Boone: "great opportunity to share a report from an outside entity"
redesign the district systems of support plus at the Level 4 schools themselves
"as part of our turnaround requirements...district redesign plan"
throughout the three years of Level 4 schools, a number of site visits by SchoolWorks "as they are an outside observer and data collector"
"external validation of all of our alignment of resources"
should know in the next few weeks if first two schools exit Level 4
"this is one prong" of what is considered in the state making that decision
Purpose: to collect evidence that will assist the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in determining if a district has established systems in order to sustain the improvement of schools designated as Level 4 in 2010
Standards: effectiveness, efficiency,and intergration of system-wide in six areas:
Leadership and governance
Curriculum and instruction
Assessment
Human resources
Student support
Professional development
three ratings: embedded, developing, not present
in leadership: district anticipates, addresses, and differentiates school staffing and operations: embedded
Rodrigues:
in curriculum: district strengthens instructional leadership capacity by supporting the development of school-based instructional best practices: embedded
in curriculum: curricula and instructional practices in the district are not developed to attain high levels of achievement for all students: not present
Rodrigues reminds that the district is in the process of reviewing curriculum and is creating unit models and common plans
definitions of reading, writing, and discourse not happening in our classrooms
principals charged with ensuring that the teachers knew about those documents
in assessment: district delivers data to schools: embedded
in assessment: district and school leaders use data to drive some of their decisions: developing
claim is lack of time and people to "complete rigorous evaluations of important programs and initiative"
in HR: to select, develop, and support staff: embedded
in HR: employment of administrators is linked to evidence of effectiveness: developing
in student support: district provides what schools need to address student needs: embedded
in student support: district ensures students have services and supports: developing
in financial management: district acquires and uses financial resources to provide for all students: embedded
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Why no free lunch?
You may well have caught the news earlier this week that the Boston Public Schools are offering free lunch to all of their students, regardless of parental income:
Sounds great, right? Everyone eats, no one gets singled out, there's less paperwork, and the fed is picking up the bill.
So naturally, several people have asked, "Why not Worcester?"
Turns out that it's not at all that simple.
The way that this works is that Boston is counting as "free" all kids whose families qualify for food stamps; in all districts, a qualification for food stamps automatically gets any kids in the public schools free lunch without anyone needing to fill out any further paperwork.
We know from our own experience, though, that there are families that qualify for food stamps who don't get them. They are, however, willing to get their kids lunch at school for free. Those kids are missed as "free" if you don't ask separately.
Note also the number of families that either have been or well could be cut from food stamps due to federal sequestration. That would SEVERELY cut the number of kids that are directly certified.
And that matters because we don't only use our count of free and reduced lunch for lunches. On this blog, I reference it for Title I, for E-rate, for grants, for all sorts of things. So having a very accurate count really matters, well beyond getting kids fed. Thus the urging these first weeks of school to get those nutrition forms in! We need them!
The problem is that by signing up for this program, Boston will not be counting kids for the next three years; they're tied to the current rate of kids registered through food stamps. And that's it.Any expansion of those numbers will not be seen, as they aren't counting, and these years will be lost in their tally of the kids.
Further, it turns out that the Fed isn't necessarily covering all costs, as the Globe has it above. Right now, DESE is telling districts that it is a formula, that it's the total of the kids that are directly certified multiplied by 1.6. I haven't done the math on that, but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't cover all of the kids in Worcester.
All of which is to say this:
The meal program, more than a year in the making, is part of an experimental federal initiative that aims to make it easier for students from low-income families to receive free meals by eliminating the need to fill out paperwork, including potentially invasive questions about income.
Cities such as Atlanta, Detroit, and Chicago have been or will be participating in the free-meal program. Starting next school year, the program will be open to any school district across the country with high concentrations of students from low-income families. The cost of the free meals will be covered by the federal government.
Sounds great, right? Everyone eats, no one gets singled out, there's less paperwork, and the fed is picking up the bill.
So naturally, several people have asked, "Why not Worcester?"
Turns out that it's not at all that simple.
The way that this works is that Boston is counting as "free" all kids whose families qualify for food stamps; in all districts, a qualification for food stamps automatically gets any kids in the public schools free lunch without anyone needing to fill out any further paperwork.
We know from our own experience, though, that there are families that qualify for food stamps who don't get them. They are, however, willing to get their kids lunch at school for free. Those kids are missed as "free" if you don't ask separately.
Note also the number of families that either have been or well could be cut from food stamps due to federal sequestration. That would SEVERELY cut the number of kids that are directly certified.
And that matters because we don't only use our count of free and reduced lunch for lunches. On this blog, I reference it for Title I, for E-rate, for grants, for all sorts of things. So having a very accurate count really matters, well beyond getting kids fed. Thus the urging these first weeks of school to get those nutrition forms in! We need them!
The problem is that by signing up for this program, Boston will not be counting kids for the next three years; they're tied to the current rate of kids registered through food stamps. And that's it.Any expansion of those numbers will not be seen, as they aren't counting, and these years will be lost in their tally of the kids.
