they must, at a minimum , be told the reasons for the suspe nsion a nd be allowed to respond . O fte n e lementary fa irness requires time-consumin g investi gations to determine the facts of a given situation. As a res ul t, many referrals to the disciplinarian, generally the less serious ones, are either dealt with in a to ken fas hi on or well after the offense took place. Or at times a n arbitrary decision is made that the n alienates students and parents w ho rightfull y expect some standard of j ustice.

A long with conseque nces for misbehavior, there is a need for a re medial plan to help the studen t correct the prob-

Kids confront raw violence The most serious violations of school rul es are behav iors that result in physical harm to others, assaults on staff or other students bei ng the most common example. The probl em of violence in the schools has grown worse over the years.

The perception of the schools as violent places is one factor that has Jed to dec lining s upport fo r public education. And, while the public perception can exaggerate the problem, the reality is bad e nough. Particularly in the middle and high schools, students' fear of gett ing "rushed" (beaten up by a group of hostile students) is comm onplace, and assaults in or around school are routine.

Part of the answer is certa inl y more serious consequences for students who comm it these acts . Students need to be shown clearly that they wil l be he ld accou ntable for their actions. The Di strict's decision to open alternati ve schools in each region for this purpose is a positive step. However, rehabi litative measures alone will not solve the problem. Effective school-based programs that teach students how to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence and that challenge the cultural norms that promote aggression and intimidati on are also necessary. Many programs of this kind ex ist in the schools, but there has been no systematic effort to identify those that reall y work and then institutionali ze them throughout the system.

Related to the q uestion of vio lence in the schools is the whole issue of weapons. Several shootings over the last few years have led to the employmen t of metal detectors on a selective basis and a "get tough" posture by the School Di strict. Possess in g a lethal weapon in school is grounds for expul sion. The prob lem is that not just predators carry weapons. One day I found a book bag that a student had left in the lunchroom . J opened it up to determine who it belonged to, and a steak knife with a 5-inch blade tumbled out. (Possess ion of a knife with over a 2- inch blade is a criminal offense and students are subject to arrest.) The girl who brought thi s knife to schoo l was an honor roll student with an u.nblcm1shcd record of behav ior. She earned the knife to school because she

Polling shows that parents rank lack of discipline along with violence as leading problems.

Photo: Fred Engst

Students' conduct cannot be separated from the environment in which they are to learn. comments or threats. These behaviors demorali ze teachers - and many stude nts and parents as well.

Here too the School D istrict Jacks an effective policy to deal with the problem .

There is a district-wide code of behavior, and every school has its own set of rules as well . The problem is not a lack of rules but a lack of consistent and judicious enforcement. The policy of progressive discipline, in which consequences escalate with the num ber or seriousness of the infraction, requi res a unified, intensive effort on the part of the whole school community. Like their ad ul t counterparts, most stude nts cal culate their chances of getting away with a v1olat1 on of the rules. If they thin k the chances of getti ng punished are sli ght, they go ahead. By contras t, if they bel ieve they are likely to be punished, they tend to show restrain t. Unfortunately, students can frequently violate the rules with impunity or with on ly minor consequences, and when punishment is enforced It is uneven.

Part of the reaso n for this situation is that the discipli nary system is si mply overwhelmed by the dimensions of the tas k. The. classroom teacher is expected to .admin ister consequences for most minor.violati ons. Many teachers hold detentions and ca ll parents; but some teachers may have upwards o f 500 students on .their roll and have troub le keeping up wtth the volu me. Di sc ipli naria ns who handle seri ous infractions or chron '.

!em . Under the best of circ umstances a stude nt is referred early on to the school's Student Support Committee, including a counselor and teachers. This committee de ve lo ps a pla n and involves the student and parents in the process .

But all too often students are not referred, or if they are, the com m ittee is unable to give the student more than token attenti on.

Who's behind the wheel Princ ipals and school adm inistrators pl ay the major rol e in shapin g a school's di scipli nary policy. Disciplinarians, teachers and other staff w ill tend to tailor the ir actions to the standard set by the ad mini stration. School staffs want to see adm in istrati on back them up by enforcing conseq ue nces for stude nt mi sbehavior. B ut adm in istrators are also under pressure to reduce suspe nsions rates and serious incide nt reports. Adm ini strators are also s usceptible to pressure from pare nts who believe the ir child was wrongly pu nished.

T he Central Admin istration also plays a ro le here in shap ing the context in which the principals act. The D istrict uses suspension ra tes and number of seri ous incident reports as indi ces of school c li mate. But looking at these things in isolation provides no reading at all o n c limate . For example, al some schools where w idespread prob lem s existed with c utting class, a policy of

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teacher suggests real steps to address a real problem hall sweeps was adopted in wh ich students fou nd in the halls without permission after classes had begun were suspended for one day. While one might take issue w ith the means employed, the res ult in every case I am aware of is that school cl imate (i.e. cutting, students roami ng the halls) has been substantially improved. In th is case a higher rate of suspension was accompanied by an improvement in school climate.

Last year the Inquirer published data showing that Ph il ade lphia suspended more students than other districts, and some schools had substantially higher suspension rates that other schools. The impli cation was that good school climate went w ith low suspension rates. Thi s assertion went unanswered by the School District.

The administration has to be willing to provide the support that will enable schoo ls to prov ide cons istent consequences for violating the ru les . Al lowing a school's teacher allotment to include teachers to ru n in-house suspension programs and accommodation rooms, and provid ing alternative settings for disruptive students who have not responded to efforts to correct their behavior at the schoo l level , are examples of material support that the present admi nistration, urged on by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT), have take n. Clearly, a school's differe nt constituencies - staff, ad min istration , parents and students need to agree on a coc!e of student behavior, the con s~yuences for violatin g the code, and a system for equi table en forcement.

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SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

Some wo uld argue that effective teachers don't have significant problems with classroom disruption and, therefore, the solution lies in higher expectations and more accountabili ty for teachers. It is true that some teachers are much more effective than others in reducing classroom disruption. As a disciplinarian, most of the referrals I received came from a small num ber of teachers. While one teacher sent a steady stream of children to my office, another almost never fo und it necessary to send a student out of her classroom . Students who were out of control in other classrooms were a model of c ivil ity in hers.

Does this mean the other teachers were all incompetents who should be sacked? Hardly. Teachers, li ke any other profession, are uneven in experience and have different strengths and weaknesses.

The teacher c ited here was a teacher-ofthe-year candidate approachi ng three decades of experience. And even she

struggled when she made the transition from elementary to middle school.

Teachers do need more and better training on classroom management and related skills. Most un iversity schools of education fail to place much emphasis on this topic, even though it is the source of the greatest frustration and anxiety for new teachers. Much of the train in g that is offered to teachers has been le ft to private purveyors of one or another "system" that claims to be the last word on the subject. The School District attempts to address the subject in its induction program for new teachers, but one session is invariably going to be inadequate.

Many teachers have complained that the methods advocated in these sess ions are at odds with what ad min istrators demand of them in their buildings. For example, I attended a School Di stri ct-sponsored workshop in wh ich the presenters advocated ignoring di sruptive behavior on the grounds that drawing attention to it on ly would make it worse. Foll owin g this course of action during an observation by an adm ini strator would result in an un satisfactory evaluation in most schools.

Training, rather than foc using narrowly on techniques for control, needs to provide an understanding of the developmental and cultural forces that shape student behavior. It should also encourage teachers to look critically at their own behavi or and understand that, as in any relationship, what they do impacts on how their students respond.

One of the most effective programs for improving the s kill s of new teachers is providing a mentor, an experienced and accomplished teacher who w ill meet with the new teacher on a weekly basis. I know of several cases where the mentor relationship prevented a new teacher fro m quitti ng in frustration and where the new teacher went on to success in the classroom. Thi s approach could also be used with veteran teachers who are having serious problem s. Unfortunately the funding for mentors has been severely curtailed.

Pho10: Arturo H o

Consistent enforcement of fair standards of justice improve a student's sense of security and the overall climate for learning. tially hi gher in predominantly minority school s, it is necessary to ask if di sciplin e is appli ed equitably in our school s.

Al the very least, the higher rates of serious incidents and suspen sions at racially isolated school s are part o f the fabric of institutional racism. Minority stude nts are disproportionately victimized by soc ial conditio ns that inhi bit learning. Then they are subjec ted to segregated and inferior schools. It is reasonable to ass ume th at these experiences wi ll produce a di sproportionate number of fru strated, angry students who are alienated from the school culture. ·-· There are no data on the extent to which minority students are overtly discriminated against in the admi nistration of di scipline. For example, are the consequences for the same violations the same across rac ial li nes? How often might a student of one race be given the benefit of a doubt, while a student of another is "taught a good lesson" fo r do ing essentially the same thing? Even w ith good intentions, stereotypes and prejudices influence our behavior.

There is no quick fix for thi s problem.

Keeping data by race on discipli nary actions might generate some useful in formation but in and of itself is not very meaningful. It is also an easy matter to underreport problems by hand li ng them informall y. The bottom line is that administrators, di sciplinarians and teachers need to take seri ously the di strust that man y minority parents and students have toward the system because of pas t di scrimin at ion. A ne w re lation ship mi ght the n be poss ible where di scipl ine is carried out from the standpo int o f racia l equity.

