Before you celebrate or decide to a write a feel-good story, I would suggest walking around any public school unannounced. I've heard countless people (not educators) who tell me that they're horrified. You will observe students blatantly cussing, poor behavior, and no learning whatsoever. Take a look at the new code of conduct--it is extremely difficult to suspend students. Is there a fine line between bullying, a threat and the actual violent act? How about possessing and selling drugs in school? How would Americans react if President Bush decided to count military deaths in Iraq resulting only from gunfire as opposed to IEDs. Go figure.

Doesnt the past two weeks worth of news from schools all over the city-middle, elementary and high-answer those questions for themselves?

Suspensions are down and violence remains a persistent problem. If we know suspensions don't work, but the alternatives don't seem to work either, then where exactly are we? Seems like terminal wheel-spinning to me.

Sara-I think the time is perfect for some hard-nosed investigative stories on what exactly is going on about all this violence in the schools as it relates to a lowered suspension rate. People at North Ave. need to be forced to answer some hard questions that dont have rhetorically tired political responses! I mean...I will help! :)

And since my mother was a lifelong librarian and I owe her some solidarity this holiday season, I do think the City Schools library mess deserves some real answers too. Especially as it relates to law-breaking-as some of the posters have alleged.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

I think that the new system for recording suspensions may have something to do with the fall of suspensions. We suspended seven students one day for a serious fight and only two of them showed up in the system. It takes a long time to enter suspensions the new way and not every person who does suspensions can enter them. So, if you have several of them in a day, they don't get put in if the designated person is busy with other things. I don't know if this is intentional or not but it is happening. We don't seem to be suspending fewer students; the information just doesn't go on the reporting system.

If someone really wants to look into this, I'd suggest looking at ANY school that has zero suspensions (or even less than 2%) any given semester/month. Statistically, this is extremely unlikely, which means it warrants further scrutiny. The same is true of attendance. Any school that has 97% or higher attendance deserves a second glance. It is within the realm of possibility that they could be playing things straight, but it seems much more likely they are "juking" the stats.

(1) No one is "juking" the stats. School leaders are more reluctant to suspend, yet programs which should serve as alternatives to suspension have not increased proportionally. Fair student funding places decision-making responsibility on the schools, and we have to resist the urge to say that central needs to get involved (that's what we're trying to move away from).

(2) Even if alternatives to suspension were up to par, it's ridiculous to say that this first quarter qualifies as a measure of a programmatic failure. These reforms take time; we can't just abandon good ideas the moment things show problematic signs (again, that's what we're trying to get away from).

(3) Here's the hard-nosed investigating: the children in Baltimore City (for the most part) are a product of a historically violent environment. Disturbingly, Baltimore has had a higher murder rate per capita than almost all other cities in this country. School violence is a microcosm of community violence. However, schools can (and will be) the impetus for addressing both social evils.

(4) Furthermore, the headline news stories of violence at schools have come in a wave, but, overall, the City has experienced lowered instances of violent crime in school. Transformation Schools and alternative schools have a significantly lower rate of violent offenses. We're seeing the greatest problems at the traditional schools and among schools with pre-identified, struggling leaders. As I've said before on this blog, if someone can figure out how to get great people to apply for principal positions, please let me know.

(5) There should never be excuses for violence in schools. Completely unacceptable. I have to assume that everyone inside and outside the school system believes this foundational point. We can disagree on policy, but let's not say that there's politics involved or "trying to put the best face on school violence." I just want to reiterate this point at the end in case of any misunderstanding.

A school/principal would never cook the books when it comes to attendance or discipline issues would they? I mean what do they have to lose AYP and the chance to be named a "persistantly dangerouse school" by the state - who wouldn't want those opportunities! Take a closer second look something appears to be out of focus.

Concerned Citizen- legally there IS a relative fine line between bullying (i.e. assault) and actual violence (i.e. battery). However, both are a punishable offence.

Bill how do you know if anyone is playing with the numbers? Schools are, and those who don't get audited and bothered. Lesson, don't suspend.

Schools have a lower number of reported violence, big difference. The traditional schools are now getting an even more difficult group as the "transformation" schools pull the more involved families away.

The "Transformation" schools are another way to cream the student population. Those without a home or involved parents end up in the zone by default. When the transformation school holds a standard those families who don't want to deal with it transfer their student back to zone. See it every day. Oh and my absolute fav the special ed kids who "can't be served" at the transformation school and get sent back to zone (code for pain in the @ss and we don't want to deal with this problem any more). "Pre Identified struggling leaders"? Did they get any support? I doubt it, the secondary office is a joke and mess. We get nothing from them other than more paperwork and "documentation" to deal with. Oh and complain and you'll be audited.

