In the early days of the Covid-19 shutdown, the School Committee and the Newton Teachers Association signed a Memorandum of Agreement concerning the expectations and responsibilities of the teachers and the City. This was a tumultuous time, and it would not be right to second-guess the terms of that agreement. Truly, everyone was just trying to figure out how to live and work in this new environment.
But as we look forward to the fall–when schools will reopen under a new set of rules–I’m guessing that on-line learning will remain a significant part of the curriculum. So there will probably be a need for a follow-on MOA to guide expectations.
In that light, I thought I would highlight some of the April 1 MOA to get people’s reactions as to whether they think similar or different principles should apply for the fall. I quote from a few selected sections of the MOA:
The Association and District understand and acknowledge that the following principles apply to distance learning, remote enrichment and home-learning opportunities:
Distance learning and remote educational support are not a substitute for in school instruction or curriculum.
The primary aim of distance learning is for educators to maintain a healthy connection with students that furthers their social and emotional well-being.
Both parents and educators have varying and complicated circumstances at home, including differing access to the internet, availability of at-home supports, health and wellness of self and family, etc. The District Distance Learning Plan must remain mindful of these varying circumstances. i. Distance learning should be geared towards work that students can do independently and universally designed to provide access to all students in the class. ii. Distance learning opportunities should be designed assuming that parents can provide the same level of support they ordinarily provide for homework, no more. iii. Distance learning opportunities should require students to spend no more than half the amount of time they normally spend in school on learning.
Educators will design learning opportunities using the principles of universal design, and that address the different learning needs of students with learning disabilities, English language learners, or students with other learning challenges.
The Association and District understand and acknowledge that, because distance learning and remote educational support are not a substitute for in school instruction or curriculum, employees will not be held responsible for student achievement during the period of temporary school closure.
I include these particular sections because a very different set of principles was offered by a group of Newton parents in a petition submitted in late March. In that document, signed by 900 people, the following points were made:
We request that the Superintendent and the school principals of NPS show leadership quickly to provide all students with:
- A structured program of teaching and assignments for the specific classes in which the students are enrolled based on the curriculum
- Meaningful live teaching/discussion of the curriculum by their teachers, via platforms like Zoom or teleconferences
- Structured opportunities for meaningful discussion about the materials with their teachers and their peers, via platforms like Zoom’s breakout rooms
- Meaningful expectations for ongoing and measurable student learning with respect to the curriculum.
Obviously, it is not possible to translate the classroom experience online. NPS management must not use that as an excuse for watering down school services to the minimum expectations permitted under state law or guidelines. With proper leadership, this presents an opportunity for trying innovative approaches to education.
As I note above, my purpose here is not to revisit what might have happened this past spring. The parents’ petition suggests that a more proactive approach would have been their preference, but what’s done is done. However, their points have value for the fall as well. Will the NTA and the School Committee view their job as coping with a difficult situation or as an opportunity to engage in creative experiments that could enhance both the educational opportunities for the children and the professional development of the teachers?
Equally important, what process for public input will the School Committee use to solicit ideas from the families? While the April 1 agreement had to be signed in a hurry, there are still several weeks before the fall term starts. As the petition demonstrates, there are a lot of parents of good will who want to offer suggestions. And if individual teachers have suggestions, will their views be solicited by the School Committee, or will all discussions be filtered through the NTA?
NPS can not have the same thing for the fall.
First, the kids and the teachers knew each other before Distance Learning started. In September, every teacher will have a new classroom of kids to learn and know. And new Kindergarteners, new middle schoolers and new high schoolers. Making a transition to a new classroom is difficult each year. Making a transition to a brand new school is difficult. I can’t imagine what it will be like over Zoom.
Second, the amount of actual learning was not substantial enough. My high schooler was doing more and more independent work, with only once a week classroom check ins. High schoolers meet with with their teacher in person four times a week. They build great relationships and LEARN and discuss. One 30 minutes class a week is a “why bother” attitude.
Third, the highly motivated kids will learn. They are driven, but that doesn’t describe the whole population.
Fourth, the social emotional wellness for kids is low. I am concerned about both of my kids socially. They are sad. Very sad. And they both miss people.
Fifth, SPED services – OT and Speech are not great over Zoom. If we want students progress, their spring learning can not continue as is.
Sixth, the wealthy parents will pull their kids from public schools. They will. I am a HUGE supporter of public schools. Huge. I went K-12 plus college in public schools. But, what I saw from Newton this spring is pathetic for nearly every kid. Do I start looking at this late stage for a private school? I know my kid will get daily classes from 9-12, which I might be willing to figure out how to pull off my salary. It breaks my heart that I want to flee from public school because I believe in public schools. BUT, this program the NPS did in the spring needs improvements all around from security, timing, expectations, content, social.
I would love to see a way that kids can be physically back to school in the falls. I will take one week in school and one week Zoom. But we need care for the teacher’s kids. We need to be able to protect the health of our teachers.
We are a great community. We should be able to figure this out and not put a bandaid on this issue. It needs more than a bandaid.
So well put, @NewtonMom, thank you!
And, if we think through further on this topic and consider how to support students on Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs), or how to make progress on reducing the achievement gap among different socio-economic and racial groups, the need for a rigorous, coherent, and thoughtful plan becomes even more evident.
I recently heard from one of the parents who submitted the petition I mentioned above. They said that there was no response–zilch–from the administration on their thoughts. If there were ever a time to engage the public school constituency, this is it. Otherwise the damage to the schools–in terms of public support–will falter and wane, affecting budgets and programs for years to come.
