WOO-TOWN INDE X An itemized list of Worcester’s ups and downs this week.
{ citydesk }
April 19 - 25, 2012 ■ Volume 37, Number 33
The UPCS-ification of Claremont Academy ON THE UPSIDE: Hartford Courant editorial (written by a Boston urban planner) highlights Worcester’s remolding as an education, biomedical and transportation hub (and even mentions Table Talk Pies) as a model for the development of Connecticut’s “struggling postindustrial cities.” Take note Boston media – it’s not all stabbings and three-decker fires. Forbes ranks Worcester as one of the 10 best metros to raise a family, based on cost of living, housing affordability, commuting time, crime and education. “Industrial downtown lifted by nearby neighborhoods like Marlborough, Shrewsbury and Boxborough. Easy access to Boston and Hartford, and the College of the Holy Cross overlooking the city from the hill.” Translation: Worcester’s great if you’re trying to leave it for eight hours a day. A little back-handed, if you ask us. City Manager’s “Clean Team” spends 2.5 hours removing litter, fridges and other dumpings from Vernon Hill and Union Hill, hauling away about 10 tons of trash. Local photographer and Clark senior lecturer Stephen DiRado wins a Guggenheim fellowship in order to pursue his craft. “This is huge; I can put all my worries in making the work. That is stressful enough,” he told Worcester Mag. ON THE DOWNSIDE: The Worcester Sharks miss out on the playoff swhile parent NHL team San Jose rolls into the postseason. Watching from afar isn’t quite the same as watching from the DCU Center. U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge rules that Direct Air should be liquidated, ending any chance of a comeback for the charter flight service out of Worcester Regional Airport. The writing was on the wall long ago, but hopefully this means patrons can finally get their refunds for unused tickets. Worcester Police Chief Gary Gemme shuts down his Twitter account after apparently violating the city’s social media policy. Even if you disagreed with him, we should be encouraging city officials to voice their opinions publicly. Male and female suffer wounds when shot near a car on Orne Street as a seven month old sat in the front seat; a police officer on a motorcycle is involved in an accident with a minivan; and a six year old is struck by a motor vehicle on Bancroft Street by an SUV (WPD reports she is in stable condition).
4
WORCESTERMAG.COM • APRIL 19, 2012
The Worcester Public Schools wants a tale of two buildings to converge Jeremy Shulkin
T
here are two schools within a mile of each other in Main South. One, the University Park Campus School, has earned national attention as one of the best high schools in the country since it opened in 1997, and its principal, Ricci Hall, was praised by President Barack Obama during his efforts to revamp the federal No Child Left Behind law. Last year the school boasted a graduation rate of 95.2 percent and its 10th grade class outperformed state averages in all but one category on the English, Math and Science MCAS exam. Over at Claremont Academy, a different narrative has been written. In its 20 years, it’s gone through name changes (from Woodland to the Accelerated Learning Laboratory to Claremont Academy) and administrative shake ups with little accolades to show for it. Between 2007 and 2011, its graduation rate fluctuated between 75 percent and 87.2 percent. Last year, its grade 10 MCAS scores significantly lagged behind state averages and fell below citywide averages as well. So when Principal Paula Gibb-Severin announced she would retire from principal duties after this year, Worcester Public Schools Superintendent Melinda Boone says she saw an opportunity to redesign the building. She announced last Monday that Hall would be brought in to lead the school for the 2012/2013 year and that all teachers would have to rebid for their jobs at Claremont (their jobs as teachers within the district would remain). In her letter to the school, Boone called this a “restart plan.” In an interview last week, Boone says the vision is of a “high-performing school,” noting that “certain structures create success within Worcester.” It’s hard to imagine UPCS wasn’t on her mind – it certainly was for Claremont students who joined in picketing in front of the school administration building on Irving Street last Thursday and Friday afternoons. “I think that our school is very different from other schools,” offered McKenzie Gratton, a junior. “You can’t compare.” Shelly Lam, a Claremont sophomore, even referred to plans for the school’s future as “UPCS 2,” though not exactly as a positive. Others aren’t exactly shying away from the comparison. School-committee member John Monfredo, who supported
Boone’s administrative move along with Donna Colorio, Jack Foley, Tracy O’Connell Novick and Mayor (and school committee chair) Joe Petty, smiled when told of the “UPCS 2” remark, saying he filed a proposal two years ago asking, “Is there a way of replicating UPCS?” adding, “I had my eye on one school.” After all, to those who want what’s being referred to as a “culture change” at Claremont, there’s some wonder why UPCS has been able to distinguis itself on both state and national levels while Claremont hasn’t had the same academic successes. But Claremont has its share of differences from UPCS. UPCS enrolls students whose parents are engaged enough to place their children in the lottery that determines the school’s future students. (It’s no secret that students perform better when their parents are actively involved in their education.) Incoming seventh-graders also go through a mandatory summer-school session to close some of the academic gaps they might have, though according to O’Connell there’s no rule barring any other public school in the city from doing this. UPCS also has a unique special ed program that’s inclusion-based, but doesn’t have life skills classes or students who aren’t mainstreamed into regular classes. UPCS also had the luxury of starting from scratch 15 years ago, a sentiment the district is trying to manufacture by having each teacher reapply for their job at Claremont. “It’s not going to be easy; new philosophy, new culture for the building,” Monfredo says, while adding that “research shows the remaking of a school, starting from scratch is new teachers.” Though Monfredo would also agree with school-committee member Brian O’Connell’s sentiments, who opposes the action being taken: it’s difficult to
replicate one school’s model at another. “It’s going to be difficult because Claremont is not situated to be a UPCS from day one,” O’Connell says. “If we’re establishing a UPCS 2 in a new school, that [would be] fine.” Thomas Del Prete, chair and director of the Jacob Hiatt Center for Urban
Education at Clark University, which partners with UPCS, says the district and its partners would like to see UPCS’ culture “inform” Claremont’s future, “not duplicat[e] it.” Like a few Claremont teachers disturbed by the comparisons, Del Prete notes Claremont has a different special education program and more English Language Learners than UPCS. Still, “in terms of your focus and effort on behalf of each kid individually and practice and pedagogy, there’s a lot from UPCS that can be helpful.” This could also lead to a stronger partnership between Clark and Claremont, one where the University offers more support via professional development classes and student teaching. Of course, the optimism isn’t quite shared by the teachers wondering if their days at the school are numbered. Joann Foley, the school’s Avid program coordinator and science department head calls this a “hidden agenda,” and riles at charges the school’s culture needs changing. continued on page 6