Bill do you work in a school? If not please dont talk about the politics or spin that we see every day as if we're making it up. The words out of North Ave don't match the reality we feel in the schools.

No one said things were perfect. As I've said many times before, much work needs to be done on the central office side of things. There's too much focus on compliance from administrators at all levels, and there has not been enough buy-in from the rank and file. Further, I think there's a ways to go before the central office is staffed for success (As a counter-example, Emily (leaving full name out for now) - former City Schools central office employee & TFA alum - left Baltimore to work for Michelle Rhee in DC. Currently, she's engaged in a nationwide search for 15 highly qualified and highly motivated individuals to work in the central office there. The five that she already hired? They're now top level advisers in the DC school system because they were so effective. I don't see that happening right now in Baltimore, and it needs to.)

I'm not in a school currently, however, I still work with a zone school's senior class as an adviser (less so recently because of school and more so next semester). I work at the central office part-time and attend law school at Maryland. I taught US history & government at a zone high school for 2 years before starting law school and work with Dr. A.

I have experience with your frustrations, "getreal.com", and as a teacher I've felt where you're coming from. I get the urge to believe that creaming is occurring, but it's not happening nearly as much as you believe (particularly when looking at the student populations at transformation schools). I'll see if I can get numbers this week so that we can discuss in the realm of facts rather than hypotheticals.

The special ed issue is another question. Legally, special ed students are not legally allowed to be serviced at schools without particular services or sp.ed. certified teachers. Yes, I know things probably are not much better at zone schools, but the law is the law. If that's your problem (and I would agree with you here), start lobbying Annapolis and the Maryland State Board to reform COMAR and the statutes that regulate special ed. Until then, the school system must work within the boundaries of established state regulation.

No high-achieving school that I am aware of has complained and been "audited" as a repercussion. If that's the case, write Dr. Alonso a personal email. I guarantee with 100% confidence that he, personally, will respond with a rationale or steps to address in the future.

Your statement: "Lesson, don't suspend," serves as the EXACT problem here. The answer is to create programs within the school to serve as alternatives to suspension. If you'd like ideas, I'll point you to my friend who teaches at a zone school in the Lake Clifton complex who is helping to establish and implement a successful in-school suspension program. Don't say alternatives can't be done, that's an excuse for saying that it's too hard. If that's your feeling, I'm sorry. I know it's difficult to hear (and probably sounds condescending), but it can be done; it's happening at some schools right this minute. As IO mentioned earlier, don't be afraid to ask for help, and don't assume the worst. Expect the best of central office staff (particularly in the high school office), and demand better from top officials when the staff doesn't meet your expectations.

Seeing it from where I am each day, you're in another system. The only support given is an audit, oh and I've done the AAA email venue on some things. I know COMAR just a pinch, and would tell you that the rules don't preclude the "transformation schools" from having LRE C students. The structure and staffing of the schools themselves are set up so they don't have to serve certain students.

As for your assertion that the "transformation" schools are not creaming. Serious? The parents had to take the initiative to apply.... to go to orientations ect ect. Those schools have more involved/interested parents. The zone schools have become the default for those students who make no choice or whose parents don't force the matter. Finally, the transformation schools "help" those families who don't conform find their way to the zone school. The student's academic performance in middle school isn't a factor in choice if that's the data you want to put out there. Everyone who is anyone in Urban reform cites the key being parent involvement.

Sorry but I'm not sitting in a classroom all day with my head in the sand, I get to deal with the sad secondary office daily..... we ask/have asked for help hence the "audit" comment and I happen to work at a school that would be said by many to "be working."

Wrong guy to pull the "I have the inside track/angle on" because you don't.

getreal I work at a transformation school and while I cannot speak for the others I think your commentary about creaming is off.

We absorbed most of our 6th 7th and 9th (we'll be a full 6-12 next year) grade students from a single neighborhood school. The Friendship Academy took over the Canton Middle complex which was arguably the worst Middle School in Baltimore last year, and retained the vast majority of the students. Due to circumstances with other schools in the city students do not always arrive at a transformation school as a result of responsible parents.

We have better parent involvement than your typical neighborhood school because we put a greater effort into involving parents than your typical neighborhood school. From what I've heard last year we only had 2-3 of our students' parents show for our back to school night. This year we had over 50 which isn't close to where it needs to be but a vast improvement. Same students. Same parents. So what's the difference?

