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October 2005
Mount Pleasant makes progress on accreditation
Posted Wednesday, October 26, 2005
But the high school will not be able to get off probation until steps are taken toward expensive building repairs.
BY LINDA BORG
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE -- Mount Pleasant High School remains on probation with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, but it has met one of the seven standards set by the agency.
Last November, the high school received a scathing evaluation from the voluntary association, which accredits 95 percent of all public schools in New England.
After a four-day visit, the NEASC accreditation team concluded that Mount Pleasant's faculty had low expectations for students; the school's curriculum lacked rigor; too much class time was spent on homework; and students did not have sufficient opportunity to apply their knowledge.
The most pointed criticism was leveled at the 67-year-old school building, which, the report noted, has suffered years of neglect. The problems cited were widespread: from leaking gas jets in the science area to a leaking roof, from a lack of handicapped accessibility to boilers in constant need of repair.
NEASC placed Mount Pleasant on probation in January, with the understanding that the school must address dozens of problems before it could be restored to the agency's good graces. Typically, it takes two to five years to move off the probation list.
Four high schools in Rhode Island are now on probation; the others are Central Falls, Johnston and Chariho high schools. Central High School, Providence's largest high school, lost its accreditation four years ago, after NEASC refused to a request to postpone the process because the high school was undergoing a redesign.
Being on probation doesn't affect Mount Pleasant's ability to grant diplomas, but the NEASC's opinion does carry a lot of weight with colleges, especially those in New England. Almost 70 percent of New England colleges report that high school accreditation is either very important or crucial, according to a recent NEASC survey.
Since the school's probationary status was announced, Mount Pleasant has been pushing to get its house in order.
Earlier this month, the NEASC told Mount Pleasant officials that it had removed the school from probation in one area: its mission statement.
The high school has drawn up a new mission statement that puts more emphasis on academic goals and promises to provide more challenging work for all students, not only the college-bound.
(Schools must meet seven standards -- including the mission statement, curriculum, professional training, facilities and financial support -- to be accredited.)
The NEASC also commended the high school for making headway in other areas. According to principal Maureen Crisafuli, the agency was pleased that the school has begun to develop portfolios of student work, and that it will soon launch student advisories, which are part of a districtwide initiative.
Every adult at Mount Pleasant High School will meet with a small group of students, four times a year. During the first advisory meeting -- scheduled for Nov. 16 -- teachers will talk about the new graduation requirements and explain how students will be responsible for keeping track of their best work.
The school now offers a math lab to help struggling students, as well as an SAT prep class and an advanced-placement chemistry class.
The NEASC also commended the high school for working with Brown University to develop "critical friends" groups, in which a core group of faculty members teach other faculty how to evaluate student work. This year, the staff will focus on the importance of teaching reading across subject areas.
The NEASC also recognized Mount Pleasant's progress in dealing with some of its many structural problems. The school has repaired gas leaks in the science labs, established a regular system for monitoring air quality, posted directions to emergency exits in every classroom, and used a $150,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to update computers.
Most importantly, the district has finally closed the former classroom's in the school's basement, where teachers had complained about poor air quality, dampness and inadequate facilities.
But the NEASC Commission said that it would not upgrade the school's status until school officials also had put together a timeline for the passage of a $600-million bond issue, which would include repairs at Mount Pleasant.
Crisafuli expressed her frustration that so little has been done to renovate the school, which she acknowledged is dark, dingy and depressing. According to the original NEASC report, the high school's roof leaks, paint is peeling from walls and ceilings, the boilers are in disrepair, some of the lockers and showers do not work, and the lighting isn't fully operational.
"The building needs work to make it a more pleasant environment," Crisafuli said. "A bond issue could take years. I need some support from the city."
Mount Pleasant is part of a five-year, $8-million high school redesign effort, financed by the Carnegie Corporation and the Gates Foundation. Some of this money has gone into reorganizing large high schools -- such as Hope High -- into smaller learning communities.
But Mount Pleasant actually did away with specialized academies, after some of the teachers who hadchampioned them left the school.
"Teachers get frustrated," Crisafuli said. "It's hard to teach students who have such a broad range of abililites."
The teachers, she said, feel overwhelmed by the federal No Child Left Behind law, the new state graduation requirements and the district's goals.
Crisafuli said that many of the building's structural problems are beyond her control. But she hopes that when the NEASC team returnsm in two years, it will find a school where students and teachers are much more serious about learning.
Evans to try improving high schools
Posted Tuesday, October 25, 2005
The superintendent plans to form a steering committee to develop strategies for bolstering the graduation rate and reintegrating vocational training.
BY LINDA BORG
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE -- School Supt. Donnie Evans announced last night that he would take on the most vexing challenge facing the city's schools: the dismal performance of the high schools.
Evans said he would form a steering committee comprising 20 to 30 people from the schools, the business community, higher education and groups like The Education Partnership. It would be chaired by Warren Simmons of the Annenberg Institute at Brown University; Simmons would work closely with Evans and Mary Silvia Harrison, executive director of the Children's Crusade.
"Providence has a vision of where it wants its high schools to go," Evans told the School Board last night. "The question is: Do we still want to go there? I think the answer is yes, with some modifications."
Providence has been taking steps in the right direction -- opening smaller high schools, introducing a districtwide curriculum, experimenting with themed schools -- but there has been no unifying vision, according to Anthony Pope, the director of high school reform.
"Do we have a school system," he said, "or a system of schools?"
Evans and Pope said they want to continue to build on the notion that high schools should be more intimate places of learning, where each student is known by at least one adult. They want to offer students more choice without sacrificing the core curriculum.
Evans said he wants a "high-interest" program at every high school. He said he wants to bring back vocational programs, where students would graduate as journeymen carpenters, auto mechanics and electricians. And he wants to build stronger partnerships with the region's colleges. Rhode Island School of Design is already talking with the district about creating an academy of design.
Evans also wants to offer more than one kind of high school diploma: an academic diploma and possibly a technical one. But he stressed that vocational students should be offered the same high-quality academic curriculum required of college-prep students.