The higher rates of serious incidents and suspensions at racially isolated schools are part of the fabric of institutional racism.

ls discipline color-blind?

Underly ing the whole debate over di scipline is the question of race. Given the history of racism and segregation in our schools, given a d istrict teaching staff that is majority wh ite and a student body that is maj ority African American and given that suspension rates are substan-

Effectively managing a class W hile every teacher must find the ir own style of management and discipline, based on my own experiences and observations, I would offer the following as elements in the approach of most effective teachers: • T he teacher models the behavior he or she expects from the students.

• The teacher is as clinical as possible in reprimanding students and avoids confrontation.

• Good behavior is recognized, praised and rewarded.

• Particular encouragement and recognition is given to those that demonstrate improved behavior.

• Consequences for violating classroom rules are enforced.

• The teacher is willing to listen to students and negotiate with them.

• Parents are engaged as partners in improving students' behavior.

Doing it right Currentl y the School Distri ct has taken steps like o pe ning accomm odati on rooms, setting up alternati ve schools fo r children with serious behav ior problems,

and inc reas ing security in many schoo ls.

It has not, however, put forward a comprehensive approach to improvin g d isc ipli ne in the context of the Children Achieving program . O n the uni on side, the "Bill of Rights and Responsibi lities" being promoted by the PFT is fin e as a general statement , but it needs to be concretized and pl aced in a co ntex t where it is linked to the struggle for more resources for instruction and s tudent services.

While no comprehensive, system-w ide change is evident, many schoo ls have taken initiatives of the ir own lo improve student behav ior. Ofte n these schoo lbased efforts not only have positi ve immediate results but also provide lessons for other schools in how to tackle the problem .

At my school last year, nearly ha lf the staff spent a week over the summer hammering out a discipline policy. In the fall the whole staff refined this work in a series of meetings. Because we had time to go into the problems in depth and because the principal made clear th at he would respect the co llective will o f the staff, we came away from this process not only with a more realistic and comprehensive po licy, but with one that the whole staff took greater respo ns ibility for enforcing.

Thi s kind of process needs to go on not on ly with staff, but with pare nts and studen ts as well. And it needs to take into account more than the puniti ve side of discipline. Attenti on must be pa id to preventi on in the form of positive re mforcements for good behavior, imp roved classroom management sk il ls, earlie r a nd more intensive intervention

by coun-

selors, increased part1c1pa11 on by o utside age nc ies, and a more cooperat1vc re lati onship be tween the school and paren ts.

This kind of pla nnmg and d iscuss ion at each schoo l will not ">Ive a ll the prob· lems, but it will so lve some. A nd it wil l pl ace in sharper rehef those problems that, given our present leve l of resources, arc beyond the reac h 1f school-based measures.

Ron \Vh11e/10me 1s a teacher m Julia De Bu rgos IJ1/111g11al M1ddlt• School, ll'here he serl'ed as /louse Director and disciplinarian for six years .

f WINTER 1996 SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

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While a few schools make gains, most stagnate in basic skills test for grades 4 to 8

Poor test scores show need for change These are the Citywide Test scores which the School District made public in November. They show the 1995 schoolby-school results of the test, called the CTBS-4, for grades 4 through 8 in two categories - reading and mathematics - and the change from the previous year. No test scores for high schools are included.

The results do not include the 67 schools in the "first cohort" of clusters - those schools feeding into Washington, King, Olney. Strawberry Mansion, Audenre1d, and West Philadelphia High Schools. Students in the elementary and middle schools in these clusters took a different test, called the Stanford 9, and results and comparisons to previous years were not yet available to the Notebook at press time.

A statement

~loMOOby>~ ~ School <'

District along :'\ with the (J\ scores commented, "These scores demonstrate the pressing need for Children Achieving: scores [are] far below the national average; [there is] stagnation across a four-year baseline."

The statement also cautions, "The Stanford 9 scores for the schools in the First Cohort of clusters can be expec ted to present an even grimmer picture, because the students will be compared to a higher standard."

How to read the scores The standardized test scores compare performance of students in Philadelphi a to students across the country. For both reading and mathematics, the data show what percentage of the children at a school fall into the lowest performing quarter, and what percentage of students are in the top half (perform ing at or above the national average score). A school that was average for the U.S. would have 50% of the students in the top half and 25% in the bottom quarter.

In Philadelphia, only 12 of the 159 schools shown outperformed the national average on the CTBS-4.

With each of these scores, there is

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of the change in that score from the previous year.

Improvement (fcwerstunts in the botq rter or more students in the top halt) is indicated by a positive percentage change, and decline (more students in the bottom quarter or fewer students in the top halt) is indicated by a negative percentage change .

Thus the data show performance and progress for both high-scoring and lowscoring students.

While standardized test scores are only one measure of a school's performance, the information provided here can help start a discussion about what is working in our schools and where school· are failing; where and how posilive change 1s happening and where the educational quality is deteriorating.

Key to symbols used in table: • Racially i'olated school ~Scored higher th~nallonal norm

MATHEMATICS % of students' scores in Upper Lowest Half Quarter (% improvement '94 to '95) School 277 (-1.6) 40.8 {·2.3) Adaire 16.4 (-0.9) Allen, Ethel' 57.3 (+2.3) 38.7 (-3.2) Allen, Ethan 28.3 (-2.1) 33.2 (·6.1) 36.5 (-7.0) AMY-5 23.4 (-5.8) AMY-6 North 37.7 (+1.7) 30.8 (+0.1) 36.3 (+3.1) Anderson'

READING % of students' scores in Upper Lowest Half Quarter (% improvement '94 to '95) 29.6 (-2.9) 36.1 (+0.4) 11 .8 (-13.4) 63.6 (-10.8) 47.2 (+3.4) 25.9 (-0.8) 31.8 (·2.0) 37.0 (·2.3) 18.1 (+3.0) 49.3 (+3.5) 33.0 (-8.7} 44.5 (- 10.4)

Marshall Mayfairt McCall McKinley' McMichael' Meade'

MATHEMATICS % students' scores in Upper Lowest Half Quarter (% improvement '94 to '95) 18.3 (-1.2) 63.4 (-3.7} 53.3 (-6.3) 17.4 (+0.4) 48.0 (-1.2} 24.0 (+4.3) 12.5 (+4.1) 63.p (+7.0) 9.5 (·5.0} 69.4 (-11.1) 17.3 (+4.5) 61.5 (+10.2) 37.7 (-8.2) 19.1 (-1.8) 43.4 (-6.7} 76.5 (-4.5) 78.6 (·6.0} 46.6 (+6.2)

School

READING % students' scores in Upper Lowest Half Quarter (% improvement '94 to '95) 13.1 (-10.3) 66.7 (-12.6) 51.0 (-1.5) 18.5 (-0.6) 50.2 (-3.4) 22.3 (+4.5) 22.4 (-1.8) 54.1 (-2.1} 12.1 (- 13.1) 66.0(·13.9) 20.2 (+3.6) 62.5 (+3.8)

31.1 (-5.7) 52.5 (-8.1) 20.7 (·9.6) 5.9 (-2.1} 4.0 (·3.2) 18.3 (+2.8)

40.4 (-5.6) 14.5 (+3.4) 39.0 (+4.9) 84.6 (-11.3) 73.4 (·6.2) 36.9 (+4.5)

29.7 (·0.5) 63.5 (+3.2) 23.2 (·3.5) 0.0 (-3.3} 11.7 (+0.1) 29.2 (-0.9)

27.8 (-0.3) Moore 51.7 (+15.1) Morris' 62.5 (-2.9} Morton 60.0 (+5.6) Nebinger' Overbrook Ed.t 3.8 (+4.4} 75.8 (+3.2} Palumbo'

40.0 (-2.4) 26.2 (+ 14.8) 15.4 (+2.1) 14.2 (+1.9) 77.3 (+10.0} 11.7 (+6.0)

29.6 (-1.4) 50.0 (0.0} 55.3 (-9.1} 55.6 (+2.3) 10.7 (+1.9} 74.8 (+2.1)

40.3 (-6.6) 28.2 (+6.1) 21.4 (-3.0) 22 2 (+4.9) 64.9 (+5.2) 8.4 (+2.7)

39.5 (-4.0) 58.5 (-7.8) 70.9 (·5.8} 62.4 (-25.0) 38.3 (+4.0) 58.2 (· 13.0)

22.0 (-13.3) 13.6 (·8.0) 8.5 (·2.1) 8.0 (-24.1) 33.3 (+5.2) 17.1 (-7.0)

31.2 (-1.0) 57.9 (-8.7) 64.3 {·3.0) 60.4 {-23.8) 49.1 (·7.4) 55.1 (-3.9)

41.6 (-0.2) 20.8 (-5.1) 11.5 (-0.3) 19.5 (·17.6) 27.1 (·3.8) 17.6 (-0.3)

69.0 (+14.3) 21.4 (·4.6) 4.6 (+0.2) 30.9 (+3.7) 27.1 (-10.4) 17.8 (-7.5)

Pickett MS' 49.3 (+4.7) 18.1 (+4.7) Pollockt Potter-Thomas'82.6 (·12.3) 30.8 (·7.8) Powel 72.4 (-3.6} Pratt,A.B.' 64.9 (·10.4) Reynolds'

