The following document is a reflection of my observations and involvement with the Rochester City School District since mid April of 2007.  By no means is this a comprehensive analysis.  It is one man's observation as viewed through the lens of 37 years of experience in public education.  It only begins to scratch the surface. 

Contents

     I.  Parental Involvement/Community Partnerships

Partnerships, School Adoptions, Volunteering

Mentoring

    II. Safety/School Environment

Transportation

UPK Transportation

Scanning of Students

School Climate and Administrative Leadership

Suspensions

Gang Violence

School Sentries

School Resource Officers (SRO)

  III. School Design/Structure/Issues

Early Childhood

Pre-Kindergarten Education (Universal Pre-K or UPK)

Additional 0 to 5 Issues

Kindergarten

Elementary

Secondary Schools

Secondary Administrative Organization

Bi-Lingual Education

Youth and Justice Programs

Alternative Education

Retention

Graduation Rates

•IV.             Professional Administrative Ratio

•V.                 Special Education

•VI.             Human Resources

•VII.          Board of Education

•VIII.       Business Operations

•IX.              Closing Statement

•X.                 Appendices

I.  Parental Involvement/Community Partnerships

Parental Involvement

This is an area of critical concern.  Over the years RCSD has been perceived as involving parents in a perfunctory manner.  While many systems, internal organizations and programs exist to engage parents and community at large, district commitment to follow-through and the value of parents and community partners has been unsatisfactory.  Near fatal procedural and management issues have been replete in DACT, PPC, SBPTs and PTAs.  Additionally, required parental sign-off, communication and participation on important State documents, procedures and programs have been ignored, minimized or marginalized.  Required parental signatures on the Consolidated Grant were ignored.  Parental notification of the status of RCSD as a District in Corrective Action (DICA) was not provided.  One parent has described parental involvement as "looking good on paper" but not in action. 

Recommendations

A new supervisory position of Director of Parent and Community Involvement has been created.  The intention is that a committee of representative parents and community members make a recommendation to the superintendent from a pool of qualified candidates.  It is imperative that the person selected has the support of parents and the community as a community advocate and partner.  In concert with parents and the community the new director will continue the corrective measures put in place from May to December, 2007.  Additionally, the new director should be charged with fostering an atmosphere that welcomes parents and the community rather than viewing them as an "unavoidable nuisance." 

There have been serious election problems with PPC and DACT.  The issue with PPC is currently being addressed, however, at a minimum, there needs to be a change in the by-laws which will enable the committee to be populated by parents.  DACT recently held an election where a school-district employee was elected as president.  The majority of the people casting votes were school liaisons (district employees).  I made a formal complaint to DACT, expressing my desire to have a parent at the head of an organization designed to engage parents. It was subsequent to that meeting that I discovered that the majority of votes came from district employees.  I have not received a response to my complaint.  DACT should be reconstituted with new by-laws.

PTA and PTO organizations often fail to get building and district recognition as an important and viable means of engaging parents.  Recently, PTAs and PTOs were added to the district website to make these organizations and their good works accessible to parents and the community at large. 

Over the past several months, I and staff members have been collaborating with a number of parent and community activists establishing a list of concerns and potential solutions (Appendix A).  It is imperative that these issues are given all due consideration.  They represent parent involvement and community participation at the grass roots level.  Giving weight to this document and its fulfillment will be a significant recognition of the value of parents and community involvement.  This document is a commitment to offer solutions rather than simply pointing out district deficiencies.

Partnerships, School Adoptions and Volunteering

While there are myriad partnerships, school adoptions and volunteers, RCSD needs much, much more in order to ensure the success of our children.  Furthermore, the definition of partnerships, adoptions and volunteerism has a different meaning from school-to-school and are completely unregulated.  There has been very poor support of the aforementioned from the highest levels of administration.  There must be strong support from the superintendent and the board for these initiatives.  Our business community is ready to partner.  Our faith community has committed to adopt every school in the district.  Our community at large is knocking at the door to mentor our youth.  All of the above groups have expressed a serious frustration with RCSD.  They do not feel wanted.  In many cases, they simply cannot get in the door.  Volunteers have repeatedly stated that RCSD does not know how to use volunteers.  This reluctance to involve the community has created a lack of confidence in RCSD and a sense that the school district does not really care about children. 