"We're talking about increasing the graduation rate, the attendance rate and the college-going rate," Evans said. "That's what this is about."
Many of Evans' models come from Tampa, Fla., where he was the district's chief academic officer. One large high school offers four specialty areas, all based on the performing arts. All students take the same core academic subjects, however, then branch off into specialty areas.
Another model might be the Tampa Bay Vocational High School, with seven academies. The first two years are devoted to academics; the last two are spent in the field or at the work site.
Board President Mary McClure wondered whether this system would work for children who don't know what they want to do after high school, or students who have many interests but no overriding career goals.
"I'm concerned about asking an eighth grader to describe his passion," she said.
Evans said a child shouldn't feel locked into a career path, adding that students would begin to explore career options in middle school.
McClure suggested that there are certain issues, such as the state's new graduation requirements, that should be addressed now, before the high school reform plan is finished.
Pope said that the district has to submit a new diploma system to the state Department of Education in spring. As part of its new vision plan, the district will look closely at why Algebra 1 is harder in some schools than others.
After the meeting, Pope explained that the district is trying to build on the work that's alreday been done: "This is not starting over."
"We still believe in small learning communities," he said. "We're not changing that."
He said that one of the reasons why high school reform has been piecemeal is that the leadership keeps changing. The district has had three superintendents in the past six years, and the office of high school reform has had a similar turnover.
"I would argue that there have been a lot of initiatives in Providence," he said, "but there hasn't been an action plan."
In other matters, Evans did not announce appointments to his new management team last night. He did, however, explain why he wants to create a deputy superintendent and several other new positions, including a full-time grant writer and a director of district reform.
Because the new positions involve changes to the employee classification plan, McClure said that they must be approved by the City Council before the School Board can endorse them.
Supt. Evans redesigning roles for administrators
Posted Monday, October 24, 2005
BY LINDA BORG
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE -- Donnie Evans, the newly appointed superintendent of Providence schools, is proposing a major shift in the way the school administration is organized.
The plan, which will go before the Providence School Board tonight, calls for reinstituting the position of deputy superintendent, a job held by Melody Johnson when she worked for former Schools Supt. Diana Lam. The district currently has three or four top administrators with equal responsibility, but Evans said there should be one person who can take charge in his absence.
"I need someone who can be in control at all times," he said during an interview on Friday. Evans is expected to announce who will be appointed at Monday's board meeting.
The deputy superintendent would make sure that all of the various departments -- special education, English as a Second Language, professional development and parent outreach -- are working together. Too often, he said, educators work in silos, with special education doing its thing and English as a Second Language doing another.
"Every one of us in this building plays a role in the education of our children," Evans said, referring to the central office. "The deputy superintendent will make sure all those roles are connected."
Evans illustrated his point using the following analogy: a man is sweeping the ground at the Kennedy Space Center. When a visitor asks what he's doing, the man says, "I'm helping put someone on the moon."
The role of the assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and professional development would be redefined under Evans' plan.
Evans also wants to reduce the four chief administrative jobs to three: a chief academic officer, a chief financial officer and a chief operations officer.
He wants a full-time legislative point person, someone who would lobby on behalf of the Providence schools with the mayor, the General Assembly, the governor and the U.S. Department of Education.
Currently, one person handles both public engagement and legislative outreach. Evans would split that position into two: a director of public engagement and a legislative liaison.
"My management style," Evans said, "is to go to one person to get answers and hold that person accountable."
The office of special education has three directors. Evans would make each one responsible for a specific area: special education (individual learning plans), related services (occupational therapy, speech therapy) and student services (guidance and psychological services).
The director of student services would oversee guidance for all students, not just those with special needs.
Providence provides a lot of services to English language learners: 56 percent of the student population is Latino. Evans wants to place English as a Second Language under academic affairs. "We want to put these youngsters into the academic mainstream."
Evans also wants to:
Fill the director of middle schools position, which is currently vacant.
Resurrect the grant writer's position, which has gone unfilled for some time.
Expand the role of the assessment director to include evaluation.
"We ought to be evaluating every program," he said, "and if it's not working, we should change it or do away with it."
Move the student affairs director, who is responsible for suspensions and expulsions, from academic affairs to operations. Evans said this shift should assure parents that their children are treated fairly.
Finally, Evans wants a handler, someone who will accompany him to all of his meetings and remind him to follow through on his commitments.
Mayor: Unsafe school won't be built
Posted Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Residents, many of whom oppose plans to put a new high school on a contaminated site, can comment on the city's remediation plans tonight.
BY LINDA BORG
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE -- Mayor David N. Cicilline said yesterday that he would not allow a high school to be built on the former Gorham Manufacturing site if that parcel is not deemed safe for the city's children.
That said, Cicilline said the district desperately needs a new high school, because the schools are bursting at the seams. In a old mill city such as Providence, there are "few, if any, sites that don't pose environmental challenges," he said.
"We are filled with projects that were built on brownfield sites," Cicilline said in an interview yesterday. "Look at the new Save the Bay site. That's what brownfield remediation is all about."
Cicilline made his comments in reponse to neighborhood opposition to building a 450-student high school on a small part of the 37-acre Adelaide Avenue property, where a YMCA is also planned.
A public hearing will be held tonight at 6 at Reservoir Avenue School to gather public reaction to the city's remediation plans.
Residents from the Reservoir Triangle neighborhood have repeatedly questioned authorities about the wisdom of putting a school on a site that contains toxic materials from its manufacturing past.
Earlier this month, EA Engineering, Science and Technology, a firm hired by the city, presented a plan that calls for capping the school with a foot of clean fill, plus venting any potentially toxic fumes from the basement to the roof.
But several residents are concerned about what impact the surrounding property, including Mashapaug Pond, could have on the school. The pond is 120 feet north of the school site, and several neighbors suspect that barrels of toxic materials are sitting in the mud.
A couple of residents have also questioned what was being done to control contamination from an underground river or plume to the right of the site.