18.5 (+2.8) 53.6 (+6.3) 4.2 (-5.7) 42.3 (-15.5) 6.5 (-1.5) 16.0 (·4.2)

62.5 (-5.7) 15.9 (+6.4) 73.6 (·6.3) 40.8 (-12.7) 68.3 (·0.6} 59.1 {-17.6)

12.9 (-2.3) 59.4 (+5.8) 7.4 (-5.6) 36.7 (· 13.5) 8.9 (-2.7) 25.2 {·10.4)

66.7 (-3.6) 50.5 (+7.3) 38.3 (-7.5) 60.2 (-2.8) 75.6 (·5.8) 45.4 (-11.4)

15.8 (-0.4) 22.9 (+9.7) 34.3 (·6.5) 19.3 (·0.6} 5.2 {·0.5) 33.5 (-6.3)

Rhawnhurstt 22.1 (+4.4) 59.5 (+2.5) Rhoads' Rhodes MS' 65.0 (-1.4) Richmond 41.0 (+5.8) Roosevelt MS' 54.3 (+2.2) Shallcross 70.0 (·11.4)

50.4 (+4.5) 17.9 (+ 1.9) 12.6 (-1. 1) 26.7 (+2.4) 17.6 (+3.5) 12.5 (+2.2)

11.5 (+7.7) 51.1 (+10.1) 71.1 (-2.0) 36.3 (+0.3) 60.1 (+5.3) 80.0 (-12.1)

65.4 (+7.3) 24.2 (+2.1) 7.3 (+0.2) 41.3 (+3.SJ 12.7 (+3.2) 0.0 (-7.1}

8.4 (-4.6) 56.4 (-0.2) 25.0 (+1.0) 6.5 (+3.8) 31.9 (·3.3) 36.0 (+2.2)

69.9 (-7.7) 19.8 {·1.9) 37.5 (-2.4) 73.4 {·4.0) 32.9 (+1.5) 35.8 (·1.9)

8.4 (-7.7) 55.6 (+1.8) 36.3 {·3.3) 8.6 (·2.5) 38.4 (+1.8) 35.4 (·3.5)

Sharswood Shawmont Sheppard' Sheridan Shoemaker' Smedley

29.2 (+3.2) 54.8 (+3.3) 19.4 (+9.9).

19.8 (·0.1) 11.0(+1.0) 15.0{·6.3)

39.5 (-1.1) 25.5 (+2.3) 52.9 (+0.9) 35.6 (+1.6) 67.3 {+ 1.1} 46.4 (+3.0)

41.6 (+8.7) 45.2 (+0.4) 8.6 (- 10.0) 29.4 (-5.7) 9.6(+1.6} 29.1 (+ 1.3)

64.4 (·6.1) 25.5 (+9.2) 23.3 (+6.2) 19.2 (+0.7) 56.0 (+3.3) 66.6 (·1.9)

13.8 (+0.9) 36.2 {·1.7) 49.6 (+1.5) 46.7 (-4.3) 15.6 (+3.1} 10.2 (·2.4)

53.3 (·2.2) 20.9 (+5.9) 26.4 {+11.8) 26.9 (·1.2) 55.0 (+6.5) 69.7 (-0.9)

16.8 (-0.6) 55.4 (+3.2) 48.8 (+12.2) 41.4 (·4.3) 17.4 (+4.0) 9.2 (·0.5)

Solis-Cohen 24.3 (+6.9) Southwark 42.0 (·1.6) Spring Garden'53.7 (-4.0) Spruance 19.4 (+4.0) Stanton, M.H.' 71.4 (-2.9) Stearne 48.1 (-0.5)

35.5 (-1.6) 26.7 (-2.4) 21.0 (+2.3) 49.1 {+3. 1) 5.6{·6.2) 15.5 (-9.1)

23.9 (+3.1) 29.6 (+1.8) 51.6 (-10.3) 22.9 (+1. 1) 73.1 (· 15.7) 43.9 (-6.8)

52.6 (+3. 2) 40.1 (+1.4) 24.2 (·5.9) 50.1 (-0.9) 12.3 (-5.6) 30.3 (·2.3)

Girard Gompers't Greenfieldt Hackett Harding Harrison'

25.5 (+15.5) 13.1 (+18.9) 20.7 (+4.6) 34.1 (-1.4) 45.7 (-4.2) 77.3 (·1.7)

45.9 (+ 13.5) 54.6 (+20.9) 54.1 (+3.2) 31.2 (·3.8) 24.1 (-1.7) 5.9 (-0.7)

23.4 (+20.8) 21.8(+10.0) 13.3 (+9.0) 22.6 (+9.1) 45.5 (-10.8) 62.4 (+3.8)

55.4 (+19.6) 51 .9 (+5.9) 63.0 (+9.4) 54.0 (+14.4) 25.1 (·7.7) 18.8 (+3.6)

Steel' 62.2 (-3.2) Stetson 68.9 (-8.9) Stoddart-Fleis.'66.8 {·5.0) Sullivan 30.6 (+2.2) Sulzberger' 65.4 (·21.7) Taggart 50.6 (·6.0)

11.3 (-4.9) 10.6 (-5.8) 12.5 (+0.8) 31.9 {·0.2) 10.8 (· 16.8) 21.0 (·3.1)

62.0 (·4.7) 75.4 (·7.3) 73.6 (-2.2) 44.9 (-13.3) 74.3 (·8. 1) 44.4 (+6.3)

15.4 (·3.7) 6.4 (-4.2) 5.1 (-1 .4) 32.0 (-9.7) 5.8 (-4. 1) 24.0 (+0.8)

Harrity' Hartranft' Henryt Heston' Holme Hopkinson

67.1 (-6.5) 78.5 (-8.5) 19.9 (+5. 8) 56.5 (+1.8) 42.4 (·5.0) 44.0 (+0.7)

11 .6 (-5.8) 5.1 (-3.9) 59.6 (+7.7) 17.3(+0.1) 26.4 (·4.8) 26.0 (+1.4)

73.0 {·3.3) 73.4 (-11.2) 21 .7 (+6.0) 51.1 (+7.4) 38.2 (·5.5) 45.3 (·8.8)

9.2 (·3.4) 6.2 (·9.5) 58.2 (+8.8) 21.8 (·0.1) 31.2 (·9.7) 24.3 (-10.2)

Thomas Tilden MS' Turner' Vare, A. Vare, E.H. Vaux MS'

23.1 {·6.3) 9.0 (-1.8) 20.7 {·2.4) 38.8 (-4.6) 12.2(·4.4) 11.0 (·1.6)

47.4 (-8.9) 75.3 (-6.6) 58.9 (-5.4) 29.4 (-2.9) 55.9 (-3.0) 73.0 {·3. 1}

22.8 (·5.2) 5.4 (·3.0) 15.0 {·2.3) 40.3 (-6.8} 16.5 (-3.3) 8.6 (+0.2)

Houston Hunter" Jackson Jenks, A Jenks,J.S. Jones

31.7 (+2.5) 52.3 (+ 16.3) 36.4 (-5.1) 21.6 (+1.1) 15.0 (-4.6) 60.8 (·6.1)

36.3 (+1.0) 10.8 (+0.5) 34.4 (+0.8) 37.2 {·11.1) 59.2 (·8.1) 15.0 {·1.2)

39.6 (+2.8) 42.2 (+11.6) 35.1 (-3.7) 29.4 (+0.8) 27.7 (·9.9) 49.7 (·5.6)

31 .3 (+1.1) 26.6(+10.8) 31.1 (-5.7) 45.1 (·6.1) 49.7 (·9.9) 20.5 {·4.8)

Walton' 69.1 {·8.9) Wanamaker' 67.3 (·5.5) Waring' 71.2 (·9.1) Washington, G'36.6 (+1 9.2) Washington, M'56.4 {-9. 0) Webster 50.9 (+3.4)

8.2 (-10.6) 8.8(-3.1) 10.6(-3.5) 30.7 (+12. 5) 13.6(·5.8) 16.4 (·3.4)

60.0 (-1.3) 68.8 (-1 1.3) 58.5 (-0.7) 39.2 (+3.2) 62.2 (-9.9) 53.5 (-5.8)

14.5 (·1.3) 7.4 (-4.4) 16.9 (-1.8) 27.0 (·0.2) 12.4 (-7.0) 20.8 (·3.9)

Kearny' Kelley, W.' Kelly, J.B.' Kenderton' Key Kirkbride

52.8 {-10.6) 58.3 (+5.9) 47.3 (-0. 1) 65.8 (-4.6) 40.8 (·17.5) 48.3 (·8.7)

17.6 (-15.0) 10.2 (-3.3) 25.7 (+3.4) 11.6 (-8.3) 19.1 (·21 .6) 23.4 (·2.0)

54.9 (-26.2) 54.6 (+9.8) 42.5 (·8.0) 66.0 (·8.3) 24.0 (-7.1) 27.4 (+8.3)

24.2 {·19.1) 25.0 (+9.5) 32.9 (-6.2) 16.0(-7.8) 46.0 (·18.1) 44.0 (+2.4)

Lamberton Lawtont Leidy' Levering Lingelbach' Locke'

31.0 {·0.7) 13.1 (+5.3) 47.7 (+ 14.8) 29.5 (+3.4) 40.0 (-12.5) 63.6(·11.1)