The NPS needs to step up education. I appreciate the fact that these are difficult times. That being said, the administration never sends out emails that claim that education is a priority. The current half an hour class per week is too little (and it started too late and ended too early). Plus a good portion of every class spends time on how everyone is feeling. For the fall, I am seriously thinking of moving my family out of Newton to a district with full-time school.
Next year things need to ramp up. Our kids’ education is taking a major hit. Despite the lip service about the achievement gap, an education-light curriculum will only exacerbate it.
Paul’s point that the administration did not reach out to concerned parents is par for the course.
My 3 granddaughters go to private schools. (don’t ask!)The preschooler got materials dropped off once a week or every two weeks: there were letters to trace, pictures to match sounds with, things to cut and glue. All of which had to be done with an adult. There was also one live Zoom with the whole class 1/wk and a small chat with the teacher 1/wk. Both needed to be set up by an adult.
The other 2, 5th and 2nd graders, had classes from 9 to 3, with periods to do worksheets on their own; usually I would make sure they took a ‘recess’ outside before their 11 AM class; then more work before lunch and back on Zoom at 1 or 1:30. Several days a week, 2 PM was a 1×1 10 minutes with the teacher…
My job as a Grandmother was to use the timer on my phone to make sure they were on time for their classes. The 5th grader was mostly independent; the second grader would show me her work after every single math problem; she needed help writing her topic sentence and her main facts and occasionally would ask me for the spelling of the word. Sometimes, PE did not make sense since they had just gotten back from outside (and some of it was boring) and some of the music was boring. She knew how to get on Google class, find the science video or the schedule on the iPad.
After their school closed, the teachers deposited an iPad, English workbook, Math workbook issues of National Geographic/ Explorer and a magic board at each kid’s house/apartment. The magic board was used in math: the teacher would explain , then put a subtraction or fraction or shape on his board and each kid would do the problem and show the solution; after which there was a series of “Good job, Emily!, Good job, Miller” from the teacher.
My grandkids were lucky: they had plenty of space so the that the sound of concurrent videos did not interfere; Zoom mostly worked; they had me while their parents were working.
My point is a lot of learning can take place…with the right conditions.
God help us if school is 100% virtual in the fall. I’ll be returning to work on-site this summer and I have a child with a learning disability. We struggled with school over the last 3 months with me being home and next year would be almost impossible. THIS IS OF NO FAULT OF THE TEACHERS. The teachers have been amazing and adaptable. The virtual learning is tricky for the elementary school age and throw a learning disability into the mix and it’s excruciating.
Isabelle – Very few children have an adult who did what you’ve done. Your commitment is admirable, but my concern is for the vast majority of students who don’t have the support you’ve provided.
Both remote learning and teaching are excruciating under the best of circumstances. No household has the best of circumstances – parents are either trying to work remotely with kids at home or have to go to work and leave their kids under circumstances that are most likely not optimal. The whole situation is a nightmare.
Jane, I heard your comment from many parents who wished they had another adult to help. All I was trying to do was to show how hard it was for a privileged family with elementary school kids.
For me, it was also the joy of going on a walk together, exploring uncrowded sidewalks or trails in the late afternoon…
I think the spring has largely been an exercise in futility. Younger kids really don’t do zoom meetings well, my experience with a kid on an IEP was that it was an utter failure that just produced additional anxiety for my kid, my older one did ok for a while, but basically decided it was pointless since it moved to pass/fail and no one else was really trying and the loss of friends/camp/sports was too much. Plus, the assignments were a huge amount of make-work.
Teachers tried hard. They were frustrated too, and I didn’t take out my frustrations on them, even in the IEP meetings. And I know from the zoom calls how many of them have young kids at home.
I don’t see how this works in the fall. I really don’t. I was already beyond frustrated with the Newton school district and the IEP/SPED process. With a reduced budget, more time demands on our teachers, and less time in the classroom, I don’t see how this is anything but a disaster for our kids’ education.
I certainly have friends who think it went ok, especially for those kids who are super high achievers. I generally think those kids need guidance but not “teaching”. They are independent learners for the most part, and rose to the occasion. But the vast majority of folks I talk to are dreading the summer and the school year.
And yes, folks who can afford it are looking at private school. Or looking to move. Or just moving to home school next year.
I have no idea how to fix it.
NewtonMom – I agree with most everything you listed.
It is absolutely vital that kids are back in physical school in the fall.
However switching to private school is more complicated than flipping a switch. The Rivers and Nobles of the world turned away hundreds of kids for fall 2020 and the less competitive schools don’t have space for many either.
Isabelle –
I know you know how much your grandchildren benefitted from your presence – I’m in a similar situation and know it has its rewards.
If the only way that they can safely offer in person class next year is by using a hybrid method, I’d be happy enough with that. As for private schools, I know that some of my friends kids at local private schools are spending 4+ hours a day on Zoom which I think sounds even more hellish than what we have had.
100% agree with MMQC.
School for my functionally non-verbal autistic child required one or both parents to get him through while his teachers, 1:1 aide, and any specialists watched through zoom. We’ve pretty much given up on remote schooling for him – he needs an adult watching him 24/7 (as I type this, we are sharing a queen bed with him asleep. His feet are pressed into my stomach. If I leave, odds are good he’ll be awake in less than 5 mintutes.)
The parent that’s not watching him is working.
Which leaves no time to help my 6th grader with anything. And he has a different schedule every Tues/Thurs, but Monday and We’d seem constant … each class has a different place where they post assignments, and different expectations.
For two weeks I prepared a detailed calendar/schedule with links to all of his assignments and zoom classes. It took me over two hours each time.