Who is responsible for cleaning up the land around the 4-acre school site?
Textron is responsible, according to John Simmons, the mayor's director of administration. Under an agreement with the city, Textron, the former owner of the Gorham site, has offered to clean up the property to commercial-grade standards.
Simmons said that the city wants to be included in any conversation between Textron and the Department of Environmental Management that involves cleaning up the larger parcel.
"The DEM would never approve a remediation plan without testing the [pond]," Cicilline said. "The DEM would not approve a plan that doesn't address all the possible dangers."
Although it makes sense to remediate the entire property all at once, it is unrealistic because the city needs to build a school as soon as possible, according to the DEM's senior engineer, Joseph T. Martella.
"We will be looking at a remedy for that site," he said. "We have to at some point."
In the meantime, neighbors want to know how the city plans on protecting teenagers from the rest of the property, especially the pond. The city has proposed installing fences and signs that warn visitors of the pond's potential hazards.
Textron said that it is honoring its obligation to address potential environmental issues, according to company spokeswoman Karen Gordon.
Textron, she said, has already removed petroleum contamination from the Stop & Shop property. It is treating the contaminated plume and submitting an environmental risk evaluation of a cove near the pond.
The DEM has asked Textron to investigate sediment on the bottom of the pond, Martella said. And the YMCA has submitted a cleanup plan that is almost identical to the one proposed for the school parcel, he said.
After tonight's hearing, members of the public have 30 days to submit written comments on the remediation plan. Then the engineering firm will submit those comments and the DEM will respond. When the DEM is satisfied with the city's plan, it will issue an order of approval and construction can begin.
Martella said he can't predict when construction will begin. It depends on how quickly the city submits its final plan and how quickly the DEM can approve it.
Proteun - October 2005
Posted Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Message from the President...
The PTU has been very clear in its opposition to the Code of Conduct adopted by the Providence School Board in June. The Code of Conduct, as currently written, places the burden on the classroom teacher to deal with all disciplinary problems and few, if any, consequences for the disruptive student. I will continue to encourage the School Board to make changes to the Code of Conduct so that all teachers can work in a safe school environment. Please notify the union office of discipline issues that are not being addressed at your school so that I can continue to address these issues at all School Board meetings and public forums until the proper changes are made in the Code of Conduct. Call your field representative or e-mail me at ssmith@proteun.org with discipline concerns that you have experienced and any comments you may have about the Code of Conduct.
School Issues
Learning Walks: Although teachers are allowed to participate in learning walks, teachers cannot be directed by the administrator to critique a colleague’s teaching and classroom environment as this would be a form of evaluation.
Home/School Compact: Prior to teachers participating in a home/school compact, the document should be presented to the School Improvement Team for faculty input and concerns.
Supplemental Teaching Materials: In a memo from an elementary school principal, the faculty was directed to remove all materials from the classroom that were not part of the Balanced Literacy and Math Investigations curriculum. The principal was directed by Central Administration to rescind his directive. Materials such as Basil books, Silver Burdett Ginn books, grammar and/or spelling books, Scott Foresman mathematics
materials and Riverside math resources are acceptable to use as supplemental material.
If similar issues arise at your school, please contact the Union office.
Forty-Week Club
The Providence Teachers Union invites all members to join the club! By joining the Forty-Week Club, we can continue the tradition of helping the children of Providence. All Forty-Week Club proceeds are allotted to scholarships for Providence students and to many social and recreation agencies that help Providence students. For more information, please see your building collector.
Dress Down Day
Thank you to the many teachers who participated in the Union’s Dress Down Day for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Over $8,600 was donated to the American Red Cross.
PTU Website-www.proteun.org
The Providence Teachers Union’s website offers a variety of information for our members, including:
*Automated Payroll Calculator
*School Calendar
*Payroll Calendar
*Calendar of Events
*FAQ’s (maternity leave, retirement, emergency sick leave bank)
*Virtual Teacher Mentor
Comments and suggestions about our website may be e-mailed to
mgalvao@proteun.org.
Emergency Sick Leave Bank
The Emergency Sick Leave Bank (ESLB) has been in existence since March 1996. The purpose of the ESLB is to provide members of the ESLB with additional sick leave days when a member exhausts his/her own accrued sick leave days due to a serious illness or injury. This benefit has provided significant assistance to members who otherwise might find themselves with no reasonable sources of income while they concurrently sought to cope with a debilitating illness or injury.
The month of October is open enrollment for joining the ESLB. See your building delegate for a registration form or download it from our website, www.proteun.org, within the FAQ section.
School Visitations
Field representatives, Lori Onanian and Phil DeCecco, will visit their respective schools each month in order to speak with teachers regarding their questions and concerns. A copy of their visitation schedule is posted on your school’s Union bulletin board.
President Steve Smith’s school visits are posted on the Calendar of Events within our website.
Substitute Teachers
Substitute teachers (LTSPs) who are working in a clear vacancy or in a long-term assignment (i.e. entire semester) for which they hold the proper certificate should contact the Union office.'
Additionally, any substitute teacher who is available to work, but is not provided with an assignment should call the Union office and report same.
Union Offers
Hogan & Stone, 10 Elemgrove Avenue, Providence—Jason Menterecy, Realtor has established a “Preferred Teachers Assistance Program” which offers free buyer’s brokerage, free comparable market analysis for your home, and free advice on lenders, inspectors and attorney. For more information, contact Jason at: (401) 751-9576 or (401) 480-9926.
iParty—Union members may apply for a 10% teacher discount on all in-store purchases by showing his/her membership card and filing out an application form at their local store.
Be Mobile Wireless, 799 Tiogue Avenue, Coventry— is offering PTU members a variety of rates. Teachers who are current members may upgrade their plan. For more information, contact Jim Pickles at: (401) 286-6900. Free delivery is available.
Contemporary Services Corporation— is offering part-time employment at NFL football games, MLS soccer matches, PGA events and concerts. For additional information, call (508) 549-0015 or email jkelly@contemporaryservices.com. You may also view the company’s web page at www.contemporaryservices.com.
