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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Just can't stay away
 
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@mingus_ah_um I couldn't agree with you more. It is sad how reactive not only schools have gotten but society as a whole. Hopefully, enough like minded individuals can get together and gear a change within the current system to increase the creativity of children and make them more proactive.
Posted on: 2011/1/5 15:39
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Jay Res
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Newbie
 
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Today there?s a gigantic chasm between the intent of public education in the United States, and the political, fiscal, and socioeconomic realities it confronts. Education has become more reactive than proactive in preparing its students for a world that is highly skilled and competitive. Although charter schools are not the panacea for what ails the America?s educational malaise, it does offer, from what I have read, a viable alternative to the learning gap quagmire that public schools cope with annually. The ability and accessibility to inject and initiate challenging innovative education currently appears to have become the bailiwick of charter schools.
Posted on: 2010/12/17 2:02
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Home away from home
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But the kids from PS 16 who then go to MS 4 do not have the relationships with the teachers they grew up with. That the key.
Posted on: 2010/12/16 19:57
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Home away from home
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As I understand it, and this is all secondhand, PS 16 was converted to K-5 due to space considerations. They couldn't operate K-8 without the trailers, and there was a lot of neighborhood pressure for the trailers to be removed because it is supposed to be part of the four corners park.
M.S.4 is in the same building as P.S.3, so it is something like a K-8 building, although they are administered separately.
Posted on: 2010/12/16 19:28
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Home away from home
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Therein lies the value of a K-8 school. Research shows that middle schoolers do better in K-8 because they feel rooted to the place and are surrounded by people who've watched them grow -- and who can spot changes.
So I guess that explains why the BoE has converted its better K-8s, eg PS 16, to K-5....
Posted on: 2010/12/15 13:37
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Home away from home
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As a parent with a child preparing to enter pre-k next year, this definitely is a subject of interest for me to say the least!
I've heard mixed reviews about all the elementary schools downtown but overall enough people say good things about them. Middle School is where parents begin to fret about where to send their kids.
Posted on: 2010/12/15 4:19
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing/Some Elementary Schools Succeeding
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Home away from home
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could not agree MORE!
our neighborhood schools have the potential to be one of our greatest assets. we are also happy at PS37 Cordero School. strong administration, beyond good teachers and parental involvement is increasing. hopefully, we are close to the point where success begets success. Quote:
Posted on: 2010/12/15 0:12
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing/Some Elementary Schools Succeeding
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Quite a regular
 
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My son's elementary school PS #5 in downtown is actually doing quite well considering that approx 70% of students receive federal lunch aid. It is true that LCCS does somewhat better but they have only about 30% of students receiving lunch assistance. In fact our Math scores in many grades are comparable to LCCS. LA scores are somewhat lower but that is to be expected since the majority of students come from non-English speaking homes.
The middle school grades at #5 do somewhat worse but that is partially because our top students leave to go to the competitive middle schools. I also think the test scores at #16 and #37 have improved. There are very complex problems in urban schools. People tend to oversimplify the solutions. But one thing that would really help our schools is socioeconomic change ... families sending their kids to the public schools and getting involved. It is the one thing that will have immediate change and impact. If you live in downtown, the Heights, and other areas that have socioeconomic diversity consider sending your children to their LOCAL school. In the long run it will benefit us all.
Posted on: 2010/12/14 17:15
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Just can't stay away
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@dtjcview I don't think you are ranting at all. I think you actually present pretty relevant information and I agree with you that our current educational system seems to be ass-backwards. Add to that the low socioeconomic status of most students in our area and you have a lethal combination. I think you brought up some great ideas (especially the trade apprenticeship and career evaluation) and would seriously support these types of things occurring within our schools. Sadly, I wonder how we would be able to do such a thing when the Board relies on something like $80 million from the Federal Government. So it seems that we will still be crippled by the requirements of the Big Brother even if we remove the current administration and bring people in with great ideas. As a Jersey City lifer, I just hope there is a way that we can reach some type of common ground to give these children a REAL education that will help them throughout their life; instead of this current standardized testing system that could care less what happens to the student a month after they graduate!