…and I have a professional certification in planning and scheduling. No idea how they expect a 6th grader to accomplish/keep track of it. If he ends up graded on it, I don’t know how that’s going to go. We’ve already had multiple meltdowns over how “I used to be good at school and now I’m terrible at it.” I’m trying to reassure him that independently managing out-of class self learning/assignments for 7 classes isn’t something we expect students to do until college.
Anne, clearly you and your sons cannot continue this system in the fall.
You said, “ School for my functionally non-verbal autistic child required one or both parents to get him through while his teachers, 1:1 aide, and any specialists watched through zoom.”
So no teaching or guidance is done during the zoom meetings? That’s no school at all.
@anne I hope Fleishman and zilles read your message.
I think the next school year will be unpredictable and costly.
It should be obvious that we should do the best we can to provide the best education we can for this batch of kids, in spite of whatever challenges will get thrown at us.
Moreover, so much depends on getting as many Newton parents as possible able to be productive working (which may be returning to work, or working at home with fewer interruptions). Schools are a part of that.
Yet we have to be flexible enough to keep kids, teachers, staff, and families safe and healthy. The situation will be dynamic. What we do day-to-day or week-to-week needs to be able to adapt quickly.
There are hard problems, important problems, and costly problems. This is all three. I believe that it is far more important to succeed at this challenge than to do it on the cheap. Money can’t solve all the pieces of this challenge, but we should spend to address the ones that it can.
Achieving excellence buys you a lot of forgiveness.
Mike Halle, good comment. I think the key word is “flexibility.” NPS and the School Committee are not known to change anything quickly. That has to be corrected in addition to listening to what teachers, parents and students say they need. I agree that it may be costly and with your last sentence – “Achieving excellence buys you a lot of forgiveness.”
I’ll only speak about high school since that’s all I have any experience with and the issues are completely different than with the younger kids.
When this all began the schools made the jarring transition to an on-line model within a few weeks. It was a pretty minimalist program with no real on-line learning – i.e. hand out some independent assignments and have students check in once a week on Zoom. At the time, many parents were upset but I thought the schools had done a pretty good job of getting the new system up and running relatively quickly. I assumed that this was Rev 1 and once it was up and running the school dept would begin steady incremental improvements from there.
Soon after, in response to a lot of parental pushback, an on-line petition, and media coverage the school dept made a very minor change/improvement – i.e. adding 10 minutes to the once a week Zoom call – but still no on-line learning. After that, the schools appeared to declare success and ridden out the rest of the year with that system.
After giving them credit, lets call it a B, for the very difficult initial transition to an on-line model, I’d give the department a C for slacking off after that. If they open the schools in September with pretty much that same system in place, I’d give them a F.
The key thing that needs to change in my opinion is the addition of some amount of teacher-to-student teaching – whether it’s on-line or in the school. At the high school level, in normal times, education is a combination of instruction in the classroom, and independent work by the students. An exceptional, highly motivated student can get a good education completely on their own if handed a good syllabus, and study materials and they remain completely focused and never stumble. That’s a pretty rare student but those are the only students that have leaned much in the last half of this school year.
We absolutely have to do better next year. If our exceptional and talented teachers are not going to be teaching students, then the system is not working. Without a doubt it will be difficult. We have to resist the urge to settle for a slight incremental improvement and then once again declare success.
Great thread. Lots of ideas.
Plainly NPS started too late in the spring to put together a home based learning program and then was rushed to get it going. I don’t know any parents with kids on IEP’s or 504’s who received substantial help. I think the teachers and staff did the best they could with little notice, an entirely new teaching environment with little support and working through varied difficult situations.
Newton is a city inhabited by almost 90,000 residents with vastly different incomes and household situations and lots of children in its schools. NPS doesn’t provide technology, like a chrome book, for each student both to use at school and at home. NPS teachers have to ask parents to bring in supplies, such as tissues, markers, etc. or buy materials themselves.
Private schools have a capped number of students they accept, smaller teacher/student ratios, technology for all students but many don’t offer any special ed programs. Comparisons between the two can’t be made without factoring in the many variables.
Districts that were already using technology for both communication with teachers and homework, including projects, had an easier transition to virtual teaching and virtual learning. Virtual communication between students, parents, teachers, counselors and special ed were already set up long before school closures for the pandemic.
In all of these situations, it comes down to the individual student being able to learn with very little teaching.
As an antidote, my 3 grandkids, in a school district already using chrome books for every student, exemplify three different needs for learning.
The senior is a great guy, lazy high achiever with no learning difficulties who had already been accepted to his chosen college so he just did the minimum needed to graduate – at the last minute.
The freshman wants very much to do well in school but has both a medical disability and learning disabilities so he was anxious during this time alleviated somewhat after the school set up one-on-ones with his counselor and teachers. He did better when some of his classes switched to pass/fail since his grades were good until the school closed. He is also one of those kids who has to be outside engaged in something active.
The 7th grader has a 504 but he is a highly motivated, independent learner so he basically did fine – once he and his mother went through the hassle to get him started every morning.
Both parents were able to work from home – my daughter has for years and my sil was able to make the switch.
Their school district was able to better educate students than Newton mainly because they did virtual classrooms 4 days a week with the teachers’ teaching and students interacting but none of it was ideal. And parents or guardians had to be available to help which is not sustainable.
That type of education cannot continue in the fall but neither can the guidelines put forward by the MA school commissioner. I’m hoping the new COVID-19 cases decline enough for schools to safely reopen somehow.
The mayor, NPS and the school committee have to listen to teachers, parents and students and engage them in the process. This isn’t something that can be done behind closed doors – it needs all the sunlight it can get.
