Research has determined that from the Moment of Commitment (the point when a student pulls their weapon) to the Moment of Completion (when the last round is fired) is only 5 seconds. If it is the intent of a school district to react to this violence, they will do so over the wounded and/or slain bodies of students, teachers and administrators.

Educational institutions clearly want safe and secure schools. Administrators are perennially queried by parents about the safety of their schools. The commonplace answers, intended to reassure anxious parents, focus on the school resource officers and emergency procedures. While useful, these less than adequate efforts do not begin to provide a definitive answer to preventing school violence, nor do they make a school safe and secure.

Traditionally school districts have relied upon the mental health community or local police to keep schools safe, yet one of the key shortcomings has been the lack of a system that involves teachers, administrators, parents and students in the identification and communication process. Recently, colleges, universities and community colleges are forming Behavioral Intervention Teams with representatives from all these constituencies. Higher Education has changed their safety/security policies, procedures, or surveillance systems, yet K-12 have yet to incorporate Behavioral Intervention Teams. K-12 schools continue spending excessive amounts of money to put in place many of the physical security options. Sadly, they are reactionary only and do little to prevent aggression because they are designed exclusively to react to existing conflict, threat and violence. These schools reflect a national blindspot, which prefers hardening targets through enhanced security versus preventing violence with efforts directed at aggressors. Security gets all the focus and money, but this only makes us feel safe, rather than to actually make us safer.

Some law enforcement agencies use profiling as a means to identify an aggressor. According to the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education’s report on Targeted Violence in Schools, there is a significant difference between “profiling” and identifying and measuring emerging aggression; “The use of profiles is not effective either for identifying students who may pose a risk for targeted violence at school or – once a student has been identified – for assessing the risk that a particular student may pose for school-based targeted violence.” It continues; “An inquiry should focus instead on a student’s behaviors and communications to determine if the student appears to be planning or preparing for an attack.” We can and must assess objective, culturally neutral, identifiable criteria of emerging aggression.

For a comprehensive look at the problem and its solution, http://www.aggressionmanagement.com/White_Paper_K-12/

Nobody is complaining about Alonso starting new schools and giving families better choices. What they are angry about is him FORCING kids out of their schools into some lottery where they don't know where they will end up. If we had better choices, we would be jumping at them already.

"The only people in this city who have been getting choice," he said, "are the middle class and the wealthy and the people who get their kids into the citywide schools."

AAA overlooks everyday engaged parents would fight everyday to make sure that their children are getting an "adequate" education. These are the people that move the system forward and are becoming too few and too stressed to care anymore. The system offers up magnet and charters schools and these parents are the first in line. That leaves other schools lacking a fundamental resource, parental involvement.

If the parents/caregivers at these schools cannot assembly a voice to defend their school then their fate is left to the decisions of others. It is truly sad when the majority of the people speaking up are staff members.

Alonso has no respect for Baltimore as a city and community nor its traditions. He has made the school system a checkerboard of schools that will have no traditions.Three schools in a building--how absurd. Talk about the fights which have occurred in those multischool buildings. What other large city has this hodgepodge of schools. We have a girls school in Western, what is the need for another. His off hand remark that if it doesn't work he'll be gone is not enough to counter possible choas or danger to students. He has been allowed to play "mad scientist" with our school system and yes it should be a system! city schools-what a ridiculous designation for the Baltimore city school system. While he has used a large broom to get rid of staff there are and still will be schools who will do what they want to avoid scrutiny (and he has given this option to charter schools and schools run by private industry; just ask those of us who have children in their buildings who previously attended one of those schools). This should be a concern to all who have children in the public school setting and not just fodder for discussion by those who send their kids to private schools.

AAA statement(s) that he won't be here if it does not work sounds like a raw deal for BCPSS. Does that mean that if we don't do what you want, you will leave? And, if what you want is done, and it does not work, you will also leave?

I too was a little put off by the "middle class, wealthy and citywide" comment. From my perspectve it's more a matter of having the energy and savvy to work the system as opposed to being worked by the system. How much energy and savvy is required depends on you kid(s). If your child is special needs you'll need quite a bit of energy and savvy. If you've got a bright kid who is appealing to teachers, not so much.

One thing I find discouraging is the few City teachers who post on this blog that they don't/couldn't imagine sending their kids to City Schools. This comment from the CEO feels about the same. Depressing, but my state of mind isn't the issue - I've got to keep trudging along the path we're on, encouraging students and supporting schools and teachers to the best of my ability.

