As a retired administrator for the NYC school system, I found that the K-8
model was preferable since the parents and teachers got to know one another for
a much longer time. In this situation, the students tended to act out less
since the principal knew each of the names of the students and had a closer
relationship with each of the parents. The test scores were also much
higher for students in grades 5-8 in a K-8 setting. Until reading and math
scores
improve in Asbury Park, many middle class parents, especially black middle
class parents, will continue to send their studious children to private
schools. I think that a mixture of needy families along with middle class
families
working together is what is needed to give us a well needed turn around in
our schools. Since the number of students in Asbury Park schools is not that
large, it should not be that difficult to place test prep programs in the
schools during the school day. In addition, students in risk of academic
failure
should attend math and reading boot camp after school, on Saturdays and
during the vacation periods. If these programs can work in the poorest
schools in
the South Bronx, they most certainly can work in Asbury Park. As a result in
the reading and math score improvement in the South Bronx, students felt
more confident and better about themselves and saw educational success as an
alternative to gang membership. The other thing that we did in the South Bronx
was to bring in successful role models of color, other than rap stars and
sports stars for the students to identify with and aspire to. We brought in
CEOs,
superintendents, politicians and other successful businessmen of color for
the students see, hear and relate with. The message was that today more than
ever there are more high level job opportunities for students of color who
have succeeded in school. The message that we instilled upon the students is
that there is hope.