In a recent conversation with the president of MCC, I was told of a host of partnership opportunities that were squandered by RCSD.  In another meeting with Brockport State College we were informed of Tuition-Free Training offered to RCSD students in Academic preparation, Certified Nurse Assistants, Child Development Associate and Renewal, Civil Service Exam Preparation, Commercial Driver License, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, English for Speakers of Other Languages, GED preparation, Licensed Practical Nurse, Medical Secretary, Nail Technician, Office and Administrative Support, SAT preparation and Surgical Technician.  These offerings are from SUNY Brockport's Rochester Educational Opportunity Center.  Unfortunately, very few referrals of our students into this program have been made.

Recommendations

The establishment of the position of director of Parent and Community Involvement/Partnerships will be necessary to address the above issues.  The short and long-term plans of the district must include Partnerships, Adoptions and Volunteering as critical components for student success in addition to academic and structural reform.  Commitments made with the community from May to December of 2007 must be maintained and nurtured.  The Faith Community Alliance has committed 52 parishes to adopt all 61 schools.  This must not be ignored.  There has been significant commitment from the Educational Leadership Council (consisting of Who's Who of business, industry, community and higher education of Rochester) to the RCSD.  All levels of education are being supported by the ELC, from Pre-K to grade 12.  In the last year we have engaged our local colleges and universities through Today's Students and Tomorrow's Teachers.  This program, brought to the district in September prepares minority students to become teachers during the high school years and provides college scholarships.  It must be expanded every year.  This is a major initiative that will help produce critically needed minority teachers. 

Rochester's Promise was announced in December and provides $100,000 to RCSD student accepted to the University of Rochester.  Nazareth and Roberts Wesleyan provide tutors as well as other support.  These are just a few programs of many that must be continued, nurtured and expanded.  It should be a priority to engage the 19 area colleges in a commitment to emulate the University of Rochester's "Rochester's Promise."

I met with Monroe Community College President December 13, 2007.  At that time he announced the desire for the MCC Foundation to fund scholarships to MCC for all RCSD graduates.  I recently provided him RCSD student scholarship selection criteria.  It is imperative that RCSD follow through on this initiative to offer substantial hope to our students. 

Judy Fonzi from the U of R has been a wonderful resource to help coordinate and define partnerships, adoptions and volunteerism.  We have begun meetings with her and they must continue.  Another expert source on volunteerism is Isobel Goldman of Jewish Family Services.

Programs that offer free tuition to our students such as the Rochester Educational Opportunity Center must be embraced.  Partnerships with MCC and its vast resources through Workforce Development Funds must be accessed, not ignored. 

Mentoring

One of the major recommendations of the report on the condition of the RCSD chaired by Al Simone was the need for 10,000 mentors.  Prior to 2007, there had been no progress in this area.  We do not need the Simone report to know the importance of mentors and intergenerational activities.  Minimally, our at-risk youth need mentors.  This is a high priority.   Generation 2 is an intergenerational program with 1^st graders that is in 3 of our elementary schools (2 added this year).  It is not enough!  Interviews with students have told us that they are crying out for caring adults to serve as role models and mentors.  Conversations with secondary teachers lead us to the same conclusions.  Seventh grade students make up the majority of secondary schools' 1,804 long-term suspensions.  This quote from a highly-respected African-American male RCSD teacher and role model hits the point; "If we can't nip 7^th grade behavior in the bud, what in the world are we going to do when they are in 9^th grade?  All we can do in high school (grades 9-12) is bandage them rather than treat them." 

