This past February a group of 168 NPS parents signed this petition and submitted it to the Newton Public School Department. The petition calls for the NPS to assemble an Academic Principles Advisory Committee, consisting primarily of parents and NPS teachers, but not other members of NPS staff or School Committee.
The committee would advise the School Committee on “systemwide goals, NPS Mission Statement and any other documents guiding development and implementation of NPS curriculum, classroom instruction, and teacher professional development“. The School Committee would be bound to formally vote on the proposed recommendations but the recommendations would be non-binding.
Under the City Charter, if 50 or more certified voters submit a petition for a Public Hearing, the School Committee must hold a public meeting on the matter withing three months.
Next Tuesday, March 28 in the Newton North Cafeteria, the Newton School Committee will host a Public Meeting on the proposal to put together this Academic Principles Advisory Committee
I can’t speak to the merits of this proposal for an advisory committee. But when I look at the decline of Newton schools over the past 40 years, another committee is not the solution that pops into my head.
Let’s be honest. The reason Newton’s schools are no longer among the nation’s best, is a lack of political leadership. We have all the resources we need in this city to have the best public school system in the whole damn country. But unless we find a mayor who articulates that goal, it’s never going to happen by accident.
But what do people mean by “the decline in the Newton schools”? Are we talking about diminishing academic challenge caused in part by an excessive concern with student stress? I can readily understand such an opinion. Are we talking about insufficient attention to learning needs among “challenged” students? Surely, some parents believe so, but I remember some Metco parents telling me that they pushed for enrollment in the Newton schools because of its “excellent” reputation for providing just such services.
When I hear the term “core values” bandied about, I shrink in horror. Teachers wasted untold hours of meeting time in the 90s debating these values because administrators, borrowing from the business world, argued, “Without core values, how do we know how to educate our students?” In the end, we came up with a list of core values about as profound as “God, Motherhood, and Apple Pie,” which was duly posted in every classroom and ignored ever afterward. Most teachers became as cynical as can be about core values.
In brief, addressing the supposed decline, however it is defined, will be difficult.
My criticism is in reference to the breadth and depth of public school education in Newton. It’s based on my experience as a student in the 1960s and 70s, compared to my children’s experiences in the system through 2015. Further compared to the scores of negative comments about NPS that I’ve recently read on Village 14.
We are not what we used to be. Our elected leaders made a commitment to mediocrity years ago, and it needs to be turned around. Being in the top 20% of school systems in Massachusetts is a failing grade for a system like Newton that has so much to work with and delivers so little.
I’m not knocking the teachers. We have great teachers. My criticism is of elected officials who don’t aim to be the best.
This is a move in the right direction. I applaud the parents that kicked this off. What makes a great school district great? When parents think the district is great. We are not there. Parents are not being heard. The SC is more concerned with making the administration happy than making parents happy. A parent’s committee can’t hurt.
The only downside I see is if the status quo members of the SC, the ones who think they are doing a great job, decide to flood the committee with their shills. As such, the committee should be comprised of parents that cared enough to sign this petition.
If any SC member votes against this proposal, I will donate money to the campaign of whoever runs against them.
Jeff it sounds like you don’t want input from the teachers on this committee which I think would be a huge mistake.
Jackson, read the document. Teachers are on the committee.
Jeffrey …I did read it. I was replying to your comment that only the parents are not being heard. I think currently the teachers have a lesser voice than the parents and that makes no sense to me since they have the training to be educators. Maybe (hopefully) you really welcome teachers input
From Mass General Laws, Chapter 71, the following outlines the powers and duties of a school committee:
The school committee:
1. shall have the power to select and to terminate the superintendent,
2. shall review and approve budgets for public education in the district,
3. shall establish educational goals and policies for the schools in the district consistent with the standards established by the board of education (commonly referred to as the Frameworks – https://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/current.html).
According to the charter, the hearing related to this 50-person petition (Article 10, Section 2) will focus on a particular proposed measure-the establishment of an advisory committee. As the petition reads, several issues stand out:
-Data: In paragraph #1, parents’ perception of its main assumption (the decline of NPS) is based on the results of a survey that 90% of Newton’s parents didn’t fill out. 90% of NPS parents did not respond to the survey at all.
-According to the post explaining the petition, 168 people signed the petition. A closer look at the signatories indicates that they represent about 125 Newton households. The petition represents 1% of NPS households at most, and most likely much fewer than that.
-Yet the petition states that five members of the newly formed committee would be signatories of this petition. This means that more than 99% of NPS households would not be eligible to serve on this newly formed committee,
-The petition states that the advisory committee would review the systemwide goals. Another letter to the school committee, dated November 2022, requests a review of the “Statement of Values and Commitment to Racial Equity” and is linked to the DEI mission statement. The letter expresses a return to “pro-human values”.
I value the voice of every member of the community. However, I’m troubled that a vocal minority may be in a position to wield so much power.
Hmm… no one yet has gotten very specific about where the complaints lodge. The comments above are opaque in my eyes.
To the two possible areas I mentioned, I will add one that a parent complained to me about a year ago: in the interest of “equity,” classes for very bright students were being “leveled out” and “diluted” (this from a former student of mine turned parent). Again, I have been out of the system for eight years. Who can define the precise nature of this purported decline in the Newton schools? I am only guessing.
Bob, that is correct, there is deleveling going on where honors and non-honors students are in the same class, but are being asked to do different amounts of work. Despite some magical thinking from the school admin, this is not working well. In the past, for math, for example, an Honors Math class was very different from an ACP class, as it covered much more material (one of the reasons why it was challenging was because it was more fast-paced). This is not the case anymore. In addition (and that has been happening for a while, but has accelerated greatly in the last 3 years or so) – kids are being kept away from AP and higher level classes, being told they are not allowed to take them. Some of the examples that I know that happened to my friends make my blood boil with anger. Why is the administration telling kids which classes to take? Kids should be making the final decisions on that. I hear a constant stream of complaints from parents about what a disaster the deleveling has been (luckily, my daughter graduated in 2021 and hasn’t experienced the worst of it). Parents, especially of high school kids, are terrified to make any noise for fear of retaliation (heard it with my own ears). Kids are failing their AP exams (those who do manage to take AP classes). Look at the statistics year by year here for Newton:
https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/adv_placement/ap_perf_dist.aspx?orgcode=02070000&orgtypecode=5&
Compare to Needham:
https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/adv_placement/ap_perf_dist.aspx?orgcode=01990000&orgtypecode=5&
In all honesty, as much as I love having my kids in neighborhood schools, I cannot in good conscience, send my youngest to Newton South, and middle school is also under question at this point. As a parent, I am very, very worried.
Just to step in here a bit, Irene is posting AP scores without the full context. The main significant difference between our passage rate and Needham’s passage rate across the board is last year’s calculus AB and BC. Across the board it is comparable otherwise. I’ll note that I’ve heard from other parents in Needham that they are less willing to permit marginal students to take AP classes or to sit for the AP exams, while Newton allows students more freedom to do so, which certainly has some degree of impact on these results. But the Math scores are significant and can’t be explained by that difference in attitude. I’d be interested in hearing from the school committee or from parents what they believe has changed. I don’t think it is just the math leveling, as you can teach calculus in a year long class which is not leveled (Either AB or BC Calc).
I would also look to see the trend. Did a teacher leave or go on medical leave? Did COVID impact the results? A significant difference in more than one year would hold more value as a data point.
I can answer my own question. Calc AB has been consistently at 50% passage rate for the past 5 year or so, down from 73% from 6 years earlier. That’s a question that deserves an answer. How is Calculus being taught differently in Needham? Is it the teaching, the students, or who is taking the tests?
I worry less about the other tests based on the results. Although it would be interesting to see how many Newton kids get 5s on the APs vs other schools.
Irene, always excellent comments. What you are saying is 100% consistent with my own experience. Our son was asked to take no more than 2 AP’s. We fought that; he took 3 each year of 11th and 12th grade; 2021 graduate. For our daughter on a 504 for dyslexia, she was asked to take 1 or 0. We pulled her from NPS. She has since taken 3 as an 11th grader and is registered for 3 as a rising 12th grader. Repeated 9th grade due to Covid closures. Parents want kids to be challenged. NPS SC needs to hear from and respond to parents who want their children to be challenged. I applaud this effort. Yes, the SC should be filling this role, but is not. Nature abhors a vacuum. Parent engagement is long-term good and essential to restore our district.
When people say they “fought” the high school to let their kids take more than 2 APs, what does that actually mean? Thus far NN seems willing to let my oldest take 2 or 3 in 11th grade, we just need to approve it as the parents. That seems reasonable to me.
At North, for junior year you can take AP US History, AP English, and potentially AP Chem or AP physics. Can’t take AP Bio because you haven’t taken Bio 101 yet. Possible to take AP Stats but there isn’t enough room so seniors get preference.
So basically they encourage 2 APs, special permission to take 3. Teachers recommend placement. All that makes sense to me, and I’m glad for the parental involvement. I do wish there were more slots to take AP Stats. That seems like a budget issue.
