As I start my final week on the School Committee, I've thought a lot about the changes I've pushed for during my term (some successfully, others not so much so). And today blog readers brought two articles to my attention that I'm posting because these two really speak to two major issues I believe are essential.
First, there is a great column in today's New York Times on the benefits of having low income kids attend schools with higher income students (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/opinion/22herbert.html?_r=1&ref=opinion). The research cited in this article by the Century Foundation was precisely the research the School Committee considered in making this decision, and I'm very pleased to learn that other districts have already seen improved achievement from their own redistricting.
Second, there is an announcement (reported in Boston.com) that the State Board of Education has approved a plan that all MA colleges require 4 years of high school math (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/03/22/mass_colleges_to_require_4_years_of_math/?p1=Local_Links). I have been, and continue to be, very concerned that Amherst Regional High School requires only 2 years of math (the state minimum): Our high school requires only two years of math and two years of science (compared to three years of social studies and four years of English), whereas many Massachusetts high schools require three years of both math and science (including Belchertown, Brookline, Cambridge, Hadley, Newton and Northampton). In fact, only 16% of high schools in MA have such a low requirement. This strikes me as a great time for our high school administration to recommend an increase in math graduation requirements to the Regional School Committee so that we clearly communicate the message to all kids that students from ALL backgrounds and ALL achievement levels can succeed in upper-level math classes.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
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5 comments:
And requiring more physical education. A fit body has a fit brain. I mean it only makes sense, yet the high school requirement for physical education is embarrassing to say the least...
I agree -- there are MANY benefits to having high-income and low-income kids attend school together. That's why it's a shame that you're considering pulling your kids out of the Amherst schools.
Anonymous 2:36 - I agree - it is very sad when families feel the public schools aren't working for their kids, and thus need to make other choices (as have current SC members). I had really hoped my efforts on the SC would result in public schools that really worked for all kids, but obviously I wasn't able to accomplish that.
What percentage of ARHS students already take 3 or 4 years of math?
The article about integration is great. I hope people will stop complaining about the redistricting here in Amherst when they start seeing better results in all of our schools.
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