Well, we have an entire family support center that offers a variety of services to every student and parent at our school. We send out a family newsletter monthly. We provide every parent with every one of their child's teachers' phone numbers and e-mail addresses and promise a response within 24 hours. We have an advisory program that connects parents to school via a liaison with intimate knowledge of their child and his/her teachers. We have a staff member whose primary responsibility is parent involvement and who has been working on a parent group to meet monthly, then using those parents to reach out to other parents who do not currently participate in their child's education. We are revamping our website and giving parents 24/7 access to their child's grades and even daily attendance.

I could go on but it bothers me when educators assume that a parent's involvement is pre-determined and out of their control. I reviewed my advisees NWEA test scores today and only 1 of 17 is reading at grade level. The majority are between a 2nd-4th grade level (they're 9th graders). If they had such great parents why would they be so behind by the time they get to high school?

The answer is not to throw up our hands and say "they got all the good parents" the answer is to think of new ways to engage YOUR schools parents. The beauty of fair student funding is you have the flexibility to make whatever you want a priority and direct resources accordingly. Now obviously we still need a lot more cashmoney because it seems you can't re-prioritize without taking away from something important. The answer to that problem is to bitch at our elected officials not North Ave.

Your sarcastic comment about "helping" parents direct their trouble children to zone schools is demonstrably false at my school. We proactively meet with students at the very first sign of trouble. We make transferring as difficult and last resort as possible. I've seen our principal beg and plead parents not to transfer their kids to their zone school.

I'm not familiar with the legal terminology so I can't say for sure whether we accomodate LRE C students but I know that many of my advisees have IEPs and we have many students with physical disabilities.

It's getting late I've written too much and not nearly enough, just trying to pick up Interesting Observations' recent slack.

Cheers,

-Corey

getreal:

I feel your pain, however I think your facts are wrong. Actually, let me change that, I know your facts are wrong.

First the creaming comment. While it's true that parents had to sign a form for middle school classes (the time line dictated this since students had already been assigned to schools by the time TS got up and running) but all 8th graders in the city have to choose a school - even the zone schools. Or weren't you at the high school fair? It was a great thing to see competition and to see families choosing schools. And what happens to the many kids whos families didn't attend? They still need to choose a school and TS are right on that list. If we don't recriut kids we don't get the $ and we close - it's that simple. At my school we have gang members, alcoholics, teen parents, students who are reading 3 - 5 grade levels below, "great kids return" and all the rest. I have been in the system as a teacher since 1994 and I can tell you we are not creaming.

On the LRE-C thing almost all of the LRE-C students assigned to our school are still here. We do not have a pull out program so what we did was have IEP meetings and changed their levels so they could stay. Our attitude has been that we will serve any child in the regular classroom with whatever supports they need. We have quite a few 1 on 1 aids, plenty of BIPS and a great staff for SPED who aren't afraid to sit in an IEP meeting and demand what is best for kids. Yes, there were a few (I think 2) kids for whom we were not equipped to serve and we worked with families and the IEP team to find programs they could be successful at, not simply dumped them or offered them the door. That attitude comes from misinformation and is the same BS I have heard for 10 years about how New, then Charter, then transformation schools don't serve city kids and take away from "public" schools. It's wrong and time to stop. These are public school kids, getting public school dollars, being taught by public school teachers. Their test scores count, their teachers work, their buildings suck. It's the same. Like Corey we have some of the very same kids in the very same hall ways and classrooms as were in the building last year. The very same IEP students who were in self contained classrooms who now are performing in regular classrooms (changing C to A or B with supports). Again, as Corey said, what's the x factor here? Leadership? Freedom to set vision and hire towards that vision? A fresh start? More autonomy? Maybe all of that and more. What it is NOT is better kids, more involved parents. These are the same parents who were at their old schools, with the fires, high suspension rates, low passing rate and so on. We aren't perfect, or even nearly perfect. We don't have each kid with a lap top, blackberry, 3-D vision goggles or jet packs. What we do have is a single mission and purpose, a shared understanding for EVERY staff member and a refusal to simply do the same things and expect different results. We reflect on what works and what doesn't. We involve student voice, parent voice and teacher voice when we make decisions. We extend the day and pay out the wazoo for it. We commit dollars in different places. We looked to research for teaching and instruction models. We partnered with smart people and took what we knew from experience in classrooms and turned it into our mission. We refuse to blame others for what we get. We refuse to give in to bitterness. My guess is that you, getreal are exactly the type of teacher we want, one who believes in kids, in the power of teaching and learning and who is thirsting for a better way. We are beginning to interview for next year - ask Sara for my email address and send me a resume. This system, our kids, heck, my own kids and our city needs great teachers. You do not need to be in the abusive relationship with your school and the North Ave. fun bunch you are in. You deserve better and it exists.