Parents, and Community Members express major concerns over poor communication to Parents, Citizens and Community Members regarding COMAR citywide school closing and SY2010 Fair Student Budget meetings intended to attract critical attendance and participation but the school system fails to deliver public announced notification.

(EMAIL CONCERN COMMENT FORWARDED TO BCPSS:)

The Office of Partnerships, Communications
and Community Engagement

Well I attended the first Parents and School Community Members BCPSS FY 2010 BUDGET TRAININGS MEETING Thursday, April 16 6 to 7:30 p.m. @ City Schools Central Office (Cafeteria) 200 E. North Ave.

Sarbanes contrary to your attached below expressed wrong assumption/belief that parents and community members will leap over your created 2 Budget Training Meeting same date/time, conflicts/obstacles to chase the remains of 7 scheduled budget meetings around the city due to your meeting scheduling and planning created conflicts/obstacles regarding being held on the same date/time 2 COMAR meetings to address relocation and school closing by your office.

Several parents, citizens, and community members who showed up to the low attendance count SY2010 Budget Training Meeting complained out loud about the poor last hour verbal meeting first notification given to them this week on Wednesday coming only from the district public site school administrators and with no prior official public school system announcement pre-spring break or subsequent meeting flyers prepared being disseminated or electronic post to the school system home web page site. Created obstacles do prevent any parent or community member from being able to attend meetings and attend to social-community, family quality of life matters after the work day hours ends.

(EMAIL COMMENT REPLY FROM BCPSS STAFF MEMBER SHRUGS OFF CONCERN)

From: Michael Sarbanes
Sent: Thu 4/16/2009 5:20 PM
There are 9 budget training opportunities for parent and community members. There are 2 COMAR hearings on Great Options plans.

The fact that there is an overlap Thursday night should not prevent any parent or community member from being able to attend both if they choose to do so.
Thanks for your question.

Michael A. Sarbanes Baltimore City Public Schools
Executive Director of Partnerships, Communications and Community Engagement ph:410-545-1870.

To a parent~

First off, I admire your tenacity, willingness to get involved, and obvious intelligence! I hear your concerns.You truly enhance this blog with your insights.

Just so you know-my four children attended county and private schools. That was years ago. I now teach in a City School which is open to all students. No admission process.I would enroll all my own children in this school tomorrow! I am thrilled with the focus and progress of my school. I hope that this will become the norm for the city.

While AAA has an abrasive way of communicating at times, I do think he is on the right track. He has ferreted out an enormous number of problems and has begun to remedy them. He is bound to upset some as he does this.Hopefully, he will soon recognize those school. home, community, and student stakeholders who are exactly where he would like us to be! There are a lot of us!

Hasn't communication been a problem for years? So, is the system not talking or are the parents not listening. When was the last well attended community meeting? I think the last one was when rumor got out the Poly and Western were merging AND that was a good example of what happens when engaged parents show up to defend their childrens' school.

As MP Clarke stated, these closings and mergers are a done deal. This Board give AAA everything he wants.

SHARE THIS ENTRY

Most of you Insdie ED blog posters "Never Mention" having attended any Education Citywide School System Public Meetings/Workshops to be part of the solutions for participating in a movement to demand changing the wrong course of activity being taken, but you don't hesitate to dive head first into offering your FUNNY some time entertaining opinions, and we all understand having opinions are simular to air we all breath air.

Most of you don't really contribute any thing real to free daily Inside Ed but opinion lip service and no real engaged personal time or service sacrificing to the speak up to the executive school officers or the selected city schools education governance authorities in person or othewise on behalf of the city school community. I challenge each of you until you engage in attending at least one or a few school system board/public community meetings reserve your right to keep your opinions close to your chest and keep quite and get out the way of the to few people who are doers and not just talkers with worthless opinions!

Most of you are Baltimore folks, are scared any way no courage all talk and no action.
"Yea I said it."

E&IP - I think your generalized comment is a bit offensive to a number of people who post on this blog. A vast majority of the posters here have vast experience with the school system. Some work in schools as teachers or in administration; some have children in the schools and participate in parent-teacher groups; and some work for central office. I am continually impressed by the level of commitment that many posters here demonstrate.

Being interested and engaged does not mean that one must oppose every action. In fact, if things are headed in a positive direction, being engaged would more readily manifest itself in publicly supporting reforms. I think you do injustice to the hard work that many of the posters offer every single day to improve the state of schools in our City.

emjay - I need to challenge your statements above. I find it hard to support that "traditions" should be the guiding factor in making facility decisions. The "tradition" of Lemmel Middle School led to Lemmel graduates achieving less than 30% on-time high school graduation rates upon leaving the middle school. Should that tradition trump student achievement? Were new Transformation Schools failing, I'd understand your sentiment a bit more. However, most indicators of Transformation Schools suggest that these institutions are highly effective.

