News-Record.com

Jennifer,

I, too, am not partial to the red,nor the entire blog redesign. There is way too much stuff for the eye to comfortably receive. Very distracting trying to crowd everything in on a single page. Your blog takes up less than half of the space.

I hope your webmaster wasn't considering submitting this redesign for any web design awards.

Don't mind the red, since I went to NCSU (big smile) but the column on the far right is for advertisement, obviously a way for N&R to make money. Don't begrudge them that right, but it is too wide and for now too bare. Are they open to feed back? I bet they are! since I almost always have my 'favorites' displayed onthe left of my screen the balance is better-- if the blog is full screed it is weird.

I don't have a problem with the new design...most of us that follow GCS news are used to seeing RED. Bruce and Jennifer; keep up the good work.

Watched the board meet today. Was it my imagination or did Mr Grier find it hard to hide his irritation of newspapers/media?

Must be you Bruce and Jennifer..

Are you upset?

Bruce,

I read the article regarding AYP in today's paper (Sunday). I had just praised your previous article earlier in the week regarding AYP as being one without a spin.

And then came today's article. It reminds me of a song,
"You spin me round, round - baby, round, round - like a record, baby, round, round, round, round."

Your article is making excuses for GCS not having more schools passing AYP this year. You even go so far as to look at the total number of subgroups across all of GCS and deduce that GCS actually did pass on a grading scale.

Let's take another example. Let's say the Space Shuttle has 25 subsystems. 24 of the 25 passed engineering testing, but one subsystem failed. Would you send astronauts into orbit on that shuttle?

I agree. That was one article slanted to help Mr Grier and gang's excuses.
Very dissapointing.

Here's a thought.
When the school board looks at future growth to define the redisticting I hope it considers the real growth that is happening in Gso and HP. In my opinion the Southwest region is growing a lot faster than the NW area for instance. In a new development in the NW area you put in 50 houses. In the same area in SW you put in 200. When I mean SW I mean Jamestown too. Its crazy around here and if you look at the new roads going in it will be worse. Conclusion.
SW and Ragdsdale highschool's need to be increased in size or we need a new High School.

Sorry you didn't like the story, quest. I didn't think it made excuses for GCS at all - in fact, the story barely mentioned GCS. Most of it focused on AYP in general.

And while I understand what you are saying, I don't think the space shuttle analogy holds up for this reason: if everything on the shuttle doesn't work, it doesn't fly. But a school can fail to meet AYP and still provide a quality education to the vast majority of kids.

Take Southeast Middle, for example. They did a good job educating white kids, black kids, poor kids and even teaching reading to disabled kids. In fact, they hit 20 targets.

But they missed number 21: teaching math to disabled students. So under AYP, they are lumped into the same "failing" category with schools that made few - or even none - of their goals.

Now, those are the rules and I'm not making excuses for them. Just trying to point out that AYP is a little more complicated than, "How many schools passed?"

And to answer your question, HPDad, I didn't hear Dr. Grier's remarks, so I can't comment specifically. But, no, I'm not upset.

In general, I've never had a problem with Dr. Grier. I've covered GCS for five years now and he consistently has treated us fairly and respectfully.

Dr. Grier hasn't always agreed with our coverage and has told me so, but he doesn't get mad or take it personally. That's not the case with every person I've dealt with in my career, so I appreciate that.

Bruce and Jennifer are nice people. However, you are kidding yourself it you think they do hard-hitting reporting. Time after time they forget to report on what is not on the agenda. Do they report on the high turnover of teachers at Washington or anywhere else. Do they report on the fact that the Board is indecisive and do not give clear directions on any subject to the BOE.

Thanks for the ringing endorsement, Joe. I guess we missed the Washington teacher turnover....

BACK TO BASICS: SCHOOL REBUILDING STAFF, TRUST
WASHINGTON ELEMENTARY WORKS TO RECOVER FROM YEARS OF TURNOVER AND IMPROVE LOW SCORES ON STATE TESTS.

