Troubled RI School Hits Bumps On Road To Reform

[chanel]

The teachers at Central Falls High School struck a deal to get their jobs back last year after the entire staff was fired in a radical, last-ditch attempt to raise student performance. But if the administrators thought the teachers would be grateful for a second chance, they were wrong.

Many teachers aren't showing up for work, often calling out sick. Several abruptly quit within the first few weeks of the school year. Administrators have had to scramble to find qualified substitutes and have withheld hundreds of student grades because of the teacher absences.

Heavily Hispanic Central Falls is Rhode Island's smallest and poorest city, with a population of nearly 19,000. One-quarter of families live in poverty and 65 percent speak a language other than English at home. The city is under the control of a state-appointed receiver, who says its problems are so dire that Central Falls should consider merging with neighboring Pawtucket.

But she and other officials acknowledged that other drastic measures, such as closing the school or again replacing the teachers, may need to be considered if things don't improve fast.

"There's good reason to hope that it can get better," said Robert Flanders, chairman of the state Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education. "Because it can't get any worse."

Troubled RI School Hits Bumps On Road To Reform : NPR

Anyone surprised?

 

[editec]

If they replaced the students the schools test scores would go up a LOT MORE than if they replaced the entire staff, I'll wager.

 

[Jackson]

Sixty five percent can't speak English? Well who can teach them? No one can! They have to learn English first! Take those 65% and make classrooms for them and have someone teach them English. Then after the semester or this year, they can join the school on the other side. We are not miracle workers here.

Or bus them back where they came from. It should be made law that only those who speak the language can enter school. Start a school for those who want to learn english. Let them pay a modest tuition. It's not fair to English learners.