September 2006

Early dismissal threatens after-school program
Posted Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Creating time for middle school teachers' common planning could undermine the mayor's much-touted Providence After School Alliance.

BY LINDA BORG
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE -- The city's seven middle schools are letting students out of class an hour early as often as once a week, and it may wreak havoc with a multimillion dollar afterschool program championed by Mayor David N. Cicilline.

No one disagrees that common planning time is essential. Middle school teachers need time together to review and plan curriculum, go over student work and review test data.

Before this fall, Perry Middle School was the only middle school to incorporate common planning time into the school day. This year, after prodding by Peter McWalters, the state education commissioner, all middle schools have to offer common planning time.

Apparently, the only way that the administration could arrange for common planning without running afoul of the Providence Teachers Union was to schedule it during the teachers' work day, according Supt. Donnie Evans.

"It was in place when I came in," Evans said. "When it came to my attention, I immediately expressed concern."

Common planning isn't required by the teachers' contract, Evans said. But because middle school teachers are not required to stay in school after 3 p.m., the only way to ensure their participation is to make it part of the school day.

According to Evans, there are two big drawbacks to this schedule. First, students lose an hour of instruction. (Some schools hold common planning time once a week; others do it less often).

The second drawback is student safety.

"We are releasing large numbers of students when it's a prime time for them to get into trouble," Evans said. "This is one of the prime times for young women to get pregnant."

Meanwhile, early dismissal could undermine Cicilline's much-touted Providence After School Alliance. Sponsored by the Education Partnership, the alliance has organized a network of schools, recreation centers, libraries and other nonprofit groups to provide safe and fun afterschool activities for middle school children. The program, which begins again next month, will expand into every middle school this year.

The program is paid for with a five-year, $5-million grant from the Wallace Foundation and $1 million from Bank of America.

Valerie Forti, executive director of the Education Partnership, said she fears that the alliance will lose the very children it is trying to reach if school lets them out an hour early. The afterschool programs generally run from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Further complicating matters, each middle school does early dismissal on a different day, creating a scheduling nightmare for the alliance.

Forti said she didn't hear about the early dismissal until May, when Deputy Supt. Frances Gallo mentioned it during a meeting.

"We were caught off guard," Forti said. "It doesn't seem to be working to the advantage of the student. The frustrating part is the students lose an hour of instructional time."

The alliance, she said, wanted to create a seamless day in which students move from school to afterschool activities. Students are bused from their school to the library, the YMCA or wherever the activity is located.

The good news is that Denise Carpenter, director of middle schools, has come up with a temporary solution for three schools: Perry, Roger Williams and Brigham, according to school spokeswoman Maria Tacco. She said the other middle schools aren't affected by the early dismissal, although it wasn't immediately clear why. The three schools will ask school-based coordinators and student assistance counselors to supervise students during the hour-long gap. The district also plans to tap volunteers from Volunteers in Providence Schools and the alliance. The adults will use this time to discuss careers with the students.

But at least one principal, Rudolph Moseley Jr., of Roger Williams Middle School, said the district's stop-gap solution won't start until January, which means that the alliance's activities will be cancelled on the early dismissal days. Moseley also said he is concerned about the loss of instructional time.

Forti is trying to be optimistic:

"Everyone is working cooperatively to make sure we don't have young kids on the streets," Forti said. "We're happy with the response from Denise Carpenter and the mayor's office."