PSAT for 4-30-13, Part 2: Sign this student’s petition!
He has asked twice, very nicely, and he is right on target: Stop tying teacher evaluation to test scores!He’s Aaron Shafer, a senior at Miami University of Ohio, and his petition says, “Standardized tests are not a sound or fair way to evaluate teachers. The higher the stakes we give these tests, the more we will see test prep and test cheating, which goes against the positive, democratic nature of public education.”
I signed it – please sign it, too.
School closings “another trauma,” say child mental health professionals
Here is the letter written by Erika Schmidt, Director of the Center for Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy in Chicago, and her staff, to CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett. Byrd-Bennett did not respond. Background on this letter here.
CENTER FOR CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOTHERAPY
Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis
122 South Michigan Avenue Suite 1301
Chicago IL 60603
April 12, 2013
Barbara Byrd-Bennett
Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Public Schools
125 South Clark Street
Chicago IL 60603
Dear Ms. Byrd-Bennett:
For the past 4 years, I have had the privilege of directing a unique project at the Granville T. Woods Math and Science Academy in the Englewood neighborhood. This project provides group counseling services to children who have been exposed to violence at Woods, as well as several other schools in Englewood. Children are referred because they exhibit behavior problems in the classroom or home, because they do not learn at the level of their potential, and because they cannot negotiate interpersonal relationships successfully. Our goal is to help ameliorate the corrosive impact of exposure to violence on these children’s self-esteem, sense of safety, and hope for the future. We have had the support of the principal, Ms. Rosalyn Armour, and her staff, as well as the dedicated staff from Family Focus of Englewood, who have all contributed to the positive impact of this project on the lives and learning of the children we serve.
As we have helped the children become more effective learners, we have also learned a great deal from them. The most important lesson they have taught us is how the school becomes a vital community for these children, a “safe haven” where they feel protected from the violence outside, supported in their development, and can be respected members of the school community. Many of these children struggle with the problems of poverty, racism, and inadequate resources as well as the traumatic effect of violence. One child said to the group therapist, “If I can run really, really fast, maybe I won’t get hit by a bullet going to the library.” This poignant wish to avoid a bullet in order to read speaks volumes about the challenge these children face. When a child attends a school that inspires him to want to read anyway, that school has become a place that represents a child’s hope for their own future.
Woods School is a safe haven for these children, a source of continuity for them, and a place that represents the possibility for growth and development. The loss of the school environment, and the meaningful relationships they have established there, is another trauma in the lives of children who are exposed to too much trauma. We do recognize the challenge of providing for the educational needs of these children, but we are concerned that the children’s need for a secure community environment, which is absolutely essential for learning to take place, is being overlooked.
We request that you reconsider the decision to close Granville T. Woods Math and Science Academy.
Sincerely,
Erika Schmidt, LCSW
Director, Center for Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy
Director, Englewood Project
Englewood Project Staff:
Stephanie Beiser, LCSW, Project Coordinator
Sarah Clarke, LCSW
Marcie Hromas
Eva Johnson, LCSW
Sonia Kennedy, EdD, MSW, LSW
Aileen Schloerb, LCSW
Sivan Schneider, PsyD
Deborah R.Weaver, LCSW
UNO charter school scandals- Part 2
Part 1 here (press release re: PURE letter to Executive Inspector General asking for wider UNO probe in light of these photos).