Recommendations

 This year we created The Family Wisdom Initiative at Freddie Thomas.  This program (led by a community family psychologist Dr. Bruce Goldberg and community member Midge Thomas) engages 40 adults in a family mentoring program.  This program will be evaluated and should be replicated in our other schools.  Additionally, we have had conversations with Educational Data Systems (EDS) to begin a district-wide mentoring program for 7^th graders.  This program is in its nascent stages.  Every "at risk" 7^th grader will be given a mentor BEFORE long-term suspension becomes a necessity.  This program must be established if we expect to make a difference in the lives of secondary students and if we expect to increase the graduation rate.  Henry Bleier of EDS has been part of a mentoring program for the past 12 years at Monroe High School.  He has committed to work with RCSD to develop this program.  Psychologists Bruce Gilberg and Patty Yarmel have worked with me in the foundation of the development of the 7^th grade mentoring initiative.  On December 18, 2007 we discussed the direction the program will need to take in order to provide the necessary help for our adolescents. 

We are hopeful that another participant will be included in these initial mentoring planning discussions in the person of Hussain Ahmed.  I commissioned Hussain to begin the Rites of Passage initiative at John Marshall.  Rites of Passage works exclusively with the 7^th graders at John Marshall.  It is an incentive program that stimulates hope and desire for students to go beyond high school and on to further educational opportunities.  In this program, every 7^th grader has a mentor.  The success of this program will be measured longitudinally.  Combined with efforts such as the Family Wisdom Initiative and the planned Mentors for All 7^th Graders effort, we will make a difference in student behaviors and subsequently student achievement. 

When examining Rites of Passage, the district should also look into a peer mentoring component for seventh graders.  Seventh graders need mentoring and role-modeling from older high school and college students.  Peer mentoring programs such as College for Every Student by Met Life should be given careful consideration. 

II.  Safety/School Environment

Our community is not safe!  Since I have been here, we have seen the highest murder rate in the state.  We have had three schools placed on the Persistently Dangerous list (only 46 of these schools exist in the entire country).  The violence in the community bleeds into the schools.  Murders of parents are commonplace.  Students have been murdered and students murdered students.  Within the school walls, there have been stabbings and extremely violent assaults. 

Our neighborhood streets are not safe.  There are very few neighborhoods where walking to school is safe.  Countless weapons have been seized upon entry to our schools from students who feel they need protection to get to and from school. 

Too many high school teachers teach "afraid."  They are afraid to discipline students.  And for good reason.  In reviewing many of the long-term suspensions, teachers are too often hurt by the violent acts of students. 

Gangs are prolific.

School Culture and Climate must be addressed.

Recommendations

Transportation

Many suburban districts provide door-to-door transportation for all of their children because of "safety," yet transporting all of RCSD children has never been considered.  In conversations with staff who have worked for RCSD for over 30 years, the provision of door-to-door transportation for students living under the 1.5 mile limit has never been on the "radar."  Provision of transportation for all will be a SIGNIFICANT improvement in the effort to meet our children's basic need for safety.  In my view, provision of door-to-door transportation is a moral imperative. 

In addition to protecting our children from harm, to and from school, door-to-door transportation will improve attendance (many students do not attend school out of fear), grades will improve (Fear overcomes the ability to perform well in class.  There is ample research on the production of cortisol in the brain that diminishes a child's ability to learn when fearful) and more kids will graduate. 

In parent surveys, the number one reason for choosing a school is to get transportation.  They want transportation so their children do not have to walk the dangerous streets.  Door-to-door transportation will bring a higher percent of families to their neighborhood schools.  Parents have repeatedly expressed the desire to send their kids to the schools in their neighborhoods but choose more distant ones for the bus ride.  Parents expressed a desire to be at their neighborhood schools so they can be more involved in the school and that the school can be one with the immediate neighborhood.

This is not an issue of great financial significance.  Currently, under Managed Choice, transportation costs are extremely high due to the nature of bussing kids far from their homes.  Over time, the door-to-door proposition will be a negligible expense.  Even without the savings from a movement to neighborhood schools, without transportation aid, the estimated increase in cost would be about $3.7 million to transport the 8,000 walkers.  This amount will decline significantly when parents begin to send their children to neighborhood schools.