This was a central point that President Obama reiterated continually on his campaign trail (particularly at the Baltimore event at the 1st Mariner Arena before Maryland's primary): "Everyone loves change, that is, until they're asked to change. We have to take personal responsibility for the change we want to see, and we have to be accountable for ourselves for change to be lasting." We cannot say, "Baltimore's public schools are terrible," and then on the other hand say, "We need to keep these schools at the status quo." Positive change is difficult, and were it easy it'd have been done sooner.

Further, tough decisions require accommodation. Putting three schools in a building is a necessary condition given State regulations, long-term growth plans, and expectations about future outcomes. I don't think anyone would argue against giving every school its own building. But when faced with losing millions of dollars because of under-utilized space, ADA restrictions, and public transporation concerns, we have to adapt. Other school systems that have had to adapt to accommodate school reform requiring more than one school in a building? Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Newark, Houston, Philadelphia, Richmond, among many others.

What private interests are running schools? Last I knew, Edison, which was the only private for-profit operator in the City, and he recommended a massive reduction in their operations for next year.

I think the point of Dr. Alonso's "I'll be gone" statement was that he'd be fired, not that he'd leave voluntarily. If schools continually fail, it's his job on the line. He's staked his personal interest, his career, and his future on the success of Baltimore City Public Schools. While you may take issue with his decisions, I don't think it's fair to say that he's merely playing "mad scientist" with children's lives at stake.

Finally, why should it be called a system?

Dear Engaged and Interested Parent~

Your blog is a great case of not knowing what other people are doing! I am a teacher, a blogger, and I attend many meetings a week. I attend budget meetings, School Family Council meetings, board meetings, and SIT meetings on a citywide level. On a school level, I have at least two out-of-school-hours meetings a week if not more! I also sponsor two weekly clubs a week as a volunteer after school. Last week it was every evening as is this week. Tomorrow night I could be three places at one time! Please do not make such broad generalizations. Often different meetings target different audiences. We teachers often wonder where parents are but we also know you have meetings that you attend. In my life, my family knows they will not see me Monday through Friday and I will be busy with planning and grading on the weekend. This past weekend I also attended three school-related events.Most of us are in this challenge to improve schools TOGETHER!

@ Bill -
I agree with the majority of your post - I felt a more than a little torqued at the accusation that I had to be at one of these meetings. First off, none of our three schools are affected. Second off, I despise spending my free time (which isn't free, just things that I have to do that can be put off to a time when I would have been sleeping) listening to pontification by people who might have passion, but seem to have very little concept of what is actually doable, that go on and on and on and on.... at least with blog comments here I can stop reading when it I realize I have no idea what the point of the comment is or how it relates to the blog post it appears on.

On a lighter note, as a principal systems engineer I don't see the problem in calling a system a system. All it implies to me is lots of different parts and disciplines working together to achieve a common goal. City Schools is ok and might be a little less intimidating to some, but I'm not changing the title of my blog.

Bill:

In fairness, I think emjay was referring to the plethora of "non-profits" that operate many of the charters in the city. Many of these organizations are largely funded by financial and corporate giants, like KIPP, which gets a large amount of funding from the Eil Broad. Also, Johns Hopkins is a private entity that runs several schools and increasingly uses its political and financial clout to influence Baltimore City Schools policy. Teach For America also has an increasingly powerful role in Baltimore, and its demonstrated recently that it wants an even larger role in Baltimore policy formation. TFA, as we all know, is funded by many corporations, including Wachovia, Monsanto, and Northrup Grummen. On the face of it, these aren't bad associations in and of themselves. The trouble emerges when these powerful voices hedge out those of Baltimore communities made up of parents, students, and teachers. How far are we from NYC, where the mayor and schools chancellor freely distort test scores to paint a picture of progress and praise the involvement of the financial sector while actively ignoring parent voice? Perhaps this is not the case here, but it certainly is something we should be mindful of and be willing to discuss.

