Comments on: City announces plans to shut four “failing” public schools

By: abc

abc — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:26:58 +0000

Let’s close schools, punish teacher. But if we are treating education as bussines , then where are parents in this equation. Why noone held them accountable for their child’s attendance, for doing homework…. Small schools are doing better at this moment, but how many accept special ed or ESL students? What school will accept a 17 years old student with no English?? Small school?? AHA in your dreams

By: I noticed that...

I noticed that... — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:50:51 +0000

It is very depraved of the DoE to close a school because a hairline of a difference between the school’s percentage and the district-wide percentage. If I were to follow the DoE’s absurd cut-scores, then it would mean that I should fail any of my students who get a 62.5% average at end of the term.

Using the DoE’s calculation for assigning these unfair, hurting grades to schools is just another way of ending the existence of the public school system. It’s a slow death, but a death no less.

By: triple 3

triple 3 — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:44:06 +0000

This is a great thing for kids. Closing down bad schools is the only fast solution to their attending dropout factories. they can’t be reformed, so replacing them with a high performing new school is a much better solution for the exact same kids.

By: J MOORE

J MOORE — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:47:21 +0000

I AM A CLASS 07 ALUMNI OF WILLIAM H. MAXWELL CTE H.S. I WAS INFORMED TODAY ABOUT THE CLOSING. JUST LIKE “Close down Tweed” THE BOE DONT UNDERSTAND THE COMMUNITY NOR THE TEMPTATIONS THAT AWAITS OUTSIDE THOSE SCHOOL DOORS. WHEN I 1ST ENTERED IN ’03 THE BOE WERE THREATENING TO CLOST THE SCHOOL THEN. BUT WE IMPROVED AND MADE IT OFF THE SURFS LIST IN ’05. THE CLASS OF 07 WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST GRADUATING CLASS IN YEARS. WE DID GOOD HOLDING IT DOWN IF U ASK ME. WE HAD GRADUATING MOTHERS AND MOTHERS TO BE. BUT TO LET SUCH A GREAT OPPORTUNITY GO TO WASTE , ITS NOT RIGHT. MAXWELL GIVES STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY AND EXPERIENCE THAT MOST KIDS WOULD NEVER SEE UNLESS THEY FURTHER THEIR EDUCATIONS. NOT THAT MANY HIGH SCHOOLS ALLOW YOU TO TAKE UP CAREER COURSES, EARN COMMUNITY SERVICE HRS AND EARN A CERTIFICATION AT THE END OF THE 4YRS PROCESS. MANY URBAN KIDS DONT GET TO EMBRACE THAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE ITS NOT PRESENTED TO THEM. WHY THROW IT AWAY. PLUS THEY HAVE A DAYCARE PROGRAM IN THE SCHOOL SO MOTHERS WONT HAVE TO DROP OUT OF SCHOOLS. THE GAVE SUDENTS OPPORTUNITIES. BLOOMBERG AND KLEIN PROBABLY WENT TO A SCHOOL IN THE SUBURBS. THEY DONT UNDERSTAND THE STRUGGLE AND NEVER WILL BECAUSE THEIR LOOKING IN FROM THE OUTSIDE NOT IN.

By: Leonie Haimson

Leonie Haimson — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:25:51 +0000

I can’t believe the junk they put out to justify these decisions: ” 52.1% of FDA III middle school students are proficient in ELA, compared to 52.2% of students district-wide.o 68.4% of FDA III middle school students are proficient in math, compared to 71.6% of students district-wide. ELA proficiency is lower in 2009 than it was two years ago in 2007 (52.1% compared to 53.6%).” None of these figures are meaningful or statistically significant! for more on how these closures expose the failures of DOE’s own policies, see our NYC parent blog, “Schools slated for closure — resulting from the failure of the administration’s policies.” And good point about Replications — another school slated for closure is School for Community Research and Learning , opened in September 2003, funded also the Gates foundation. Perhaps instead of closing schools, we should close that foundation!

By: Van T

Van T — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:11:05 +0000

Hi,

I am a reporter at Columbia University looking into the consequences/benefits of closing these schools.

If you would be able to answer some of my questions, please contact me at vtt2106@columbia.edu

Thank you.

By: brooklynmom

brooklynmom — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:07:29 +0000

I sincerely hope that closing two of Replications Inc.’s schools will tamper how many of their future “replications” are accepted in the new school application process. They are a Gates Funded Intermediary. I wonder how many other schools that originally had Gates money behind them have now been phased out.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:07:12 +0000

As an administrator, I am constantly amazed at the daily decisions made by the DOE. Maxwell’s has, according to the Daily News, 44% of students who are not considered proficient in English. Many of these students have been essentially pushed to Maxwell’s as other schools do not want them. So Maxwell is being punished for their results with these students as many new schools limit the amount of ELL and Special Ed kids they will accept.

The mass media really needs to examine the truth of what is really going on underneath the surface.

By: Pogue

Pogue — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:31:44 +0000

Wow, more failures for Bloomberg and Klein. With doing such a poor job of running this school system, when the heck are they gonna’ start showing up for tutoring?

By: Close down Tweed

Close down Tweed — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:26:50 +0000

Ironically, the teachers at Maxwell High School all got bonuses this year….closing down Maxwell is a huge mistake and shows how little the Mayor and Chancellor understand about the community.