students

Public Information:

Worcester Public Schools 2011 – 2012 School Year and Days Off/Holidays
STUDENTS REPORT FOR SCHOOL AS FOLLOWS:

PRE-SCHOOLS
PRE-SCHOOL STUDENTS will report on September 6, 2011, as stated in the individual notification letter sent to parents.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS will begin school on September 6, 2011. The Worcester Public Schools will be screening Kindergarten children by appointment on August 31st, September 1st and September 2nd. If your child does not have an appointment for screening, contact the school your child is registered at after August 22nd.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
STARTING DATE: August 31, 2011 – Grades 1-6
(all students)

MIDDLE SCHOOLS
STARTING DATE: August 31, 2011 – Grades 7 &8
(all students)

HIGH SCHOOLS
STARTING DATE: August 31, 2011 – Grades 9-12 (all students) Click to continue »

By John Monfredo, Worcester School Committee

Only kidding! But now that I have your attention, let’s look at why we should be concerned about students losing academic growth in the summer because literacy activities are not taking place. Yes, this is referred to by many as the “SUMMER SLIDE.” Deprived of healthy learning, millions of low-income students lose a considerable amount of what they learned during the school year.

A study by Johns Hopkins University adds to the mounting evidence of the “Summer Slide.” Inner-city or low-income students start out behind their more middle-class students and fall behind each year with most of that loss occurring when school is out. By the end of the elementary school years, Hopkins researchers found low-income children trail middle-income classmates, in some cases, by three grade levels.

“Children whose parents are college-educated continue to build their reading skills during the summer months,” said Karl Alexander, a Hopkins sociology professor involved in the research. “You go to a museum or you to a library or you go to the science center, and through osmosis you make some headway there.”

Professor Alexander, in his 2007 study at Johns Hopkins University, stated that two thirds of the reading achievement gap between 9th graders of low-and high-socioeconomic standing in Baltimore public schools can be traced to what they learned or failed to learn over their childhood summers. The study, which tracked data from about 325 Baltimore students from 1’st grade to age 22, points out that various characteristics that depend heavily on reading ability, such as students’ curriculum tract in high school, their risk of dropping out, and their probability of pursing higher education and landing higher paying jobs, all diverge widely according to socioeconomic levels. Does this happen in other advanced industrial countries? According to Mr. Alexander, the answer is NO, for those countries go to school 230 to 240 days a year as compared to 180 in the United States.

Low-income children actually keep pace with more affluent students during the academic year but slip behind during the summer. Researchers feel that during the school year, children in both affluent and lower–income communities benefit from the “faucet theory.” Learning resources are “turned on” for ALL CHILDREN during the school year, but in the summertime the faucet is turned off. Middle-class parents can make up the loss with their own resources, but working class and poor parents have a difficult time creating enriched learning experiences for their children over the summer months. All parents want the same things for their children, but low-income parents do not have the same access to opportunities for their children. Click to continue »

By John Monfredo, Worcester School Committee

“Turning around persistently low-achieving schools requires a new way of doing the work that is transformative for the students and teachers in the school… the nature of the work demands a new vision for redesigning the schools and how districts support schools in that process. Bold action is required.”
– Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Back in March of 2010 the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced its list of 35 Level 4 schools. A school is deemed “Level 4” if its achievement is in the lowest 4 percent of schools statewide. Two schools in Worcester were on the list: Chandler Elementary and Union Hill School.

The new law, signed by Governor Deval Patrick last January, is designed to close the persistent achievement gap between the schools in poorer communities and those in richer communities. However, as mentioned in previous articles, the idea of closing the achievement gap is a difficult choice, for the administration had a variety of punitive options to choose and the least restrictive was the removal of the principal. Thus, that was what Dr. Boone, Superintendent of Schools in Worcester, chose. The decision was supported by the Worcester School Committee.

At that time Dr. Boone stated, “These schools have worked extremely hard to provide a high-quality of educational opportunities for all the students enrolled there. While significant progress has been made, we acknowledge that the rate of progress has not met the state and federal benchmarks Click to continue »

Stand for Children provided testimony recently at the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education’s monthly meeting in Malden to share their recommendations for Massachusetts’ educator evaluation guidelines. Stand for Children Executive Director Jason Williams and member Trisha Perez Kennealy spoke at the meeting and presented the Board with written testimony from parents, teachers, and administrators from across the Commonwealth.

“My lifelong work in public education has consistently shown that all students can achieve at high levels academically regardless of socioeconomic background,” stated Jason Williams. “Having an effective teacher greatly influences student learning and Stand for Children members are committed to ensuring that the state’s guidelines prioritize student outcomes as the most significant factor in a teacher’s evaluation.”

Stand for Children is advocating for Massachusetts’ teacher evaluation guidelines to prioritize evidence of student learning as the most significant factor, and up to 50%, of a teacher’s evaluation.

