Jump to content

Public Schools Issues

Cotuit

By Cotuit
in Providence

Recommended Posts

runawayjim Metropolis

runawayjim

Posted
Posted
School districts do indeed close schools all the time. I wonder though if there are some differnces in the way those school districts go about their business.

For instance: Do you think the comunication process with parents is better? Do you think if the community is against it they listen better? Do the districts also offer flimsy excuses as to why a particular school needs to be closed? Do they close schools that work well? Do they always follow the letter of an outside consultant's report?

As to the argument that not every kid can walk to school, and bussing across town is okay....I simply find that unacceptable for a city. An urban experience needs to include community schools that are located within walking distance of the community they serve. To me that is just as essential to living in a city as having a hairdresser, a restaurant, a pharmacy, etc within walking distance of my house.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 100
  • Created
  • Last Reply
basachs Burg

basachs

Posted
Posted
in every case i know of where a school was closed, the parents all get pissed. over time, they calm down and accept the change. a lot of it is the fact that people just don't like change.

i don't know of any cities where students are not bussed and just walk to school. in new york, they take public transportation (kind of like the high school kids here). if you've ever drive down 95 through the bronx, you've seen the vast ocean of school buses. i imagine those are used for students who live in NYC (obviously not manhattan). i think having a strong school system and education is far and away more important than having a school within close walking distance. you also don't take into account the fact that very few students actually walk. instead, their parents drive them. this could be for a number of reasons, including poor walking conditions (which is not the case in my neighborhood where i see very few students walk) or the fact that their parents just don't want their kids walking (which is probably the biggest reason that they drive their kids). what's the point of having a school within walking distance if no one walks?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
runawayjim Metropolis

runawayjim

Posted
Posted
This would be a great conversation to have with you sometime. I will say that West Broadway is a different instance. Lots of kids walking. Also I agree that having a strong school system is important, but I dont see how closing West Broadway furthers that goal. It takes away from it. Both short and long term. Providence is not NYC. Our small size both in population and physical allows us to have community based schools.

People get pissed at change all the time. You are right about that. but sometimes they have good reason to be pissed. The case of West Broadway is one of those.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
yekaterinab Whistle-Stop

yekaterinab

Posted
Posted

If the State of Rhode Island cuts down the number of school districts, it would significantly lessen the burden on the taxpayers, as well as the payroll of excessive administrative positions.

Funding for Public Schools in Providence, as well as the other cities and towns in Rhode Island, will continue to be a problem until the state plans a fair and equitable funding formula. We are one of the only two states in the US that does not have one.

One thing that bothers me about all of this is the idea that pretty new buildings will inspire students to do better in school. How can you improve the state of the educational system without improving the educational system? All of the external factors are meaningless if the core is rotten.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
runawayjim Metropolis

runawayjim

Posted
Posted

One thing that bothers me about all of this is the idea that pretty new buildings will inspire students to do better in school. How can you improve the state of the educational system without improving the educational system? All of the external factors are meaningless if the core is rotten.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...
DavidSegal Whistle-Stop

DavidSegal

Posted
Posted
i can understand having more than 1... but the amount we have is just dumb. for instance... central falls has its own. why not combine that with pawtucket, and while we're at it, throw providence in there as well. barrington and bristol, lincoln and cumberland, newport-middletown-portsmouth-jamestown... (these are all just possible suggestions for combining).
Link to comment
Share on other sites
runawayjim Metropolis

runawayjim

Posted
Posted
I agree that consolidation is important -- for savings, but maybe even more so to create socioeconomic diversity, and align the interests of the wealthier communities with those of the poorer communities. The plan you mention here -- CF, Pawtucket, and Prov -- was suggested by the governor last year. But Cicilline rightfully stood up to it, as combining the three poorest systems was just going to further concentrate poverty.

A fair funding formula will probably be introduced in the next couple of weeks, which is really important. But you're never going to have the ideal school system in a city where 40% of children (and 80% of those in the school system) live in poverty. Or where there's such stark racial segregation (which grew faster in Providence in the 1990s than in any other major city in the country). Period.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mbz Unincorporated Area

mbz

Posted
Posted

Does anybody here have any experience with the Volunteers in Providence Schools program (VIPS) or tutoring at the Providence Public Library or something like that? I volunteer as a mentor at Sophia Academy during the school year, but they don't have anything going on during the summer, and I'd like to be involved in some kind of reading or tutoring-related program for kids.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
runawayjim Metropolis

runawayjim

Posted
Posted
Does anybody here have any experience with the Volunteers in Providence Schools program (VIPS) or tutoring at the Providence Public Library or something like that? I volunteer as a mentor at Sophia Academy during the school year, but they don't have anything going on during the summer, and I'd like to be involved in some kind of reading or tutoring-related program for kids.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
mbz Unincorporated Area

mbz

Posted
Posted
i would contact the library or one of the branches. i have students that used to work for me that did something like that at the smith hill library during the semester. they're home for summer now, so i'm not sure if they have that program during the summer or not. i know they worked through a program at the college, but i'm sure the library would love to have you.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...
  • 5 months later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.