As for the lack of support, or audit. Bring it on. And know that AAA does give a damn about teachers and kids. I have seen him in action. I would be interested to know what response you got to your email's to him. I am a no body and he answered me and took care of business. I cannot imagine him ignoring serious issues or what you describe as the threats being made to your school if complaints are made. I am not afraid to make waves, the waters have been calm for too long. Do the same and things might actually change.

And maybe Corey and I are in another system. It's time for you to demand that ALL schools are in that same system. It's right here, at BCPS. And the water is, while not fine, a heck of a lot better.

I understand the point of audits when it comes to making sure that the schools are providing the accurate information in SMS.
However due to the repetitiveness of the information that is in SMS, it does cause quite a lot of information not being put in correctly.The way it is set up at this time is quite time consuming and a lot of the information is not needed. As someone who has done suspensions, the way it is set up now can be made easier, quicker and cause less errors so that the audits would be few.
Something also needs to be done, seriously about those students who have constant suspensions. Some come in after a short-term suspension and if their parents brought them back after the 2-3 days; alot of times the student gets suspended again either that day or within the week. This problem is serious and need to be addressed.
Also as someone who uses public transporation and rides with our students; nothing is being done with truancy and drugs. The conversations that go on are a disgrace and its a shame that a lot of the working parents children are not always going to school. They make plans for fights, to walk out during a certain period. They comment on how they have cursed out a teacher etc. I could write a book on the things that I have been seeing and hearing on a daily basis.
These all lead to suspensions at some time.

IO -
You've got me excited about your school. All your talk about searving special needs kids sounds great to me. How come you only seem to be trying to recruit teachers by asking for resumes? How about students? You can follow the link under this comment to by blog and email if you want to keep things of this message board.

Getreal - Sorry if my post gave you the wrong impression. "Inside track" is something I wouldn't ever claim to have. 20/hrs a week doesn't gain someone an inside track, trust me.

My comments came from a recent menial task for which I had to review information going to the Board about TSs two or so weeks ago (most of which is still on BoardDocs). Because of the few number of students that the TS schools could enroll for their first years of existence, the allocation of special ed teachers was not fully proportionate. As the schools grow and overtake the traditional secondary schools, special education services at TSs will grow comparatively (especially if Fair Student Funding devolves special ed dollars to schools in the future). One more thing, TSs are designed to have 3 tracks - college prep, voc-tec, and alternative/recovery/dropout prevention (not including AOPs). Last year's process was so fast that the Board didn't approve the applicants for operators planning to run alternative pathway schools. This year will be different because the Board has approved some specialized operators for alternative pathway TS creation (One Bright Ray, and 2 Diploma Plus schools - see here).

Also, I agreed with you on the guidance from central office staff, no qualms there - it's a huge problem. I'm sure these probably were not satisfactory responses for you, but it's all I've got.

IO - no jetpacks? And you call yourself a high achieving school?

Corey, great comments. Your interns seem to be having a great time. Well done there. You ready to watch the 'Skins beat up on the pigeons this week?

Forgot to ask this...

Sara, other reporters, and/or posters, I just started using Google Reader. It's incredible. However, I cannot figure out how to get it to tell me if comments have been updated on particular posts. Is there some way to do that on GReader or will I have to continue to click each blog post? Thanks!

Seriously. The part that starts with "We aren't perfect..." and ends with "you deserve better and it exists" was amazing.

Obama is that you?

Bill, unfortunately, the answer is no, unless you subscribe to comment feeds, which are different feeds. Our blogs don't have feeds set up for the comments (at least not yet).

BCPSS’ new discipline code is a good change - it focuses on prevention and intervention strategies rather than simply suspending, expelling, and arresting students. This is really important because research shows that the latter is essentially ineffective and doesn’t improve student behavior, make schools any safer, or improve student achievement. Instead, excessively harsh discipline, especially for minor misconduct, just pushes students out of school without giving them any guidance on how to change their behavior, leading them on a downward spiral. Meanwhile, prevention and intervention strategies, like peer mediation and conflict resolution, actually change behavior and create safer schools. These strategies keep our students in school, learning, and teach them appropriate behavior.

The new code encourages administrators to refer students to prevention and intervention programs rather than, or in addition to, suspending a student. This is a much-needed change in policy. School staff must receive necessary training on implementing and understanding the code, but we should applaud the BCPSS for taking action to teach our youth rather than advocate for a reversal of the new code.

Bill,

I'm glad to hear the interns are enjoying themselves. You should introduce yourself if you see them, William, Da'Ondra, Doneisha, and Danielle are talented and wonderful young people. Get on their good side before they take over the world.

I'll be there Sunday night to watch us whoop the Deadskins, I mean Foreskins, I mean racist caricatures of Native Americans. Lot H4 tailgate!

Monday morning at school will not be fun.