Schools again have to face the question of disparity between old and new facilities.
Increasing evidence is showing that COVID-19 is transmitted primarily through the air. Our schools have significantly different ventilation and air handling systems. Old schools have only heat and windows, newer schools have air conditioning and air circulation. I don’t know which ones have HEPA filters.
HEPA filters are effective at filtering virus-sized particles, but we don’t yet have evidence that they are effective at preventing the spread of COVID-19. Even before COVID, there was some evidence linking cognition and learning with indoor air quality: https://www.vox.com/2020/1/8/21051869/indoor-air-pollution-student-achievement
This is the kind of stuff that we need to translate from idea to discussion to decisions to implementation really quickly, and getting guidance from the federal or even state government is wishful thinking. We can’t wait for certainty, it will never come. Yes, kids should have masks, but compliance isn’t going to be anywhere near 100%.
On a related note, I’m assuming that chorus and band (any sort of wind instrument, at least) will be canceled. We have evidence of fatal transmission through adult chorus, even with social distancing ( https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6919e6.htm ). Really sad.
Someone just sent me a letter from the Superintendent to NPS families, dated June 10. Here it is:
Dear NPS Families,
This past Sunday, I was so pleased to take part in the “Celebration Lanes” at both North and South to celebrate our 2020 graduates. It was a great pleasure to see students, staff and families in person after more than three months. Tonight and tomorrow night, we will have our virtual celebrations for both high schools, and I am grateful to our staff, our city partners, and our families who have worked so hard to find creative ways to celebrate these milestones for our students.
As we conclude the 2019-20 school year, we turn our full attention to the 2020-21 school year. As I shared in my May 12 message to you, we have already identified two planning teams to prepare for the many possible scenarios.
Operations Team will develop plans for school facilities, cleaning protocols, busing, food service, social distancing protocols, among many others.
Academic Team will develop plans for scheduling, curriculum, distance learning, service delivery and social-emotional support for our students at each level while adhering to public health guidelines.
We are not yet sure what the public health situation will be in September as we begin the next academic year. We do know the paramount importance of protecting the health of our students, staff, and the larger school community. Given this uncertainty, we are developing a plan that is flexible and able to respond to the rapidly changing conditions. We must recognize that portions of the next school year will likely involve three different modes of instruction: in-person learning at schools, distance learning with an improved schedule, and/or a hybrid of the two models to facilitate social distancing.
Late last week and early this week, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) shared guidance for both summer educational programming as well as fall opening. The fall guidance was specifically related to acquisition of cleaning and PPE supplies, which was issued first, knowing that it takes time to navigate the required government purchasing processes.
This guidance raised significant questions and concerns for many, so much so that DESE Commissioner Riley sent this follow up clarifying message to superintendents and district administrators across the state:
…the recently-issued supplies guidance should be used for supplies purchasing and ordering planning only. It should not be used to broadly infer what models of learning DESE might endorse for the fall including how frequently students will attend in-person school, class sizes, or student-teacher ratios. Our initial fall guidance memo, which we are working on in earnest and will be released in the next week or two, will have additional information to support you on fall planning. Please wait for this guidance before rushing to any judgments about state requirements for fall re-opening.
Please be assured we continue to move forward with our own plans within the district while awaiting the guidance from DESE. In the coming weeks, you can expect a survey from us soliciting your feedback on school re-opening.
I will continue to communicate with you as we learn more and as our district plans come into clearer focus. Thank you as always for your patience as we navigate this uncertain time.
Sincerely,
David Fleishman
Superintendent of Schools
Thanks Paul.
“Academic Team will develop plans for scheduling, curriculum, distance learning, service delivery and social-emotional support for our students at each level while adhering to public health guidelines.”
This letter from the superintendent leaves out special education programs entirely. The NPS is letting go many special ed professionals. Testing for and then following the practices set forth in IEP’s and 504’s is mandated and although these were mostly lacking during the school closures which was unacceptable, they cannot be slighted in the fall.
I have worked in education for the past 25 years, first as a public school teacher and then in curriculum and administration. During that time, I have repeatedly realized that most teachers are committed to bringing out the best in each of their students, helping them reach their potential, and constantly motivating them in positive and persistent ways. There are plenty of teachers in the Newton Public Schools who do this everyday, and who have tried to continue doing so during this time of distanced learning. However, these teachers did so despite the leadership coming out of Walnut Street, not because of it.
From my perspective as a parent of two high school students attending NSHS, I have to agree with the comment from NewtonMom that “what I saw from Newton this spring is pathetic for nearly every kid.” There was little systemic attention to learning, motivation, structure, or the social-emotional well-being of our city’s adolescents, nor was there adequate understanding or concern for what families faced when our children’s structure and support system ended abruptly.
While attention to equity is always crucial, as are state-issued mandates, it appears that these were used by the administration as justification for inaction. Teachers were told not to teach any new material, and not to be held accountable for student learning. Zoom classes met irregularly, for no longer than 20-30 minutes a week, with much of the time spent on stilted “check-ins,” and little attention to content. Meanwhile districts and schools surrounding Newton continue to focus on accountability, innovation and actual learning via remote platforms.
School ended mid-March in Newton, and never really started up again this spring. And where was the school committee in all of this? Not helping working parents cope, not researching alternative models or holding NPS leadership accountable; instead, they were sending self-congratulatory emails that did not reflect actual residents’ experiences.