Posted on: 2010/11/20 4:29
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Jay Res
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Home away from home
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My rant first to get it out of the way:
WHAT STUDENT BENEFITS FROM PASSING THESE GENERALIZED TESTS? DAMNED COMMUNISM IN ACTION IF YOU ASK ME. Put yourself in a low-income student's shoes. I can graduate with a piece of paper that says I can read, write and count. But can I get a job at the end of it? If I graduate, can I afford a college education? If I dropout, sell drugs or whatever, I can make quite a bit, and worst case, if I'm caught, I get free lodging, food and health care for a period. What other career choices do I have? There are quite a few things wrong with the overall picture. The biggest one is choice for the young student. For most low-income students, the real choice is to enter the military and get their vocational education that way, or if they're talented, win a scholarship. Other countries give students a lot more choices at an earlier age...in Europe for example, 14-16yr old have choices to aim for a trade apprenticeship (plumber, electrician, auto mechanic), or enter careers such as with the merchant marine. Also most countries have free or near free college/university ed for low-income families. I think we need to give our kids both a choice earlier in their education path on where they want to get to, and the support for making that happen. How to measure success? Jobs, jobs, jobs. How many students from any given school, end up employed should be the primary measure. How many in jail and in college could be secondary measures. Finally I'm totally mystified by the whole financial management of this. Local schooling is funded mostly at the county level. Prisons mostly at the state and federal level. Low income benefits are funded mostly at the fed level. There are some serious cost savings in across prison and low income benefit funding, with improving education. But these budgets are managed at different levels. There is no real incentive to spend money to reduce prison populations and low-income payouts by improving education. That is idiotic in my book. In the 80's I received a BSc Honors degree from a UK university for less than free, All my course costs were covered, plus I got around $3k/year living expenses - I came from a low-income family at the time. I succeeded, and have more than paid back the UK and US governments in taxes invested in me over the years. Bottom line, I think education is about incentives to students.
Posted on: 2010/11/20 4:08
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Home away from home
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Quote:
I agree 100% Jes, Hear Hear ! My sentiments exactly. I think the schools are terrific it is the up bringing that drags the students down the drain.
Posted on: 2010/11/19 21:06
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Just can't stay away
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@landshark what you are saying about Downtown is very true. As far as lower school levels, I believe that the same issues are arising with children in elementary and middle school. For example, I have a friend who is a teacher in one of the middle schools in the Greenville section. She states that there is a HUGE gang problem within the community that instills itself into the schools and creates so much tension for the staff and students who may not be a part of a gang. The test grades are poor and when they had a meeting with Superintendent Epps all he said was, "You have to work harder to bring these standardized test grades up. If you need more supplies, let me know because we have the money for it." This shows you two issues within out educational system. First, the administration is more concerned about standardized testing rather than focusing on the overall education of the child. This is not a JC issue but a national one that is affecting how we can allocate funds to develop programs that will help children who lack interest in education like those in JC. Many of the programs developed to help struggling children have been removed due to lack of funding or the administration having to shift more focus to standardized testing. For example, there was a teacher in that school that had a program in place where she would do one-on-one reading lessons with a child struggling to read at their grade level. The program was removed because the school needed to shift their focus to standardized test scores. So you could see there that the concern is not the education of the child but the number that they receive on a, in my opinion, useless exam. Second, Epps is not focusing on the actual issue that is affecting the children. The teacher stated that a group of teachers have brought up the gang-related and other violence issues to the administration and nothing has been done. Therefore, Epps and the administration should be working on tacking the issues of violence and not the "lack of supplies" as he stated. Hopefully, we as a community can work together to improve the problems within our schools!