So if your kid is a high achiever type, 2 or 3 APs in junior year, and then AP History, AP Science, AP Math, AP English Lit, are possible for senior year, plus an AP elective. So 2 to 3 APs junior year and 3 to 4 senior year for the high achievers. That seems…reasonable. Also, seems like that would get a kid into a good school if they did well on all of them.
Part of this is of course is FOMO on what private school brings to the table. Public school with our funding challenges isn’t going to easily compare to private school resources. But I’m told the colleges know that and assess accordingly.
Still think there is room for a parent committee to focus on cut and dry curriculum issues. I’d staff the committee with a representative of each PTO at each school, teachers at each level of NPS (weighted equally between elementary school, middle school and high school), and representatives from the school committee (non-voting), and several members from the community at large with kids in the schools. I’d encourage 75% voting threshold for a recommended change. The use of the PTO members allows for immediate dissemination of information to the wider school community, as well as a group of dedicated parents dedicated to an individual school. And it doesn’t allow a particular group to control the committee for specific agenda by having a guaranteed group of members on the committee. That seems like a bad idea. Just a thought.
Fig your idea gets my vote
Bob, per your question, I do think budget cuts of all types have hurt in the last 10 years. I’ve been surprised at the size of the classrooms, and I’ve been surprised at the absences of teachers without a substitute or replacement. Some of that isn’t Newton’s fault, ask any teacher in other districts and they will speak to the teacher shortages too.
I know some other parents are unhappy about the growth of administrative positions in the face of all of that, and I know other parents who are upset about the degree of difficulty to get their kids services which are federally or state mandated. The latter is especially frustrating in the elementary school.
It is hard to tell what is real and what is parental angst. But I do think there is room for improvement, and I do think more parent feedback can help. More importantly, additional funds will be needed.
NPS makes clear their view that they do not think a child should take many APs in a year. However plenty of kids do. It is not hard. The parent just needs to give permission. Quite simple really, assuming one’s child can handle it.
As for whether NPS should go into receivership because of it’s poor academic quality, I’m not sure I get it. I’ve had two kids graduate from NPS recently and they both have been well prepared for college. To me, that is what is most important.
I’m not saying NPS is perfect. Far from it. I have a folder of angry emails I have sent to the school committee over the years about academic and bullying issues. That being said, I don’t think it is as bad as what is portrayed on V14.
Personally, I would be opposed to a parent committee. I don’t think it would be representative of the student population.
Mixing classes is a legitimate issue to debate. It is not only Newton that is doing it. There was an article in the Wall Street Journal recently about other wealthy school districts in California grappling with the same issue. NPS needs to communicate much better around this topic and explain the pedagogical benefit (if there is one).
Fig: That has been my experience as well. I have a rising Jr. who wants to take an academically rigorous courseload next year. So, I asked around and was surprised that many Jrs take 4-5 AP/Honors classes, as I had heard that 3 was the maximum recommended. Doesn’t seem to be an issue at all. When my Jr. registered for a similar level of rigor, we got an email from the school to alert us but no other hurdles.
Override or (no) override, the city’s fiscal challenges are going to get worse in the years ahead. An increasingly aging population coupled with very low birth rates, fewer immigrants, along with the high cost of living, higher interest rates, etc. mean more tough choices ahead.
The group promoting this petition – formerly Newton ProHuman, then Newtonforall, and now ImproveNPS – seems to have originally formed to question and request changes to NPS’ Statement of Values and Commitment to Racial Equity. While the current petition focuses on academic excellence, the language used throughout their website and in the original November letter to the school committee is geared towards undermining Newton’s committment to DEI initiatives and anti-racism work. One must wonder why the group keeps rebranding and why they have changed focus from changing DEI language to academic excellence.
While there may be space for further examination of Newton’s academic standards, it should not be at the expense of or in opposition to Newton’s Committment to Racial Equity and I believe an advisory committee formed at the behest of and in the vision of this group would be a terrible idea.
Laura is exactly correct. This effort is a cloaked anti-DEI initiative that is following a well established right-wing playbook. Don’t be fooled by the “academic improvement“ baiting. Academics can certainly be discussed but it is disingenuous to position this as anything other than an anti-DEI initiative. There are many people in Newton who want to shine a light on this farce so it will shrivel up and die. Then we can talk about academics in a way that doesn’t pit academic rigor against Newton’s core value of antiracism.
Hop over to Newton Community on Facebook and check out Laura and Kara’s response to Jenny Robertson’s screed. It will become evident to you that these are people that are not to be taken seriously.
Yes, I encourage everyone to review the Newton Community post. There are many informative posts to help people parse through the language used by improvenps – it’s the same language used by national conservative organizations to counter DEI efforts.
If DEI is getting pushback in uber blue Newton Mass it’s days are numbered.
Can you share Jenny Robertson’s comment here? She teaches my son
Fair enough; we will see if the meeting is a mere flim-flam for a group with another, more political agenda or an open discussion of academic approaches. I think I will bow out of this one and stay retired!
Does anyone know if this is the academic excellence committee that Sumukh was promoting during his campaign to vote no on the override? If so, does this committee also want to disclose how they voted on the override? That is likely going to make a material difference to many of the parents who fought hard to get additional funding for the schools.
Also, is Laura Towvim correct? Is this group a rebranded version of the anti-DEI group from a few months back?
I’d really just prefer a discussion about things like math classes, substitute teachers, smaller classes, more chance to take electives as a junior, etc. Anyone want to form a committee just to focus on that stuff and the school curriculum?
I am part of the group, and, as I explained to Laura many times, we are not anti-DEI. We were told by the school administration that the changes that took place in schools were done as a way to promote DEI initiatives. So, we can’t help but wonder if there is a better way to promote DEI goals? Why does promoting DEI goals means race to the bottom of school achievement and rankings? Certainly, there must be a better way. We are not helping our BIPOC students by failing them in school.
I will add that Laura stated on social media before that she is perfectly happy with how things are going for her kids at NPS. That’s great, but many parents I have talked to are literally distraught over what is going on, have no ability to pull their kids out, and worry themselves sick at night thinking about the future.
Irene:
While I’m on board with that the Newton public schools have room for improvement, I’m certainly not distraught and it isn’t keeping me up at night. At least not from the academic excellence point of view. My high schooler is going to be able to take between 6 to 8 APs during his time at NN, some pretty cool electives, and participate in a mix of sports and extracurriculars. The change to a later start time has been great for my kid too. We had some issues with teachers leaving last year, but this year we’ve got teacher stability and some really excellent teachers.
I do think my kid would take one or two additional APs at a private school or at the Newton North from a decade ago. I’m ok with that change. I think it has allowed for some additional activities and sport participation.
I haven’t been excited to see the mixed classes as much, but my complaint has been mostly due to class size, since I think teaching multiple level classes is more difficult, and if they were going to experiment with it, they needed to decrease class size to give the teachers the ability to adjust. I do think it benefits kids who aren’t able to immediately access the higher level work, but it also seems to slow down the advanced kids somewhat. But I also don’t think this is a crisis. I would suspect it is more challenging in topics like math, but that is just a guess. I think I’d like more of a conversation about it, and certainly more parental feedback and discussion before it was put in place. The AP classes are mostly NOT mixed, at least according to my high schooler. So we are really talking about a limited universe of time and classes. Again, worthy of discussion, but to me, not worthy of nighttime angst and worry.
I went to a private school for high school many moons ago. Took 10 plus APs. Never used any of them for college credit, and nowadays very few colleges actually accept them for that purpose. More often they are used as a proxy for taking a “challenging course load” for college admissions. And colleges do track which high schools offer and push APs.
I also think that the high schools need more college counseling earlier. That isn’t a complaint about the counseling, it is just that their workloads in terms of number of kids is very high. Another thing that additional funds would have helped.
I think this year is much better than last year on many levels. And I’m looking forward to the new superintendent bringing in new ideas and having more parent engagement. My disappointment is that by voting down the override, most of the changes that could have been made won’t happen. Because most of my suggestions for improvement, to be effective, require more staffing.
Sorry – Just catching up (fiscal year end at work). I have been promoting a Blue Ribbon Commission – modeled after the previous BRC. Assemble a group of experts and keep out administration, politicians and activist. Arm them with data and give them clear goals – 1. Define Academic Excellence for NPS (NPS currently does not have one) and metrics around it (no # of kids into ivy is not the metric – besides its elitist). 2. How can Newton eliminate structural deficit. These are two distinct yet very related goals.
The BRC should be given a relatively short amount of time (<6 mos). Last BRC with Levy, Fuller & Co was 4 months.
I am not affiliated with this group or any other group, so cannot speak for them.
I appreciate you replying Sumukh. I would support your commission I think. I apologize for thinking you were part of the leadership of this committee petitioning the school .
I do worry that the school committee will focus on this committee first, and the chance for your committee will pass. I’d suggest speaking up at the meeting or to the school committee. It feels like this petition is going to get bogged down in culture discussions.
Yes, organizers of this petition are also part of the parent group (“Newton Pro-Human”) that sent a letter to the School Committee in November seeking to revise the NPS Statement of Values & Commitment to Racial Equity to focus on “common humanity” over group identity. Their proposed changes would basically dilute the relevance of race with respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), which would be contrary to antiracism goals and efforts to create and sustain a supportive environment for students from historically marginalized communities.