CWT/Garden City Travel– is offering a trip to Italy featuring some of Italy’s most popular cities, Venice, Florence, Rome and Sorrento. Departing June 20, 2005 and returning on July 2, 2005. The cost per person is $3,199.00, which includes transportation to and from airport, flight, 4-star hotel accommodations, and more. For a complete copy of the itinerary, please contact Stacy at the Union office (421-4014). For more information contact Rose Cacchiotti at (401) 749-0909. The trip is limited to 35 people.
Reminders
Membership meetings will be held on the following dates:
December 14, 2005
March 8, 2006
April 12, 2006
May 10, 2006
Members are reminded that name, address, phone and e-mail changes should be reported to the Union office either by phone or through our website.
New administrator takes helm at Del Sesto
Posted Tuesday, October 18, 2005
BY LINDA BORG
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE -- School Supt. Donnie Evans has appointed a new administrator to run the fledgling Del Sesto High School. He is John Craig, the assistant principal at Classical High School.
Evans made the announcement yesterday during a meeting with a dozen teachers in the building's library. Evans said he chose Craig because of his strong leadership skills, especially in student discipline.
Craig, who was an assistant principal at Mount Pleasant High School for almost five years, immediately made his presence known at Del Sesto. He met in the cafeteria with the school's 200 ninth graders at the beginning of second period.
First, Craig commanded their attention.
"I want the talking to stop," he said.
The buzz of conversation diminished.
"Good morning," he told them. "From this point on, I will address you as the Class of 2009."
The chatter kicked up a notch. Craig paused.
"When you stop talking, I'll start," he said.
When the students quieted, he told them that they have the opportunity to set the tone for those who come after them. This is the first class to enter Del Sesto, a new high school that will, in three years, include grades 9 through 12.
"I'll be spending a lot of time visiting classrooms and getting to know you," Craig said. "My door will always be open."
Craig asked if there were any questions. A girl named Denise asked if her table could go to lunch first. Several students snickered. But Craig said that it was a legitimate question.
"Let's talk about it," he said.
After his remarks, a half-dozen girls asked Craig if the school could have a mascot. Sure, he said. What do you have in mind? A tiger, one student suggested.
"I see a positive attitude here," Criag told the girls. "You can be the beginning of a tradition at this school."
Craig was brought in to replace two retired principals who, in turn, had been hired to replace Kate Carbone. She stepped down from the top job a few days after school began, and is out on extended sick leave.
Evans intervened after several teachers publicly complained that the school was rudderless and that discipline was a growing problem. Teachers also expressed frustration that the school opened without textbooks and with precious few supplies. The School Department began to rectify that situation late last month, although some textbooks were still in boxes last week.
Earlier, Craig discussed how teachers and students are uniquely positioned to turn Del Sesto into the kind of school they want it to be, and he said he wants students to be players in that conversation.
Craig wants students to participate on the School Improvement Team. He wants to put together a student government and he wants to establish a monthly roundtable where students can share their concerns.
"I want to instill some ownership in this school," he said. "We want to be thinking about a prom and some community activities, maybe a yearbook. But first, we have to get teachers what they need."
Although Craig is fairly new to Providence, he has spent 20 years in education. He grew up in Hartford, Conn., so big city schools are no mystery to him. He came to Rhode Island in 1986 as a special education teacher for the Chariho schools.
Providence hired him as an assistant principal at Mount Pleasant High School five years ago. This fall, he was assigned to Classical High School, the city's only exam school.
Although Craig lives in Charlestown, he said he considered Providence his home.
"This is going to be a good place to work," he said. "Susan Kaplan set the tone. The school was lucky to have her."
Kaplan and Joseph MaGuire have been the temporary principals at Del Sesto.
Formerly a middle school, Del Sesto is part of a new K-12 complex in which students would start school at Anthony Carnevale Elementary School and graduate from the high school without leaving the Springfield Street campus.
Administrator to visit troubled Del Sesto High
Posted Friday, October 14, 2005
Frances Gallo, district administration director, will investigate reports that the school suffers from a lack of supplies and disciplinary problems.
BY LINDA BORG
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE -- For nearly a month, Del Sesto High School has lacked some of the basic tools of the trade: books, paper and pens, dictionaries, even calculators.
Teachers also said that a core group of 30 to 40 students was continually disrupting class, that discipline was nonexistent, and that the schedule was such a mess that students no longer had class advisories -- periods where students meet with teachers.
Frances Gallo, the district's director of administration, said yesterday that she would visit the high school tomorrow because of the complaints.
What happened?
Three principals have cycled through the building since June. Nkoli Onye was named principal this summer but left to become director of the Providence Academy of International Studies.
In late August, Kate Carbone, who had just resigned as one of three principals at Hope High School, was appointed to head Del Sesto. But Carbone left a few days after school began and is taking an extended medical leave, Gallo said.
After members of the teachers' union complained, two retired administrators were brought back to run the high school.
The bottom line is that no one ordered books and supplies until after the semester started. Yesterday, some teachers said they still hadn't received all their materials.
"We dropped the ball," school spokeswoman Maria Tocco said last week.
Del Sesto was supposed to be part of a grand experiment, a new K-through-12 complex in which students would begin their careers at Anthony Carnevale Elementary School and graduate from Del Sesto High School without ever leaving the Springfield Street campus.
Formerly a middle school, DelSesto is being converted to a high school. For now, it has ninth graders only. The school was supposed to have about 150 students. It now has more than 200, with an additional 15 to 20 students on the way.
Del Sesto faculty members have had to improvise. Some have borrowed books from colleagues. Others have made numerous copies of lesson plans from previous years. Still others have brought in textbooks and works of fiction from home.
"It's terrible," said Ken Dehergoth, a history teacher. "You spend so much time racing around to get the materials, it really slows you down."
Dehergoth said that he has been told that his books are in the building. "Mine supposedly got delivered today," he said. "They are trying to get them to me by [tomorrow]."