40.9 (·0.3) 65.8 (+8.1) 15.9 (+0.9) 38.8 (+4.4) 27.2 (-16.1) 10.1 (-7.5)

Welsh' 55.0 {·1 .5) Whittier' 76.4 (·21.8) Willard 60.1 (+8.0) Wilson, W. MS 26.3 (-0.6) Wister' 50.0 (+7.7) Wright' 57.9 (+5.7) Zieg lert 16.0 (+6. 0)

29.6 (+2.9) 8.1 (+0.9) 49.1 (+ 10.5) 27.7 (+1.2) 41 .1 (-9.5) 62.2 (·17.8)

10.0(- 11 .5) 3.3(-16.6) 14.8 (+3.8) 45.3 (-0.8) 17.9 (+3.7) 17.0 {+5.3) 52.0 (+6.6)

39.1 (·2.1) 76.2 (+8.9) 18.9 {·0.3) 44.9(-0.1) 33.9 (·13.9) 13.4(-15.3)

45.1 (+4.5) 83.1 (-27.6) 48.3 (+6.9) 26.2 (+4. 3) 52.9 (-3.1) 51 .2 (+ 1.4) 12.7 (+ 11.6)

27.4 (+5.8) 5.6 (-20.0) 23.6 (+0.8) 42.0 (+2.3) 18.8 (-7.3) 15.5 (-8.4) 54.7 (+7.0)

Logan· Longstreth' Lowell Ludlow' MYA Mann'

68.5{·12.3) 64.7 (-10.1) 44.0 (-1.8) 69.4 (-8.2) 32.0 {·6.5) 53.3 (·6.6)

10.9 (·5.2) 14.5 (-7.5) 25.6 (-0.3) 12.2 {·3.7) 37.1 (·4.4) 20.0 (-5.4)

64.0 (·5.9) 69.3 (-17.6) 34.6 (+7.7) 67.3 (-9.3) 39.2 {·10.4) 54.0 (-6.6)

14.0 {·5.3) 13.9 (-12.5) 36.8 (+6.3) 8.2 (·9.3) 34.4 (·8.1) 25.2 {·4.9)

Bache-Martin Seeber MS' Belmont' Bethune· Blankenburg· Bluford'

32.9 (+3.0) 36.7 (-6.7) 61.9 (+2.0) 62.4 (·0.6) 55.6 (+0.6) 54.9 (+8.4)

38.0 (+3.7) 31.5 (-4.6) 9.5 (-2.4) 9.6 (-5.1) 15.4 {·1 .3) 15.0 (+0.7)

37.2 (0.0) 41.7 (-4.0) 58.5 (-0.9) 53.7 (-2. 1} 48.7 (+3.4) 48.8 (+13.3)

38.7 (+0.7) 29.2 {· 1.5} 13.2 (-4.8) 19.1 (-3.9} 23.1 (-2.7) 27.3 (+9.4)

Meehan Mereditht Mifflin Miller, E.S.' Mitchell' Moffet

Boone' Bregy Bridesburg Brown, H.A. Brown, J.H. Camell

84.0 (+1.2} 56.8 (·0.2} 31.7I+12.9) 57.4 (·2.7) 30.8 (-0.8) 30.6 (-6.5)

4.0 {·0.9) 17.3 (·5.6) 33.7 (+9.6) 14.8 (-5.2) 43.1 (+1 .9) 42.6 (·7.9)

87.9 (+0.8) 58.0 (0.0) 27.0 (+19.1) 59.4 (·17.4) 34.5 (·3.2) 27.7 (·6.8)

3.0 (+1.1) 18.5 (·2.0) 35.0 (+6.3) 14.1 (·21.0} 40.7 (-3.4} 48.8 (-3.6)

Catharine Clymer· Conwellt Cook-Wissah.

Cramp· Creighton

30.1 (+1.3) 71.1 (+5.3) 7.8 (-2.4) 40.2 (+14.8} 50.4 (+16.0) 44.5 (-2.1)

37.6 (+0. 3) 5.2 (·1.1) 66.8 (+1.9) 22.1 (+3.2) 9.9 (·1.4) 25.2 (+ 1.9)

24.5 (+1.4) 75.3 (·4.9) 6.8 (·1.6) 42.9 (+7.3) 35.0(+12.0) 41.3 (-1.7)

51.1 (-3.7) 8.8 (- 1.5) 73.7 (·0.8) 30.2 (+5.2) 31.7 (+6.6} 29.1 (·0.8)

Patterson Peirce, T.M.' Penn Treaty Pennell' Penrose Pepper MS

17.2 (+0.5) Cross ant 51.5 (+6.6) Daroff' De Burgos· 73.0 (-4.3) Disston 28.1 {·0.5) 38.1 (·5.3) Dobson Drew, Chartes' 58.0 (-9.0)

62.1 (+8.5) 19.5 (+5.5) 7.8 (+0.6) 37.3 (+0.4) 29.3 (-2.8) 16.1 (·8.7)

12.6 (+11.2) 62.0 {·11.5) 75.9 (-5.1) 34.7 (+7.4) 43.5 (·9.5} 60.1 (-9.9)

Duckrey· Dunbar' Edmunds, H. Elkin Elverson, M.' Emlen·

76.0 (·5.6) 46.3 (+21.2) 28.0 (· 1.4) 68.0 (-4.1) 65.8 (-8.0) 46.1 (-7.8)

10.5 (+0.3) 19.4 (+11.4) 43.4 (+0.6) 5.9 (·7.2) 10.0 (-1.0) 26.7 (-4.2)

Fairhill' Farrellt Fell Ferguson· Finletter Filler

65.8 (-4.6) 17.1 (-0.9) 46.3 (-5.5) 74.1 (+8.4) 32.8 (+0.7) 28.9 (+6.0)

Fitzsimons· Forrest Fox Chase Franklin Fulton' Gillespie'

39.0 (+5.0) 13.9 (+6.5) 46.3 (+22.4) 50.3 (+5.1) 63.1 (0.0) 52.9 {·0. 8)

44.3 (-8.7) 66.6 (·4. 5) 46.4 (-1.5) 33.3 (-6.6} 64.1 (- 11.3) 67.8 (-3.6)

Five schools showing the most progress across both reading and math: Girard 25.5 (+15.5) 45.9 (+13.5) 23.4 (+20.8) 55.4 (+19.6) Gompers't 13.1 (+18.9) 54.6 (+20.9) 21.8 (+10.0) 51.9 (+5.9) Dunbar' 46.3 (+21.2) 19.4 (+11.4) 50.5 (+7.3) 22.9 (+9.7) Bridesburg 31.7 (+12.9) 33.7 (+9.6) 27.0 (+19.1) 35.0 (+6.3) Hunter' 52.3 {+16.3) 10.8 (+0.5) 42.2 (+11 .6) 26.6 (+ 10.8) Five schools whose scores dropped the most across reading and math: Pennell' 62.4 (-25.0) 8.0 (-24.1) 60.4 (-23.8) 19.5 (-17.6) Whittier· 76.4 (·21.8) 3.3(-16.6) 83.1 (-27.6) 5.6 {·20.0) Kearny· 52.8 (· 10.6) 17.6 (·15.0) 54.9 (-26.2) 24.2 (·19.1) Key 40.8 (·17.5) 19. 1 (·2 1.6) 24.0 (-7.1) 46.0 (·18.1) Lingelbach' 40.0 (-12.5) 27.2 (·16.1) 41.1 (-9.5) 33.9 (-13.9)

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WINTER 1996

SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

PAGE 11

School budget shortfall looms Continued from p. 1

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to $45,000 more spent per classroom each year on students in the suburbs than their counterparts in Philadelphia, Hornbeck noted. T he c ity-suburb spending gap is growin g.

"I don't understand why the City and state have permitted that to continue," Hornbeck said . "It's both wrong and economically stupid. It a ffects the basic health of our region."

Mayor Rendell has agai n promi sed to lobby hard for school fund s in Harrisburg. Last year he made the same promise, but whether from lack of effort or ine ffectiveness, the state all ocated pretty muc h what the Governor had plan ned a ll along.

The School Di stric t first submits its budget to the City in February, and this must be reconc iled with avail abl e revenue to arri ve at a balanced budget by the end of May. Thi s year, the process promises to be one of whittling away at educational programs.

O ne target for savings is likely to be the District's non-instructional operations, including facilities maintenance, transportation, and management in formation systems . A tas k force of Phi ladelphia business leaders released a report in January that concluded the District cou ld ul timately save $45 million a year by making changes in areas like bus service and building maintenance. But the report noted that many of the sav ings require an initial investment in training and technology. In other cases, savings would require changes in union contracts or the Pennsylvania school code.

Superintendent Hornbeck has endorsed the report, which call s for making greater use of private bus companies, replacing many bus attendants

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Public School Notebook wants to tap into your knowledge of the schools to help suggest wa ys to allevia te the budget c ris is facing our school system. We' re giving awa y prizes fo r th e best suggeslions.

While the District has been. belt-tightening as lo ng as most peopie can remember, there 1s still bo und to be some "fa t" o r waste in any system a s big as this . Can yo u identify a ny o f the waste ful areas? Send your tho ug hts to us in a le tte r or postcard.