I have written legislation that would provide transportation aid to big city districts without mileage limitations.  There is precedent for this legislation and I view its support by the board and the administration as absolutely essential.  I have included my proposed legislation as a part of this report.  This legislation will provide $3.4 million in state funding to RCSD. 

If the legislation passes or not, our city children MUST be afforded the same safeguards as their suburban counterparts.

UPK Transportation

We have a nationally recognized UPK program yet we do not provide transportation.  Due to the lack of transportation and adequate child care, we are not serving as many as 1/3 of our eligible students.  I have forwarded the recommendation to the Governor's Children Cabinet that transportation and all-day UPK be part of the governor's 2008 budget.  In the meantime, RCSD should look at UPK transportation as a budgetary priority.

Scanning of Students

Weapons occasionally enter school due to random scanning.

Recommendation

All secondary students should be scanned.  We are near that level at this time, however, we must purchase more "walk-through" scanners and accommodate the needs necessary to implement their use.

School Climate and Administrative Leadership

The climate (especially at the secondary schools) needs to be one where students and teachers show and are given respect.  All students and adults must treat and be treated with dignity.  Unfortunately, this is all too often not the case.  I cannot emphasize enough the importance of the building principal in creating a nurturing, respectful and caring culture in a building.  It is the principal that sets the stage and manages the players in the drama of high school education.  Teachers and staff will not be able to complete their mission of educating our children and holding them accountable for their behavior without the intimate and consistent support of the principal and his/her administrative team.  And principals must be supported by their supervisors in order to succeed. 

Teachers must not be abused by being sworn at by students.  Students cannot threaten (and too often follow through with) physical harm on their teachers. 

What happens to students who are chronically absent from classes?

What happens to students who are chronically absent from classes and are failing?

When students are not in class (cutting) and wandering the halls or in places that they do not belong and are not held accountable, what are the consequences?

What interventions are enacted at the first sign of class cuts?

What interventions are sought out when a child first experiences academic failure?

For the 2006-07 school year, elementary attendance was 92.53% and secondary attendance was 90.83%.  Attendance figures reflect student attendance for any portion of the day.  Elementary attendance figures will remain relatively constant irrespective of partial day attendance.  Secondary attendance, on the other hand, varies widely.  For example, if a student is in homeroom for daily attendance, the student is recorded as present for the day.  In theory, a student can be absent for all classes and is still recorded as present because he/she was in attendance in homeroom.   Additionally, if a teacher at a high school fails to take attendance, the student data system defaults to an "all present" status even though students may not be in class.  The end result is an inaccurate reading of attendance and an inflation of the percentage of students actually present. 

Suspensions

In the 2006-07 school year there were 1804 long-term suspensions.  Long-term suspensions range from 6 days to an entire school year.  This amount equals 10 long-term suspensions per day.  There were an additional 2000 short-term suspensions in 2006-07.

Recommendations

Creating a positive, supportive, nurturing and most importantly a respectful climate is essential if we expect substantive learning to take place in our secondary schools.  We have a lot of work to do in this arena.  To create such an environment:

•1.      Get at the root of the problem. 

We must stop being reactive and think proactively.  There are many signs that indicate potential problems that cannot be ignored.  As one teacher told me, "Most teachers can pin point the future problems right now.  What are we doing about that?"  If a student begins cutting classes, we must aggressively seek the cause and initiate appropriate interventions BEFORE it gets out of hand.  When a student misses 20 or 30 classes and the first semester has not ended and no accountability and intervention measures have been put into place, rest assured this is a future act of violence or a future drop out.  In every building EACH ADULT has an important role in the behavior and academic success of EACH CHILD.  At the earliest signs of problems, parents must be called, parents must be part of parent conferences and consequences and interventions must be initiated.  Principals must support teachers in their efforts to engage parents at these early stages.  Parent conferences must be mandatory with consequences for parents who refuse to participate.  The bottom line is that student behavior is not "someone else's job."  Everyone has a role.  When anyone fails in that role, dissonance, discord and chaos can be expected. 