Dear Teacher/Parent,
Thanks for your thoughts. You say this, “Teachers were told not to teach any new material, and not to be held accountable for student learning,” plus many other important things contained in the agreement between the NPS and the NTA. In other words, both the administration and the union agreed on those points. Are you saying that these principles were imposed on the union and its members by the administration? That seems highly unlikely, i.e., that the union would have agreed to items its members felt to be inimical. It seems more likely that both sides thought these ideas were acceptable. What a tragedy if the document they signed was not consistent with the views held by many teachers.
As was evident from the comments here, I don’t think many people would find those points acceptable for the fall. I don’t see how the Superintendent’s letter sets forth how those views from parents and teachers will be incorporated into curriculum planning for the fall.
Hi Paul, I’m not addressing negotiations w/ union, just sharing my perspective as a parent. I am far from alone in feeling this way. However, there has not been any response from the SC or Ed Admin that comes close to acknowledging or addressing these concerns, including their response to recent survey.
Incredible comments from everyone. Spot on. I hope the school committee finds its voice and insists that the delivery of education is a priority.
There is a lot of lip service about achievement gaps, without real plans. This is a case study of the NPS policy widening the gap. There is an unspoken gap between private and public school student. This gap is clearly widening. There is a gap within the NPS between typical students and IEP students. This gap is widening. There is a gap between typical students and disadvantaged students. This gap is widening.
“Education light” does not cut it.
I sent the link for this post to the School Committee members and received this reply:
Dear Paul,
Thank you for the link to your post on Village 14. You gave a thoughtful analysis of the challenges ahead. The Superintendent will give an update on plans for the fall during the upcoming June 22nd School Committee meeting. Information on joining the zoom meeting will be on the School Committee website on June 19th.
Thanks again,
Emily Prenner, on behalf of the School Committee
Teacher/Parent: “Where was the School Committee in all of this?” As a SC member myself, I can tell you I was awake at night, crying and trying desperately to come up with a plan for my kids…all of whom are on IEPs. I don’t recall a single congratulatory comment, email or call from any SC member to another. We are proud of what NPS administration has done in a short time…and I think we have the best team around. But there is not happy ending here. You have a misguided view of who we are and spreading rumors that we are complacent and out of touch with our community is dangerous. We have ALL been working overtime for practically no pay…because we care.
Special Education – Federal regulations have not eased (Thanks to Betsy). NPS is still required to provide full service IEPs. How exactly does one provide occupational therapy through a virtual platform? Looking to next year, SPED is going to look different. We have a need to hire specialists that will help us navigate what is currently an unknown delivery. We did not renew the contracts of 100 Unit C (Inc. Special Education Aides). This happens every year. We did not eliminate the FTE slots. We simply did not renew contracts so that we can target recruit this summer.
Union – The MOA that was agreed to by the Union is part of the reason why it took NPS a bit longer than other districts to unveil the DLP. I appreciate the fact that administration worked closely with the union to ensure that teachers’ voices were heard. Every teacher I have talked with over the past few months has said the same thing: they have worked harder and longer than ever before. Teachers were not “told” to not teach new material…it was actually part of the agreement that captured the teacher voice. Teachers were not “told” to not be accountable for student learning, they were part of that decision.
Teacher/Parent – What public school systems around us would you say are doing a better job? I keep hearing examples out of Lexington, Wellesley, Weston etc. And yet when I look at their DLPs, they are almost identical to ours.
Listening – Several posters mention above that NPS and the SC need to do better at listening to the public. The reality is that parents asking for more academics and naming the DLP as “pathetic” are a minority voice. Our survey results tell a different story. As a parent myself, I have appreciated the pause in new material and focus on Social emotion learning. I love the live check ins that are just casual conversation and sharing. I have enjoyed the smaller breakout sessions which give my sons a chance to connect with another adult. I am grateful for the flexibility on expectations as we have simply not been able to keep up with the homework. ]
Jerry – The additional 10 minutes was not a result of parent push back nor the petition. It was an organic next step that came about through the constant work that the NPS administration has been doing behind the scenes to improve. Keep in mind we are following DESE recommendations. So if you are grading us…you are actually grading the entire state. More live learning is NOT recommended and as much as many parents might want that for their kids, it does not make it the right thing to do for the district.
Jeff- The reason you didn’t get emails claiming that “education is a priority” is because, at least in my opinion, is NOT the main priority right now. Ensuring that the kids feel connected and mentally healthy are priorities. If you watch the most recent SC meeting, you will hear from teachers at different levels that discuss how next year will look like in terms of academics. Of course students will have experienced educational gaps. We will be assessing carefully and determining how to get everyone back on track. But right now, we need to keep our kids happy, healthy and alive.
Paul – What type of response would you expect from the petition? It came from a group of parents that felt we needed to do more live teaching and increase new curriculum. That is not what the state recommends. That is not what our peer districts are doing. The NPS administration has sent regular updates to the community explaining our work. Many of the originators of that petition wrote to the SC. We responded to every email. But other than that, what would the district do? We have engaged the community via survey, and those results paint a very different picture.
Private Schools – Unfortunately, funding for public schools has stayed static while costs have risen exponentially. Now DESE came out with requirements for the fall that will cost a fortune. Extra buses. Thousands of masks. Classrooms with 10 kids. Where does this money come from? My fear is that public education is being dismantled…and our national administration does not care.
Commenting – Several comments on this thread mentioned a failure to respond. Thus, despite nearly every colleague advising me to avoid V14, I am responding here because I do believe in transparency. If you want more officials to comments, consider how you respond. I fully support community partnerships…but only when both sides are open to listening to the other.