As already pointed out, the group (now called “Improve NPS”) uses language that other orgs opposed to DEI efforts have used. Although they claim not to be anti-DEI, it seems very suspect to lead with a challenge to the NPS statement about racial equity and then follow up with an academic excellence argument and imply that DEI efforts are contributing to a decline in academic performance (e.g., “promoting DEI goals means a race to the bottom of school achievement and rankings”).
There’s nothing wrong with pushing for high academic standards and greater transparency to parents, but there’s no need to attack DEI in the process.
ImproveNPS has changed its website and removed the November letter from its Values page. You can see the letter here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16pF4gEPlHxVrUeWfTHfH9iocir512ptwHLTuYGYlteM/edit
The language is nearly identical to the language used by the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism, one of the anti-DEI orgs referenced elsewhere.
https://www.fairforall.org/understanding-the-issues/#color
(see section on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)
@Laura – I know you arent explicitly saying this, but anyone calling people who want higher academic standards racist is insane.
Let’s review:
-A couple years ago we heard homework was racist by this same crowd. why? because some kids have less support and time at home to do homework. This initiative was veiled under DEI. This is nonsense. If homework is additive to reinforcing concepts learned in school, instead of eliminating them we should be helping those who need more support in their ability to do the work. Example of hurting the majority to help no one. disagreeing with this insane premise that homework is racist isnt racist, it is logical. (we can debate the merits of homework later, but the DEI excuse is nonsense)
-mixed level classes. Sorry, explain to me how a teacher can properly give attention to those at the top when teaching instead to those at the bottom. By de-leveling children to the middle, you reduce racial disparity right? Sounds like equality of outcome…WHICH BENEFITS NO ONE. again, it sounds like we are assuming certain populations of kids cannot achieve success do to economic factors or whatever. I say ef that, lets get the kids all the attention they need for them to succeed.
-i struggle that categorizing everyone first by their skin color isnt racist. if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck… This should stop. why does my skin color get to dictate opportunities I get in life? Sure as hell shouldnt. we were born the way we were born. this is no choice. all people are equal and deserve equal opportunity.
Here is my biggest concern. Why does everyone in this town immediately assume racism? A town that is one of the most progressive left leaning jurisdictions in the country (I am a proud biden voter although I voted for Lizzy in the primary). Why is it racist to want higher academic standards? Why do all of you extremists immediately jump to “maga this” and “racist that”. If you were my neighbor I would be horrified at the way you are treating people.
If standards are falling (sure looks like they are – parent survey agrees) then this should be addressed. If spending too much money on DEI consultants is an area that needs to be addressed, that isnt racist, it is budget management. No one is saying reduce DEI efforts, rather lets make sure we are appropriately spending money in the best way. we need to figure out what academics are falling, or at least why our rankings are falling and why a large majority of the community agrees. If it turns out we are pushing for equality of outcome, God help us. That would be a disaster and anyone supporting it should be forced to abdicate any position of authority.
Our goal, the goal of any school, is to promote the highest level of education possible. For all students. I want newton to provide a well-rounded education that fits the diverse student body we have. Did you know 22% of Newton are immigrants? And over 50% are either immigrant of child of immigrant. Now that is diversity!
I want my kids to be elevated and given the best chance to succeed in the real world. Not the newton bubble. The real world is a meritocracy, the real world is cutthroat where only the best and brightest survive. Participation medals and equal outcomes do not promote success in ones career after school. Why cant we make all of our kids the best and brightest? How can anyone disagree with this?
I enourage everyone to read through the improvenps.org website, especially their “Values” page which links to the letter sent to the school committee in November and the letter suggesting alternate definitions of diversity, equity, inclusion, and “common humanity.” Again, I beleive this vision would undercut Newtons DEI/anti-racism efforts.
I believe you are wrong. Sorry. Humanity isnt defined by skin color. humanity isnt defined by religion or ethnicity. Defining humans by characteristics is how people hundreds of years ago got into trouble and created this mess. Yes it is a mess and yes it has seen progress but the fight is not over.
All people regardless of their skin color should be given the opportunity to succeed. Right?
If we can all agree to that statement and know it as fact written in stone, then why cant we look at our declining academic standards? DEI as I understand isnt intended to elevate BIPOC students above white students right? That would be racist. Instead it is intended to give equal opportunity. to that I say hell yea, why wouldnt there be equal opportunity?
Your defensiveness is starting to scare me and make me think that promotion of DEI really means something other than providing equal opportunity. Scary.
I was just walking around in Newton and asked 50 or so people how long have they lived in Newton and whether life in Newton got better or worse? and why?? The overwhelming majority was that the schools were the main reason life in newton was worse. I didnt know these people, I did not dig into or analyze their answers. Just added my 2 cents.
Sadly, time and time again NPS makes decisions that hurt marginalized communities. The irony is that it is cloaked as DEI. This occurs because adults are ideological and fail to acknowledge evidence (whenever I say “evidence,” I mean peer reviewed). Evidence shows that differentiated learning helps kids, at all levels, learn. By not having differentiated learning, you are hurting marginalized kids. There is evidence that environments with grade inflation result in less learning for all students. The administration promoted grade inflation in the high schools for DEI reasons. Not only does this reduce education for everyone, the administration’s own reports show that it had no impact whatsoever on grading gaps between races!
The administration argued that homework is racist, so it should be reduced. I have not looked at studies on homework but commonsense tells me that less homework won’t result in more education.
Not all bad decisions for kids are cloaked as DEI. On the SEL front, the administration argued that the length of the high school day was too long, and to make things less stressful for students and teachers, they proposed cutting what amounted to a month out of the schedule. The evidence shows that more time in the classroom results in better education. Luckily, parents fought back and stopped it.
These are just some examples that I have seen. I can add more, but I won’t. The craziest thing is that when adults make decisions that harm learning, the research shows that marginalized groups are hurt the MOST. You can’t make this stuff up.
BTW, a friend of mine visited Success Academy in NYC last month. They have done an incredible job educating kids, especially black kids. He sent me a photo of the bulletin board when he entered the school. It listed the top 10 performing kids for the month. Would NPS ever do this? No. In fact, NPS does exactly the opposite of everything that Success Academy does. Sad.
I know a fair amount of the Success Academy model and school. I’m not sure it is a direct comparison, although I’m sure there are things we could learn from them. One of the things about them (and many other charter schools) is the ways they screen their students (and more importantly, the parents.). I realize they publicly say they don’t screen kids, but it is a soft screening, and they certainly try and select parents who are ok with their teaching style. It is a very different sub-set of public school kids in the end, with very engaged parents. Their washout rate is comparable to public, but that is after the screening/choice component. So kids who struggle to keep up end up leaving (or parents who can’t match the focus/work multiple jobs, can’t pick up their kids on half days, etc.) That would be hard to compare to public schools directly.
Just trying to be fair. I’ve found comparing public schools to charter schools or private schools is a path to frustration.
The comments from the community that came out of the superintendent search are telling. There were 637 comments from parents and about 70% of them said that NPS has dropped the ball on academic excellence with many pointing to the districts pursuit of equity as equality of outcome rather than equality of opportunity as the cause. The School Committee chair dismissed this feedback out of hand saying we didn’t know who these people were or whether they were representative of the community. I found that insulting. 637 is a pretty large sample. Even if there is sample bias that many people expressing this opinion should be taken seriously rather than scoffed at. It is this attitude of the school committee chair and a feckless mayor when it comes to our schools that I attribute the failed override to.
That is exactly right, Bruce. I told Mayor Fuller, Tamika and other SC members that this question needs to be addressed with the override vote if they want it to succeed. This survey, together with other indicators of sliding academic excellence, is an indication that things are not going well. Parents have no good way to speak out and share their opinions in a consistent way – which we hope this Parent Advisory Committee helps address. I also found out that many parents are intimidated to speak out publicly because they are afraid of retaliation from the school admin and the teachers. If this is not an indication that we desperately need a way to dialog and rebuilt trust – I don’t know what is.
Obviously before Newton focused on DEI, the children of Newton grew up as ignorant, racist, closed minded indivuals.. it was obvious when observing the racial tensions and rampant racists incidents in Newton over the past 50 years… so much so that … oh wait this NEVER happened
But what did happen is that Newton was once voted the best high school in the entire USA… far distant memory now.
The more I read about this committee, the less likely I am to support it. First, the petition doesn’t describe how large the committee will be . Second, there is no detail on how the committee will be formed, other than stating that at least five people who signed the petition will be committee members. Third, I can imagine a scenario where the loudest voices will comprise the membership, drive the agenda and not represent all Newton parents/guardians with kids in NPS.
The committee does have an agenda- to make Newton schools “better”- which is fine. However, the definition of the word “better” for one parent may be vastly different from another. I for one, would not want a random group of parents recommending curriculum changes for my kids. We have a school committee that should be overseeing it. In the wake of COVID, several new members were elected who ostensibly were in agreement with many of the proposals that this committee would suggest. If change is not occurring fast enough, elections are they best way to elicit change.
I don’t know if what the petition asks for would ultimately be productive, but there’s a 0% chance the School Committee will vote to adopt it in it’s current form. The only possibility for action would if the School Committee takes the concept of a Committee but fills it with their appointees.