Robert F. Nerney, an English teacher, said he got The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, shortly after school began, but was still waiting for a short-fiction anthology and an interactive reader.
"The fact that we're all experienced teachers made a difference," he said. "In English, you do a little grammar, a little vocabulary. But what if you're teaching math or history?"
An algebra teacher said she was waiting for her calculators and an overhead projector. "There were no supplies when we got here," she said. "Now we're getting half of what we want."
Every day, she says, she copies dozens of math problems from a practice book, but the copying machines -- all six of them -- keep breaking down. Meanwhile, she says, the lack of textbooks has hampered instruction.
"It means a child doesn't have a book to take home to review what he's learned in class," she said.
A greater problem, according to the teachers, is the lack of discipline in the building. Del Sesto, they said, is crying out for a strong leader -- someone who will stand in the hallways and impose order, someone who will help build a sense of community.
"We are adrift," Nerney said. "We are out there floating and there is nothing to knit us together.
"As a faculty, we've spent two hours talking about the school's mission and vision, but there were no leaders," he said. "I feel like I'm in one of Kafka's novels."
The Providence Journal tried to contact one of the new principals, Susan Kaplan, but she did not return phone calls.
Because there was so little leadership during the beginning of school, some troublesome students think can get away with anything, teachers said.
"There are 30 to 40 students who are repeat offenders," Dehergoth said. "They're talking back, swearing; they won't sit there and do an assignment. When we send a student out of class, [the principals] send him back, and that's totally wrong.
"What we needed was someone who would deal with these students in the beginning," he said. "Now it's going to be very difficult to capture these students."
Gallo yesterday wondered why none of these teachers had contacted her if the situation was still that bad. When Carbone went out on sick leave, Gallo said her office immediately appointed two seasoned administrators to run the building.
Last week, Gallo said that the district got books to Del Sesto in three days from the start of school. But a printout compiled by Brian Baldizar, the school reform coach, showed that the majority of the books weren't received until this month, and the Spanish textbook was described as "in transit."
"There was no month [of teaching] lost," Gallo said last week. "Any good teacher can teach without a book."
As for the scheduling problems, Gallo said that Del Sesto had to take in more students because of overcrowding at the high school level. A new high school was supposed to open this year, but construction has been postponed because of environmental concerns.
Meanwhile, Gallo said that she hoped to hire an assistant principal for Del Sesto within a week, adding that Carbone is expected to return in December.
"I can't believe it's not working," Gallo said of the school. "But I will be looking into why it isn't."
A collaborative approach helps reshape Veazie St. Elementary
Posted Friday, October 14, 2005
The woman behind the changes, Principal Nancy DeRobbio "is one of the most positive, energetic administrators I've ever worked with," a faculty member says.
BY LINDA BORG
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE -- Principal Nancy DeRobbio's office looks and feels like home. A woven butterfly rug covers the floor. Two Velcro monkeys sit on a couch. A rocking chair -- the one in which she rocked her own babies -- sits in one corner. The other chairs are arranged in a circle.
When DeRobbio arrived at Veazie Street Elementary School three years ago, the office windows were covered with paper.
"To me, that said, 'Keep out.' It said, 'I'm hiding in here.' "
DeRobbio wants to send the opposite message. She says her door is always open. She wants her office to be welcoming.
"Our focus is on improving customer service," she says. "I tell my staff, 'The customer is always right.' When a parent comes in, I move closer and I say, 'Welcome to Veazie Street. It seems like you're distressed. How can I help you?' "
Veazie Street used to be a school in crisis. Three years ago, the number of suspensions totaled 127 for the year. The teachers distrusted the school's management and said they didn't feel supported.
When DeRobbio was hired, she asked the teachers what they needed. She told them, "We'll come up with the solutions together. I'm not going to tell you what to do."
Some teachers said they wanted to teach in teams. They got it.
Others said they needed time together to plan and review student work. They got it -- an hour of common planning time every two weeks.
Many of the changes involved building a sense of community, a sense of trust. The staff started something called the Sunshine Club; whenever someone is getting married or having a baby, the teachers throw that person a shower.
The teachers meet occasionally for breakfast. In the beginning, it was an opportunity for faculty members to socialize. Last week, the topic was the district's new code of conduct.
The school has also created an online list-serve, where teachers can share ideas, discuss concerns and communicate what's going on their classrooms.
Veazie Street Elementary has four new teachers this year. Before the first day of class, the seasoned faculty members approached the newcomers and said, "What can I do to help you set up your classroom?"
DeRobbio's collaborative approach seems to be working. In a 2003-04 survey, few teachers at Veazie reported feeling job burnout, and many said that they felt their instruction was effective. A majority of the faculty members reported that they were involved in the decision-making process at Veazie.
"She is one of the most positive, energetic administrators I've ever worked with," says Kimberly Sousi, a literacy coach. "She is in the classroom all of the time."
WITH YOUNG children, half the battle is getting them settled and ready to learn. At Veazie, the teachers do something called the "morning meeting." The children sit on the floor in a tight semicircle around the teacher.
In Tom Nolan's third-grade class, the morning begins with a greeting. Students say good morning in French, then high-five each other. It is a small piece of the getting-to-know-you puzzle.
Next, Nolan asks several children to share personal stories. Their classmates have to ask questions that require something more elaborate than yes or no answers.
One child says he wants to share a sad story. Nolan suggests that the child might want to tell his story in private, because "our community has a couple of extra people today, and you might not feel comfortable."
Next, Nolan launches into the "daily twos," reviewing a couple of vocabulary words that were introduced the previous day. On Wednesday, he goes over the difference between "sums" and "take-aways" (addition and subtraction).
AT VEAZIE STREET, instruction is based on the coaching model. Teachers with expertise in math or writing model lesson plans for their peers. Parents are coached on how to help their children do their homework. Older children are asked to model good behavior for their younger classmates.
Last week, a teacher called to say she would be late because of a family emergency. But her first call wasn't to the front office -- it was to Nolan, who works next door. She asked him to take her students. He did.
