Post by rosesandpetals on Jan 31, 2015 19:19:13 GMT -5
We will likely buy a house in a crap district to save money and send her to private. I've gone back and forth about the private school thing but I haven't seen any schools around here I love. There are 2."amazing" public schools with open enrollment but there have been issues with levies and funding and they're going down hill quickly. This is also not our forever home but the school for this district is awful. I would never send her here. there is an issue with all the military families because we live in the same town as the AF base. I think it has to do with kids leaving in the middle of the year but I am not 100% sure.
Small district compared to some. 4500 kids, 4 k-4s, a 5-6, a 7-8 and a high school. District is very diverse, 50% aa, 40% white, 7% Asian I believe. Rest is Hispanic and other. You are assigned your elementary school with little option to move. Our elem is about 30% reduced lunch, not sure about district wide. If guess some school are higher.
Great schools ranks our elementary as an 8, one middle an 8, one a 7 and the high school a 7. I don't know the test scores off the top of my head. We've always been a recognized district for various awards but have had a dip in state & county rankings.
The school board just entered a separation agreement with the superintendent. She'd only been here since 2013 but it's been messy, issues with teachers, admin, the union. While I don't know how much of the current problems are her responsibility, I think she was a poor choice and that with better leadership we can get back up. Still, the average parent will tell you that the teachers are beyond amazing and that their children were prepared for college & more. I think the graduation rate is about 94% with a good portion of them attending some kind of higher Ed.
Dd is just in kindergarten but it's full day, 9-3:40. 2 recesses a day, gym, art & music twice a week & library once. Her teacher is awesome in that he keeps them moving & will be flexible with his plans if the kids are too rammy. There are 22 kids in her class and there is an aid. They currently have a student teacher, too. The winter concert was this past week and I was very impressed with the music teacher & what he accomplished with them.
Post by andrewsgal on Jan 31, 2015 21:00:19 GMT -5
My turn I guess.
We live in a very large school district size wise we cover 250 sq miles. We have 30 campuses and are adding at the rate of about 3 more per year.
Our district has a major focus on technology and out superintendent is one of the most vocal and active in our state fighting against standardized testing as a whole.
However I still believe there is entirely too much emphasis placed on a test.
My kids attend our local elementary school. The have PE daily and recess once or twice a day depending on age. The school is only 3% free lunch. It is a higher income school and fairly new with excellent facilities.
All of our jr high and high school kids are provided a tablet and free internet is provided for the lower income children.
There are opportunities in our district that are not available at private schools in our area such as 5 different academies in high school one being engineering and robotics. Which is a project based engineering academy for kids interested in STEM.
As much as I love our district and what they have to offer I am increasingly frustrated with teaching to and for the tests. In addition to the big guys in our state capital passing regulations on something they no nothing about.
Post by fancynewbeesly on Jan 31, 2015 21:14:33 GMT -5
penguingrrl In our district (not far from your previous district), they had gym once a week. Also recess is about 15 minutes long. No full day kindergarten either.
Unfortunately, due to the PARCC test, most of my colleagues are overwhelmed, frustrated and disenchanted. Most of the time is being spent teaching to the test. There is very little creativity. Even the younger grades they are getting them on computers as much as possible and unfortunately sacrificing the creative aspect. Many, many articles I have read recently stated NJ teachers had the highest level of dissatisfaction of teaching, next to Florida. Maybe, my district is unique, but I have a feeling it is statewide. Some of my friends are the most amazing teachers, and I see them cry nearly every day--sometimes even in the staff room at lunch. I have friends that go back to work every Friday night from about 6-10 at night. We got an e-mail during the "supposed" blizzard from the supervisor stating NOT to come into work on a snow day. (because there were many teachers that would have). It is really sad. Combined with a superintendent that is causing a lot of discord as well, among personnel issues. Teachers in our district have 10 sick days (which can roll over), and 3 personal days. Now, sick days can only be used for YOU and your doctor's appointment. So if your kid is sick, you can't use a sick day. If they find out that you took off on a sick day for your kid, you will be docked pay for the day. If your husband/parents/kid is having surgery and you are actively caring for them, you can't use a sick day.
However, I think a lot of those issues parents wouldn't necessarily see. I am just on the inside looking out.
Not going to lie, the two moms I've met since moving here (a colleague of Hs wife and someone at dance) either homeschool or are considering it because the schools aren't meeting their standards. I judged that hard when I first heard that, especially coming from a professor's wife, but the more I see the more I get it.