I have two children at a Newton high school, and since March 12, their experience has been totally lacking. They only actually had online classes ONE day per week, and each class was no more than 30 minutes. This means that they only saw their teacher and classmates ONCE per week, and for such a short time as to preclude any kind of meaningful discussion. This typically added up to about 2.5 HOURS per week. They really missed seeing their teachers and friends. The assignments were very minimal and not challenging to them at all. I know that it might have been hard to challenge the younger kids, but the high schoolers could have handled so much more.
The Newton South school newspaper reported on this and demonstrated the huge gap compared to nearby systems like Weston (which has TWO hours of online class FIVE days per week) and to Natick (which has THREE hours of online classes every other day). https://nshslionsroar.com/2020/05/07/connections-in-crisis/
In my own home, I also have a child at a private middle school, and was like night and day. That school very quickly pivoted to a FULL DAY of online classes EVERY DAY. Her day typically was from 8:30 am – 3 pm, with significant breaks for lunch and individual project work. They made significant progress on their curriculum; even the physical ed and the art teacher found great ways to engage the kids. And, because she saw her teachers and classmates every day, she never complained (until the last week or so), and she was much happier than my high schoolers.
I have heard of this exact same experience from every other private and parochial school I know of, including those that support kids with learning needs and that don’t have high tuition. Let’s remember that NPS has a budget of well over $200 million, which accounts for more than half the budget of the City of Newton. Russian Math has done a great job with online classes; so have the local dance studios, sports classes, and even the churches and synagogues. So when NPS claims that providing online education is “incredibly hard,” that’s a self-fulfilling cop out that avoids the truth — online education is actually very doable … if NPS had bothered to try. Has NPS even asked the Weston, Natick or any of the private or parochial schools, or Russian Math, or the local dance studios, or the churches and synagogues to show them how it is done?
The MOA (signed with NTA on 4/1) that Paul Levy posted tells the real truth. The first two principles (which Paul Levy quoted) tell us that NPS has been speaking doublespeak for the past 3 months — the so-called “Remote Learning Plan” is not about learning, education, instruction or curriculum. The “principles” tell most of the story: “The primary aim of distance learning is for educators to maintain a healthy connection with students that furthers their social and emotional well-being.” and “Distance learning and remote educational support are not a substitute for in school instruction or curriculum.” This tells us that NPS is NOT trying to provide “school instruction” or “curriculum.” And when they claim to try “to maintain a healthy connection with students,” they don’t explain at all why they are only having classes ONE day per week! If NPS wants to maintain a connection with students, why is it not connecting with them the other four days per week?
The rest of the MOA confirms that NPS is true to its principles that it was NOT trying to achieve quality in education or student achievement. Section 9 of the MOA explicitly promised the NTA that teachers “will NOT be held responsible for student achievement” and teachers “will NOT be evaluated or disciplined with respect to the quality of work performed.” If NPS wanted to send a stronger message to the teachers to NOT worry about teaching anything to the students, it is hard to imagine how they would have done it.
NPS has made vague and unsubstantiated claims about “equity” which is really a way to redirect blame for its own shortcomings on disadvantaged families. While those issues are real, the truth is that all Newton High School students in grades 9, 10 and 11 had already been given Chromebooks by Newton back in September. There has always been the expectation that those students could use those devices. There is no reason NPS could not have moved ahead with remote learning much more quickly, and far more effectively.
Hi Matthew;
First I’m glad you posted here. And I hope we can have a conversation about the fall, what NPS did well in the Spring, what they didn’t do so well, and how things will improve with additional time to deal with the crisis before us.
And I recognize that it is a crisis, and that nothing is going to be perfect.
I also realize that the School Committee is likely just like the ducks I know watch with my kids on a daily basis. On the surface showing little motion, but peddling furiously beneath the water. I appreciate that it is a difficult, often thankless job, for little pay. I don’t doubt you care deeply about the schools, your kids, and Newton. Why else would you run for the position?
A few thoughts on your email.
1) I appreciated knowing that you have multiple kids on IEPs. I have one, and it has been a difficult, grinding process, to get the IEP, to frame the IEP, and now to defend the services it took years to get in the face of Covid-19. So what now? What happens in the fall to make this better? My kid is in tears most days, and is only now less anxious because school is almost over. I’m familiar with being up at night, worried about his mental state, worried about the next days assignments, the group lessons, how to get my kid the help needed to deal with a learning disability with all services delivered via zoom. Doesn’t seem like it worked for you either. So what now? I’m looking for answers, with no agenda against the school committee or NPS. Because my spouse and I can’t take off months of work again to effectively home school our kids, and we aren’t good enough to provide the services for the IEP even if we had the time. And from the other IEP and 504 parents, I think my situation is in the vast majority of experiences. Not sure if your “survey” shows that.
2) Evaluating the Past, preparing for the future: There is a lot of discussion on this thread about what NPS did wrong. I’m sure that is frustrating to you and the SC. Again, nothing is perfect. I’ll note that you asked for a conversation, so please do listen to the examples that are posted here as well of other school districts with more direct learning, a quicker pivot to distance learning, more organized classrooms. But in my view, what other school districts did the past three months is old news. What I’m concerned with is how we deal with this in September. Reading your post, the focus on emotional wellness of the students is clearly a strength in your view. I would agree, and the teachers I talked to for my older child were kind and understanding when the weight of the world got too much. So how do we make a pivot to actual grade appropriate learning in September? I’m not interested in fighting with anyone on what could have been done better in the past, but I’d very much appreciate more details about the future, and soon. Come back and post it here. There are a lot of parents who read this forum.
