Home Blog Page 986

City public school kids don’t keep up with state in test scores

Editor, Our Time Press
-
0

IBO study shows mixed results in Bloomberg’s effort
to reform schools 

By Nico Simino

As recent results from statewide math and English test scores show an overall improvement in grades 3-8 for the second year in a row, an independent report by the city’s Independent Budget Office (IBO) shows that the majority of students had the same proficiency level in the 6th grade that they had in the 3rd grade.

More than 60 percent of students scored at the same proficiency level on state English and math tests in the sixth grade as they did in the third grade. Only 30 percent of students’ scores improved during that span. Eight percent of students actually lost ground, going down in their proficiency scores during the same time period.

IBO Director of Education Research Ray Domanico said the study serves as a wake-up call to the Bloomberg Administration, which claims that their reforms have improved students’ scores at city schools.
“At a time when the city was saying things were getting better in the school system, it looks different when you look at performances of the individual student,” said Domanico.

But city officials disputed the findings of the report saying that the state’s standardized tests are not designed to be compared from one year to the next.

“As we explained to the IBO, their research is invalid,” the DOE said in a statement. “Testing experts know that performance levels on New York State tests cannot be compared from grade to grade without additional analysis, which this study failed to complete or consider. We are surprised the IBO would issue results with this fundamental flaw.
Domanico has admitted that there were some limitations to looking at proficiency levels alone. He said comparing state test scores from one year to the next is less than ideal because a proficiency level in third grade doesn’t necessarily mean a student did not learn anything if they earn the same score in subsequent grades.
But given the data, Domanico said proficiency levels, rather than raw scores, are the only possible way to measure individual student progress.

The report came right before the city announced improved overall scores for grades 3 through 8. The scores posted by about 440,000 students in those grades, who took the tests in April, showed that 60 percent passed the statewide math tests, compared with 57.3 percent last year, a 2.7 percent increase.
But fewer students showed proficiency on the English exams, though the results improved from last year: 46.9 percent of students achieved proficiency compared with 43.9 percent last year, a 3 percent improvement. But the citywide achievements were still behind the statewide average, the state average for English improved to 55 percent and math improved to 63 percent.

Consistent with the gains made by students overall, 46.1 percent of black students improved in math, up 1.9 points from 44.2 percent in 2011. In English, the percentage of proficient black students increased from 34.8 to 37 percent. Hispanic students showed similar improvement, with 52.3 percent of students meeting proficiency standards in math, up from 49.2 percent last year.

Three years ago, the state claimed 70 percent of city students were proficient in English and 82 percent in math, but education officials later admitted those numbers were inflated, and in 2010 made the exams much harder to pass.
For the IBO report, go to http://www.ibo.nyc.ny.us/iboreports/lts2012.pdf. And starting the week of July 30, families can view their child’s 2012 test results within ARIS Parent Link at arisparentlink.org.

NYC Workers rally to demand raise of minimum wage

Editor, Our Time Press
-
0

State and federal minimum wage stuck at $7.25 since 2009

By Stephen Witt

Low-Wage workers, elected officials, union leaders and clergy held a rally and a march this week in Manhattan to demand higher wages and better benefits.
Currently both the Federal and New York State minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. The last time the federal minimum wage was raised was in 2009.

The event was part of a National Day of Action for workers’ rights and fair wages. Similar events took place elsewhere across the country, many of them focusing on raising the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour. That comes to $15,000 a year — far below the poverty line for a family of four.

“Sometimes I work 12 hours a day, five or six days a week,” said Agustin Perez, a worker at LMC car wash in Queens. “Sometimes we make only $5 or $10 a day in tips.”

Those taking part in the day’s events included City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Council Member Letitia James, labor union officials, clergy and members of UnitedNY, New York Communities for Change, Make the Road NY, ALIGN, La Fuente and the Black Institute.

The demonstration came five days after a bombshell report from United NY and ALIGN cited car wash kingpin John Lage, Toys “R” us, Con Edison and some airline contractors and supermarkets – and their millionaire executives – as among the worst employers of low-wage workers in the city.

The report also found sharp increase in the number of low-wage jobs and noted that the purchasing power of New York’s $7.25 minimum wage is 26% lower than it was in 1970; that four in 10 workers in New York City are low-wage workers based on the federal definition and that nearly one-third of workers in New York City earn below $25,000 a year.