We' re a lso looking for ideas on how to generate mo re revenue - thro ugh taxe s o r other sources - fo r the schools . P hiladelphia spe nds less per pupil than nearly al l of the s u rrou nding suburban districts . Wh ere can the s ystem fi nd itself some more dough?

Send yo ur ide as o n where to find the fat a nd where to fin d the dough to: Public School Notebpok, Depa rt ment W, 372 1 Midvale Avenue, Philadelphia , PA 19129. The best ideas, as selected by the pa pe r's edito rial committee, will be printed in our Spring issu. e and forward ed to Superintendent Ho rnbeck. We'll be awa rding a gift certificate for Bas kin Robb ins ice crea m to th e best suggestion on find ing the fat. The best s ug ge s tio n on where to find the d o ugh will win a gift certificate for Pizza Hut. Entries must be received by April 1, 1996. No fooling .

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&i~~l~~ m~~l~~$~1;'<t'$' ~~i'<t'~ffi 'I":.~~~~·~: IP' ::~~~ t;~' } ~ ~~ ~:: ... =~· ~ ~:J)~ ~.: t:it with video cameras, cutting out some bus routes, and staggerin g school opening times so buses can make more than one trip a day. But even if full y reali zed , the savings suggested would meet but a fraction of the District's budget needs.

Several factors further compl icate the financial picture for next fall: •The District's contract with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers ex pires thi s summer, and deficit projections do not include the costs of finan cing a new teachers' contract. Teacher salaries conti nue to lag behind those

offered in suburban di stricts.

•Cuts in federal funding for the schools, through programs li ke Title I, desegregati on, and school lunches, are all but certai n because of the fervor to eliminate social programs in Co ngress.

These funds are not part of the School Di stri ct's core operati ng budget, but they sustain vital e lements of the educati onal program at many schools.

•Uncertainty about the outcome of current budget negotiation s in Washington has made it impossible for states to plan on how much federal money they

will recei ve and how they will be req uired to spend it. In this context, even the Governor's opponents in the Pennsylvania legislature are likely to budget more conservativel y.

• The economy is stagnant , and layoffs and plant closings arc taking the ir toll on wage earnings and hence on potenti al c ity and state tax revenues.

In March, each school will get a firs t look at how the budget pictu re a ffects its particular site when it receives prelim inary budget in formation for next year. For the past fou r years, schools have had the ability during thi s budget process to make tradeo ffs in how they all ocate this budget.

Thi s year, schools may find themse lves hav ing to cut , but with some limited discretion over whe re to make those cuts.

Myers comme nted that schoo ls will be gettin g a memo explai ning what kmds of tradeoffs are all owed and can be made at the school level. In the past, the teachers' union has res isted taki ng part in the painful and pote nt ially d ivisive dec isions about how to c ut school budgets. But Myers' counters that "if you wait to do school-based management until yo u get adequate resources, you' ll be waiting ti ll all our kids have moved on."

Several organi zati ons are foc using their attention on mounting politi cal pressure for adequate school fundin g to avert drastic cuts. One foc us o f organizing is City Counc il 's upcoming public hearings on the School Distri ct budget, slated for Wednesday, March 6; Thursday, March 7; and Saturday. March 9. These hearin gs at City Hall, and particularly the Saturday session (scheduled from 10 a.m. to I p.m .), are an excellent opportunity for large numbers of parents, staff, students and community members to speak to the critical fi nancial needs o f the schoo l system.

School funding may get its day in court As the School District struggles to balance its budget over the next few months, a state judge may provide advocates for Philadelphi a's public school s with an important forum to make the case for increased funding. Pennsylvani a Commonwealth Court Judge Doris Sm ith may hold hearings on the school system's fund ing needs as soon as early spring.

Judge Smi th has been honing in on the iss ue of how to fund the refom1s needed to end generati ons o f fu nding disparities along racial lines and provide an equal education to all students in Philadelphi a. Judge Smith presides over a 23-year-old suit against the School District of Philadelphia about racial segregati on in the schools.

In a November ruling, Judge Smith said that both the state and the c ity must address the issue of whether any add iti onal fundin g is necessary to pay for the reforms she has ordered to e nd inequali ty in Philadelphia schools - and if so, who is responsible for coming up with the money.

Both the state and the c ity have chosen to appeal her ruling to the state Supreme Court, rat her than take up the opportunity Judge Sm ith has offered to go through School District financial records and attempt to show that the District has enough money.

Publi c in terest attorney Mi chael Churchi ll , who represents the main intervenors in the discriminat ion suit again st the School D istrict, said he is optimi stic that the appeals by the city and state will be rej ected by the Supre me Court. If the appea ls are denied, the next step in the case wou ld be hearin gs before Judge Smith on the fin anc ial needs of the Di strict, Churchill said .

Even if both appeals are denied and heari ngs are he ld , lawyers in the case do not belie ve Judge Smith wi ll adopt a ru ling on the mo ney issue in time to ha ve an impact on thi s spring's school budget process.

Moreover, a ny ruling would be subject to furth er appea ls.

However, Churchill pointed out that poli tical pressure from supporters of public educati on around the anti c ipated hearings could pl ay a criti cal part in the budget process. "Hearings would reveal the tremendous need of the School Di strict for additional funds," he noted.

According to Churchill , the gap in spending per stude nt between Phi ladelphia and the average of the surro und ing 62 suburban di stricts is now $ 1759 and is grow in g; Philadelphia is fallin g furth er behind. " It 's amazing that Philade lphi a legislators have permitted the funding gap between Philadelphia and the surroundi ng school dis tricts to gro w larger," he added.

If events in Commonwealth Court he lp to ins pire a public mobili zation for increased fund ing for the schoo l system, then perhaps city and state offic ials may take noti ce and feel compelled to find a legislative solution to the iss ue of in adequate fundin g fo r the schools.

Photo: Fred En g~ t

In response to the needs of the schools, parents have organized around the city. Here a citizen spea ks out at a West Philadelphia community fo rum .

f WINTER 1996

SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

PAGE 12

Interactive math makes for active learners

by Colleen Hebding

near the bottom when compared co other countries. In the second Internacional Assessment of Educational Progress (1991), 9 and 13 year-o lds in the United States scored below simil ar students in Canada, France, the Soviet Union and South Korea. In urban areas such as Philadelphia, math achievement scores are of particular concern. Less than three out of ten ninth grade students in Philadelphia's 22 comprehensive high schools pass algebra or geometry.

Many math educators have long recognized the need co change the tradi ti onal way of teaching mathematics if today's students are to be competitive in the global marketplace of tomorrow. In 1989, after years of work invol ving thousands of math educators from aro und the country, the National Counc il of Teachers of Mathematics published the report, "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards."

The "NCTM Standards" won criti cal acclaim thro ughout the education community. They call for a radical revision in the content, teaching and assessment of mathematics. By bu ild ing upon the "basics" of arithm etic, the NCTM Standards have enlarged the concept of today's "basic math" co include largescale problem-so lving, use of technology, stati stics, probabi lity, and communication and reasoning ski ll s.

By emphasizing math applications first , the NCTM Teaching Standards call for teachers to change their delivery of material from a lecture and "drill -to-kill " approach to a method employing stude nts work ing in teams us in g mathematical models of the real world to achieve a deeper understanding of the power of math's "big ideas."

The Interacti ve Math Program (IMP) is the first full high school curriculum lo be developed that embod ies the NCTM Standards. The IMP curriculum has been extensive ly field-tested over a four- year

period .

Jn 1993 Philadelphia won a $ 1 million grant to pilot IMP in Philadelphia schools. The first Philadelphia schools to use IMP were Central, Philadelphia High School for Girls, Carver High School of Engineering and Science, Dobbins AVTS I Randolph Skills Center, Gratz and Strawberry Mansion High Schools.

Or. Sheldon Pavel, pri nc ipal of Central High School, describes IMP as "a revolutionary way of looki ng at mathematics." With IMP in its third year at

Continued on p. 13

FINAL GRADES FOR 1994-95 ACADEMIC YEAR Number of IMP students= 333 Number of non·IMP students = 3083

•

IMP

•

non-IMP

68.9%

merly white schools chat reminded me of private schools here, uni formly wellequipped and wi th small class sizes The township schools for chi ldren who are Black and Colored (two of the former racial categories) were overcrowded (class size ranged from 40 to 80) and illeq uipped, often conducted outside or in temporary structures wi thout plumbing or electricity.

South African educators face the major challenge of language

of instruction. There now arc 11 official languages.

Previously, all instruction

was in English or Afrikaans.

Now many Black, Colored, and some progressive white educators are exploring first language, "mother tongue," instruct ion and its implications.

For this nation, illiteracy remains another enormous problem. Schooling was d isrupted for the past 18 years, as student> were in the forefront of the liberation struggle, often shutting down

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SOCIAL STUDIES

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The students represented by this data are algebra-ready students. These students were randomly selected within and across charters in five comprehensive high schools: Bartram, Ben Franklin, Germantown, Gratz, and Strawberry Mansion High Schools.

Phila. teacher brings home lessons from South Africa

by Karel Kilimnik

ti el

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Building a new nation, building new schools

It's wonderful to visit a cou ntry where people are shaping their future. I spent five weeks last summer traveling with 12 other teachers through South Africa, meeting with organizations, unions and school teachers who were working very hard to build a democratic South Africa.