•2.      Attendance must be viewed as critical to success.

Period-by-period attendance must be viewed as a matter of the life or death of a student....nothing less.  District policy whereby teachers are to call home for the initial student absences (before reporting to the appropriate administrator) absolutely must be strictly enforced.  Currently, it is not being enforced.

Teachers who are not taking period-by-period attendance or do so occasionally or haphazardly must be held accountable.  Students who are unaccounted for are a disaster waiting to happen.  Failure to keep students engaged and present in classrooms is leading to inevitable academic failure.  It is also leading to serious discipline problems in halls and in common meeting areas.  When teachers call home and assign consequences and absenteeism continues, administrators must then firmly deal with the student and the parents.  It should also be noted that consequences should not be a suspension.  Why on earth would we hold kids accountable for missing classes by making them miss more classes?  Consequences, must include detention, Saturday school, mandated parent conferences and community service to name a few. 

Poor attendance starts at the onset of the educational experience.  Our own RCSD research indicates that the average kindergartener misses one month of school each year.  This is abysmal and totally unacceptable.  RCSD must research this issue to determine root causes.  If not corrected at 5 years old, the situation is progressively exacerbated as the child moves through the grades.  The end result is the disengagement and dropping out of school, leading to a 39% graduation rate.

A high-school principal recently told me that attendance issues in her building were an epidemic.  Viewing the district from a global perspective, the epidemic is system-wide. 

•3.      Looking at Student Report Cards

After each marking period the principal, assistants and guidance counselors must thoroughly examine every report card.  The report cards display teacher comments, grades and attendance (daily and each classroom).  This information is an important tool to ward off eventual failure, both academic and social.  If we see a report card with critical attendance gaps and/or failures and we do nothing about it, we are guilty of malpractice.  The sooner we act, the better chance we have at helping students succeed (back to number 1....getting to the root problem...early!)

            4.  Suspensions

We have aggressively worked to identify root problems when dealing with suspensions.  We often find that students being suspended have very poor attendance records and have failing grades.  When dealing with student accountability, New York State law does not permit schools to impose corrective interventions.  Districts are only permitted to punish (i.e. suspend) students.  To innovatively deal with this issue, over the past year we have offered corrective interventions such as counseling, psychological evaluations, drug testing, drug counseling, drug court, community service etc. as a means of reducing the number of days of a long-term suspension.  For example, if a parent agrees to counseling, community service and any other constructive prescriptive measure, the number of days of suspension are reduced. 

It is extremely important that the district continues to address root causes.  This process must be expanded to the building level whereby principals are empowered to employ appropriate interventions before behaviors escalate to levels requiring suspensions. 

It is rare that suspended students have good attendance and grades.  It is also not uncommon to see poor attendance and poor grades unattended to at the secondary level (as mentioned in a prior section).   RCSD has appropriate attendance policies, that if followed, may very well prevent some of the serious incidents that result from students who do not attend regularly and subsequently have poor grades.  It is imperative that attendance policies are followed if we expect kids to succeed, get good grades and stay out of trouble.

Student behavior is a function of the person we become as a reflection of our personal and communal environments.  If we are to look at the whole person and make every effort to provide for children's basic needs, we are less likely to have discipline problems.  Students are less likely to engage in risky behaviors if there needs are met and they have ASSETS.

            5.  Build Positive Climate and Student Behaviors through ASSETS

The following information is directly from the Search Institute's website on the 40 Developmental Assets.  I have been involved in this positive proactive approach of dealing with children for the past 10 years.  If we expect to change behaviors, it is imperative that we stop addressing student issues through a deficit model.  The deficit model identifies what is wrong with kids and spends inordinate amount of time trying to correct inappropriate behaviors rather than getting to the core values and root issues.

