As a final note, YCS is not the utopia that was portrayed in this article. Of course, there are flaws in every school system and YCS has plenty of them. Those issues are continuously being battled and addressed. We work through those frustrations one day at a time, the same as anyone else. That being said, the staff over comes our daily obstacles and persevere for the students. We work hard to get where we are now. We have the advantage of being a small school where the staff becomes close knit and communication is easier in that regard. Society can’t attribute low test scores of city schools to one single factor. The things we deal with on a small scale are dealt with in those systems at a much larger scale with less support available to them. It’s a flaw, and one that I hope the state will come to realize. Education is transforming at a rapid pace and teaching is becoming more challenging as these changes occur. Public, charter, and private school teachers should be communicating and sharing in successes and learning from struggles. Not blaming or pointing fingers at each other for the stress and competition the state has placed on us with these test scores. I think we are begining to forget why we went into teaching in the first place: for the kids. If that is no longer your primary focus when you walk into that building every day, then why are you still standing in the front of that room?
Truancy...If there is a child missing that much school, no matter where they are in the state of Ohio, it should legal be reported by administration. A child has never been asked to leave based on attendance. The legal channels are followed to a “T” BEFORE attendance becomes an issue. If that a problem in any school, it needs reported and addressed by the proper authorities in a timely fashion. I really don’t have much to say about this. Why would a school sytem not report a case that severe to be handled in a legal manner. It’s no longer a primary academic issue. What concerns me most about this situation the child’s well being. Who is caring for the child at that time? The mere fact that the parents chose to enroll these kids in this school says it all. They are involved in their child's education and upbringing. Is a parent that abuses their child and sends them to school with cuts and bruises (not typical of rough play) truly invested in their education? Is the parent is so strung out on drugs and has older siblings raising the younger ones involved in their upbringing? Is the parent that has never once returned a note, phone call, or request for conference about their child’s work (or lack thereof), involved in their child’s education? I know those are only 3 examples, I could easily spout off several more, but I think my point is clear. Yes, the parent (or guardian) initially filled out the application for the school, but that is no different than enrolling in any other public school.
In the case of the student from this school, I never saw any sign of proficiency in his daily work. ......Apparently there was nothing Youngstown City Schools could do to find a better placement for this student, so he was allowed to disrupt my class. At that point, I took my excellent work record and walked out. Clearly this student posed problems at his former school. Unfortunately, his parents took advantage of the fact that they did have another school to enroll him in and it happened to be your class. I fully understand your frusration here. My only question is, are you blaming YCS for this behavior? Clearly YCS dealt with it in the procedures that were laid out. Did the city schools start the procedures and documentation for suspensions or possible expulsion? And, I have a hard time believing that that ONE student would complete destroy an excellent work record. As an employee of city schools, surely you’ve seen or dealt with cases just as severe. Maybe it was just the straw that broke the camel’s back, and I can understand that. Absolutely take the stories with a grain of salt. Anything in the media or of a political nature needs questioned. We teach our students that every day. Reliable resources, biased reports, data being used to support any opinion, ect should be scrutinized. This is a sad reality.
Just to address a few of the things from previous comments.... What happens if a student doesn't do home work, is a class disruptor, misses 80 to 100 days of school a year? Just like should be in place in every school system, there are procedures set in place to address these concerns. As a teacher at YCS, I know how many students do not complete homework. As required, they receive it daily, and it encourages responsibility, and not all students or their parents see the value in that. It is a constant battle, but it’s something that we as a staff and with the support of admin will not back down from. Demographics are not used as an excuse, even though we know the role they play in our students’ daily lives. There are challenges that need addressed and YCS does that, versus other school systems that I have been in that (per admin/BOE procedures) simply pass the students through the system instead of getting to the root of the problem. Yes, YCS has some support systems as a smaller school that are not necessarily available in larger districts with constricted budgets. We are grateful for having those supports, and I’m not sure why we are scrutinized for taking advantage of what is available to our school. In no way do I blame any other school systems for something that they can’t control funding wise. However, simply passing student through that are challenges is a disservice to the students in the long run and those issues need to be addressed by admin, BOEs, and the state. Our state wonders why students graduating are not college and career ready. It’s a flaw in the system, not something that should be reflected as teachers’ lack of ability. Class disruptors....Exactly as someone previously stated we have the same type of kids with the same poor environment. Those class disruptors are not just asked to leave. There are behavior plans and policies in place to address those. Believe me, we want to rip our hair out some days because of behavior issues just like anyone else in a city system. In case you don’t know what a charter school is...it’s not a private school that can choose their students based on academics and behaviors. No, it’s a PUBLIC school that has the same legal mandates as any other state public school. Expelling without going through the proper channels is not an option. The only difference is that when expulsion procedures begin, parents have realized they can try to enroll their child in another school before that expulsion is on a permanent record. I understand that not the case for a child already in a standard public school, and understand where that could be misconstrued. That’s the nature of the system, and an hardship that unfortunately oftentimes goes back to a standard public school. However, it happens among the charter schools as well. A behavior issue being expelled (or paperwork began), and are quickly enrolled in another charter school to be dealt with. We are not completely exempt from that systematic flaw.