Also, the comments above on all sides of this which state the desire or openness for a discussion about academics distinct from “DEI” (quotations because of the vast array of beliefs and policies that could fall in that acronym) are largely theoretical. The School Committee has clearly said “you can’t have excellence without equity” and the NPS administrators have emphatically stated any discussion of academics must be done through a DEI lens.
This comment does not address whether that is a good or bad thing, it is simply an observation to the discussion here.
Why do I have to do anything through a race lens?
Seems racist to me that all discussions start with race, then make a decision on what comes next…
Academics transcend race. Math is math. Kids need to learn math. Our standards have fallen. I dont care why but we need to fix them. For all kids, not just those of color. If for whatever reason some kids need extra help then we are required to provide it. Obviously. But one’s skin color has nothing to do with one’s ability to learn and succeed in school .
Adam: I don’t know why any school committee would willing set up a shadow school committee behind it that could force votes on any topic. But it is certainly possible to have a curriculum committee with parental involvement. And we have a new superintendent. Certainly worth a try.
I’m not sure any particular group of people should get committee preference though. That’s why I like appointing the PTO leaders as a proxy. It also allows representatives from all over the city and each school level to participate.
I get the desire to push the school system to focus a bit more on “excellence”. I did not at all understand the same people pushing for the committee not also pushing for the override. But here we are. I can’t do much about the override (except keep receipts on the actions of folks who lobbied against it). But if the committee could improve the schools in some form, let’s try it.
The school committee can define it however it wants. And I’d encourage the new super to take some time, read the various public media comments on this, and reach out to both the petition writers and folks like me.
And to paraphrase Springsteen (apologies to all)
Show a little faith, there’s magic in the Newton schools.
They ain’t a beauty but, hey, they’re alright
Oh, and that’s alright with me…
Fig you can file receipts however you like, but also keep some for the electeds that managed the campaign. I was also disappointed OO failed, but I don’t blame my neighbors. Ballot question 1, particularly the Horace Mann item, was not explained well. Unless you were a HM parent or someone who followed it very closely you had no idea what “improvements” meant and how badly they needed funds.
Then a month before the vote during a public meeting, the SC Chair aggressively minimized the responses to the superintendent survey (see Bruce Wang’s comment here) after NPS and the Search Cmte in the fall had implored citizens to reply and have their voices heard. I believe over 2,000 folks listened and took time to fill out long survey forms and go to HYA focus groups. These are the engaged citizens who vote on Election Day. The Chair did this during a debate where their motion to endorse the override easily passed 8-0. Political beliefs aside, if that’s not an unforced tactical error I don’t know what is.
The NPS administration presentations on the topic were over-the-top and probably convinced more undecideds to vote No than Yes. Won’t take up space here repeating all the issues voters had with timing of the senior center and other points that were made on V14 many times.
As you know, about 1000 voters decided to support the schools via new buildings, but did not feel good enough about the overall system to further fund operations. You’re right, that’s a shame, and will not help the system. In any election there are unmovable Yes’s and No’s. It’s the swing that matters. Those No/Yes/Yes’s were the swing here. City leadership did not do a good enough job listening to them and persuading them.
Adam:
Just keeping receipts for the folks who lobbied against it. Not saying that the city/school committee hasn’t made mistakes in how they explained it. They did. And I get the point about priorities like the senior center being pursued when we are asking for an override.
But I’m not letting the folks who told us that in order to save the school system we needed to vote no off the hook. We were told that the plan was to pass an academic excellence committee, and that once non-defined changes were made for a return to excellence, there would be another override in short order. An even larger override. Or changes made that saved enough money no override would be needed. Because academic excellence was the solution. Or something. And in the process, gave cover to the no side to say we should vote against the override to save the schools.
We will see. I believe my view was that it would be multiple years, likely 4 to 5, before a new override would occur. And that the academic excellence committee wouldn’t be the obvious fix they thought it was. I hope I’m wrong. But receipts kept either way. Happy to admit it if I’m wrong. Refuse to let folks forget it if they were wrong in kind. Taking responsibility in these matters is important.
It’s unknowable how many voters were flipped to No that wouldn’t have otherwise landed there as a function of some private citizenry outcry. Dozens? A hundred? My belief is the official City leadership’s communications had far more influence on voters, for better or worse.
I lost track of how many people voting “no” told me that the override wasn’t good for the schools, or that the schools needed a wake up call, or that the schools were so far gone now that they didn’t deserve extra money, or that if the schools stopped spending their money on X or Y, we wouldn’t need an override. It was a lot. I was surprised at how many. The ones who were parents all thought there was another override that could be scheduled next year once the schools “got the message”.
At this point it’s done. But I do think it is important to keep track of who was correct, so we can make decisions in the future based on the good data.
@Fig Certainly by defeating the Override we haven’t increased the barrier to home ownership in Newton for middle and lower income families. You can decide yourself if that’s a good or bad thing and how that may have an effect on the Newton educational experience.
I’m only judging it for the purposes of this discussion by the harm about to be visited on our schools. Those harms can be quantified. And to bring it back to this conversation, in my experience, changes to schools, whether via curriculum, teachers, class size, or programs, all require funding to execute.
Committees are fun and all, and we can all sit and debate academic excellence, but when class sizes increase and programs are reduced, you’ve taken a step forward and then a few steps back.
Anyway, based on these conversations, it will be interesting to see what the school committee does next.
Keep “receipts” if you must, but try to understand this….
What the override showed, what the HYA survey showed, what the attempt at forming this committee showed…is that the current form of Newton government does more talking than listening. People feel like their opinions are allowed but not heard; marginalized if not ignored.
This committe ulitmately wants to be heard. In it’s current form, it’s not likely to be approved but it’s a starting point for dialog and compromise… and it would be a failure on the SC’s part to outright dismiss their concerns. You can lead a horse to water, but try to shove it’s face into the trough, it will push back…hard.
I am here, reading and listening and will be doing so for a good period of time.
I am a little bit late to the game here. But I can say that I am thoroughly disappointed with NPS post Covid. My daughter’s class sizes at South are large (30 kids in honors Spanish IV and 30 in math). The class sizes have increased.
I don’t have a problem with multilevel classes. Both of my kids (one graduated in 2020 and one will graduate in 2024) participated in the Global program in 10th an 11th grades. The teachers that taught in History and English for the multilevel classes were AMAZING and TALENTED and you could tell that they understood the class levels. While honors got “more” work, it was a different type of writing assignment or more production within a shorter time frame. I was amazed at the teaching that went on.
NPS has really made scheduling difficult in high school. There has been a lot of discussion from fellow posters about AP, but the band program was slashed at South. It is very hard to get the classes one needs to attend a music based college. Heart breaking. If the jazz classes you need to apply to NEC is gone, doesn’t matter how many AP history classes are offered.
NPS is more than APs. We should have well rounded students. It is hard to get into the arts classes and there are credit hours needed in non academic areas.
There isn’t enough space in the south cafeteria to hold the students at lunch. But there is no place to walk to get lunch either.
The college counselor at South (there is one full time person) has a load of 500 kids per year. Seems like a big load.
But my biggest gripe is class size. 30 kids is too large for high school. How do you provide individual attention for 30 kids per class? If you teach 4 classes/5 classes, the difference between 20 kids per class and 30 kids in class is huge.
We have some amazing teachers. But we stuff the classrooms FULL.
Newton Mom. YES. YES. YES. Agree with everything you wrote. And it is why I’m so frustrated the override failed. Because larger classes and more cuts are coming. If you gut a great program by stopping most of the class offerings, you’ve effectively cut it. That is what happened to the music program at South.
Especially in elementary school. I’ve got a young one is gets lost the larger a class gets. Her class is pushing 25, and it has multiple kids with IEPs and 504s that need special attention. The teacher is terrific. And pulled in too many directions.
Class size matters. A lot of the folks arguing for more advanced classes are really focused on a very small subset of kids wanting to take more than 6 APs. Meanwhile many of my kids classes are pushing past 25 to 30. How is that academic excellence?
Matt:
With respect, I don’t agree that is what any of those things showed. I could easily say that the Override showed that raising taxes during a recession is hard to do, that the HYA survey was taken right after Covid when anger at NPS was still at an all time peak, and that this committee represents a small portion of parents who have very different goals, but an outsized presence online. I’m sure your beliefs on what these things showed could certainly be true for you individually, and your circle of friends and parents. Mine viewpoints are far different. And we get to vote as a whole on who represents us. I certainly don’t agree with much of my city council representation in Ward 2. But I also don’t think my councilors should suddenly agree with me so I feel listened to. Or even that it is unfair that they don’t agree with my views. That’s our system. I got to vote. My candidate lost. Complaining about the results doesn’t change the results…
Here is the problem: You want to be heard. So do I! You say you want the government to listen. Doesn’t that really mean you want them to listen…to you. Meaning to do what you ask? If they simply listen, say they understand the concern, but do the opposite, will you feel heard? I doubt it.
This committee is the same. You say it wants to be heard. I think it is more than being able to say their piece publicly. They want to control the school committee’s agenda, force a vote on their proposals, receive a writing explaining why the school committee voted against them. And they want to control at least 5 members of that committee. That’s a bit more than being heard. Why do we elect a school committee if an unelected group of parents get to have that much power over the elected body?