"That's how it's supposed to be," DeRobbio says.
"This is a village. The kids come first. The children know every adult in the building."
Student test results are improving, though Veazie Street Elementary is still listed as a school in need of improvement.
Two groups -- African-American students and special-needs students -- didn't make their targets in English language arts. But every group of fourth graders hit the targets in math, and 62 percent of them showed they could write effectively.
PART OF THE JOB of building a community of learners is getting the children to come on board.
Veazie Street Elementary has done several things to make students feel more responsible for what goes on in the building.
In the morning, every child tells the classroom teacher how he or she is feeling, on a scale of 1 to 10. Those numbers are posted on the wall, so both the children and the adults know Tommy is quiet or Susan is grumpy.
The school has also established its own student council -- the "Veazie Voices," who meet with DeRobbio to talk about everything from school lunches to raising money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The school even has its own safety patrol -- youngsters with orange sashes who encourage classmates to "make good choices."
Darius Ovalles, a fifth grader and safety patrol member, takes his job seriously.
"If kids are running in the hall," he says, "I ask them to stop. If they continue, I tell my teacher or the principal."
DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS are one of the biggest obstacles to teaching and learning in any urban classroom. One disruptive child can shanghai an entire class.
The Providence district has created a new discipline policy, aimed at keeping students in school. The program focuses on rewarding positive behavior and finding more constructive ways of dealing with negative behavior.
DeRobbio says the number of suspensions has dropped dramatically: only 43 were reported last year at the school.
But discipline remains a problem. In a 2003-04 survey, more teachers said that classroom disruption was a problem than had said so five years earlier.
After classes let out, a teacher approaches DeRobbio in the parking lot and asks for help dealing with a disruptive student. The child had spent the afternoon in DeRobbio's office, after acting out in class.
DeRobbio tells the teacher that the boy seems very depressed.
"He wants to apologize to you," she says.
"Pay attention when he starts to drift," she adds. "This might be a child who's getting bored."
DeRobbio suggests finding a replacement activity, to keep the youngster from acting out, and offering him a reward, if he keeps it together during class.
AS THE BUSES ROLL, DeRobbio walks out to the parking lot.
A teacher walks up with a somber-looking boy who is lugging an oversized backpack. The child doesn't speak. A few weeks ago, he got on the wrong bus and got lost. DeRobbio and his parents were frantic. Someone found him, back at the bus yard.
DeRobbio holds the boy's hand until his bus arrives. She asks about his day, and promises that he will get home safely. When one hand gets tired, she takes his other hand.
A Nigerian student in a denim dress runs up, in tears.
She says she can't find her bus. It is her second day of school and everything is scary. DeRobbio finds another adult to help her out.
"This is my world," DeRobbio says, "and I want my world to reach out as far as it can. I hope these children can take a little piece of this world into their lives."
Charter school director resigns
Posted Friday, October 14, 2005
"Dean of dreams" Ralph N. Taylor -- an architect of Times2's shift a decade ago from enrichment program to the state's second charter school -- had just finished overseeing the addition of elementary grades to the academy.
BY LINDA BORG
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE -- Ralph N. Taylor, executive director of Times2 Academy and one of the pioneers of the charter-school movement in Rhode Island, has resigned.
Members of the charter-school community, including Rhode Island League of Charter Schools spokesman Stephen Nardelli, said they were stunned by Taylor's sudden departure and the dearth of information surrounding his resignation.
During a brief conversation yesterday, Taylor, who is 55 and lives in East Providence, said he felt it was time to move on.
"I had the opportunity to complete a very important chapter in the history of Times2," he said, referring to the completion of the new Children's Academy, on Smith Hill. "It's been a great ride, but my time has come."
Asked whether the board of trustees had asked him to resign or in any way pressured him to step down, Taylor said, "I'm not getting into that."
Donald L. Stanford, president of the charter school's board of directors, said that Taylor had submitted his letter of resignation on Oct. 6; his final day was Oct. 7.
Although the decision surprised the academy's faculty and staff, Stanford said that members of the executive board had known for some time that Taylor was contemplating a move.
"The board didn't want him to leave," Stanford said yesterday. "We still call him 'the dean of dreams.' "
Stanford said that Taylor had put his heart and soul into building the $19-million Children's Academy, which opened last week. It includes an elementary school, a gymnasium, a library and a multimedia center.
The process of navigating the city's intricate permitting process put a lot of stress on Taylor, Stanford said.
Times2 began in 1976 as an enrichment program designed to get minority children enthused about studying math and science. The program was so successful, it received the Presidential Award for Excellence and Community Service.
Ten years ago, Taylor -- then executive director of that program -- presented the state Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education with a plan for a charter school, based on the notion that minority students can be successful in science and technology.
In 1997, the Times2 Academy became the second charter school in the state; the Textron Chamber of Commerce Academy, also in Providence, had been the first.
From the start, Times2 had the look and feel of a private school.
Students wear uniforms.
Discipline and good manners are the rule, not the exception.
Each child has an individual education plan, tailored to his or her needs.
Teachers work in teams, planning lessons and reviewing a child's work.
"It starts with a vision," Taylor said in an interview almost 10 years ago. "But it's a daunting process for a visionary person."
The academy began as a secondary school. With the completion of the Children's Academy, it now includes kindergarten through grade 12 -- making it the first K-12 charter school in Rhode Island.
"Ralph's dream started in a corner office of the Providence School Department," Stanford wrote in a Tuesday letter to the school's staff.
Today, the Times2 Academy has an enrollment of 588 students.
"Times2 Inc. is also the proud owner of a wonderful 8-acre campus, two state-of-the art teaching facilities and a new gym," Stanford wrote. "All of these achievements are due in large part to Ralph's vision and determination over the past years."
Stanford said he doesn't expect a bumpy transition, because Stanley Thompson has been serving as the school's principal and academic dean for the past three years, while Taylor has been focusing primarily on long-range planning and the Children's Academy.