Student outcomes need to be taken into account using multiple measures, including but not limited to students’ growth scores on standardized tests. Additional changes to the current teacher evaluation system should include the use of an evaluation tool based on four categories to distinguish between varying skill levels, as well as more frequent self and peer-based evaluation cycles.

“As a Puerto Rican woman, I know that education is an equalizer. When I hear the drop-out rates in the Latino community, I cannot sit on the sidelines,” said Stand member Trisha Perez Kennealy. “I have to advocate for effective tools that will keep students engaged and keep them in school and one of those tools is an effective evaluation system for teachers.”

By John Monfredo, Worcester School Committee

Parents are the consumers; all schools should make every effort to attract them in a most competitive way. No longer are public schools a given, for parents now have options in the form of charter and private schools, as well as school choice. As Dr. Boone, superintendent of the Worcester Public Schools has stated on several occasions, “We want the public schools to be the school of choice for all of our parents.”

Thus far, in general, the Worcester Public Schools have been the choice of parents in Worcester. In 2009 and 2010 the Worcester Public Schools enrollment was 24,006 students. Worcester’s private, parochial and charter enrollment was 4,302 students. In addition, 342 School Choice opted out and 75 students School Choice opted in. Therefore, roughly 84% of the students in Worcester attend the Worcester Public Schools.

However, times are changing and, if a school system is to meet the needs of all the students, it certainly must continue with a strong education system and listen to the voices of the consumers – parents. Click to continue »

By Rosalie Tirella

After reading all the pieces on Joe O’Brien’s inauguration day festivities (I wasn’t invited to the ball and InCity Times was emailed no public announcement about it to post in the paper so our readers could attend – unlike two years ago, when Konnie Lukes became mayor and I got ALL the info and a beautiful invitation to boot), I ask: Will things really change in Worcester with Joe at the helm? Will O’Brien really be any different from a pol who rewards his pals and punishes anyone who doesn’t agree with him? More important: Will things really change/improve in the Worcester Public Schools now that Mayor O’Brien says he wants to make the WPS system the best urban school system in America?

Actions speak louder than words, my momma always told me. This is what I have to go on so far: Click to continue »

By Rosalie Tirella

Three or so years ago, after scores of InCity Times articles/Tony Hmura ads decrying the lewd, thoughtless and stupid behavior of dead-drunk Holy Cross students (one of our readers wrote us that a HCross couple was having sex in the hallway in the three decker in which she and her child lived!!!), I was at a corner store in the Madison Street/Southbridge street area of Worcester. I was heading to my car when a prepped-out (short haircut, loafer-wearing, no socks) late-40-something-year-old guy came up to me and told me: 1. He was visiting his kid at Holy Cross and could I give him directions to the school and 2. Could I also give him directions to the nearest package store (I think he even said “packie”!).

I was appalled. Here he was: the Holy Cross frat guy all grown up! Just as arrogant as he had been during his Holy Cross days – and, more important to me, just as big an alcoholic.

This weekend he was helping/enabling his kid to become an alcoholic.

I put two and two together: I gave boozer-dad directions to Holy Cross, but I didn’t tell him where the nearest package store was.

Then I got into my car thinking alcoholism IS A GENERATIONAL CURSE. It is passed on and on and on … from grandparents to parents to kids … from holiday parties to birthday bashes to summer cook-outs to wakes and to gatherings of all sorts (both happy and sad), with Holy Cross college being some kind of milestone for young alcoholics. Here the kids were: at school, away from home, under all sorts of pressure, enjoying all sorts of new experiences. Boozing, somehow, made things seem more real. Alcohol was/is a big part of Holy Cross students’ lives. And when Dad visits Holy Cross, he drinks, too, he parties, too. (Especially if there’s a football game! Go Crusaders!) Click to continue »

By John Monfredo, Worcester Public School Committee member

As the school bell rings for the Worcester Public Schools this fall, the staff and the students of our public schools will be greeted by Worcester’s first female school superintendent, Dr. Melinda Boone. Dr. Boone spent one week a month in Worcester since January prior to her official starting date of July 1, 2009. This arrangement was due to her contractual obligations in the Norfolk Virginia Public Schools and to give her youngest daughter the opportunity to finish her senior year in high school – thus demonstrating her commitment to education and family. Click to continue »

By John Monfredo, Worcester School Committee member

As our children explore and discover their environment, they are exposed to the world of math! Mathematics has become increasingly important in this age of technology. Children need a strong background in math. It’s essential that the school and the home work together to strengthen our children’s ability to understand and apply math in their everyday lives. Many school systems are paying attention to improving early-grades math curriculum instruction, for there is mounting research showing that boosting students’ confidence and effort in math can increase achievement.

For children to compete in the 21’st century global economy, knowledge in math is critical. Today’s high school graduates need to have a solid math background, whether they are headed to college or the workforce. To help ensure our nation’s future competitiveness in the global market, our country created a National Mathematics Advisory Panel in 2006. Click to continue »