And my frustration is that the committee really went about this the wrong way. There was certainly a chance for a committee with a focus on dialog and compromise. This isn’t it. If you want dialog and compromise, you don’t propose forced votes and required seating. This is a lost opportunity.
I do hope the school committee looks past this proposal and sets up a curriculum committee without regard to this petition. Parents do deserve more of a voice. But not a controlling one. If you want to force votes on the school committee, run for office. Or build a coalition that will choose people to… run for office.
As for your metaphor about leading a horse to water, you have it backward I think. Aren’t the folks’ petitioning the school committee trying to lead the horse to water by asking the school committee to approve the parent’s committee and instead of coaxing them to drink they are forcing them to vote on the one-sided proposal?
As for the receipts, all I mean is that I want people to take responsibility for their rhetoric. That’s all.
Well, as someone who grew up in Asia, with class sizes routinely ranging from 60 to 75 per teacher, I always chuckle when I see parents fearing when they go from 20 to 25.
Having said that, we will soon face these consequences as a result of Override #1 failure. I fully support strong academic excellence, less spend on fake DEI in the name of “lowering the bar” instead of “helping disadvantaged meet the high bar”, and in general closing the reputation and ranking gap with Lexington. I am not however a fan of a small minority group having outsized representation and influence on school committee. I hope the school committee with collaboration of Superintendent invites / polls the city to recommend measures to increase academic rigor in NPS.
add78, I totally agree with all of your points, and I hope for the same thing.
From Mass General Laws, Chapter 71, the following outlines the powers and duties of a school committee:
The school committee:
1. shall have the power to select and to terminate the superintendent,
2. shall review and approve budgets for public education in the district,
3. shall establish educational goals and policies for the schools in the district consistent with the standards established by the board of education (commonly referred to as the Frameworks – https://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/current.html).
According to the charter, the hearing related to this 50-person petition (Article 10, Section 2) will focus on a particular proposed measure-the establishment of an advisory committee. As the petition reads, several issues stand out:
-Data: In paragraph #1, parents’ perception of its main assumption (the decline of NPS) is based on the results of a survey that 90% of Newton’s parents didn’t fill out. 90% of NPS parents did not respond to the survey at all.
-According to the post explaining the petition, 168 people signed the petition. A closer look at the signatories indicates that they represent about 125 Newton households. The petition represents 1% of NPS households at most, and most likely much fewer than that.
-Yet the petition states that five members of the newly formed committee would be signatories of this petition. This means that more than 99% of NPS households would not be eligible to serve on this newly formed committee,
-The petition states that the advisory committee would review the systemwide goals. Another letter to the school committee, dated November 2022, requests a review of the “Statement of Values and Commitment to Racial Equity” and is linked to the DEI mission statement. The letter expresses a return to “pro-human values”.
I value the voice of every member of the community. However, I’m troubled that a vocal minority may be in a position to wield so much power.
I will say that Jane brings up an interesting point. A lot of the discussion revolves around the fact that per the survey many parents are unhappy with Newton schools. I’m a very active parent. I did not fill out the survey. Neither did my spouse. I’d imagine if I was more upset at Newton Schools I’d have been more motivated to do so. I’m just wondering if the survey responders self selected a group much more negative than the average Newton parent. At the very least, it wasn’t a scientific survey from what I can tell. Certainly wasn’t randomized, no?
Perhaps that means the school committee should get better information. But it does deserve to be taken into account.
@@Fig – Tamika once said that she would never be in a position to discredit any NPS administered survey.
That is our school committee chair. her words.
If the results supported what jane wanted to hear, 10 or 10K people – i guarantee jane would be flaunting the results. The reality is people arent happy. The survey, the override, the movement to private school, etc.
Enough evidence is cropping up that it is a problem. yes I do agree with you, we must do the city justice and at a minimum investigate in an unbiased way. That is all we can ask for.
Frank, I don’t disagree. I just want better data. And the private school movement is complicated.
Frank-I’ve developed, read, and discounted many surveys over the years that did not have a sufficient response rate. Many of them appeared to agree with whatever position I held.
Unfortunately, a good response rate for surveys is about 30%. Surveys simply don’t provide good data. That being said, a 90% non-response rate is a true outlier-almost unheard of. This is simply not valid information and it doesn’t matter what Tamika or anyone else said in the past.
I’ve tried doing surveys to gather data as a teacher representative on a school council, PTSO president at NN, as an NTA executive board member. None of them produced valid data. Some interesting thoughts-but a survey that misses 90% of the target population should not be used as the basis for making decisions about the direction of the school system..
Jane:
I agree it shouldn’t be used for making decisions. But it is a data point. And it should at least push the school committee to gather additional info, no?
@fig – exactly. It is a valid data point.
Where there is smoke, there is often fire. not always…but always worth investigating before the entire house (NPS) burns down…but denying there is smoke because those who see it are “racist” is symptomatic of the house already being reduced to ash.
Jane – who organized and paid for the survey that 90% of Newton school families didn’t complete? Why was it done and how much did it cost?
For the record 100% of newton doesnt do anything.
If 30% vote its a miracle.
The covid surveys were between 15-20%.
Jane is bullshiting because she doesnt like the data. If it said 80% were happy then she would be quoting the results.
Oh and jane- teachers in newton have the 7th highest salaries of the many hundreds of districts in the state. While i do think all teChers should make more money, you spewing bs that they are underpaid is bullshit in relative terms. True in absolute terms, but patently false in relative terms. I agree the overall is a problem, but you cant say newton is anything but trying.
See mayor fullers email.
As an aside, if you want NPS teachers to be the highest in the state you have my support if and when academic excellence becomes the district’s top priority.
@ Frank…Newton teachers are 20th in the state not 7th
https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/statereport/teachersalaries.aspx
You could get 10% of NPS parents to respond to any survey on any topic. I’d consider this survey to be a failed attempt to gather data, and I’d reflect on the abysmal response rate. Then I’d try to figure out a way to gather valid data. But I certainly don’t think that ignoring and/or dismissing the opinions of 90% 0f the targetted population is in any way acceptable.
Who’s calling anyone racist? I merely pointed out that within two months’ time, this group changed what they are concerned about without explanation or clarification. The letter to the school committee and the petition are right on their website and refer to two different mission statements for NPS. I’m not making stuff up. They’re the ones who put the website together.
Lucia-
My concern is that a small group of vocal parents is using the data from a failed survey (90% of the targetted population did not respond) to justify forming an advisory committee -comprised largely of the signatories of their petition – that does necessarily comply with the powers and duties of a school committee as outlined in Mass. state law.
I support any effort to collect data that will improve any and all aspects of Newton life. However, it’s also important to acknowledge when an effort falls short. On two occasions I spent many hours developing surveys that in the end, didn’t produce valid data (NNHS and Burr School). The only thing worse than no data is bad data.
My concern is who organized and funded the survey that is seen as meaningless? Was it NPS or privately funded? How much did it cost? Spending and confidence was the what the override was about.
It was NPS-organized. So, NPS admin and the SC first begged us, parents, to respond, and then, after they got the results that they didn’t like, the survey became “failed”…. Curious how that works.
Fig City news has a very good article about this, https://figcitynews.com/2023/03/school-committee-to-consider-petition-for-parent-led-nps-academic-principles-advisory-committee/
I just signed the petition. Despite the negativity of many, no one has made a convincing argument for any downside for this advisory committee. We can’t continue with the status quo. Our children deserve better.
NPS has been in decline for a long time. My mother was a NPS school teacher in the early 60s. She told me that at the time NPS was considered the best school district in the USA. She is saddened by the current state of NPS.
Gail Spector penned an incredible op-ed over 15 years ago. It is in the middle of this page, https://gailspector.com/home-page/my-writings/ Go to, “Celebrating academically successful students”
Jeffrey I’m a little surprised that your mother as a teacher would support a group led by parents that want more control over the education format and curriculum. If you told me that the teachers would have at least an equal voice I would be more impressed with this group but otherwise it sounds like another attempt of parents pushing their own agenda without listening to opposing viewpoints.
@Jackson. I read it with less assumptions. Lots of people jumping down their throats and its not really fair. Accusations and assumptions, very sad.
I understand their goal to be pushing for transparency and a committee to ensure we are i creasing academic excellence and rigor. Thats all. Teachers are on the committee as described, but i would even ignore the minutia, as any details are up to the SC.
Frankly im tired of reading accusations of racism, maga-ism, etc. why is it that all you people get so goddam defensive?! Academic standards are declining. Lots of smoke. Why are they declining a d what can we do to fix them…those should be the takeaways and sole focus of this initiative.
Frank that’s a good question that has probably more than one or two simple answers. Many of my peers feel that the rise of social media and hand held devices has had some effect on that. Even if that’s true the solutions are complicated.
I don’t think that you will change the academic scores that much if you toss the slower learners out of class. Quite to the contrary many feel that the material is better absorbed when you attempt to repeat what you learned by teaching others. I am not a teacher but I grew up with teachers and have had many family members who have been. Many of them found parents who think they know everything about teaching to be the ones that know the least.