Posted on: 2010/11/19 14:31
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Jay Res
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Just can't stay away
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@81905 thank you for sharing the information about the Harlem Children Zone. I will be doing more research on that program and more like it. As far as "mandatory" parenting classes, I honestly do not know how effective they would be. Currently, there are a lot of required or mandatory classes or workshops that individuals in poverty have to attend but never take the time to go to. It seems to me that it is more of a habit or belief system problem. Some people have been raised to not care about certain things and sadly they raise children without the right morals and habits. I myself was and still am from residing in a low-income household but my outlook on life is very different from some of my peers in the same situation. We can force someone to do something but it does not mean that it will help change or modify their belief system. The real problem is that our public school system current is disconnected with the community. There is no collaboration in place where both systems can work together to try and improve the overall quality of life in our community. Therefore, we throw all of this pressure on teachers to not just educate but raise our children knowing damn well that once they leave the classroom the kids deal with so many negative factors (e.g., drug dealers in the corners, robberies, lack of parental supervision) making it difficult for them to concentrate on a quality education. Hopefully, communication between the schools and community can begin to take shape so that we can improve the situation!
Posted on: 2010/11/19 14:19
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Jay Res
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Just can't stay away
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Has there been any sign of progress at the elementary and junior high levels? Are they just as bad or is there some line of demarcation where student performance goes from OK to bad?
At least in downtown the problem is that Jersey City is only a few year stop for families. Young professionals from Manhattan get married and move here to start a family. After having two kids they make the move to the suburbs leaving mostly low income kids in the public schools. Those that do stay go to private school. The best chance for improvement is at the lowest grades. Each year influence the newest class and put programs in place to continue to help those classes as they move up. What exactly those programs are that the school is not currently doing I have no idea.....
Posted on: 2010/11/19 14:07
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Home away from home
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JC and other urban areas really need to give poor parents the resources and support they need so they can devote the time and energy in preparring their children for success at school. Moreover, poor children need to have a chance at developing all of the necessary attitudes and skills for learning. That is not happening in a great many of our students. One place to start is the Harlem Children's Zone. This 40 year old program provides early-education, parenting effectiveness classes and after-school programs for disadvantaged children. Sadly, the funding for these great efforts are just too miniscule to make a dent.
In a previous thread I was vilified by most JC posters by simply asking the question, "should there be manditory parenting classes for certain "at risk" parents?" While I realize there are a lot of ramifications including profiling and civil rights issues but is it really that crazy of a notion considering the years and years of bad performing schools in low-income areas? No teacher can force a child to learn. They can only present the opportunity and attempt to motivate towards acceptance of that opportunity. I believe that if these low-income parents were better equipped to provide a solid, positive early foundation for learning that middle and higher income earners enjoy then the schools, which most people mistakenly believe is the real problem, would start performing a whole lot better as a result. Obama said, "No amount of money can buy achivement." I totally agree. I would also add that as parents we need to really check our priorites and get more involved in the success of our children. It's our responsibility - period
Posted on: 2010/11/19 12:34
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Just can't stay away
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@sepecat good point.. there are too many kids for the little amount of schools that we have.. Also, I know it is an issue nationwide but I was just trying to brainstorm with people about solutions within our area.
Posted on: 2010/11/18 16:22
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Jay Res
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Home away from home
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This isn?t just a Jersey city issue, its a national issue when it comes to innercity public schools.. One thing the State or City for that matter has done is lack of public high schools.. Instead of wasting money on middle schools this City needs to build new high schools and split up the massed high schools we have.
Posted on: 2010/11/18 16:18
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Just can't stay away
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@81905 great insight! I agree 100% with you and would love to find ways to improve the entire community so that the children can have a greater educational experience. It is a very daunting task but I think we as a community can get together and brainstorm on ways to make the entire city better. We put too much pressure on school teachers and pass the blame to administrators as well without noticing the damage that we do to our society. Hopefully, we can start making small changes to improve our outlook in life.
Posted on: 2010/11/18 14:27
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Jay Res
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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We can point our fingers at the schools, teachers and Epps all day long but in my opinion the reason these 3 high schools are failing is because they are trying to educate students who are not prepared to learn. It's not hard to understand really. All three of these high schools have a great many students from low-income parents.