3) The survey: Would you mind sharing the overall rate of response for your survey? The results? You lean in heavily regarding the survey showing engagement. My spouse and I missed it. Life is crazy right now for us. My friends all missed it too. Maybe we are all just negligent parents. When was it in the field? For how long? Can you post the questions?
4)Private schools: I share your fear and concern for the future of NPS. I saw the guidelines from DESE, and I told my spouse “there is no money for this”. We found NPS to be in a money crunch BEFORE COVID. We had to fight for every service for our child on an IEP. And now? Even if I wanted to pivot to private school and could somehow afford it, I’m told that applications to those schools are anticipated to skyrocket. So what now?
5) Commenting: I’m sad that your colleagues tell you to avoid Village14. That’s a loss, for them and for us. Because this is one of the few public forums out there in Newton. It is damn hard engaging with the public, but I wish they did it more. Especially now. Especially this summer.
I’ll note that you started your post by stating another poster had a “misguided view” of the SC and that spreading that was “dangerous”. I’m eager to have a conversation here, but I’d note that your post read more like you were picking a fight with that poster, and then defending the SC to the rest of us. I get the frustration and long hours, but I’d also ask you to follow your own advice.
I realize we have a few months before the fall. But the anxiety is real, both for our kids and parents who post here. I hope the SC and NPS can show us a better way for the fall. And as my post a few pages up states, I’m just not sure how that happens.
–Figgy
ps. I’d advise the SC to do a new survey once school ends. Your results might be a bit different. Post the link here too…I’ll promise to fill it out, and I’ll get the 20 or so parents I talk to do the same. Because I think there is a disconnect between your survey and my reality.
Thanks, Matthew. I really appreciate your writing and your service to the community. To your colleagues who advise not posting here, I would say three things. One is that there is no other forum in town for this kind of discussion. Two, the fact that people’s emotions come through in a forum like this does not necessarily discredit their points of view. Three, being in public life nowadays requires one to engage in social media if one’s views are to be heard and promulgated to the broader community.
I’ve tried to find the survey results in the meeting agendas but wasn’t able to. In addition to answering Fig’s questions, would you please indicate in which meeting the survey results might be found? Thanks.
With regard to responding to the petition, I’d have thought it would be in Superintendent Fleishman’s interest to respond to those 17 original signatories listed at the bottom. Maybe that would have been repetitive in some instances if they’ve also written to him or you individually. If what they ask for is not possible or feasible or affordable, he could just say that. Leaving a petition unaddressed tends to add fire to a situation.
Thanks Matthew for posting. You deserve credit as being the number one person on the school committee who has promoted communication.
Also, thanks Night and Day for a great post.
The surveys are put together by the administration. Let’s see the question that Matthew is referring to. These surveys never ask “Are your children getting too much, too little, or the right amount of synchronous instruction with teachers?” Why doesn’t the administration ask a direct question like this? Because they don’t want to hear the answer.
I know the SC is inundated, but if there is anything that should do, it is to write the survey questions without the administration’s interference.
If someone comes back and shows me a direct survey question that asks about the amount of instruction, (maybe I missed it), I will apologize profusely.
Paul Levy says, “Three, being in public life nowadays requires one to engage in social media if one’s views are to be heard and promulgated to the broader community.”
Especially during a pandemic.
In other words, if you are absent from these forums, people will still be saying the same things about you but you won’t know about it, and your point of view will not be heard.
@Matt: And, please don’t let the School Committee go bunker on us all. One of the worst possible stress responses is internalizing the rising situational pressures as some form of “gotta hunker down and get to the other side”. As an example of an instead response, the committee members might start here: why not embrace additional participation from the community to accomplish what we need so to better direct both the superintendent and constrained budget? That isn’t a call for wide-open opinion spouting ..
Rather, if the School Committee’s thought leaders would plan-out what it needs to decide the best course for the Fall, the community who elected you can be instrumental in delivering that. Not everything you need can or ought to come from the Walnut Street Citadel.
You should expect that Newton volunteers would hammer a professional-grade set of survey questions into shape, run the survey(s) in their frames, and do an honest job with fast-turning the observations into informative results. And if you need reruns, multiple surveys, tracking studies, etc., the committee ought not to assume public engagement can be nothing better than a one-off.
Net net, the School Committee is only as besieged and alone as it conceives of itself. Just ask. Your community members will rise to the occasion. We elected each of you to lead, not merely be servicing providers.
The survey data was discussed at the May 11 public meeting and the documents are available in that evening’s packet located here – https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1JyZ74yYq3qwPnhZfoPKH5poilzLUCdol
The survey was put together by the district director of data analysis who is a PhD candidate in Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation at Boston College.
Thank you, Margaret. As I look through the survey, I wonder how much value it has for the coming year. This spring was an extraordinary time; the fall will be a “new normal,” if not in total terms, as least insofar as many parents will be back at work, stores will be open, and so on. So the survey you were all shown offers an interesting view of that slice of time, but probably not much more.
Planning for the fall is complex, for sure. There are so many moving parts and uncertainties. What I read from comments here is that there are parents who are wiling to help in that planning process. MP’s comments are particularly apt on that front.
Figgy! Thanks so much for your comments. I wrote a long response…and then my kid interrupted me and it got deleted. Thus, here is a condensed version:
You are absolutely correct about effective communication being a two-way street My goal is to ask curious questions and listen carefully to others. It’s a work in progress :)
Love the duck analogy! That is exactly what it feels like. I think that is true of NPS administration and staff as well. It would be helpful if constituents would approach each issue assuming that there is more to the story than they might realize.
