DANIEL FISHBEIN: Individuality at every level
Thursday, January 26, 2012
By DANIEL FISHBEIN
COLUMNIST
Sometimes families who move into the village are surprised when I tell them they are welcome to enroll their school-age children, even if it is in the middle of the year. When this happens I am both equally surprised and also reminded of the many aspects of public education that we take for granted, including the fact that everyone is welcome and school-age students are accepted independent of when they arrive in town or whether or not they have learning issues.
Legislation ensures the basic tenet that all children have the right to a public education, and as a public school system, the Ridgewood district operates according to the corresponding, and large, body of federal and state laws. But the Ridgewood district is unique because it dares to ascribe to the notion that the highest educational standards should be implemented alongside that legislation.
This vision of excellence has long been established as a core value of a Ridgewood education. I am fortunate to lead such a great public school district in a community that values this highest level of comprehensive education for all students. As part of that vision of excellence, the Ridgewood Public Schools is committed to celebrating all of our students and the individuality of each school, at every level.
http://www.northjersey.com/news/education/138180964_Individuality_at_every_level.html
6 comments:
Lead, that's laughable, but employ, that is the question? Put the previous one back on the payroll. Show eveyone in town, your heart is where your mouth is.
All students may be welcome but one group of students that is completely underserved are the smart kids at GW. This school offers nothing for our higher level learners except for accelerated math beginning in 7th grade. These kids don't need or want "nutty teachers grabbing students' attention." They need teachers that are demanding and can differentiate their teaching style to be more challenging for these kids. As it is now, most of these kids have no homework (they do it all in school during class) and they spend much of the day sitting bored in class. Why do we think it is ok to disregard the top 5% of our student population at this school?
The quality of education at BF is spotty as well. There most definitely are some incredible, gifted teachers there, but there are also teachers like Mrs. Ryter, who gave out a packet of new, untaught information along with questions to go with them as a significant part of her student's final exam (science). I guess sitting around doing nothing while her students did "class work" really paid off, just as much as reporting this to Orsini did.
11:05 makes a good point. The disctrict spends about 1/4 of its budget on special ed, yet spends almost nothing below the high school level on enrichment for the top students.
Please.....just ask where the nj law mandated "gifted and talented" program is throughout the district. You will love the "creative answer" you will get about how they "target" students" but then don't do anything about it.
I completely agree. Their are so many very smart kids in Ridgewood, but a much smaller percentage of gifted children. Kids who truly meet the gifted requirements, starting with extremely high IQs, unbelievably great retention of facts, and the ability to take these facts and do so much more than regurgitate it back on tests, many of which they don't get !00% on because they were staring out the window bored beyond words. I don't want to hear how smart my child is, or how my child is always the one the teacher goes to when no one else has the answer, of that my child always ends up doing most of the work in group projects, or that all the kids look to my child when they are uncertain of something, all comments I have heard in parent teacher conferences. I know all that. I was told middle and HS would be a huge shocker re homework. Not in our house. My child does most at school. And this is a great school district. I believe that. But not every one gets the personalized attention promised. My child gets A's and gets praised and the district is fine with that. But this student doesn't feel more than slightly interested or engaged. I must offer up that there are a few teachers out there who are fantastic and have expected more. These teachers are the one's my kid comes home and talks about. Every year I send a note to the Superintendent telling him about these teachers. Sometimes I wonder if we should have our children in a less intense district. Many of those have kept their gifted and talented programs because they need those kids and their A's and excellent standardized test scores much more than a town like Ridgewood does.
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