A Few Thoughts on Education Reform in Newark

[Leah Z. Owens]

A Few Thoughts on “Education Reform” in Newark

February 28, 2011

by Leah Z. Owens, Founder

Teachers as Leaders in Newark

Member, Coalition for Effective Newark Public Schools

https://sites.google.com/site/coalition4enps/

 

“What if the plan was leaked on purpose? The strategy could be to release something so outrageous that a compromise seems reasonable.” This is what a good friend of mine said to me as we were discussing last week’s Star Ledger report about the plan to consolidate and co-locate several schools in the District and the subsequent turnout at the Advisory Board meeting later that evening. The suggestion lends itself perhaps as an example of Naomi Klein’s shock doctrine theory which puts forward the idea that control of the public is achieved by using collective shocks to disorient them and then imposing economic reforms which rob from the poor and give to the rich. Though milder than Hurricane Katrina and the War on Terrorism, the “proposed” plan to consolidate, co-locate, and charterize the Newark Public Schools District will have no different consequences—disenfranchised families will continue to be trapped in a system fraught with inequitable public policies.

 

As a former high school teacher in the District, I have conversations with NPS teachers, staff, and administrators on a regular basis. Again, the topic of late has been this plan to co-locate new schools within currently existing schools. A case in point is Science Park High. The primary concern expressed by one of my teacher friends is the potentially negative impact housing another school within the building will have on the learning environment and school culture of Science Park. In moving from the old building to this new one just a few years ago, the quality of learning was affected due to the sheer size of the building; there was a little less sense of community compared to the old building, possibly only a small price to pay for an updated facility as student achievement, graduation rates, and college matriculation rates remain some of the highest in not only the district but the state. According to the confidential report, one could come to the conclusion that the school is almost empty as it characterizes Science Park as underutilized, with empty and vacant classrooms.

 

Time to put on the critical thinking cap. What is the difference between empty and vacant? Furthermore, what method was used to complete these classroom counts? I have an idea, again, drawing on my experience as a high school teacher in the District. When I was teaching, Barringer High was on a block schedule, and, at most, I taught three blocks per semester. Technically, one could count the classroom as empty for the blocks when I did not have scheduled classes. Is this what was done for the report? No scheduled class equals empty or vacant? When I did have my own classroom, it only came after the ninth grade was moved to its own building, the former Gladys-Hillman Jones, to alleviate overcrowding at Barringer. I could decorate and maintain a classroom library without worry that the next teacher who occupied the space would have less classroom management than I. Though pulling a cart full of books and supplies around the building because I had no secure place to leave it was beneficial for my waist line and arm muscles, it did nothing to help me establish relationships with my students or a sense of stability or ownership of a space. Too many non-educators underestimate the significance of these factors.

 

Could these empty and vacant spaces listed in the report be the result of the lay-offs of all those teachers at the end of the last school year? Losing just one teacher can lead to oversized classrooms. For example, with the loss of one second grade teacher, what were three classes of twenty second graders each becomes two classes of thirty second graders. So, we need to ask: What are the current class sizes at these schools?, and: How does this number compare to last school year’s class sizes? We may find that the schools listed in the report as underutilized have loss teachers, therefore causing consolidation of classes which appears to a person counting widgets as free space to fill.

 

Returning to Science Park, though the following applies to the other schools as well, how economically efficient will it be to have two sets of administrators in one building? If these new programs are placed as planned, it would be my suggestion to have a coordinator, or vice principal at most, to be responsible for the co-located school. One body of leadership in a building will better foster collaboration as this is ultimately what the co-located schools will have to do. Sure, students can enter through designated doors for their school, but there is only one gym, one cafeteria, one library, and maybe even one computer lab. The administration of the schools must work together to ensure a high quality learning environment for all of the students. Just think how harmful it would be if students attending the Harvey Milk School, a school to support gay and lesbian students, were to experience isolation and a sense of being a burden due to adults’ lack of planning and cooperation. The implementation plans for these five schools must be clearly drawn out before the District moves forward. Haste makes waste.

 

Closings, consolidations, and co-locations are not education reform that urban communities such as Newark can rely on to bring about improved learning outcomes for public school students. These tactics will further concentrate disempowered families as those with just a little more know-how or those who know individuals in positions of power will be the only ones who benefit from these proposed reforms. Just as charter schools have the ability to do, magnet schools as well, students can be sent back to their neighborhood district schools if they do not “fit” the charter or magnet. Additionally, these kinds of schools have caps to classroom sizes that they can actually enforce, whereas the neighborhood schools must find a way to accommodate all students residing in the catchment area of the school. Since neighborhood schools will continue to be there, we need to focus on improving these schools. Because, yes, a child has the right to attend a high quality school no matter her or his zip code, but she or he should not have to be transported across town in order to attend one. This school should be located within walking distance of the home. We also need to question the disruption co-locations can bring to successful schools and schools in the beginning stages of reform. Why not provide more students with the opportunity to receive a Science Park experience if the school has the capacity for more students? What will become of the Global Village Zone with half of those schools either being a choice for co-location or closing??

 

There can be no transformational changes in the public education system without simultaneous changes occurring outside of the school walls in the public policy arena. Parental choice lies in the voting booth and participation in the children’s schools. Building and sustaining effective parent organizations within each school will improve communication among the school, community, and home. Never underestimate the power of parents. Parents, never underestimate the power of organization. TaLiN is involved with the Coalition for Effective Newark Public Schools because it is a vehicle for empowering parents, educators, and community members to affect change both inside and outside of the school walls. Rather than draft plans without true community input, the Coalition works to build the capacity of the people so that we can make plans on our own terms for our own futures. The Coalition calls for the above kind of critical questioning in all schools and is working diligently to complete this task; however, there is no more precious a resource than the people, for it is the investment in the people and the community that will bring about true education reform.

 

To find out more information about the Coalition for Effective Newark Public Schools, please visit the website https://sites.google.com/site/coalition4enps/ and/or email Coaliti...@gmail.com. The Coalition is actively seeking to bring together PTAs and PTOs in Newark among other projects. Additionally, you can join the listserv to continue to receive updates.

 

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. . . Newark educators as impetuses in the creation of social and educational alliances that empower teachers, students, and parents . . .
 Leah Z. Owens, Chief Organizer

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www.TaLinNewark.org
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