As we landed in Johannesburg, I was speechless and teary-eyed. Here I was in South Africa, a pariah state we had boycotted for years, until finally in April 1994 the apartheid regime was forced out. The apartheid regime had implemented a total separation of races, with all the power and resources in the hands of the whites.

The challenges facing South Africa are enormous, but there is a sense of hope and purpose as people come together to build a "rainbow" country, as President Nelson Mandela consistently descnbcs it. They are attempting to build a democracy that includes a range of voices.

Building a new education system is central to this process. Pnor to the 1994 elections there were 19 Departments of Education, all divided by race. In a haunting echo of Ph1laJelphia schools, resources dt,proporuonately went to the white schools. Schooltng for Blacks and other people of color was not compulsory. The emphasis was on making su re that people of color under,cood they would never be equal co whttc' and chat they would only work as un,ktlled labor.

The present Government of National Unity secs cducauon as a pnonty for everyone . A thread running through c\erything "developing a culture of learning that includes everyone. We have much to learn from chem.

How to achtC\C cquil) among schools "the maJor challenge . We vl\ttcd for-

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Promising results are adding up

Math has always seemed co me like Crying to climb an unconquerable mountain. I still remember my most horrific day in elementary school - in my third grade math class. The teacher randomly elected a student to answer our daily flash card drills. On that fateful day, I was the chosen one . With a flip of the flash card, I was asked to solve "3 x 9."

Upon careful consideration, I gave my answer.

When the gasps and giggles finally ceased, I reali,i;ed the answer was not 28.

My punishment, which I perceived co be a third grader's death sentence, was to repeat multiplication tables in front of the entire class until the answers were perfecc. At the tender age of eight, I realized it was the beginning of the end of my mathematical career.

My math phobia continued throughout high school. I remember frantical ly running to my 10th and I Ith grade math cla ses in order to claim the last seat in the last row co avoid being called on. I survived high school mathematics through avoidance techniques chat I had been perfecting since the third grade. As odd as my experiences may seem, the sad face is that too many students suffer from some form of math anx iety.

The bread ch of chis problem is borne out in math test scores . U.S. students are

-

schools to protest apartheid policies. As a result they received very erratic schooling. We visited several non-government organ izati ons whose specific focus was on providing education for both young and older children not in school.

I have taught first grade in the Phi lade lphia public school system for nine years and never have I seen the overwhelming sense of hope and purpose that I saw and heard in South Africa during my brief stay. It was the South African people who brought down the apartheid regime and held the country's first democratic elections ever in 1994, resulting in the election of President Nelson Mandela.

Public discourse centers around the legacy of white supremacy and its horrors, whereas in the U.S. issues of race and white supremacy are either buried or distorted. We have yet to air these issues and grapple with them in a productive process that can lead us forward.

South Africa's vi tal sense of hope is absent among my students here in Philadelphia and in large urban cities across the U.S. They feel fr.ustrati on and despair that things wi ll never ( ) change. There is a lot of fru stration and impatience with the pace of the changes in South Africa as wel l, but this is coupled with a shared hope that everyone can hang in there until thin gs are worked out. This hope is borne of their struggle and the unity that goes into ac hi ev in g equ ity.

People of co lor in South Africa have suffered and struggled tremendous ly over a long period of time. Here, too many of us want ochers to do it for us and co do it quickly.

My years of teaching in Mantua and

North Philadelphia have shown me that equity is needed in our school s, but we have not yet succeeded in build ing a powerful movement to put all of our chi ldren's educational needs at the top of the funding list. This means we shortchange the needs of our nation.

Booking it from Philadelphia to Soweto Friends of SOMAFCO (Solomon Mahlangua Freedom College) is sponsoring an educational project to collect and ship books to two primary schools in Soweto, South Africa. This provides an opportunity to connect students in your classroom with people and events in this emerging free nation.

Books are needed for preschool through fifth-13grade students. All books should be in new or excellent condition. Positive books abo ut African-Americans and Africa, ABC books, science and nature books, chi ldrens' dictionaries and atlases are all needed.

Another possibility is to conduct creative fundrai sing events a nd provide donations to help with shipping costs.

This project will run from Black History Month to the second anniversary of the first democratic elections held in South Africa, April 27, 1996.

For more information or to get involved in the organi zi ng of this project call 215-848- 1806.

Checks can be made out to SOMAFCO; 623 Park Lane #1; Philadelphia, PA 19144-3712.

f WINTER 1996

SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

Act26 Continued from p. 1 nothing to address the problem of getting safely to schoo l, and ofte n has the effect of puni shin g children who are already victims.

Instead, schools should be required to develop meaningful violence prevention programs, including peer mediation and counseling services for students, classroom management training for teachers, and other methods for dealing with conflict in the schools, as well as safe corridor program s, a nd community resource development to deal with problems in the school commun ity.

Ma ny other chi ldren carry weapons in response to family pressures, mental health issues, or other di sabilities.

Expelli ng these child re n does not address their individual problems, and simp ly moves the problem from the

Continued from p. 12

1-

Police Act 26 req uires local school districts lo report any violation of the Act (which is a misdemeanor) to the police. In Philadelphia, principals generall y call police immed iately upon discovering a weapon, without wait ing to contact the child's parents. This has resulted in children as yo ung as 11 , and in one case an eight-year-old , be ing removed fro m school by police, ofte n in handcuffs, without the support or guidance of their parents. These children often wait at police ~'.ati o n s or the Youth Detention Center fo r 6 or 8 hours whil e they are processed . They are understandably traumatized by the whole experience.

Nothing in Act 26 requires a school to report a student to the police before the student's parents are called. School safely is not affected because, by definition, these students have only carried, but not used, a weapon. The school has the power to confiscate the weapon and suspend the student. Therefore, implementing a policy which requires the school to notify parents first, would alleviate the trauma of arrest to students who may be qui te young, wi thout any detriment to school safety. It is worth noting that an adult charged with a misdemeanor is given the option to turn himself in.

Ch ildren should be g iven the same opport unity. At the very least, they should not be carted off to the police station without any adult support. Even New York City requires its schools to send a responsible adult with a child if the parents can not be located before pol ice are contacted.

Science for the first marking period of this new year.

Part of the reason for the increased achievement is increased student motivation and interest in mathematics. Most students say working cooperatively in groups helped them fee l more comfo rtable about asking questions in class because of peer support. Students no longer fe ll alone in class . In addit ion, students fee l that thi s curriculum helps them see the usefuln ess of mathematical ideas.

The IMP curriculum provides them with real life probl ems that they are challenged to solve. Students who take on th is chall enge soon discover that the curriculum relates to other discipl ines .

IMP al so integrates different areas of mathematics such as algebra, geometry, trigonometry, probability and stati stics.

IMP encourages students to develop problem-sol ving and critical thinking skills cooperati vely. Students work in groups and present soluti ons to problems, a process that enhances social and comm unication skills.

Key to IMP's success are its 45 teachers. IMP teachers undergo 240 hours of training over fo ur years, in volvi ng frequent after-school meetings and numerous in-classroom visits by IMP teacher mentors.

In addition to instructi onal strategies, teachers are trained to use vari ous forms of assessment, such as portfoli os, longterm problem solving, and group prese ntati ons. By using vary ing assessment tools, more students' learning sty les are be ing addressed.

IMP also fo sters a greater parentteacher-student relati onshi p. In October some 300 parents and children attended an IMP Fam ily Math ni ght at La Salle Uni versity. IMP enco urages parents to become involved wi th the ir students' ni ghtly homework, a crucial step to student success.

For more information about IMP, please call 951-1 987. Colleen Hebding is a graduate assistant at La Salle Un iversity. She wishes to thank IMP Director Joe Me rlino for his help in preparing this a rticle.

Planning A consortium of local school advocates have been meeting since last fall to identify problems raised by Act 26, propose solutions, and convince the District to take acti on. To their credit, some District officials seem to recognize the overly harsh effects of Act 26 and have been d iscussing how to deal with it, most notabl y by developing a proposal to place children in remedial schools rather than expell ing them entirely. Unfortunately, there has been lillle information about where students would be sent or what ki nds of programs these schools woul d offer.

Those concerned about these issues shoul d contact your local school, School District offi c ials, members of the Board of Education, and City Council members to ask what they are doing to address school violence and community violence affect in g stude nts. You can a lso contact the Ed ucat ion Law Center (238-6970) for more information about Act 26 or the concerns and recommendations of the advocates' group.

0

Interactive math Central, juniors have outperformed their non-IMP peers there by 44 po ints on their most recent PSAT scores.

Administered out of La Salle Un iversity in partnership with Beaver Coll ege and the Office of Senior High Schools, IMP is now in eight comprehensive and four magnet high schools.

Last year's final grade report for IMP students in comprehensive high schools showed nearly a 20 point difference in math passing rates. But because the IMP curriculum involves extensive writing, communication and problem-solving skills, IMP students also showed a 32 point difference in English and a 17 point difference in science pass ing rates.

The six other school s using IMP are Bartram, Ben Franklin, Edi son , Furness, Germanto..:Vn and Uni versity C ity High Schools. Nearly all the schools have shown that IMP students are performing better in the four major s ubject areas of Math, E nglish, Social Stud ies, and

PAGE 13

schools Lo the streets. Rather than excluding a child from what may be his only access lo help, services to help students should be ex panded , and schools should be req uired to seek out such services.