We're considering living in the cheapest area around instead so we can free up money for private school instead, which is something that I had never for a second considered before. I worry that the pressure on tests is not unique to our district. I'll be honest and say that I'm seeing a huge disparity on them from our well ranked public school in NJ to here. No idea if it's a district issue or a state issue, but it has me very concerned.
I know one of the things we always say is "what makes you think you can do a job better than a teacher". I couldn't. BUT I know so many teachers who feel they could do a better job without the constraints of testing or school boards.
I can't say if I fell into some amazing homeschool co-op run by actual teachers I wouldn't check it out.
I have always been anti homeschooling and know that I could never do it better than a trained teacher. I think it's arrogant to think I could. But I'm less against homeschool coops that employ a teacher than I once was seeing the decline in public education recently. The test culture has gone so far it's actively harming what it's trying to help. I actually have a cousin who was a public elementary teacher for 17 years who is homeschooling her kids now and is one of the few I trust to do it well.
And I'll say that DH could absolutely teach HS chemistry, math and physics as well as a certified teacher, but that's his actual area of expertise and he's experienced at teaching those subjects.
penguingrrl In our district (not far from your previous district), they had gym once a week. Also recess is about 15 minutes long. No full day kindergarten either.
Unfortunately, due to the PARCC test, most of my colleagues are overwhelmed, frustrated and disenchanted. Most of the time is being spent teaching to the test. There is very little creativity. Even the younger grades they are getting them on computers as much as possible and unfortunately sacrificing the creative aspect. Many, many articles I have read recently stated NJ teachers had the highest level of dissatisfaction of teaching, next to Florida. Maybe, my district is unique, but I have a feeling it is statewide. Some of my friends are the most amazing teachers, and I see them cry nearly every day--sometimes even in the staff room at lunch. I have friends that go back to work every Friday night from about 6-10 at night. We got an e-mail during the "supposed" blizzard from the supervisor stating NOT to come into work on a snow day. (because there were many teachers that would have). It is really sad. Combined with a superintendent that is causing a lot of discord as well, among personnel issues. Teachers in our district have 10 sick days (which can roll over), and 3 personal days. Now, sick days can only be used for YOU and your doctor's appointment. So if your kid is sick, you can't use a sick day. If they find out that you took off on a sick day for your kid, you will be docked pay for the day. If your husband/parents/kid is having surgery and you are actively caring for them, you can't use a sick day.
However, I think a lot of those issues parents wouldn't necessarily see. I am just on the inside looking out.
That's the sense I'm getting for all of Nj from the numerous teachers on our local board and it's so disheartening. NJ always had such fantastic schools and I hate seeing the teachers so demoralized.
I will say coming from where I was in NJ to a similarly ranked district in PA the differences are startling. The mindset if the entire district is very different. Back to school night here started with the principal discussing how we did on standardized tests, showing charts of how we have improved in them and discussing how we will build and maintain that. In our old district standardized tests were never mentioned in parent presentations. They discussed the curriculum used, what specials we would have, school safety procedures and a lot of other things, but I never once heard an administrator mention standardized testing at all. It was a different mindset.
Ha, our district is only 9 square miles and no new schools (unless replacing an old one) and very little growth in general.
RE: teaching to the test - isn't this everywhere? Are some places that much better than others in this area? I honestly don't know.
Yes to an extent but I believe a situation in Emma's class took it to the extreme and sacrificed what is best for the kids in the name of the almighty test.
what so you all mean teaching to the test? [ETA: ok, I just googled this and I don't find that to be the case with my kids school. I have no idea what middle school is like though-end ETA]
I find the teachers/lessons to be very creative and fun. obviously they have testing. well not the little ones but my oldest has a math or spelling test each week. and the standard oct, jan, as may assessments. but that's pretty much it.
that whole 4-7 day special rotation is odd. haha. I have never heard of that. my kids school runs like mine did years ago. 5 day schedule. 1 gym,art,computer,library and music. same time everyday/week. i would be pissed I my kids didn't have them each week.
Also, I don't give much stock in that great school rating. I don't think it gives an accurate picture and in a few cases around here, gives a sense of false security.
one of our town recently opened a new high school and It is gorgeous. completely green/LEED with air conditioned gyms and auditorium, green house, new sport fields, labs etc. it literally replaced the old high school. the same teachers and students made the move over a cpl years ago. thei great schools went from 2/10 to 8/10. how can a new building change the rating so dramatically? your still getting the same teachers as curriculum? is it possible to go up a bit since they have more access to equipment and tools? yes. but not 6 stars. they still have the same drug issues, they still have the same drop out rate and continuing ed rate. it's false.