Certainly all ideas should be carefully examined and discussed but the idea that teachers in Newton are paid a fortune and know little about the best learning process doesn’t sit well with me.
Jeffrey Pontiff,
It’s very difficult to have an intelligent conversation with people who strongly believe that “home is racist”. These are the type of people who cover their ears during debate, where do you even begin?
One of my kids classmate is leaving for private school next year, as far as I can tell they are not excessively wealthly (average house, average cars, technical job positions (not executives). The tuition is 60k. They simply couldn’t watch their child’s education suffer much longer. When did wanting the best education for your child become a dirty word?
This is a travesty
I meant to say people who think “homework is racist”
“Homework is racist” is what this entire argument boils down to; and why this committee is attempting to be formed.
Find common ground…and this whole debate is over. It’s really just that simple. Happy Sunday!
All parents want the best for their kids and to have their children go to school in a tolerant, supportive, challenging environment that prepares them for life after high school. I view all of the vitriol the past week as a failure of the NPS administration, with outsize share on the previous superintendent, and School Committee to clearly communicate what and how they are trying to accomplish vis-a-vis Excellence + Equity. Instead they put labels on various initiatives haphazardly and leave it to parents to argue with each other over what everything means.
Let me try and add some context beyond the slogans that Matt and Bugek are using to simplify an argument.
“Homework is racist” isn’t a phrase that you are going to find in any serious discussion of DEI. Partly because the phrase isn’t correct, partly because the reduction in homework isn’t in most school districts a DEI concern as much as it is a stress and mental health issue, and partly because that phrase is mostly used by right-wing folks to scare parents. Like most slogans, it makes sense to learn a bit more about the issue before using it as the basis of an argument.
There is some discussion that homework, especially types of homework that require parental assistance or computers that students of lower income means may not have access to, isn’t fair or equitable. That’s not a issue of racism, especially in Newton, where our poor students are as likely to be white as they are likely to be diverse. It is also being addressed in other ways in Newton, just as making sure each kid has access to a chrome book or other digital device, making sure kids get access to the correct calculator, etc. Providing more time in Win blocks and other time in school to access teachers.
There is also a lot of discussion that EXCESSIVE amount of homework hurts all kids. Including high achievers and kids from wealthier households. And this is not a new argument or discussion. Want immediate proof connected to Newton? Just read the terrific post by Bob Jampol about the death of Ernest Van Seasholes, where he mentions that his former principal stressed lowering the amount of homework for kids. That was DECADES ago.
A few years back, multiple kids in the Newton high school committed suicide. There has been a national mental health crisis for high school kids around Covid. One of the goals of recent years has been to reduce the tremendous amount of stress we’ve put on our high schoolers. Reducing the amount of homework to reasonable levels is one way of addressing this. Another is limiting how many tests kids can have on one day, another is not giving major assignments over school vacations or the weekend, another is allowing them time in school to work on homework or get extra help. These are as much mental health driven as anything else. And to me, the concept is reasonable.
So how much homework is excessive? I’ve got a kid in high school in Newton. My kid is mostly in honors classes and works hard. He’s got multiple hours of homework a night. Problem sets. Essays. Tests and quizzes to study for. Does multiple activities. Has to decide which activities should be focused on when a sport is played. Seems to be living a very full and active and homework filled life. Some kids I’m told work through lunch and Win block to finish home work in school. Mine sometimes does that if there is an activity at night. Doesn’t have to work all weekend. Is stressed but works through it.
There are also a lot of guidance and studies out that look at how much homework is beneficial for kids in high school and the lower grades. Most of these resources are not DEI focused at all. There is clearly a diminishing return on homework. Too much burns kids out. Too little has a negative effect as well, although it is less clear in some subjects. So this debate is really “how much homework is too much homework?”
Is it possible that our shift from overloading our kids with homework from years past is letting down our most academically focused kids? I don’t know. I do know that many Newton graduates I’ve talked to both from decades past and current tell me that high school in Newton was more challenging than college. And I know parents of our best students often supplement education, and did so for the past few decades. Again, this is not a new debate…
One final point. A family friend and her sibling went to Newton in the 1990s/2000s. She was a highly motivated, great student. She tells me how many hours of homework she had, and how challenging Newton was for the best students. And how there used to be a school within a school, with the best students followed and pushed and assisted more in getting into college. They were the stars and the ones the school would point to as evidence of success when they got into great schools. Her sibling, however, was less of a star student, wasn’t in honors classes, and had far less attention. Felt ignored. She maintains that as much as Newton did a tremendous job helping her, the school failed her sibling.
I think today’s Newton high school focus is a little less on those academic high flyers, and a little more on the kids in the great middle. Those mixed levels classes are positive and negative. Somewhat negative for kids who are held back a bit, but a benefit for a kid who took longer to process and excel. And our failure in my view, is not that we have those types of classes, but that we’ve made them so large that they are ineffective.
It is tempting as we have these debates to fall back on slogans, to declare they are the argument itself. Or to state that we can’t discuss these issues because the other side isn’t listening (while attributing a simplified argument meant to enrage to the other side). Let’s not do that.
If you have a question about homework or mixed level classes, go talk to your kids guidance counselor or better yet go to a principal coffee. You’ll find smart people willing to engage. No slogans.
1) Direct quote from Newton South principal in 2020: “Asking students to do work outside of class time risks creating inequities…. Furthering inequities conflicts with our school and district commitment to active antiracism.” Thank you, BugeK and Matt, for distilling these turgid, meandering sentences to “Homework is racist.” Brevity is the soul of wit!
2) Fig often misrepresents the other side’s views. No one is arguing for excessive homework. NPS should be making decision based on peer-reviewed studies about proper homework levels. They are not. Rather, it is driven by the thinking, “Homework is racist.” For the longer explanation, see 1).
Jeffrey:
I’m disappointed you feel that way. But not too surprised you don’t like my posts. I don’t think I mispresent the other side’s views. I do however, challenge those views. And you have a habit of posting bold opinions as facts, as if there is no debate in academic circles on many of these subjects. And you surely have definite *opinions* on grade inflation, homework and DEI.
But since you responded by cheering on Matt and Bugek, let’s converse some more:
I’m pretty confident that the one sentence from Newton South’s principal does not capture the full meaning of the policy, and I’m guessing that the ellipsis in the middle of the quote is doing a lot of work to hide the meaning. Let me ask you: if you asked the Newton South principal if “homework is racist”, what do you think the response would be? Do you really think “Homework is racist” was what the Newton South principal was saying? Context and meaning matter. Or do you mean to misrepresent the principal’s views to cheerlead on the crowd?
I’ve also taken the time to actually ask the Newton North principal about this (the amount of homework, not if it was racist), and the answer was far more nuanced. And lengthy. Which of course, doesn’t fit with the “Brevity is the soul of wit” response. And certainly it didn’t fit with “homework is racist”. In fact, it pretty much fit with a moderate, logical position. Let me summarize: there will be plenty of homework and we want to manage stress. And we want to give kids struggling to keep up a chance to succeed.
Speaking of misrepresenting views, please don’t misrepresent mine. My argument was that those saying the push for moderated homework was based solely on racial/DEI concerns were incorrect, that there was nuance to the argument and that it had a large mental health component, that some of the inequity concern was addressed by giving equal access to technology, and that my kid had a full plate of homework most nights. And that maybe the concern about homework was being driving by a small group of parents who have a different expectation based on the needs for their own kids, usually kids at the highest levels of academic success. And that this argument had existed far before we talked about DEI. Among other arguments.
Also, not to nitpick, but you are assuming that NPS is not making decisions based on peer-review studies of proper homework levels. And just want to point out that the phrase “homework is racist” implies ALL homework is racist, from a simple assignment to a long term assignment. But we both know that Newton doesn’t ignore or make policy on a whim, and that that homework is still being assigned in fairly large amounts (my kid is working on an essay and problem set right now, and studying for the SAT, and training for a spring sport).
Finally, again, these are subjects under debate among academics and they have been for decades. Are you upset they aren’t using peer reviewed studies, or just that they aren’t using peer reviewed studies that YOU agree with?
But hey, “brevity is the soul of wit.” Homework is racist must be the policy. Damn the nuance and the facts.
ps. As an aside, funny that you should quote “Brevity is the soul of wit.” My recollection is that Shakespeare meant it ironically, and that Polonius (the character from Hamlet you are quoting) was a fool. A long-winded fool at that. I’m sympathetic to the verbosity, less so for the foolishness and selfishness of the character. And he met a pointed end. .. But at this moment, I’m smiling, because my English lit teachers in high school would likely be proud that I referred to Polonius in any sort of writing in middle age. (if only I remembered how much homework they gave me, alas I do not!)
When I was teaching at Concord-Carlisle HS (before 2009), we had a rule: no homework during vacation, recognizing that students needed to disconnect from schoolwork.( I, on the other hand, liked to assign essays just before vacation so I could correct them at a more leisured pace, instead of spending an intense weekend on them). We were also asked to be mindful of other tests on a given day.
As Fig said, students have other activities (they should) and they need to learn how to budget their time.
That said, the pandemic made it very clear that, for education to be fair, everyone needs access to a computer or an ipad.
