Post your thoughts and comments about this article.

we use "BOOK IT" HERE IN MIAMI

GREAT PROGRAM THUR PIZZA HUT TO MOTIVATE KIDS TO READ.

PARENTS AND TEACHERS CAN LOG ON TO PIZZA HUT.COM AND GET your kids and students enrolled today.

it rocks!


daisy

www.adoptaclassroom.com

I think the SdoL hould be ashamed to admit that it has taken 20 years for it to have a school-wide reading curriculum. The fact that there is not yet a school-wide curriculum for all the other subjects should also be a source of shame.
The SdoL has received MILLIONS and MILIONS of dollars in grants and federal Title I funding for these past 20 years and what has it done with the money??? Wasted it!!!
MILLIONS spent for consultants and what do we have to show for it??? PSSA scores that are so low that any family moving to Lancaster County who cares about education will definitely look for a house in another school district for their child.
I blame all the superintendents and administrators for the past 20 +years who have raked in HUGE salaries and yet couldn't do something as basic as make sure the SDoL had a school-wide curriculum.
Teachers have borne the brunt of this gross incompetence. They have not been given the resources to teach the students properly yet they have been blamed when scores are low.
I see this as one small step towards trying to put the SdoL on the road to providing a better education for all children. Hopefully, more progress will happen under Dr. Rita Bishop and a pro-active school board!!!
MaryAnne Motter Cullen
parent of 6 McCaskey graduates

Well, heck, it's only reading, not something important. Don't kids figure it out all by themselves?




(Please note I am kidding. Imagine what you can't do well if you can't read well.)

I'm not convinced a district wide curriculum is necessary. There are vast differences in skill levels between the elementary schools and a one-size-fits-all approach is probably not suitable.

Certainly there should be no lack of action, however. I know at one time recently the district had 6 curriculum directors headed up by Bob Walker's wife I believe.

I was in a courtroom recently listening to the judge recant the person's school career. Something like 40 moves until they graduated. Kids move alot within the city so having the same books is really important.

rh

Who moves an average of three (3) times per year?

I was talking to a woman who taught at one of the city elementary schools until last year. She told me that a big reason the school libraries need books, especially at Carter-MacCrae, is that the children come and go at the schools so frequently and often take the library books with them. The ever-shifting population at Water Street includes school children. Every time they switch schools, think how much time is lost in the adjustment period to a new school setting, new kids, new teachers, new expectations, and, of course, new books and lessons.

It's sad to consider, but there are children who are moved around an incredible amount. My children know kids who come and go over and over as mom moves in with a boyfriend, it doesn't work, then they move back with their grandmother, and the cycle starts again.

The real deal,
Children who are homeless move 3 or more times a year. If you look at Lancaster City there are at least the following shelters that are only short-term:
1. Water Street Rescue Mission
2. Milagro House
3. Shelter for Abused Women
4. Vantage
5. Clare House
6. Crispus Attacks
7. Shalom House for women with young children
8. YWCA
9. Transitional Living Center(formerly Harb-Adult)
I may have missed some. The bottom line, when families get behind on the rent, they are evicted and it is very difficult for them to get the security deposit for another place.
I have even been told that families have been living under the bleachers at Conlin Field, in cemeteries, and in their cars.
It is sad but a reality. This means the children move from school to school without stability and continuity.
The SdoL has a special office just for homeless children. I believe a recent estimate stated there are more than 800 homeless children in the SdoL. They need help with clothes for school,especially meeting the uniform policy. If you want to help, contact:
Homeless Project Becky Ortega-Lyda (717) 291-6290
Student Assistance Program Kenneth Marzinko (717) 396-6829
MaryAnne

I never would have thought there would be that many homeless children in the city. You see adults that you know are homeless, but never really see that many kids.

It can bring an adult to tears hearing the stories about so many of these children. The impact of policies that work in suburban schools sometimes can have a devastating impact on city school children. For instance, a child acts up in school (and when you understand something about their home life, you have a hard time blaming them), and is suspended by one of these geniuses serving as Dean's of Students. What happens? The child now most likely gets nothing to eat. Not as punishment from his family for getting suspended, but because the only regular meals alot of the children get is at school through the breakfast and lunch programs.I couldn't agree more with Mrs. Cullen's statement about the time that's been wasted getting to this point. I don't believe this "reading curriculum" is all that's it's being touted to be. Let's hear from some teachers.
My grandchild is going to summer school. It starts next week. The district has yet to inform anyone about transportation, the word among teachers and honest administrators is that the Office of Teaching and Learning is a complete disaster. No executive leadership, operating in a crisis mode, same problems as last year. Where is this new, high paid Superintendent and what is she doing to straighten out this department????? Sitting at home sipping iced tea? Someone has in their signature that "insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." So Mrs. Bishop keeps the same people in place, does not oversee what's happening, and expects a different result. That's insanity. That isn't what $150,000 plus should be buying.

Before the new "communication arts curriculum" was rolled out to the teaching staff, they were asked to read an article on "what is curriculum?" Of course, the article backed up what the new curriculum looked like. Many in the room did not 'buy' into the program, though it was nice to finally have something on paper. This new curriculum will not be a textbook series as a lot of folks might think. It's a big binder filled with what kids will be taught at a certain grade levels. There are many "holes" that must be filled by the teachers. So if you have a child in Wharton and you move to Washington elementary, your child will be "using" the same terms...i.e., "character traits," "plot development." [I assure you that these 'terms' are used nationally.] As we understand there is no reading or writing textbook series per se. There are no funds for that.

The Office of Teaching and Learning is a poorly managed entity at SDoL. Some call it the Office of Losing Things. If teachers ran their classrooms like OTL they would be pounding the pavement. To me, OTL operates in a bubble -- with little or no reality check. The PA Department of Education is rather clear on what standards must be covered each school year. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out.

Now that I'm on my second cup of coffee, I'd like to know what SDoL's high school dropout rate really is. Only 400-or-so students earned diplomas recently. On average each of the four middle schools send about 175 kids to high school each year. You do the math: 4x175 = 700. What happened to those 300 kids in high school? Were they "dropped" from the rolls for non-attendance? We've got to do more for the kids...

Thank you for the insight. I have been told that many teachers have to create their own classroom libraries so their kids actually have something to read. I believe people would be shocked to know what City school teachers need to do, out of their own pockets, to provide materials for their students. It's no wonder that teachers flee to suburban schools. No supplies, lousy administration for 20 years or more, horrible board leadership. Now a mea culpa. I just read the schoold board terminated Rose Sampson at last night's board meeting. She was the administrator responsible for the Office of Teaching and Learning, also known as the Office of Losing Things. This could only happen with a push from the Superintendent. Way to go Dr. Bishop! Now the board needs to demand the resignation of Ms. Dixon. She was the only board member to oppose the termination. Why was that? Bye, bye Ms. Dixon!

Interesting. Wasn't Sampson a Curry crony from Philly? What was the official "reason" for the termination?


Lovincitylife, I have several friends who teach or have taught in the city. For all they do and have to bring to the table from their own resources to make it all work, it seems like many of them just love their kids. The reason the ones I know have left have to do with either rumored staff cuts and/or poor support from administrators. Sad.

It takes along time to turn around a ship the size of SDOL. Educrates, as I like to call them, have contracts and drage their feet.

I never understand why people with advanced degrees need some much supervision? Every teacher has a undergraduate degree and many have Master's degrees. Why can't the English teachers have an in-service and do thier own planning?

That's what private schools do - and I might add - at considerable less expense.

rh