Sunday, December 5, 2004

By Bruce Buchanan
GREENSBORO
The halls of Washington Elementary School were quiet, clean and orderly Friday morning. Students in every classroom were putting pencil to paper, reading or listening to their teachers.
Is this the school that teachers have left in droves? On first glance , it doesn't seem possible.
Washington's teachers, parents and administrators are trying to recover from nearly two years of instability. Every teacher in the third, fourth and fifth grades is new to the school this year. It hasn't been uncommon for teachers to leave mid year, and last year, one teacher bailed after just one week at the east Greensboro school.
The turnover has been just as rampant in the school's office. Washington will welcome its third principal of the school year in January, when Grenita Lathan arrives. She will be the fifth principal the school's third-graders have known.
The rapid change has hurt Washington's students. Sixty-seven percent of Washington's students passed state End-of-Grade tests in 2003-04. Only two Guilford County elementary schools - Triangle Lake and Kirkman Park - fared worse.
The school is on a federal watch list for failing to meet test-score goals, called Adequate Yearly Progress, for two consecutive years. Because Washington is on the watch list, parents had the option this year of transferring their students to a different school.
Washington lost 38 percent of its teachers in the 2003-04 school year, according to the recently released N.C. School Report Cards. Thirty-six percent of the school's teachers have fewer than four years' experience, a share significantly larger than the state or district averages. That doesn't factor in the upheaval the school experienced this summer, when even more teachers left.
"There's no stability," said Doris Little, mother of a fourth-grade student. "These children will be left behind if things don't improve."
So why have so many teachers left Washington?
"They tell us it's a burnout situation," Superintendent Terry Grier said.
About 96 percent of Washington's students are poor enough to qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. Many of them come to school with academic challenges and a tough home environment. And with teaching jobs plentiful across the state, it's tough to persuade teachers to work at a poor, predominantly black school.
Frank Kendall, an organizer of the Community Dialogue on Education, an east Greensboro-based group that monitors education issues, said part of the problem is that teachers are allowed to choose where they work. Kendall said the central office needs to take a stronger role in assigning teachers, so that schools like Washington have a strong, stable staff.
But Grier said he already tried that and it didn't work. Late last year, Grier ordered that no more Washington teachers could request a transfer to a different school.
"So they quit and went to Winston-Salem or Randolph County," Grier said.
Washington's staff - and central office administrators - aren't sitting still, though. A massive effort to improve the school's academic performance and teacher retention is under way, and Grier said the district is committed to Washington's success.
The rebuilding project began in August, when principal Stephanie Harris was replaced by Deborah Parker, a veteran educator and central office administrator. Parker has served as interim principal until Lathan arrives at the start of the new year.
Lathan has spent nearly six years as a principal in Chicago. But she's a North Carolina native and graduate of N.C. A&T, which is just a few blocks from the school. When she took the job, she agreed to stay at Washington for several years.
Part of her approach is a positive attitude.
"The kids at Washington are just like any other children," Lathan said. "Why not Washington?"
Parker said Lathan will find a willing, eager faculty.
Most Saturdays, the school is filled with teachers; some have even requested their own keys so they can work after hours.
"I have never seen a more hard working staff," said Parker, who typically puts in a 12-hour day herself.
Given the turnover, Parker has put an emphasis on hiring teachers who want to work in a school like Washington. She's placed a trusted long-term substitute teacher in one fifth-grade class, rather than hire a permanent teacher just to fill the vacancy.
"I'll keep a strong sub rather than bring in someone who isn't a good fit," Parker said.
She also is providing teachers with extra planning time, training and mentoring in an effort to keep them in place.
Likewise, the central office has poured resources into the school.
Washington, like other heavily low-income schools, has class sizes of 15 students or smaller in the lower grades. The central office has provided two curriculum specialists, while most schools just get one, and the state has sent in a team to help mentor teachers.
In addition, the district has spent $20,000 this year for extra reading materials.
"We're going to work hard to get it back on track," Grier said.
Washington faces mounting federal pressure to reverse its fortunes. If the school fails to meet Adequately Yearly Progress again this year, the district will have to hire private tutors for any parent who requests it.
Grier said neighboring Falkener Elementary School, which has demographics similar to Washington's, can be a model.
A couple of years ago, Falkener went through similar upheaval and low test scores. Grier brought in Marilyn Foley, a veteran local principal, in March 2003, and last year, more than 87 percent of Falkener's students passed state reading and math tests. Falkener made the state's list of the 25 most-improved elementary and middle schools.
So far, Washington's parents are sticking with the school. Only 14 sought transfers this year. But Little said the parents are running out of patience.
"I'm tired of the talking," she said. "I'm ready to see some action."

Bruce,

You win. Bad example. Pls use soft noodles to get me back in line.

No harm, no foul, Joe. I just wish every reader cared as much about education coverage as you do.

I heared only about range rover.Now i heared first time about red rover.But this is intresting to read.I enjoyed reading this.

Nice blog.