State rates Youngstown Community School ‘excellent’
As a final note, YCS is not the utopia that was portrayed in this article. Of course, there are flaws in every school system and YCS has plenty of them. Those issues are continuously being battled and addressed. We work through those frustrations one day at a time, the same as anyone else. That being said, the staff over comes our daily obstacles and persevere for the students. We work hard to get where we are now. We have the advantage of being a small school where the staff becomes close knit and communication is easier in that regard. Society can’t attribute low test scores of city schools to one single factor. The things we deal with on a small scale are dealt with in those systems at a much larger scale with less support available to them. It’s a flaw, and one that I hope the state will come to realize. Education is transforming at a rapid pace and teaching is becoming more challenging as these changes occur. Public, charter, and private school teachers should be communicating and sharing in successes and learning from struggles. Not blaming or pointing fingers at each other for the stress and competition the state has placed on us with these test scores. I think we are begining to forget why we went into teaching in the first place: for the kids. If that is no longer your primary focus when you walk into that building every day, then why are you still standing in the front of that room?
March 7, 2013 at 12:54 a.m. permalink suggest removal
State rates Youngstown Community School ‘excellent’
Truancy...If there is a child missing that much school, no matter where they are in the state of Ohio, it should legal be reported by administration. A child has never been asked to leave based on attendance. The legal channels are followed to a “T” BEFORE attendance becomes an issue. If that a problem in any school, it needs reported and addressed by the proper authorities in a timely fashion. I really don’t have much to say about this. Why would a school sytem not report a case that severe to be handled in a legal manner. It’s no longer a primary academic issue. What concerns me most about this situation the child’s well being. Who is caring for the child at that time?
The mere fact that the parents chose to enroll these kids in this school says it all. They are involved in their child's education and upbringing.
Is a parent that abuses their child and sends them to school with cuts and bruises (not typical of rough play) truly invested in their education? Is the parent is so strung out on drugs and has older siblings raising the younger ones involved in their upbringing? Is the parent that has never once returned a note, phone call, or request for conference about their child’s work (or lack thereof), involved in their child’s education? I know those are only 3 examples, I could easily spout off several more, but I think my point is clear. Yes, the parent (or guardian) initially filled out the application for the school, but that is no different than enrolling in any other public school.
In the case of the student from this school, I never saw any sign of proficiency in his daily work. ......Apparently there was nothing Youngstown City Schools could do to find a better placement for this student, so he was allowed to disrupt my class. At that point, I took my excellent work record and walked out.
Clearly this student posed problems at his former school. Unfortunately, his parents took advantage of the fact that they did have another school to enroll him in and it happened to be your class. I fully understand your frusration here. My only question is, are you blaming YCS for this behavior? Clearly YCS dealt with it in the procedures that were laid out. Did the city schools start the procedures and documentation for suspensions or possible expulsion? And, I have a hard time believing that that ONE student would complete destroy an excellent work record. As an employee of city schools, surely you’ve seen or dealt with cases just as severe. Maybe it was just the straw that broke the camel’s back, and I can understand that. Absolutely take the stories with a grain of salt. Anything in the media or of a political nature needs questioned. We teach our students that every day. Reliable resources, biased reports, data being used to support any opinion, ect should be scrutinized. This is a sad reality.
March 7, 2013 at 12:53 a.m. permalink suggest removal
State rates Youngstown Community School ‘excellent’
Just to address a few of the things from previous comments....
What happens if a student doesn't do home work, is a class disruptor, misses 80 to 100 days of school a year?
Just like should be in place in every school system, there are procedures set in place to address these concerns. As a teacher at YCS, I know how many students do not complete homework. As required, they receive it daily, and it encourages responsibility, and not all students or their parents see the value in that. It is a constant battle, but it’s something that we as a staff and with the support of admin will not back down from. Demographics are not used as an excuse, even though we know the role they play in our students’ daily lives. There are challenges that need addressed and YCS does that, versus other school systems that I have been in that (per admin/BOE procedures) simply pass the students through the system instead of getting to the root of the problem. Yes, YCS has some support systems as a smaller school that are not necessarily available in larger districts with constricted budgets. We are grateful for having those supports, and I’m not sure why we are scrutinized for taking advantage of what is available to our school. In no way do I blame any other school systems for something that they can’t control funding wise. However, simply passing student through that are challenges is a disservice to the students in the long run and those issues need to be addressed by admin, BOEs, and the state. Our state wonders why students graduating are not college and career ready. It’s a flaw in the system, not something that should be reflected as teachers’ lack of ability.
Class disruptors....Exactly as someone previously stated we have the same type of kids with the same poor environment. Those class disruptors are not just asked to leave. There are behavior plans and policies in place to address those. Believe me, we want to rip our hair out some days because of behavior issues just like anyone else in a city system. In case you don’t know what a charter school is...it’s not a private school that can choose their students based on academics and behaviors. No, it’s a PUBLIC school that has the same legal mandates as any other state public school. Expelling without going through the proper channels is not an option. The only difference is that when expulsion procedures begin, parents have realized they can try to enroll their child in another school before that expulsion is on a permanent record. I understand that not the case for a child already in a standard public school, and understand where that could be misconstrued. That’s the nature of the system, and an hardship that unfortunately oftentimes goes back to a standard public school. However, it happens among the charter schools as well. A behavior issue being expelled (or paperwork began), and are quickly enrolled in another charter school to be dealt with. We are not completely exempt from that systematic flaw.
March 7, 2013 at 12:52 a.m. permalink suggest removal