Search Institute's 40 Developmental Assets^® are concrete, common sense, positive experiences and qualities essential to raising successful young people. These assets have the power during critical adolescent years to influence choices young people make and help them become caring, responsible adults.

The list below describes the 40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents (ages 12-18).

I have engaged Mayor Duffy in initial discussions about the Asset initiative.  Rochester's School Children are everyone's job!!  It is the job of the community, the parents, teachers, administrators, board members, neighbors, churches, social agencies....EVERYONE.  It is not only the job of those in the city.  The suburbs must engage as well.  As a first step, the RCSD should conduct an Asset Inventory of all of its secondary students.  This survey will provide valuable information relative to the number of 40 Assets that students possess.  The fewer Assets a student possesses, the greater the chances that that student will fail.  The Asset Inventory will be a guide to the programs and initiatives that need to be instituted community-wide for our students.

Gang Violence

Gang violence is ubiquitous and the code of silence relative to gangs makes accountability extremely difficult.  RCSD must financially support Pathways to Peace in order to ensure a presence in all secondary buildings.  In addition to Pathways to Peace, RCSD must engage community support for agencies to better understand the culture of gangs.  The Rochester Police Department has historically implemented the G.R.E.A.T. program which is a weapons resistance program for RCSD students.  The funding and the workforce are not available at RPD to carry out this program at this time.  This is very unfortunate and a void that must be filled.  Community funding must be sought to reinstate this important anti-gang tool. 

School Sentries

Highly trained school sentries are critical to safe daily operations at our secondary schools.  Currently, poor training is provided to the sentry staff.  Salary is very low.  Subsequently, we have inconsistent performance and poor attendance from this group.  Ability to recruit quality candidates has been the result of a poor wage structure.

Recommendations

We have had several meetings regarding the sentry issue.  It has been determined that the job classification must be significantly upgraded.  Salary and training must be substantially improved.  New job descriptions must be created with specific expectations that include training on how to manage students, especially urban youth.  Sentries must be trained to deal with conflict, weapons, restraint, gangs and general security.  I have requested 2008-09 budget consideration for the upgrading of the sentry positions

School Resource Officers (SRO)

As the district transitions from City of Rochester supported SROs, to RCSD funded SROS, we must clearly define RCSD expectations from the City of Rochester and the Rochester Police Department (RPD).  While we have had a positive working relationship with the City and the RPD, the transition has not gone without its difficulties.    Too often, when police officers are absent, the schools are not provided with substitutes.  This has proven to be a critical issue at all of our schools, but particularly at Jefferson and Charlotte (2 of 46 persistently dangerous schools in the country).  Assignment officers have been under the misconception that the City is paying for SROs (as was the case in previous years). As a result, the assignment of SROs has been done on an "if available" rather than a "must have" basis.  The City of Rochester has been charged with the duty of developing a contract for SRO services with the RCSD.  The mayor and the police chief have been sensitive to the plight of RCSD and understand the issues facing the school district.  Their support has been greatly appreciated.

Recommendations

An expeditious formalization of the contract between the City and RCSD will close any gaps in understanding relative to expectations.  We will continue to push for the closure of this issue, however, if not completed prior to December 31, 2007, it will be imperative that the completion of this contract is of highest priority of the new superintendent to ensure the safety of our children.

In the future, the role of SROs should be expanded beyond enforcement and intimately included in the education of children in the buildings in which they serve.  Students would be well-served by classroom lessons about community from SROs.  The view of the SRO by the student will be strengthened and the climate of each building will be greatly enhanced. 