"From the charter league's perspective, he was a pioneer in the charter-school movement," said Nardelli, the league's spokesman. "He was a talented and respected administrator, and a major contributor to the success of the charter schools.
"His work and dedication speak for themselves, and will sorely be missed
DEM questions city's plan for high school
Posted Wednesday, October 12, 2005
BY LINDA BORG
Journal Staff Writer
The environmental agency wants to know whether neighbors and students would be harmed by the building of a school on a site with known toxins.
PROVIDENCE -- The city has failed to provide the Department of Environmental Management with a full explanation why it decided to build a high school on the site of a former silverware factory.
On April 1, the DEM asked the city's planning department to explain why it chose the former Gorham Manufacturing site for its new 950-student high school, according to Brian A. Wagner, the DEM's deputy chief legal counsel.
Under the state's brownfields act, the DEM must determine whether low-income and minority neighborhoods are being unduly burdened by the locating of a potentially hazardous facility in their community.
Historically, these laws have been applied when a polluting industry wants to locate in a low-income neighborhood. In this case, the DEM wants to know whether neighbors and students will be harmed by the building of a school on a site with known toxins.
Wagner said the city's response satisfied some but not all of his concerns:
"The one big thing that was missing was a discussion of why they chose to site a school at this location," he said. "Did you look at multiple sites? Were there reasons you had to exclude these sites? Why was this site your best option when . . . it's no secret that the site was contaminated?"
Officials at the DEM said that they will not give the city approval to begin construction until this question is answered.
The city is working on submitting more information to the DEM, according to Peter Grivers, project manager for EA Engineering, Science and Technology, the company hired by the city to develop a cleanup plan for the site.
Last week, Thomas E. Deller, the city's director of planning and development, said what city officials have been saying all along: there are few parcels in the city big enough for a school, and none of them are clean.
Deller said the city looked at the old Imperial Knife building, but that site was rejected because of its proximity to a wetland. He said the city considered building the school at the former American Tourister site in the North End, but the DEM objected to that site because of contamination.
Deller said the city also investigated buying the former Ames department store site off Hartford Avenue, but the owner didn't want to sell.
"The real issue isn't that the Gorham property is a contaminated site," Deller said. "The issue is, how are we going to address that problem and make it safe?"
At last week's public hearing, several Reservoir Triangle residents expressed concern about an underground river of contaminated groundwater. According to EA Engineering, the groundwater is presumed to be flowing north, toward Mashapaug Pond.
The DEM's senior engineer, Joseph T. Martella, said that the plume's projected path shows it heading toward the northern corner of the school site.
"There is contaminated groundwater under the entire property," Martella said. "That water is undergoing treatment by Textron but it's not working well."
A Textron spokeswoman said that the company has reduced groundwater contamination, which, she said, has been documented by quarterly testing. According to spokeswoman Karen Gordon, the company is continuing to work with the DEM to address the community's concerns.
In 1967, Textron bought the entire 37-acre parcel from Gorham Manufacturing, which was once the country's largest producer of silverware. The facility stopped production in 1986 and the buildings were demolished in 2001.
Meanwhile, Deller said he hadn't heard about the contaminated groundwater until Wednesday's public hearing, despite the fact that numerous hearings have been held on the project, starting in April.
Deller said, "I understand that's being worked on -- I assume by Textron and the owner of the shopping center." Stop & Shop built a shopping center on an adjacent parcel.
Even if engineers clean up the school site, residents wonder how the city will deal with the contamination on the surrounding property, especially from the pond, which is only 120 feet north of the school site.
"There is no way to clean up the pond before the school opens," Martella said. "We don't know the extent of contamination."
Longtime residents say that barrels of unknown substances are sitting on the bottom of the pond, but DEM officials can't confirm that.
At last week's hearing, EA Engineering described its plans to either remove or contain toxins on the 4-acre school parcel.
The landscaped portion of the parcel would be covered with at least 1 foot of clean fill. The rest would be capped by the school building, walkways and parking lots, according to the company's Sept. 22 report to the DEM.
The engineers, however, rejected a remedy that called for removing all the contaminated soil, because this "would require an extensive field effort and present more chances for exposure to contaminated soils for site workers and the environment."
The engineers have also proposed installing a subsurface ventilation system that would vent toxic vapors that build up beneath the school.
"I believe they can make the site safe," Martella said.
But he also said that residents "have legitimate concerns about the wisdom of placing a school on property where there are areas that most likely will not be addressed with full remedies before the school opens."
Meanwhile, public opposition to the school site is growing. Councilman Ronald Allen said he has asked for a meeting with the mayor, the new school superintendent and the public to discuss the neighbors' concerns.
"I do not support it," he said. "I want the city to find an alternative site. I'm looking at my options as we speak."
Sen. Juan Pichardo has been a critic of the site since the plans surfaced in April. He said he plans on asking the state's congressional delegation to intervene and halt the project until the neighborhood's questions are answered.
"I'm not going to give up on bringing this issue to the forefront," he said. "No one has satisfied me why children have to be put on these types of sites."
Superintendent to propose reorganization
Posted Wednesday, October 12, 2005
New schools chief Donnie Evans says he is concerned about accountability within his department.
BY LINDA BORG
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE -- Schools Supt. Donnie Evans announced last night that he plans to restructure some of his administrative staff in an attempt to create clearer lines of responsibility.
"One of the problems I've seen is in the area of accountability," he told the School Board last night. "We need to tighten the structure."
Principals need to know who is responsible for specific matters, said Evans, who arrived in Providence from Tampa, Fla., four weeks ago. Currently, several administrators have overlapping responsibilities, which can lead to confusion and duplication of effort.
Evans said he will create the position of deputy superintendent. Tomas Ramirez is now assistant superintendent; Evans did not explain the distinction between those two roles. He will present his organizational changes at the Oct. 24 board meeting.
Evans also said that Providence needs to provide more alternative settings for chronically disruptive students who can't make it in a regular classroom.
"These youngsters need a high-structure environment," he said, "but our options are limited right now."