As a parent, a volunteer, an employee I have just as much of a right to voice my opinion here on this blog as anyone else.
As stated previously by many here, not everyone can go to everything if they are fully employed, but we do what we can and go to as many things as we can.
I for one have been to work and had enough time to come home, change and go right back out the door to meetings that are either at my sons school, a friends school etc. It's a shame to say though that not many parents and sometimes staff attend these meetings.
Also, there are far too many instances where as a parent I am informed about meetings on the day/night of said meeting so there is less likely a chance that I will be there.
Not everyone has all day to spend on the website to see what is happening. Far too many of our parents take public transportation and have children who attend more than one school.
As far as AAA, I stated last year that he was going to do some of these changes, then while things are in a mess he will threaten to leave or the Board who gave him the green light to come here would then vote him to go.
As far as Community Meetings, there
has been no mention of another meeting since the big 4 area meeting
that the CEO had when he first came here.
That meeting a lot of promises were made and here we are closing more
schools, combining 2-3 schools in one building, firing the good teachers
and principals and keeping some of the bad ones, going along with 60 as a passing grade for our children, etc. Only to now come back and be just like all the other CEO's we get.
Making big changes and then leaving the mess for the next one who just comes and does even worse.
I was born and raised here in Baltimore, went to public school and learned a great deal because we had
great teachers and not a lot of this do nothing attitude that is here now.
What happened to wanting to teach for the love of teaching, being in charge of the schools for the right reasons? Its a shame to put something new out here in our community, then before seeing if it works, put something else in there. We need to stop throwing out the babies with the bath water.

@a parent - Good points all around. The "system" issue arose when one of the fabulous new central office staffers made an argument that the term indirectly institutionalized children. Instead of being a part of schools, they were part of a system. That was the general foundation of the argument against using "system" to describe our collection of schools. Sometimes these minor words aren't that important, but other times labeling can have dramatic messaging effects (special education arenas have been a driving force in re-labeling many "institutional" terms that carried negative, denotative qualities). Regardless, your blog is fantastic, and the name works well!

@Clarification - I definitely see your point. But I don't think that non-profits are proxies for private industry. The Eli Broad money is from the Foundation, not necessarily a corporate front. The Broad Prize is one of the most sought after awards in urban education, and I would find it hard to say that districts receiving the $2 mil in prize funds become beholden to the Foundation's whims. I certainly can see your point that management is not occurring through traditional central office techniques when schools are partnered with non-profits for operations. However, I find this to be a good thing, not a bad thing. Hopkins too, though, is a non-profit, arguably one of the least obvious ones out there! I think it's a different argument to say that private corporations are running schools when in fact it's non-profits that are merely partnered to help operate. Most of these groups are focused laser-like on increasing student achievement, and I think the district benefits from such dedication of effort.

Finally, the issue with Teach for America (obviously I couldn't resist this one!). TFA is definitely funded by various corporate entities. But most of these funding streams come from the companies external foundations, operated by separate boards than the private institutions themselves. Should there be evidence of falsified statistics in order to appease these private entities' Foundations, then there would definitely be a problem worthy of exploring in depth. But I don't know first-hand of this being an issue. If you have evidence that suggests otherwise, I'd honestly love to read more about it (don't know about the NYC scandals that you reference, and if you have a link to more info, I'd really appreciate if you could send/post along). Also, TFA has sought to influence policy, but again this is geared towards increasing federal dollars towards education. Recently, TFA made a big push to see the passage of the America Serves Act, which will increase dollars available for recent college grads to enter a line of service after college and be funded through AmeriCorps. This, again, is probably a positive thing, not a private takeover of public education. One could definitely disagree, but that's just my perspective of the partnering issue.

Bill--It is obvious that you are either not a resident of Baltimore city or have not been here for very long otherwise you would know of the traditions of many of the schools in the baltimore city public school system. i attended public school and continue to support the public school system. to sing the praises of the transformation schools in this very short time of existence is foolish. at present there are some schools that aaa turned over to private providers. if you want to call them non-profits--so be it--but they are still getting paid. KIPP is a school/program that has demonstrated that they are making a difference. I think that we in the city as parents, residents, employees of bcpss have as much information as others to form an opinion--some of us know more than urban legend or media "bites".

@emjay - That's a very fair assessment. I have only lived in the City for a bit over four years, so I definitely have a lot to learn - that's for sure! I do, though, recognize the traditions of many schools in the community, i.e. Thurgood Marshall's attendance at Douglass, the current Mayor's deep affinity for Northwestern (her alma mater), the high school rivalries in the City (with and without sports), and many others. I think these are absolutely considerations worth taking note. Any reform that simply ignored these important issues would be misguided. However, I taught at Southwestern when the State was trying to take it over and then the City subsequently decided to shut it down. Many residents of South & West Baltimore were furious at the decision, mainly because of the issues you discuss. The end result, though, I think has been vastly positive. We have three significantly more successful schools that started in the building and have been working hard to improve year by year (Vivien T. Thomas, Augusta Fells, and Renaissance Academy). The building is now being used by a seemingly successful SEED School boarding program, and they've significantly improved the campus as well as the likely outcomes for the school's graduates. While I sympathize with the Southwestern alumni and their affinity to the old school, I think the current outcomes have been much better for the kids who will now graduate from these more successful, smaller schools.