Further, it turns out that the Fed isn't necessarily covering all costs, as the Globe has it above. Right now, DESE is telling districts that it is a formula, that it's the total of the kids that are directly certified multiplied by 1.6. I haven't done the math on that, but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't cover all of the kids in Worcester.
All of which is to say this:
- please return your school nutrition form
- if your family qualifies, please let us know through the form
- let's keep an eye on this to see if they work it out in a way to feed more kids without socking the district in a myriad of other ways.
Because feeding kids is important.
As I say all the time, we're only as good as our information. Thanks to School Nutrition for once again coming through on this.
As I say all the time, we're only as good as our information. Thanks to School Nutrition for once again coming through on this.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Checking in on the Level 4 schools
It turns out that's what "Worcester Public Schools' Systems of Support Review" is on...
Among the things the state did in filling the requirements around Race to the Top is hiring SchoolWorks, LLC to come into the schools declared Level 4 by the state and investigate how and what they are doing.
Note that the state paid for this--not Worcester--one assumes thus adding to the millions spent on outside consultants from Race to the Top dollars.And you might do some looking around the SchoolWorks website if this sort of thing interests you.
SchoolWorks came into the district as well as our three schools and looked at a few things that the state (and SchoolWorks) deems important in Level 4 schools improving (beyond test scores, which we should have in the next month or so).
You can find the district report here.
You can find the report on Wraparound Zone services here. (interesting reading here)
You can find the report on Burncoat Prep here.
You can find the report on Chandler Elementary here.
You can find the report on Union Hill here.
Superintendent Boone is presenting on this tomorrow night, and discussion will follow.
Among the things the state did in filling the requirements around Race to the Top is hiring SchoolWorks, LLC to come into the schools declared Level 4 by the state and investigate how and what they are doing.
Note that the state paid for this--not Worcester--one assumes thus adding to the millions spent on outside consultants from Race to the Top dollars.And you might do some looking around the SchoolWorks website if this sort of thing interests you.
SchoolWorks came into the district as well as our three schools and looked at a few things that the state (and SchoolWorks) deems important in Level 4 schools improving (beyond test scores, which we should have in the next month or so).
You can find the district report here.
You can find the report on Wraparound Zone services here. (interesting reading here)
You can find the report on Burncoat Prep here.
You can find the report on Chandler Elementary here.
You can find the report on Union Hill here.
Superintendent Boone is presenting on this tomorrow night, and discussion will follow.
How Messalonskee High School opened the year
Not sure what I love more about this: that the faculty started the school year at Messalonskee High School in Oakland, Maine like this:
Or that the principal then posted it on his blog.
Or that the principal then posted it on his blog.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Worcester School Committee meets this Thursday!
The Worcester School Committee has its regular first Thursday meeting this week (and we're back to the 7 pm meeting time, too!). You can find the agenda here.
I'm still sorting my way through the Superintendent's report (which has four back-ups; check the agenda) on "District Systems of Support Review." post on that to come
We'll get an Opening of School report at our meeting on September 19.
Much of the bulk of the agenda---and why it'll look so think on our desks this week!--is the retirements/resignations/hires that are on this week. We have a resume for every new staff person hired, and it's quite a list!
There's a request for the formal agreement on the Regatta Point boathouse.
I'm asking for more information on the PARCC pilot this spring.
We're being asked to approve prior year invoices of $4,399.64, of $12,765.34, and of $1719.96.
We're being asked to accept an innovation school grant of $30,000 for Woodland Academy; we didn't get a backup on this, so I've asked for one.
Ms. Biancheria (et al) is asking for more information on the new attendance initiative; there's also an item further down asking that we accept (in advance) donations for this initiative.
And several requests for recognitions, plus we're supposed to have Mr. O'Neil from the WRTA in to thank him for putting those great reading posters on his buses this summer.
7 pm, City Hall!
I'm still sorting my way through the Superintendent's report (which has four back-ups; check the agenda) on "District Systems of Support Review." post on that to come
We'll get an Opening of School report at our meeting on September 19.
Much of the bulk of the agenda---and why it'll look so think on our desks this week!--is the retirements/resignations/hires that are on this week. We have a resume for every new staff person hired, and it's quite a list!
There's a request for the formal agreement on the Regatta Point boathouse.
I'm asking for more information on the PARCC pilot this spring.
We're being asked to approve prior year invoices of $4,399.64, of $12,765.34, and of $1719.96.
We're being asked to accept an innovation school grant of $30,000 for Woodland Academy; we didn't get a backup on this, so I've asked for one.
Ms. Biancheria (et al) is asking for more information on the new attendance initiative; there's also an item further down asking that we accept (in advance) donations for this initiative.
And several requests for recognitions, plus we're supposed to have Mr. O'Neil from the WRTA in to thank him for putting those great reading posters on his buses this summer.
7 pm, City Hall!
Welcome to our newest students today!
Today we welcome our newest students: the Worcester Public Schools preschoolers and kindergartners start today!
Please be patient around our bus stops and school zones, as goodbyes may take a bit longer today.
And welcome!
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