“I commend this coalition of hard-working New Yorkers, advocate organizations and concerned citizens for their efforts to organize this National Day of Action for Low-Wage Workers,” Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson said. “The current minimum wage has forced over one million residents of this great state to remain in perpetual poverty, and that is unacceptable.”

The rally comes after the state Assembly passed a bill to raise the minimum wage to $8.50 an hour, from $7.25, and to allow annual increases for inflation.

Senate Republicans, however, did not support the legislation, because they believe it would lead to job losses, and have instead lobbied for business tax credits that they say would create jobs.

The two sides were unable to forge a compromise to get a bill to Gov. Cuomo’s desk for a signature.

City crows about great improvement in charter school test results

Editor, Our Time Press
-
0

Critics question criteria and increasing gulf
between the haves and have-nots

By Nico Simino

As recent test results show that public school students in grades 3-8 have shown an improvement in math and English scores, New York City charter school students have done even better than their public school counterparts.
Gains made by the charter schools have dramatically improved in both English and math: math scores increased to 72 percent from 68.5 percent last year, and 51.5 percent in English scores, up 7 points from last year.

“What we’re seeing and what we’ve seen all along is that the longer school day and longer school year that characterizes charter schools, as well as simply a focus on instruction and the sense of having a school-wide culture that everyone buys into, results in these kinds of achievement scores,” said James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter School Center.

The boost in test scores will only add weight to the argument for more charter schools, which has received push back from the teachers union.

“The good news: this modest increase in scores — particularly in the middle schools — is a tribute to the students and teachers who worked hard last year. The bad news: the achievement gap in reading is not closing. Not only do black and Hispanic students still lag well behind whites and Asians, but in the ELA results the gap actually widened this year,” said Michael Mulgrew, President of the UFT.

Many of the new charter schools in the city have been in low-income neighborhoods and underachieving districts, which usually house a disproportionate amount of black and Latino students.

Some of the criticism of why charter schools scored higher is that less students took the test from charter schools as opposed to public school students. About 30,000 charter school students took the tests and around 400,000 students from public schools.

Another criticism is that charter schools enroll far less special-needs students than public schools do, which brings down the average for public schools.

The Parent's Notebook: The “Batman Killer” Illustrates Why Being Smart Is Not Enough, Our Kids Must Be S.M.A.R.T.

Aminisha Black
-
1

 

America was in shock after last week’s shooting of dozens in a Colorado movie theatre.  Each time there is an extreme display of violence, everyone (rightfully) goes into a frenzy about the lack of respect for human life shown.  However, when we are inundated with imagery and messages about fame and fortune being life’s goal, we see people dismissing communal values and respect daily.  Mottos such as “Get Rich or Die Trying” captures the value system that engulfs far too many minds today.  Playgrounds were the sites of a  three-year- old  being shot over a week ago and this past Sunday a four- year-old was fatally shot in the head.   This is happening more and more frequently as young people are undergoing an education that has nothing to do with realizing and strengthening their innate abilities and building better communities.  The suspected Colorado gunman came from a financially well-to-do family and was a former PH.D candidate.  This is a clear demonstration that rearing children by merely providing physical needs and pursuing good grades in school is just not enough.

When someone is referred to as “smart”, we are usually referring to a very limited definition of intelligence.  Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences shows the range of human faculties and cognitive abilities being exhibited.  In the educational system, only two of the nine intelligences are emphasized.  Schools and society as a whole place value on the verbal/linguistic and the mathematical/logical intelligences, deeming those who are strong in these intelligences “Smart.” But Smart is not a destination; it is a tool and if the destination is not attached, then “Smart” can be co- opted by any external force.  The intelligences must be declared and cultivated for a greater goal, one that is bigger than the individual.  Children are not too young to participate in the project of making their families and communities better.

A system that marginalizes many talents and considers education as having to learn what is advantageous for merely obtaining a job, contradicts the theory of developing one’s natural faculties and talents.  No wonder so many are dependent on companies to acquire a job instead of seeing education as a means to independently act and affect change.  We need to nurture S.M.A.R.T. kids, kids who are Self- determining, Motivated, Achieving, Responsible and Team-oriented.  Evelyn Fernandez shares how her two teenagers collaboratively create Stop Motion Lego Videos and get paid by their sponsors for every view they receive. These are young minds who are meeting a demand by using their talents instead of acquiring skills that will hopefully be used one day.  Israel Cameron shares that his three-year-old sings in front of large audiences and loves learning to swim. These activities, he says, creates balance and enhances her social skills.