Our tough economic climate makes it almost impossible for low-income parents to prepare their children for success in school. Parents working two jobs, too many single-parent families, uneducated young people becoming parents, being non- English speaking and dealing with high child care costs are all factors hurting these kids and preventing many low income parents from giving their children this all important early eductional foundation. When you have this type of scenario, no mater what urban city you reside in, it will only help in producing a large population of kids with zero direction, zero guidence with little self worth and no decipline. Add in the other factors like drugs, gang activity and other criminal peer influences that lurk around poor income areas and you have a very steep hill to climb.
Posted on: 2010/11/18 13:51
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Just can't stay away
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@1djcview thank you very much for the link. I will look into the organization!
Posted on: 2010/11/17 13:52
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Jay Res
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Just can't stay away
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@heights I do not think we are looking at the actual problem because Academic and Catholic schools are FAR from elite.. As a Catholic High School graduate, I can tell you from experience that they are not all that people think they are. I left the school knowing less than any of my friends who went to public school. And before I hear any ignorant comments, I graduated as the top male student in my class so I had good grades. I believe that the issue affecting the children are the habits that they learn throughout their childhood from their parents and the community around them. We need to stop putting all of the blames on the educators because the children come to school with so many problems that are not being addressed by the city officials, school administrators, and social services. We are burning out our teachers while the admins keep all of the $$ and reap all of the benefits. This is the reason that I think we need to stop shifting the blame to one another and work together to come up with a solution. These results for our public school are horrendous and we can't just lay down and rule our youth out because of where they come from and how they are currently performing.
Posted on: 2010/11/17 1:33
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Jay Res
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Home away from home
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Quote:
Did that go through babelfish or something?
Posted on: 2010/11/17 1:06
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Everyone keeps passing blame on the state, city, Eppie head, financial backing, tax dollars, and then some. Has anyone looked at the IQ and background of the students in question ? Also what has the record been for these students since they started school it doesn't seem that their education graduated from year to year meaning no improvements have been made. So it looks like the blame is with the students and their families. It is funny that Academic H.S. is the top school and the rest are at the bottom. Only schools like Academic and the Catholic private institutions of learning that only accept students with a zest for learning and not the hype are producing a high quality of their student body.
Posted on: 2010/11/16 23:36
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Home away from home
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Parents and Community United for Education (PCUE) is a grassroots education advocacy group that works to hold the JC Board of Education accountable and improve our students school experience and chances to move on to higher education.
You can join them: http://seocnj.org/chapters/pcue.html
Posted on: 2010/11/16 20:44
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Just can't stay away
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And for some reason, the Jersey City residents are not making noises about his current CLOSED DOOR contract negotiations!
Posted on: 2010/11/16 20:19
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Jay Res
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Re: Jersey City High Schools Failing
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A decade in and still at the bottom.
Yes Eppsie, you're doing a heckuva job!
Posted on: 2010/11/16 19:36
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Jersey City High Schools Failing
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Just can't stay away
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The Hudson Reporter has an article discussing the state's monthly ranking of high schools. Sadly ALL of JC High School's ranked at or close to the bottom of the list. I know many people will state, "What would you expect?" or something along those lines. Honestly though, what can we do to at least make some minimal repairs to this problem? Bad schools = unproductive community, and vice versa. I don't want to continue complaining about our schools and the administration so I am just looking to brainstorm with other intelligent Jersey City residents on solutions to this problem.
Four Jersey City schools get failing grades Hudson Reporter Nov 15, 2010 JERSEY CITY -- New Jersey Monthly's annual ranking of state high schools has placed four city high schools near the bottom of the 322 schools rated, according to published reports. Of the four, Lincoln was ranked highest at 305, with Dickinson (308) and Snyder (312), not far behind. Ferris, at 320, was two spots from the bottom, according to published reports. In recent weeks, both Ferris and Dickinson have also been the scene of fights amongst students that have required police intervention. Jersey City schools Superintendent Charles T. Epps Jr. is quoted as saying the district is trying to focus on academic achievement, creating programs that increase the rigor of course work and setting up after-school clubs for students who struggle with homework. Read more: Hudson Reporter - Four Jersey City schools get failing grades
Posted on: 2010/11/16 17:09
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Jay Res
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