1). SPED delivery has been extremely difficult. We had expected the federal gov to loosen some of the requirements and timelines for IEPs to allow for a virtual adjustment. When that didn’t happen, the special education staff had to figure out how to do the impossible. Looking ahead to next year, NPS is trying to come up with the best way to provide SPED services. Our new contract raised the starting pay for our UNit C staff, thus we are more competitive and can hire niche professionals to help in this area.
2) I have been reading and listening to the parents who are not happy with the education delivery we have implemented. However, when I look at other public school delivery plans, they are identical to ours. I did look at Wellesley and Natick and they are comparable to what we have had in place. The one exception comes from the private sector where I do see more live online instruction. NPS followed the directives of DESE and worked closely with neighboring districts. Moving ahead to next year, Social Emotional wellness is still going to be the priority. NPS administration is currently working on logistics, one of which will be figuring out the best way to assess each child’s academic progress (or lack thereof) and plan out the best path for success.
3). The survey results are from one of the most recent SC meetings which can be found online. Are you on the SC newsletter email list? We summarized the results in one newsletter.
4). Yup. I don’t know what to say. Without appropriate funding, public schools are not sustainable. I feel we are at a tipping point.
NPS is already working on a new survey.
Thank you!
Matthew
Matt, would you mind adding a question to the survey?
“Do you think NPS should prioritize English Language Arts, Math, and Science, or Social Emotional Learning?”
This is great away to finally figure out if the school committee is on the same page as parents. Given my empathy and social skills (ha ha), I can teach my kids SEL, but it would be great if the NPS could shift gears and help a little with the basic subjects.
Wellesley started with education-light like Newton. My friends there tell me that in the middle of things, they ramped up and things improved.
And to add on to Jeffrey Pontiff’s helpful question, what does it mean to prioritize SEL? Instead of learning subject matter, my high schoolers had to sit through awkward, vague conversations that went something like this, “How is everyone doing?” “Okay.” “Fine.” “…..” “Is everyone taking care of yourselves?” “Yeah.”
In this forum, who is going to share even if things aren’t going well? And then what? Our teachers are trained to teach French or biology, not lead group therapy sessions. What about the sense of wellbeing that comes when students are motivated to learn, on a schedule, know that hard work still matters?
Interesting, but my daughter who is suffering alone, did really well and met benchmarks for her teachers. She wanted more academics and she really needs more in person social outlets. We have started to have friends over (bring your own chair and mask and sit 8 feet away), which is helping, but as soon as the weather turns cold, we will not have this option.
The twice a week check ins and learning was not enough for her, and now she is concerned as she transitions to high school. She has the typical concerns plus more (how will I get to to know my teacher, who can I ask for help if I don’t know anyone in class, how do I get textbooks, what happens if clubs don’t happen). She is a mess and she has nothing over the summer to ease her fears, which are very real.
She refuses to do any virtual camps and just wants to see and interact in person with peers. It is heart breaking that I can’t provide her what she really wants – normal life.
Thank you all. These are such compelling stories that help us understand what’s at stake and people’s desire to be heard and participate.
My real purpose in writing this post was what I said in the final sentences. Assuming the School Committee needs an MOA for the fall, a proposal of the magnitude that will be required–essentially redefining the educational and pedagogical principles for the NPS–deserves not only the widespread consultation of the sort they are having right now, but also deserves the sunshine of a public meeting and, ultimately, a record of each SC member’s vote.
What’s at stake goes beyond the specific arrangements and principles they and the NTA agree upon. What’s at stake is the credibility of the School Committee and through them the degree to which the public feels confident in the judgments they have made, which in turn influences the degree to which the public chooses to support what we know will be requests for additional funding and taxes over the next few years.
So their approach over the coming months will not only influence the educational progress of the children, but also the degree to which the citizenry fully support the needs of the teachers, a topic on which the Committee has invested tremendous energy. Their ability to present a transparent and accountable entity to the public will have ramifications for years to come.
Matt, I’ll write more later, but I just want to share that my youngest did the same thing to me on a recent post. I wrote a long response, and then…with one bang on the keyboard, gone. I admire your tenacity to rewrite the post…
I’ll look for the survey results and information that you and Margaret mentioned. I did see a survey today, was that the newest one you mentioned?
@fignewtonville,
A survey will be coming out over the summer.
We are covering some of the planning for the fall in our meeting on Monday. Agenda and documents will be posted on Thursday.
Additional guidance from DESE is expected some time this month.
NewtonMom, my heart aches for the kids going through this. My child is very social and he misses his friends so much. I worry more about his mental health from the isolation more than the academics, really. I did find an in-person camp for him for part of the summer because I decided that the risk of him getting sick from a socially distanced, masked camp is less of a risk that the prolonged social isolation. I hope that in the fall there’s more of an emphasis on social emotional growth.
@Matthew Miller –
I spoke at length last night with a friend who works in the Brookline school system. I mentioned in passing (based primarily on this quote above) my regrets that all of our schools pretty much gave up on actively teaching any new curriculum once the lockdown began. He then spent the next half hour describing the exact opposite in Brookline. After the first few weeks, they put in place a very active on-line learning model with teachers holding on-line classes multiple times per week, covering new material from the standard curriculum, teachers with aids help breaking on-line classes down into smaller ‘breakout groups’, etc.
What he described bore no connection to my daughters experience in Newton this spring. For a variety of reasons NPS may not choose to go down that path but I think “other public school delivery plans … are identical to ours” doesn’t sound like it applies to Brookline. You may want to take a look beyond Wellesley and Natick for possible models because it appears that at least one peer system (Brookline) took a totally different approach while still operating under MA state educational guidelines.