I have no connection to the group that created the petition. It should be noted that in this type of situation where a petition is submitted the School Committee is required to discuss the issue (I’m guessing this is in their bylaws) . However similar to the medical advisory committee petition submitted in 2020 or 2021, the School Committee is not obligated to create the committee and if you remember the committee that was created after that did not reflect what was requested as far as membership of that committee.
As far as the homework being racist comments. As Jeffrey mentioned I took it as a direct pull for Mark Aaronson’s presentation to the Newton South Community in the fall of 2020. I know a differing presentation was given to North parents so @Fig you may not be aware of the fact that this occurred.
Here is the full quote from the presentation:
Reality #3:
Asking students to do work outside of class time risks
creating inequities, as some students have more time
than others to devote to academic work. Student
athletes, students with family responsibilities, and
students who need help organizing themselves are just
some of the groups who find work outside the school
day challenging. Furthering inequities conflicts with our
school and district commitment to active antiracism.
Personally I found what he said offensive. We should be helping every student to reach their potential and we should not be drawing conclusions on student’s ability based on their race. Great if you want to create mentors and programs like the calculus project but to draw a conclusion that the capability isn’t there is wrong.
There is a balance to be achieved in our schools. I’ve heard many former students of our high schools who are now I their late 20s, 30s reference how Newton South was harder than college. As Fig mentioned there were 3 suicides back during the 2013-14 school year. So we certainly don’t want to create a pressure cooker like that of days past but the schools should also be trying to meet all kids needs. Don’t just push them through the system. Kids should face rigor and be challenged to the best of their abilities. There is quite a bit of focus on SEL. Kids should be supported and be prepared to face adversity. Developing resilience will help them in the world after NPS. SEL and facing challenges should go hand in hand. We shouldn’t be avoiding rigor but preparing kids on how to handle rigor. We do our kids a disservice is a lot of ways.
I think sometimes there is a philosophical approach in Newton that doesn’t address reality or reflect enough on the reality of a situation.
NHM:
I’m aware of the quote. Do you think that quote can be summarized as “Homework is racist”? I know some families at South, I’m pretty sure they get a fair amount of homework. So clearly the eliminating didn’t occur… I think the key term in the quote is “risk”. It isn’t to eliminate homework. It is to adjust it to a reasonable amount. How much more homework would you want for your kid? An hour more a night? Two? In what grade?
But let’s also talk about rigor. It is my view that junior and senior year at North can be very rigorous for excellent students. What is adequate rigor in your view? 2 APs junior year and 3 honor courses? More APs?
There has been a component of teacher recommendations required for honor and AP classes at Newton high school for decades, if not longer. So that’s not new. I believe getting parental permission and checking with a guidance counselor is new for more than 2 APs junior year, but from experience it seems like this isn’t a roadblock, it is a check-in.
Again, from my own kid’s experience, I’ve appreciated the social/emotional learning, but the teachers have held my own child to account, required deadlines, assigned homework and essays. I have zero doubt that my kid will be able to handle college.
I do think it is possible that some students might not feel challenged under this system. For all but the best students, I’d ask why that is. Are they playing a sport, participating in the theatre groups, doing any activities that require large amounts of time? Taking a full slate of electives? In all possible honors and AP classes? Dare I say, do they have friends and an active social life? A balance sounds like a good goal for most kids.
Looking back, I worked very hard in high school. I felt very prepared academically, less so socially and emotionally. I wish I had more of the balance that NHM speaks about. I’d like to think that is what the schools are trying to achieve. Balance. Perhaps they have put too much emphasis on SEL and stress relief after COVID. Parent feedback can help with that.
But the schools are and will be alright. And so will our kids.
I’m separating my comment into two posts. I feel that one of the main issues driving this request is that parents don’t feel heard. This I blame on the NPS Administrators and slightly on the SC. This situation was exasperated by covid.
I’ve encountered many parents who have had issues and they approach an Administrator (central admin) who makes them feel they are the only person with this issue. I’ve also seen revisionist history. It is disheartening as a parent to try to reach out on an issue and get nowhere. There is a lack of willingness to analyze things that are not going right., I’ve said this a million times if we don’t reflect on what is working and acknowledge what is not working we can never make things better. Despite what some say here there was an incredible amount of dissatisfaction that started with covid but continues. I know personally covid gave me insight into a few things that were shocking regarding the education one of my children had been receiving up until that point. Many parents found a way to send their kids to private school and those kids aren’t returning. I understand where other posters question the surveys NPS does. I agree that most NPS surveys are not effective in the way the structure question but they tend to drive toward a particular outcome or not dig deep enough, I have to disagree on those who feel the dissatisfaction expressed isn’t real or is the minority.
There needs to be a way for parents to communicate where their message is received. The SC’s public comment is set up by procedure where they don’t respond. That may not be the place to respond but there needs to be a way for them to understand better what is going. The can’t be experts in every area and be aware of every child’s experience so there needs to be a way to have truly open conversation. I know they make an effort to go to each school but during covid communication became more one way rather than two way exchanges. Zooms were questions were required in advance and that lacked two way conversations. It really seemed to be an attempt to just promote the script and not tackle the difficult issues and tough feelings. It is hard for the SC to know the reality of the situation if they do not have kids either in the schools or at certain age. They are not seeing what parents often see on the ground. They are hearing explanations from Administrators which aren’t always acknowledging what the kids are truly experiencing.
I want to say that I do not feel the Teachers are the issue here, to me it is the Administrators. The Teachers are left to deal with the decisions made. I had a conversation with a Teacher last year about leveled classes and how much work it added to her plate. She was taking the approach of covering more information with all students and trying to support the different levels in her class. Personally I feel an honors or advance class should be digging deeper into subjects not just giving a student more homework or additional questions on a test. I also feel that mixed classes are suited for certain types of students. Great for those excelling and maybe have the opportunity to challenge themselves more on the fly but for those on the lower end I worry about their self esteem. I remember a friend telling me her kids loved multi leveled classes because the classes made them feel like the smartest kids in room. The flip side of this really bothers me. The Teacher I mentioned above was also very aware of this and thus was striving incredibly hard to meet all of her students needs. She subsequently left NPS. I feel like the Teachers voices are sometimes lost in the theoretical discussions which is why they are also the people on the ground seeing first hand how things are and thus their voices should also be heard.
I hope that the new Superintendent is the conduit for change. It is important that she take an analytical approach to understand our school system and that she not take things on face value. She needs to make sure that parents are heard whether it be through a committee as proposed or even better through multiple channels were all parents feel that they can speak up and that they are not alone. This will take time but a methodical, open approach is important.
I hope the new superintendent makes improvements as well NHM. And I agree communication with the central administration should improve.
I also hear you about the mixed level classes. I will just add that I could see them working, but I think they fail after too many kids are added.
I’d be interested in hearing more about the value these classes bring and if teacher feedback is taken into account. And, to Jeffrey’s point, what data they have regarding these types of classes.
@fignewtonville – over the years there have been a fair amount of times that I have read your comments and rolled my eyes and/or guffawed – but on this topic I share many of your thoughts and I appreciate how you have laid out the issues.
I had three children go through NN in the last 5 years (one finishing this June) and between academics, athletics, social activities and clubs it has been by and large a great, well-rounded educational experience for them.
Has it been perfect? Of course not. Particularly the pandemic and its effects.
But I believe their high school years were pretty special and prepared them well for college and beyond.
Peter, happy I provided amusement/eye rolls in the past and happy we agree on something now. Appreciate the feedback on both accounts. Be well.
@ Fig. Put me in the club that thinks you have a sensible balanced approach to this topic. The one thing that I would add (and I think you touched on this) is that there is no one solution for everyone. There will always be some kids that don’t get as much out of a public (or private) school education for a variety of reasons.
I would push back on one inference that you and NHM made that somehow NPS had some amount of blame for the 3 suicides that happened about a decade ago. I am only familiar with two of the three kids and IMHO there were other influences or reasons that affected their tragic decision. To blame homework or the education process is unfair and negates the lessons that parents learned during that difficult time.
Jackson Joe:
It was not my intention to blame NPS or anyone for those tragedies. I’ve had some experience with similar events in my life and with loved ones with mental health challenges of all sorts; it is never simple, it is never easy, there are rarely answers to questions you desperately want answered.
I wasn’t trying to attribute stress or homework as a direct cause or to assign blame. But it is possible that such events can cause a community or a school system to take a step back and examine the overall mental health of its students, and decide that taking steps to reduce stress/workload is an important consideration. The mental health crisis that followed Covid would be another such touchstone event. It is a balance. You don’t want kids to be in a protective bubble, but you don’t want them to be in a meatgrinder environment either, especially one that is significantly more difficult than college.
Personally I think a lot of things are contributing to the mental health concerns of many of our teens, not the least of which is that most of them live their lives online. If folks on Village 14 think this is a tough environment, I would encourage you to check in on your kids and see the snap and text chains.
Appreciate the feedback, and my apologies if anyone felt the same as you regarding my prior posts.
@Jackson Joe to clarify I was not placing blame on NPS for the past suicides. I like yourself was aware of the circumstances where the parents of two of the three were clear to state that they had on going issues with depression and had been receiving treatment. I mentioned that these occurred 2013-14 so almost 10 years ago because I believe NPS is a different place than then.