•III.          School Design/Structure/Issues

The most often repeated question during my tenure has been, "What are we going to do about the 39% graduation rate?"  All too often, the knee-jerk reaction is to look to the secondary schools for the solutions.  Clearly, as will be noted later in this report, the secondary schools need significant attention, however, if we expect to significantly improve graduation rates, it is imperative that we address the foundation:  Ages 0 to 5 and Early Childhood Education.  The preponderance of the research is definitive; statistically validated programs that have proven to significantly improve graduation rates are either pre-school or early childhood programs.  In a recent study from Columbia University, Returns to the Public from Investing in an Excellent Education for all America's Children:  A Focus on Black Males, four nationally recognized programs are highlighted for producing significant improvement in graduation rates.  Of the 4 programs, 3 are pre-school and early childhood and only one is secondary (small learning communities). 

Early Childhood

Pre-Kindergarten Education (Universal Pre-K or UPK)

Rochester Pre-k has been evaluated to be one of the best programs in the country.  The children attending Rochester's UPK do better in school throughout the grades.  Unfortunately, estimates indicate that as many as 1/3 of the eligible children do not attend UPK.  This is due to the lack of transportation and the lack of adequate child care available to low-income parents. 

Research also clearly indicates that children placed in UPK at age 3 (currently, the majority of students in Rochester UPK are 4 years old) are much more likely to graduate from high school. 

Rochester has a Montessori School at the Franklin site that is no longer accepting 3 year old students.

Recommendations

In addition to the media blitz and information program to encourage parents to enter their children in Pre-K, it is imperative that the obstacles that prevent UPK enrollment are removed.  RCSD must provide transportation for UPK.  Through the Governor's Children's Cabinet, I have led a UPK committee to forward legislative priorities to include UPK transportation, all-day UPK versus the current ½ day model and openings for 3 year olds.  These priorities are being forwarded to the governor and the legislature.  It is important that we support these legislative initiatives.  I would further add that RCSD's financial priorities should be re-examined if transportation aid is not forthcoming from the legislature.  The cost of our students' failure in the form of dropouts, grade retention and jail is must too high a price to pay to ignore the imperative of early childhood intervention in the form of UPK. 

The three-year old program should be reinstated at Franklin Montessori.

Additional 0 to 5 Issues

Brain and social development are significant in 0 to 5 year olds.  Our children have large verbal and social deficits when arriving at pre-k and grade school.  Everything at our disposal must be done to address these deficits.

Recommendations

We must support the current bill in congress called the Education Begins at Home Act.  This law would provide in-home services to families in poverty that would help reduce verbal and social deficits.

The district should carefully look at the Imagination Library.  This program mails a free book every month to every registered child from birth to age 5.  The only requirements are an address within the designated area and a birth date putting the child in the birth to 5 range.  Economic conditions are not part of the requirements.  The cost to the a sponsoring agency is $27 per year per child.  I recommend that the ELC take this on as a funded project.  It is something that they would clearly embrace.  The players around the ELC table should be able to fund the program with relative ease.

Kindergarten

"There exists disparity between the preschool experience and Kindergarten experience in the District.  Here is what they (kindergarteners) experience:  Sit, Listen, Attend.  Copy me, follow directions, don't think an original thought....it doesn't't fit into the protocol of America's Choice, Houghton-Mifflin, or the other templates of education visible in our district.  What their childhood experience looks like:  child-directed, independent exploration in a rich environment, supportive staff guiding them through myriads of positive and not so positive moments toward development of peaceful problem solving strategies, encouragement of creative process and initiative.  What is right in Preschool is honored and established as best practices.  What is happening in Kindergarten follows a uniquely different model.   ....the disconnect between what we are told is best practices, and useful foundation for teachers in later grades and basis for higher achieving academic outcomes versus higher drop out rates,....and what the child will encounter the very next year is massive!"

                                                            RCSD Pre-K teacher

We have many outstanding early childhood teachers.  We have many spectacular kindergarten teachers.  But, what message are we sending our teachers as an institution?  We are brainwashing our staff to think that we must abandon developmentally appropriate practices in lieu of hard-core academics pushed down to lower grade levels inappropriately.  One kindergarten teacher told me that she was disciplined by her principal for breaking up a 90 minute required Reading First reading block with a "break."  Now, I consider myself a fairly committed and dedicated reader.  Forcing me to read for 90 uninterrupted minutes is tantamount to torture for me.  Why do we think that this is appropriate for 5 year olds?