Finall y, a signifi cant number of students run afoul of Act 26 because they simpl y ex hi bit the curiosity or poor judgment one might ex pect from a youngster, or they or their parents simply did not know about it. E xamples include a • 7-year-old whose mother packed a kni fe in his lunch box to c ut some fruit· • 12-year-old girl carrying a key cha in which, incidentally, had a small pen knife attached lo it ; • 16-year-old boy who accidentall y left a work tool for his after-school job in his jacket pocket.

The law 's get-tough posturing has led lo an extremely broad and vague defini tion of what constitutes a weapon. The

effect can be to crim inalize chi ldren for carrying such standard school items as a compass or pair of scissors. Expul sion is not an appropriate response to these situations.

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I

Facts and figures that take a closer look at our schools and society • Chances that a first grader in the District will not meet the criteria to move on to second grade: nearly 1 in 4 • Percent of student respondents to Report Card on the School that stated their schools fail to provide a safe environme nt : 70% • Percent of the school work orders accounted for by vandalism: 11 % • Percent of Philadelphia's 258 schools designated "racially isolated": 52 % • Percent of the District's gifted staff allocated to racially isolated schools: 25% • Amount paid by the District for municipal services, s uch as water, sewer, garbage pick-up (unlike most urban school districts): $4.1 million • Chances that an African American male participated in the Million Man March: 1 in 12 • Out of 258 school buildings, number classified in "good" condition: 22 •Among the 134 racially isolated schools, num ber of buildings classified "good": 8 • Among the 134 racially isolated schools, number of buildings classified "poor": 21 • As of 1994, percent of ninth graders that enrolled in and passed Algebra I: 30% • Estimated value of new equipment stolen from Germantown High School over the summer during construction: $14,000 • Number of principals district-wide: 283 • Number of Latino principals: 9 • Number of Lati no studen ts districtwide: 23,000 • Number of bil in gual special ed c lasses that use native language instruction: 0 • At current rates, the year whe n an absolute maj ority of African American males between the age o f 18 and 40 will be in prisons or penal camps: 2012 •

umber of schools included in the District's first clusters brought on line: 6 high schools, 14 middle schools, 47 elementary schools

READERS RESPOND Vet on JROTC: Been there To the Editor: M ilitarism is defined as a "predominance of the military class or its ideals" and as an "exaltation of military virtues and ideals."

I am writing on behalf of my organizati on, the Philadelphia Area Chapter of Veterans for Peace (VFP), to express our appreciation for the articles and letters in School Notebook concerning the intrusion of Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp (JROTC) units into the pub lic high schools of Philadelphia. They have informed and strengthened our opposition to the presence in the schools of what we would term a course in Basic Militarism IOI. We are veterans who served du ri ng World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. We experienced the primary objecti ve of military training teaching recruits strict obedience to the authority of the chain of command while bei ng taught the violence of war-making. We experi enced the fact that the mind-set drilled into us whi le preparing to be warriors is at odds with the need lo learn how lo think critically and develop

Voucher defeat "deja vu" Governor Ton~ Ridge ungraciously conceded defeat, December 13, in his attempt to push tu Ilion voucher lcg1slat1on through the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Ridge's .. KIDS 2" bill would have provided grants lo some Pennsylvania families lo cover a portion of the tuition at private or religmus schools. 1l1c lcgislat10n was not fom1ally brought up hccause there were insuffie1cnt votes to pass ll Commenting on these dcvclopmcnLs, Larry f-rankcl, lcgisla11vc director of the American Civil L1bert1cs Union of Penns) l-.m1a, said, .. First, be aware that only Governor Ridge believes he Mts one rntc short All of the legislators, staff and reporters I have talked to think thai the Go•cm r needed at lea.st five more votes,

probl em-solving skill s.

We agree with the well-documented evide nce, as stated in Harold Jordan's recent letter lo the Notebook which shows that the Ju nior ROTC prog ram is part of the m ili tary's recruiti ng efforts, now starti ng with kids in middle schools and 14 year-old first year high school stude nts.

As JROTC programs proliferate, we are very concerned about the devastating cutbacks in non-m ilitary high school programs such as marching bands, music and art classes, after-school spec ial interest clubs, j uni or varsity sports, etc.: activities that reinforce positive fee lings of self-worth, self-discipline, ful fi llment and the j oy of learn ing.

The quiet acceptance of Junior ROTC in our high schools by the school authorities should not continue unchallenged .

How many more units will start up next September? There needs to be informed publ ic discussion on this issue.

Members of the Philadelphia Area VFP have become part of a coalition that is working to publicize this issue and to have an open evaluation of the program and its stated objectives before any more un its are started. Your readers who are interested in joining this e ffo rt can contact me at 229 West Upsal Street, #104, Philadelphia, PA 191 19; or at (2 15) 844333 1 for more information.

Eugene Bloomfield, Secretary, Philadelphia Area Chapte1; Veterans for Peace

Charity case

excuses them fro m pay ing their fa ir share of real esLate taxes. This is seen as a fair exchange for doi ng charit abl e wo rk. Unfortunate ly, the Archdi ocese of Ph iladelph ia has not been all that charitable lo pari shioners in poorer ne ighborhoods, who in recent years have seen their schools and chu rches closed due to " lack of fu nds ."

School vo ucher pla ns not onl y cripple the public schools, but in the long run hurt all taxpayers, includ ing the parents of parochial school c hildren. T he Ridge voucher plan offers only an illusion of re lief to these parents because it onl y minimally lessens tuition and does not eliminate the burde n of pay ing real estate taxes.

What we need is real refo rm for the fu nding of our educationa l system, reform that w ill benefit everyone.

Rich Cro, Mayfa ir r --- - --- - - - - --- -- - --- - ---- - - - ,

Change is in the air.. .

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possibly more, to pass his education package in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. And nobody could predict what wou ld have occurred in the Senate." " I believe that this latest setback for vouchers can truly benefit pub lic education if it means that serious proposals for reform wil l now be considered," Frankel continued. "Parents, students and teachers have offered lots of good ideas for improving our public schools. It 's been hard for the legislature to consider, debate and move forward on any of those ideas during the intense strugg le over vouchers.

With vouchers out of the way, the serious work of refonning public education can begin."

Brief update on a story from last issue

To the editor: Having attended Catholic school for twelve years, I feel obligated to speak out against Governor Ridge's school voucher plan. I speak out not on ly because the plan is unconstitu tional, but because it wou ld continue a trend of large sums o f publi c money be ing tran sferred into private hands.

The Const ituti on of the United States calls for separation of church and stale.

Religious ins tituti ons arc granted the favorable not-for-profit tax status, whi ch

What's your opinion?

Schoo l Notebook welcomes yo ur letters, reviews, or opposing viewpoints. Please send to Public School Notebook, 372 1 Midvale Ave. Phi la.

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WINTER 1996

PAGE 15

SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

GUEST OPINIONS J

Privatization: A public nightmare

by Debbie Bell S ince the inception of public education, it has had its detractors. For many of today's political leaders, the theory is that the longer and the harder you blame public schools for not educating our children, the holier you are. The more you perpetrate a 1ie, the detractors hope, the truer it becomes.

The view that publi c school s are to blame is the basis of the current school privatization movement, which advocates letting pri vate companies run public schools. This blaming has created an atmosphere where parents have to apologize for sending their children to public schools. But what pri vatization really mean s is that someone is going to make a profit, whether or not our children get an education.

In Pennsylvania we have had two s uccessive governors who decry the abysmal quality of education and the horrific conditions of our schools, but whose response is to slash fu nding for public education or to promote vouchers for pri vate ·and religious schools. We also have a state legislature that divides the paltry education budget in a partisan manner to penali ze the urban areas. They are quite conscious that thi s sacrifices the largest number of students in the Commonwealth, and that these urban districts have a preponderance of African

American ch ildren and other students of color in their schools.

At a national level, the Contract on America touted by the right wing is also a contract on public education. These days, big business has determined that only a few intellects and trained people are needed. Therefore, why educate everyone? The long-preferred tool to divide the population and undermine the comm itment to public education for all is racism.

Outside of Philadelphia, school districts have been targeted for pri vatization that have large African American, Latino and Asian populations - Baltimore, Hartford, and Milwaukee. These communities are largely poor, and they have a weak poli tical voice. These communities also offer education companies a chance to make a big profit.

The movement to privatize public education is sophisticated and well-funded. Big business has preyed upon the desires and aspirations of the African American community for their children to receive a quality education. A burni ng desire for all youth to have the opportunity to lead a more successful and fulfill in g life than their parents makes the African American comm unity a ready target for privatizers' promises.

One of the first initi atives to pri vatize

What privatization really means is that Someone is going to make a profit.

le

Community speakout

Setting standards: What kids should know The School District, in partnership with the Philadelphia Education Fund, is in the process of writing the new standards for all public school students. This is not a standardized curriculum but guidelines for what all students should know by the time they graduate from high school. What would you like to see included in these standards?

Roy Newhart, caregiver, Pastorius: "I wo uld li ke to see all kids get a chance at being successfu l. Right now some teachers just pick and choose wh ich kids they think can make it and don't bother to teach to any others. These standards mi ght give a ll the kids a fair chance."