In terms of the private issue, I just don't think the facts play out in the way you suggest. By getting "paid," you must be referring to per pupil funding because they're certainly not getting block dollars. The "getting paid" to operate based on the per pupil model is simply the payment to operate a school, not invest funds in non-educational activities. If you have more information that suggests that this is not true, I think you should send it along because it's definitely not public knowledge. You're right that we don't know the long-term effects of the Transformation Schools, but the long-term doesn't mean much to the kids in those schools now. Those kids are succeeding more so as a result of the new schools by most objective measures, and I guess I'm rather ok with reforms that have immediate, positive impacts on currently enrolled Baltimore City students. Lastly, I respect your tie to the community and your desire to stay engaged with the schools that operate with your and my property taxes, and I think your opinion is extremely valuable.

emjay-
I am in fact a long time resident of Baltimore City, I went to BCPSS schools K-12, I have 3 kids in City Schools since K, for the last ten years. Want to hear me sing the praises of charter schools? So feel free not to speak for me. I've got the scars from fighting with the system for my kids over the years to have earned a right to have an a meaningful opinion. The traditions of failiing schools are ready to be thrown out as far as I'm concerned. If there are colleges and companies that are willing to support my kids' schools, more power to them. Hopkins wants an educated workforce and I want educated kids. Win-win as far as I can tell.

I knew you Wisard of Oz lions without COURAGE would reply. "Yea I said it."
If you only had heart!!

Once a supporter of AAA, I now believe many of us have been naïve to much about maneuvers within our school system. We have provided fertile ground for putting into practice a hodgepodge of think-tank theories, ideas plucked from dissertations, pandering to “some” parents, vocal dissenters, selected community groups and politicians, placing non-renewed, poor performing, district to district, ill prepared ambitious and arrogant individuals with limited instructional experience or leadership potential in key positions. And, let’s not forget the young white intelligentsia who easily quote an array of theorists, historical figures and politicians ready to tell us poor city folk what we don’t know, how this regime is the only hope to provide our children a brilliant future and how absolutely terrific that some of us actually take part in the process. Likely these condescending folks served our children for as little time as possible in a classroom unable to provide authentic instruction or classroom management. They will move on readily dropping names and opening conversations with, “when I was _____”.

Closing problematic schools is too easy a solution; send all these folks in to “stay” as teachers, support personnel and again to serve as principal until they can get it right. My children and my neighbor’s children attend neighborhood, city-wide and charter schools, we attend meetings, speak out and engage in meaningful discourse. We want quality education provided in every school where it stands, closing, relocating, renaming is a sham. Shame on us for allowing it to happen.

just_an_observation - Any chance you'd like to meet sometime in the City to discuss in more detail? You've got a lot of valid points, and I'd be very interested in learning from you personally about your frustrations. My personal email is biferguson05@gmail.com. Looking forward to hearing from you if you're interested.

Uhmm...Bill? I believe he was pointing at you.

"The only people in this city who have been getting choice," he said, "are the middle class and the wealthy and the people who get their kids into the citywide schools."

Yep, we know about that boss man. And it's the poor black kids that gets their schools shut down.

@Alrighty Then...
well duh. I think the point is to turn the other cheek, love your enemy, turn aside anger, etc. I'm not Zen enough to practice this (sadly I can't seem to resist jumping at the bait of an angry comment), but I can recognize it.

@ Anonymous

I understand where you're coming from, but let's not ignore the fact that a bigger crime than shutting down a school that isn't working would be letting those same poor black kids continue to attend a failing school.

The current structure of the system sets the neighborhood/zone schools up for failure. The closure and opening of transformation/charter schools only sets the remaining zones into a deeper tailspin. The progress being made at some of these is despite the system, not because of it. Those who work each day in the neighborhood schools are doing the real reform, better teaching, management and outright persistence.

If you can tell a family "go to your zone if you don't like it here" than it's just BS to fake like you're dealing with the same issues. My hats off to those who serve the students who have been left out.

Look at the data, zone schools have exponentially more: Special Ed students, students from group homes, foster students, students who are duel enrolled (Social services and justice systems), students who actually chose the school, and the list goes on.

In the end Baltimore will always need "neighborhood" schools, somebody has to take the kids nobody really wants to care for.