And in some RCSD elementary schools recess is virtually eliminated.  Again, this is developmentally inappropriate.  Forcing reading beyond physical and mental tolerance will not improve test scores.  Eliminating recess will not improve test scores.  Both activities are sure to further diminish a child's capacity to flourish academically.  Is it any wonder why the average kindergartener misses 1 month of school per year?

Recommendations

Shirley Jung is the Director of Early Childhood Education.  Shirley clearly understands developmentally appropriate Early Childhood Education.  Historically, however, her job has been relegated to UPK.  Shirley has been empowered to guide the ENTIRE K-3 experience.  The continuation of this initiative is imperative if we are to have a programmatic continuum K-3. 

We are beginning a study of Kindergarten teachers and Kindergarten practices.  Cheryl Holloway is directing this initiative.  We are starting with surveys of Kindergarten teachers.  This process should continue to help inform our policy decisions at the Early Childhood level. 

Elementary

Getting to know and care about our children is a daunting task.  Given the challenges facing RCSD schools and families it is increasingly more difficult to authentically assess students.  Given all the changes that take place in the lives of students, it is even more difficult to come to know our children in great depth.  More consistency in needed in the life of elementary children, especially K-3.

Recommendations

There are myriad issues affecting the socio-emotional and academic lives of our children.  There are also innumerable interventions, processes and programs to deal with these issues.  If I were to forward one very important pedagogical concept, however, it would be to encourage looping throughout the grades.  Looping is a tremendous benefit to teachers and students alike.  Academics will improve as well as social behavior. 

In spite of the incentives offered through the Contract for Excellence to reduce class size, RCSD has not lived up to this challenge.  There should be a major push to reduce class size especially in grades K through 3.  The research is clear on this issue.  Reducing class size to no more than 15 in grades K through 3 has long-lasting effects throughout the upper grades, thus improving graduation rates.  The S.T.A.R. study of Tennessee provides us with ample justification for this initiative.  Please see:  http://www.futureofchildren.org/information2826/information_show.htm?doc_id=71001

Secondary Schools

Design

Small Schools....  RCSD has been committed to converting "Big Box" schools into the Small Schools design.  As previously mentioned in the Columbia study, Returns to the Public from Investing in an Excellent Education for All America's Children:  A Focus on Black Males,  there is one proven secondary reform that has proven to increase graduation rates, and that is small schools.  Small schools, however cannot be simply the big box philosophy reduced in size.  That simply doesn't work.   RCSD's small schools have not been given the support to functionally change the way education is delivered as prescribed in documented small learning environments.  The Northwest Regional Education Laboratory succinctly describes the key elements for a successful small-school learning environment:

RCSD's small schools will fail if the issues above are not addressed and the supports and actions detailed above are not implemented.  Very few of the essential key elements of Small Learning Communities are met in RCSD's small schools.  While it may seem harsh and somewhat distressing, it appears that some of RCSD schools have been set up to fail.  If we look at how schools are provided their student population (admission criteria), which grades the small schools serve (7-12, 9-12 or 10-12) and credit requirements, it becomes clear that particular schools get unbalanced enrollment in particular grades causing program fragmentation and limitation.  Credit requirements push particular student populations in and out of specific schools creating unintentional deficits.  Location of high concentrations of particular programs such as Special Education and English as a Second Language (ESOL) further limit the schools' ability to succeed.  10-12 small schools are fighting an impossible battle due to the lack available students exiting a school at 9^th grade. 

Recommendations

We cannot pick and choose critical components of small learning communities and expect students to succeed.  RCSD must commit to the aforementioned tenets.  All secondary schools should be 7-12 institutions giving everyone an even playing field (That is if we believe in the 7-12 model of delivery.  I do not subscribe to this model, however that is a topic for an