Pamela Sullivan, parent, Martha Washington: "Teaching stude nts the basic abiliti es, like bei ng able to read and write well. Most of the time by 12th grade they can barely read at the 4th or 5th grade level. " Laurie Johnson, parent, Longstreth,

Central and University City High: "What 1 would like to see included in the standards is the know-how for all children to be able to compete in our rapidl y changing world. Let's face it: there are no more factories, and America's chi!. dren are not prepared to compete. Th is is especially true of minority children. The schools have been neglectful in keeping up Hattie Jackson, community member: "I am happy to hear the School Di stri ct is tak in g some type of action to remedy the si tuation of child ren not learning. I guess by standards they mean ideals. If so, children need to know more abo ut everyth ing, but they also need to be able to read, write and do math well and thi s shou ld be the basis. If peop le can read, write and do math, then they can do any thin g. We need lo be sure the childre n arc learn in g and not just being passed on."

Pholo: Fred Engs<

Profiteers see our kids as their ticket to big bucks. public education in Pennsy lvania came in Wilkinsburg, PA- a poor, predominantly African American school district in the western part of the state. The Alternative Public School (APS) won the right to adm in ister the Turner School in Wi lkinsburg.

A spokesperson for APS commented, "We in the African American communi ty never receive a tangible commitment to excellence." This is correct. Howeve r, education profiteers cann ot be seen as the benefactor and savior of the African American commu nity. Privatization simply means that corporations wi ll seek profits by expl oiting the education of America's youth .

The legacy of privat ized school s is already well establi shed: •Corporate privatizers have taken millions of doi'Iars from the taxpayers.

For example, in Baltimore, the com pany EA!, Inc. took $2.6 million , IO percent of its first-year payment from the city for runnin g several schools.

•Fundi ng for public schools s uffers.

Every penny that is granted to the private corporation or private school is deducted from the fundin g for public education.

•There is no accoun tability to the public. That includes fund s, decisions and curri culum content.

•Class sizes soar, si nce cert ified teachers are cut due to downsizing .

When the dust settles, the fact remains that pri vatizing pub lic schools has not worked in a sin gle place it has been attempted.

For parents and teachers demanding better schools, what we must learn is that it is not necessary to pri vati ze schools to effect a change.

C hange comes from organ ized activity and pressure. For example, in 1995 Ph il adelphia parents of at least three elementary schools picketed or withheld their children in protest for c hange. The Junior Varsity sports program was recently reinstated because of community pressure. Our politicians and schoo l boards know the problems in our school s, but because of financial constra in ts and the political climate they wait , inactive, unti l many of us start to complain.

The old adage that the squeaky wheel gets the grease is st ill a truism. It sti ll takes a coalition of parents, teachers, students and commu nity to insure that public educat ion can serve its historic role of educat in g the entire populace.

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SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

PAGE 16

WINTER 1996

Students, parents, school staff reflect

A look back at the Million Man March Last October over one million African Americans gathered in the nation 's capital for what was called a day of unity and atonement.

This crowd included thousands of Philadelphia public school students, parents and staff members. People working in our schools could not help but notice the level of excitement and anticipation felt by many of the young African American men in our classrooms.

On the day of the march, attendance was very low, particularly in the comprehensive high schools in predominantly African American neighborhoods. This reflected the large number who

attended as well as a sizable crowd who chose to stay home on that day.

The Notebook sought to examine the impact that the largest march in the history of our country had on the individuals who participated. We contacted several people connected wi th our schools who traveled to Washington, D.C., on that day and asked them to reflect on the question:

"Looking back three months after the March, what do you find you have carried with you to this day?"

together in body, mind and spirit. We became transcendent.

More than three months later, many are still united in mind and spirit, but not necessari ly in our abi lity to mobil ize collective act ion. But that's okay. Change always takes time, and contrary to the opini on of some, time is not running out.

The M illi on Man March is a symbol , and yet for some it is the first step in developing real partnerships; for others, strengthen ing ex isting ones - partnerships at home, in schools, at work, in churches, in neighborhoods and beyond.

Most of these ear ly attempts are invisible, and many don ' t work initially, but we must persevere. We will succeed.

The most important thing about the M illion Man March for me is that I do n't fee l quite as alone any more.

Thank you, my brothers.

Anthony "Racko" Holloway, pa rent, Roosevelt Middle School and Pennell Elementary

T

he Million Man March was the most important symbol and the most powerful example of collective manhood for thi s forty-three year old man who happens to be African American. Growin g up in Phi ladelphia, there were adequate pos iti ve role model s fo r me to emul ate, but rare ly did I see uni ted action initiated, organi zed and executed by A fri can American men.

As an African American man, I have oft en fe lt like a runner-up in this compet it ive, soc iall y consc io us, upwardly strivi ng c ulture. I was good but not quite good enough, and although my selfesteem is re lativel y hi gh, I occas ionall y struggle with those feelings. Many ti mes I've fe lt terribly alone.

Partic ipating in the Mi ll ion Man March was one of the few times that I fe lt like part of a collective whole of people, and spec ifically men, who by and large looked like me. I was tru ly with my brothers. For once, we were all

recall myself fee ling so j oyful to see the people of my culture come together li ke that. People from all over were there to represent different neighborhoods, cities and states. The weather was nice, but that was n't it. T here was a host of speakers - the maj or ones were Rosa Parks and Lo ui s Farrakhan, and they each talked about the past and how a ll the people should respect each other.

Thousands of people were sell ing M ill ion Man March partic ipant passes, T-shirts, key chai ns, hats, sweatshirts, and bags .

Money was sitting all over the pl ace but no one ever even looked at it twice. T here also were peo ple serving food (free of charge) to whoever stopped past to taste and see some real home cooking.

Aro und five o' cl ock Farrakhan was cl osing his speech and he asked if anyo ne wo uld donate a dollar fo r many uses . The cro wd was runni ng with the word (yeah), and before yo u know it, the men in uniforrns had .trash bags collecting . The day was full of rej oicing, camera flas hing and love.

Dwayne Ross, William Penn High School

!

have carried with me the need and responsibi li ty that older Black men have in reclaiming our youth during our lifetimes. This reclamation may be in terrns of one-on-one relat1onsh1ps as well as group-to-group ; those who have "made it" to those "who have not made it."

John M. Blanchard, parent

I

think I carried with me [the idea of] atonement. I think because of the Mill ion Man March the crime rate went down fo r some Blacks.

I th ink the Mi lli on Man March reall y changed some people.

I' ve carried w ith me that everyone should be responsible, that everyone should be good to one another, that they should try to do all th ings that will be better and not do the thi ngs that will hurt them.

Masi Blaylock, William Penn High School

!

A

s an A. frican American, I reali zed our desti ny is i.n our own hands. Each person must do what they can to make our communities productive. Parents who have students m the Philadelphia school sy stem need to come together and get in volved in their child 's education. We need parents to help create a vision for our schools.

Jon Grayson, teacher. Central East Middle School

T

he full impact of the Million Man March has not yet reac hed our soc iety.

In re trospec t, we are still feelin g the constitutional, economi c, and educational changes of the fin al march on Washingto n, D.C., by Dr. Martin L uther King Jr. My hope, dream, and as piration is that the same impact will affect the mi nds of the people of th is country and aro und路 the worl d - to give them a better understandin g of the Afri can American male and hi s role in society.

Understand that changes w ill come

about only as we em brace those ideals that combine a ll peopl e regardless of race, creed and color. We must work together for the common good and constructive change that w ill benefit all people .

T he march emphasized voter registration and jobs. The educati onal value of thi s march has to be identified in A merican and A fric an A meri can history. Pare nts, teachers , admini strators, and leg islators have a combined duty to see that thi s is accomplished .

Ed Roberson, pa rent, Fe ls High School

Tragic results of Vietnam War retold

Edison class of '65 on film In 1965 at Edi son High School in Phil adelphia, students staged "Shakespeare's World ;" swayed to "Moon Ri ve r" at the prom; and watched as a Presidentia l motorcade brought Ly ndon B. Johnson ri ght past their school's front lawn.

That year, President Johnson was busy depl oyi ng hundred s of tho usands of American troops in Vietnam, des pite pro te sL~ across the nation. For stude nts at Ed ison High Sc hool, the res ults \\ ere tragic: 66 young men from Edi son's cl ass of 1965 died in the Vietnam War, the most of an y high sc hool in America.

"Yearbook: The Class of '65" is a hi ghl)" acclaimed 1995 documentary that te lls the story of Edison High School s tudents in that class, how it

was that so many of them e nded up in Vietnam, and the terrible impact the Vietnam War had on their li ves.

"Yearbook" will be aired Satu rday, March 2, at 4 p.m., on WTXF-Fox Phi ladelph ia (Channel 29).

"Yearbook" looks at the lives of young men who never returned from Vietnam - through stories told by their families, friends and teachers and at classmates who fought and survived but still experienced the war's profound impact. That impact is still felt at Edi son and across Phi ladelphi a. "'Yearbook" is a 75-minute, locally produced, commercial-free doc umentary, produced and directed by Stephen Jimenez. Jime nez expects his fil m to be avai lable on video later this year.

"Yearbook: The Class of '65" will air Saturday, March 2, at 4 p.m. on Channel 29.