Providence introduced a new code of conduct this fall whose goal is to keep students in school rather than finding ways to kick them out. The policy revolves around four expectations: that students come to school on time and ready to learn, that they respect themselves and others, that they plan for their futures and that they ask for help.
Principals this summer were briefed on the new code of conduct and every teacher was supposed to receive a 140-page resource guide complete with lesson plans on everything from time management to team building.
Last night, a couple members of the Student Success Initiative team reported that in a few schools, the resource guides were sitting in closets. Chris Lopardo, a high school physical education instructor, said that in some schools, the new code of conduct wasn't even mentioned.
That led School Board member Umberto Crenca to question whether the School Department was ready to roll out the plan when some faculty and staff members were not prepared to teach it.
"My issue," he said, "is the success of the plan."
Steven Smith, president of the Providence Teachers Union, said the new code may be doomed to failure unless the district provides teachers with the support they need.
How, he said, can you make attendance a priority with only one attendance officer for the entire district? How, he asked, can you keep disruptive students in the building when there is no separate room for them to cool down and sort out their problems?
"Those kids who want to learn should have the opportunity to do so without interference," Smith said. "I agree that lowering the suspension rate is a good thing, but where are the programs? A lot of things were missing before we rolled this out."
Jonny Skye, who developed the Student Success Initiative, said that her staff made every effort to explain the code to principals. But, she said, it is up to the building leaders to spread the word to their faculties.
Fran Gallo, chief of administration, pleaded for patience. It takes time, she said, to get adults to change the way they approach disciplinary issues. After all, she said, this is only the second month of a five-year program.
"Do we have issues? Absolutely," Gallo said. "Are we working on them? Absolutely."
Students face new tests
Posted Monday, October 3, 2005
The new standardized test is a more objective way of gauging what studens have learned, a Providence school district official says.
BY LINDA BORG
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE -- Starting today, 12,000 elementary and middle school students will spend two mornings a week taking the state's new standardized tests, the New England Common Assessment.
The test is a departure from last year's New Standards Reference Exam in several ways:
For the first time, children in grades 3 through 8 will be tested in language arts and math. Before, only students in grades 4, 8 and 11 were tested. High school students will continue to be tested in the spring.
The previous test was an off-the-shelf assessment that measured a broad spectrum of knowledge. The new test was designed to reflect what Rhode Island students are actually studying in, for example, third grade.
The New Standards exam was given in early spring. In some cases, it included material that the teacher hadn't covered yet. The new test will be given in the fall and it will cover what fourth-graders learned in third grade.
Local testing experts say that this assessment is fairer because it tests children on material that they have actually encountered in class.
But the New England Common Assessment is a different beast than the New Standards Reference Exam. According to John Mickelson, one of the district's assessment experts, the new test more closely resembles the state assessment Massachusetts uses, the MCAS.
While both assessments are demanding, the NECA has more multiple-choice questions. The New Standards test included more questions that called for written responses.
According to Michael Sorum, the outgoing director of research, assessment and evaluation for the Providence schools, the new test is "more objective because there is less judgment involved in the scoring."
Sorum said that the old test went deep, whereas the new test goes wide. The new test covers a broader range of material, he said, but it isn't as "meaty" as the New Standards exam.
Rhode Island had to create a new assessment because the old test was written only for children in grades 4, 8 and 11. The federal No Child Left Behind law requires that students be tested in grades 3 through 8, plus a year of high school.
The other issue is that the New Standards test takes much longer to score, which created problems in getting the test scores back to teachers in a timely manner.
In any event, Sorum said that the district has been preparing teachers and students to take the new test. Last year, the schools tweaked their curriculum to reflect the material included on the new tests.
The district also introduced its own quarterly assessment, which provides teachers with reams of information on what material their students have mastered and what they haven't. The interim tests are given to students in grades 2 through 8.
"This is test prep in the best sense of the word," Michelson said.
Although the new test is designed to last 45 minutes, students will be given 90 minutes to complete it.
"We didn't want the scores to reflect testing pressure," said Mary Ann Snider, the state's director of assessment and accountabilty.
Students, teachers and principals will be asked to fill out a questionnaire after the testing is finished, and, if students say that they needed less time, the time frame could be shortened next year.
Several Providence educators are concerned that the new test discriminates against English language learners because it is not offered in Spanish.
"In the past, accommodations were made by allowing [newcomers] to take the math test in Spanish," said Socorro Gomez-Potter, principal of the Reservoir Avenue Elementary School. "This year, even the newly arrived students have to take the math portion in English. That doesn't seem fair."
Under No Child Left Behind, children who have lived in the United States for less than one year are exempt from taking the reading and writing portions of the test, but not the math section. Last year, newcomers were allowed to take the math test in Spanish.
Teachers, however, are still permitted to read the test directions in Spanish.
Snider said that deciding whether to offer the test in Spanish was one of the big questions that Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Vermont grappled with. The three states collaborated on designing the test.
The test developers had to weigh the cost of developing a separate test in Spanish when only 140 Rhode Island students took it last year.
Instead of a Spanish language assessment, Rhode Island developed a test that incorporates something called "universal design," which keeps the language as simple as possible and tries to eliminate vocabulary that might be unfamiliar to children from different cultures.
Snider said that the new test was reviewed by a national education policy and research group for just these types of bias.
But Matthew Garcia, the director of the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Brown University, said the premise of a culturally neutral test is highly debatable.
"Tests have cultural and linguistic biases," he said. "How can you assess students' aptitude in math if they don't have a translation in their own language?"
Some teachers are also concerned about a new rule that requires them to remove or cover teaching materials in their classroom, such as words walls and math lessons. Snider said the state education department made that decision in order to level the playing field. Last year, teachers in some districts took down all their materials while others left them up.
"We have to make sure that no child is disadvantaged," Snider said. "We're trying to measure what students know" without relying on any aids.
The testing will run two mornings a week for three weeks except for grades 5 and 8, which will have two additional days of testing.
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