Most parents appreciate playground time and other activities, because it gives their children an opportunity to develop their bodily/kinesthetic (physical skill) and interpersonal intelligence, which is the ability to work with and be perceptive of the moods and feelings of others.  Many schools now focused on collaboration, realize that students who learn to work well with others become adults who understand the importance of a society that works for all.  Also, realizing that collective intelligence is needed to solve the world’s most challenging problems, the “smart” individual is rendered useless.

Establish the S.M.A.R.T. program at home – Begin by holding a family meeting allowing each member to express the changes they’d like to see in your home. Be sure to have them state desired results, i.e., each family member having adequate time in the bathroom, not singling out individuals to criticize. We can break the practice of “Compare and Compete” which causes friction and prevents unity in families and the community at-large. Within this setting, each family member should discover their dominant intelligences, allowing them to see what they share with others and allowing all to learn and appreciate the skills that are available for home projects.

The S in S.M.A.R.T. is key.  Self-determination requires a sense of self-esteem.  From birth, acknowledge their abilities, actions, accomplishments and efforts.  This encourages self-confidence encouraging them to try new things.  Home is crucial in developing self- awareness and appreciation.  It is here that differences can be appreciated and used to problem-solve.  It is here that Cornel West’s quote, “Different doesn’t mean inferior”, can be internalized.

Contact: parentsnotebook@yahoo.com for Multiple Intelligence tests and outline for starting S.M.A.R.T. stating the ages of children.   Visit The Parents Notebook on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/TheParentsNotebook

The Hattie Carthan “After Church” Farmers’ Market Opens Second Season With Education Focus and New Herbal Apothecary Space, Sunday, July 29

Editor, Our Time Press
-
0
This happy Hattie Carthan Urban Agriculture Corps student will benefit from the Open Air Learning Centers -- at the Hattie Carthan Community Garden and the Hattie Carthan Herb Farm -- created by professional food, gardening, nutrition and holistic health experts who are changing the way young people regard the land and its bounty, one planting at a time.

The Hattie Carthan “After Church” market, Bedford-Stuyvesant’s newly transformed and largest herb farm and community market, opens for its second consecutive season of healthy food and cultural activities for all ages,  at 49 Van Buren Street (btw. Tompkins/Throop) on Sunday, July 29, 1:00pm-6:00pm, which will include a festive ceremony to take place between 2:00pm-3:00pm.

In its inaugural year, the “After Church” Farmers’-Market distributed approximately 6000 pounds of fruits, vegetables, herbs, eggs and value-added products to the Bedford-Stuyvesant community. All of the food distributed in the market was grown or produced locally (within 150 miles of Brooklyn) without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers.

According to Yonnette Fleming, founder of the project, “The herb farm and ‘After Church’ market is a community revitalization market project where conversations about food and farm issues happen, and is a safe, multigenerational place for community socialization and healthy cultural activities.

“This Sunday, the herb farm launches its local herbal apothecary where community residents can purchase value-added products from the herbs that grow on the farm, operating a functioning herbal apothecary space where youth interns and community residents learn to work with herbs to support their health.

“The farm/market will host regular storytelling hours for young tots of the community during market days to engage and introduce our young children to healthy food and local farm culture.  The farm/market has also introduced a weekly basket program and institutional basket program to help our individual and institutional neighbors source locally grown food and herbs from our small farm enterprise.”

By supporting local farmers and farms, the “After Church” market increases access to fresh food; supports sustainable food production that does not rely on massive amounts of fossil fuels, machinery, pesticides, chemical fertilizers; and greatly reduces the community’s impact on the environment. On average, food in the United States travels 1500 miles from farm to plate and fossil fuels are burned at every step of that journey, contributing to global warming and the further destruction of our natural environment.

The Hattie Carthan Herb Farm, now an educational green oasis and outdoor communiversity in North Bedford-Stuyvesant, was converted in 2011 from an abandoned lot.  (Ms. Fleming’s guest op-ed can be found here)

1...985986987...1,289Page 986 of 1,289