My daughter graduated from NSHS two years ago so her experience was fairly recent and during the pandemic. Like Peter Kay and fignewtonville we were reasonably pleased with her education and the entire NPS experience. As I think everyone agrees there is of course always room for improvement.
That said, when I have read some of the comments on here and elsewhere that portrays the school system as a total train wreck that’s failing horribly, I don’t see the school my daughter went to or the experience she and her friends had at NPS. NPS seems to have prepared her well for college and she is thriving there.
Completely agree. I’ve been involved with Newton Public Schools in various capacities over the past 25 years. Now as a parent, I would share that I believe instruction has improved in that time for all. I fear that we are about to see quite a few opportunity hoarders come out of the woodwork.
@ Jerry – I think it could become a train wreck.
In 2010, Newton South was ranked 9 and North ranked 8.
In 2022 South is 19 and North 32.
That is a trend I dont like. If we dont stop the trend then it becomes a trainwreck. I would like to know why this is happening and how we get both schools back in the top 10!
The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one. Dont be in denial.
https://www.bostonmagazine.com/best-schools-boston-2010-chart/
https://www.bostonmagazine.com/education/best-public-high-schools-boston-2022-chart/
What are the factors behind these rankings you might ask?
These include:
-Student/Teacher ratio
-Average Class size
-10th grade MCAS math proficiency
-10th grade MCAS English language proficiency
-SAT Verbal/writing scores
you can debate MCAS all you want and I might agree they suck, but they are a way to judge across cities. I support finding a better way, but this is what we got and taking the high road of “we dont like mcas so dont care” would only hurt us. I dont think we are doing that, but Im just saying.
We need an investigation into what is happening. I doubt it is DEI, but it definitely is something. We need some commitee, even if not this one, to do some hard digging for us.
I agree Frank this might not be the committee but there does need to be better reflection on what isn’t working, Digging deeper is needed.
Thanks, Frank, for pointing out the obvious, that is all correct. Here is the US News and World Report:
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/massachusetts/rankings. For reference, in 2015, NSHS was ranked 12th.
Admitting Newton has a problem is the first step. So far, that hasn’t happened. What I heard from the administration is that “scores and rankings don’t tell us the whole story”. Well, I’d like to hear the whole story. Someone needs to look into what is happening before it becomes a disaster circling down the drain.
For the record Irene, a large portion of the USNews data set for 2022 used 2019-2020 data. That’s a long time ago. And they mixed data sets.
The US News data set is functionally worthless as a way to evaluate schools. It combines some current, but mostly dated information. Don’t take my word for it. This is directly from US News. See below. Scientifically it makes little effort to create a data set that has value, and it leaves in vast differences between school systems. Issues like SPED kids, ESL kids, large vs. small districts, magnet schools, private schools vs. public. The rankings as a whole are a silly way of looking at high schools. For instance, going from a 97% to 98% graduation makes a material difference. Going from 57% to 70% of students taking and passing just one AP makes a material difference. Neither of these measures impacts a large degree of students. Taking one AP doesn’t make you more or less ready for college.
It is a lot like the rankings for college. Which is a really bad way to judge which college you should go to as well. It is a great way however to sell magazines. You might find the below interesting.
https://www.npr.org/2021/10/16/1046779479/best-schools-rankings-are-meaningless-and-harmful-critic-says
That’s from the former editor of US News.
A quick story: I used to know someone who worked on college rankings. He’d tell a story about how if the rankings didn’t change enough from year to year, they’d tweak the measurements until they did. They had to produce enough movement to create a bit of controversy and noise. And how colleges would pay them (or hire the folks who did the rankings) to tell them what the methodology would be, so they could adapt and rise in the rankings…even if it meant asking their lower ranked students to come during summer school or second semester (and thus not be included in the data set for incoming first years). And how lucrative it was that they’d be directed to find new things to rank… (Drs, hospitals, schools, neighborhoods, etc). USNews is now ranking elementary schools…
See below for the data set from USNews.
“The Common Core of Data is the U.S. Department of Education website, updated annually, that contains basic data on enrollment, student ethnicity and other profile information on all public high schools in the U.S. The department collects the data directly from schools, school districts or state departments of education, which is reflected on usnews.com. For the 2022 rankings, U.S. News used CCD’s free and reduced-priced lunch data, ethnicity data and grade 12 enrollment data from 2018-2019, 2017-2018 and 2016-2017 cohorts – each aligning with the three years of state assessment data used in the rankings. The Common Core of Data published on usnews.com pertains to 2020-2021 so you have the most current information available.
Statewide math, reading and science assessment test data used in the 2022 rankings in almost all cases is from the 2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years. Science assessment tests used for the first time are only incorporated for 2018-2019 data. High school graduation rates data used in the 2022 rankings are from the 2019-2020 school year. This data in most cases is from each state’s education agency website or directly from state education agencies.
The College Board was the source of the Advanced Placement examination data for each public high school, when applicable, that was used in rankings calculations. The AP exam data used in the analysis is for 12th grade students in the 2019-2020 school year.”
Fig, absolutely, US News is a reasonable way to assess how a school system is doing and where it is heading. So, if the data is older, that means that the problem is even older, and should have been addressed way earlier. What the scores tell me is that Acton-Boxborough, Brookline, Needham, Westwood, and scores of other neighboring schools are doing better than Newton. They all have SPED, kids in private schools, ELL, etc. And yet… Ignoring this will not make it go away. This decline is confirmed by other circumstantial evidence. Where there is smoke, there is fire. Now, let’s do something about this until more people pull their kids out of NPS, the rest supplement with RSM and the like, and the families who can afford neither are left holding the bag.
Irene:
I realize you aren’t going to be convinced, but I was hoping the actual editor of US News pointing out the lack of value would help convince others. They really are garbage. And my point is that school districts have differences in student bodies (like SPED, ESL, school lunch/poverty) and those differences would make material differences in the rankings. A change in philosophy to restrict students from sitting for AP tests unless they score a practice test of 3 or more would raise our rankings considerably. And be counterproductive to our goal of educating our kids. Because, again, the rankings are worthless.
I think there are ways to improve the schools. I would like the school committee to make some changes. I think class sizes should be smaller. I think we should examine the evidence about mixed level classes and both how many students “jump up” to a higher level, and how students do in AP classes afterwards.
I’d support a “blue ribbon committee” of some sort too, working hand in hand with the school committee. Self-reflection is good for a school system. Especially when a new superintendent is coming on board.
But I also think your group is far more concerned than I am. I think you’ve managed to take a conversation that should be about data and improvement and imbued it with a “the sky is falling” panic. And that you’ve taken the aftermath of Covid and decided that the schools are circling the drain.
The sky isn’t falling. The school system is ok. Certainly I’m concerned about class sizes and budget gaps and teacher contracts. I really wish your group had been vocal supporters of the override to try and get the schools more money. But the concerns of the parents I’ve talked to aligned with your group all have very high performing kids who they feel aren’t being challenged enough. Your focus seems to be on APs and honor classes. There are solutions to those issues (one of which is increasing school funding to give more options for honor class levels and sizes). But it is not a crisis. The high schools are still excellent. Especially for our best students. And 80% of our students aren’t in the honors classes…
As for parents leaving the public schools, I’ve thought a lot about that. I think we’ve reached a crossroads in Newton. The average house in Newton is now north of $1,000,000. Many people moving here are buying homes north of $2,000,000 or more, and townhomes are going for $1,500,000. At some point, if you can afford a $2,000,000 plus house, you are likely sending your kids to private school. Especially if there are vocal groups shouting from the rooftops that the schools are failing…
Let’s not succumb to panic or crisis thinking. There is a reasonable path here where the new superintendent looks at the current policies and take suggestions from parents. Maybe a curriculum committee like Dedham.
And if you don’t like the results of that, run a slate of candidates for the school committee and we can vote. I don’t think the majority of parents will agree with your slate. And that’s part of the process too.
Fig, it is a crisis in my family because I am literally sitting here asking people about private school options for my youngest, and I know I am not the only one among my neighbors doing this. I am glad that we agree on the need to look at the system performance and figure out what is not working well, and fix it. But I need to see some action soon, and trust that our leaders also see it as a problem.
Irene:
I say this without any type of snark. Sometimes, if you can afford it, private school is a better fit. Not always, and private schools have their issues too. And my situation is a bit complicated so my view may not match others.
You take your kids as you find them and as they are. I’m sorry that you feel that private school is the solution. If it is because of finding a challenging environment for them, my oldest is plenty smart and plenty challenged. Does your kid want to change schools?
But the fact that you are feeling the need to explore private school doesn’t mean there is a crisis in the schools. And from my personal experience with some of our local private schools, quite a few of them are less challenging than Newton high schools. Smaller classes for sure. Very different student bodies. But not necessary better. The best ones are very competitive to get into, and north of $50,000 a year.
If you can afford to send your kid to one of the better ones, I do think they have a lot of advantages. But that has been the case since I was a kid.
Hi,
I did AP Tests results analysis based on MA Department of Education data. The results are very bad.
Please look into https://medium.com/@dminewma/newton-public-schools-ap-test-results-and-policies-eafed542a005
Relatively simple explanation to this data: https://medium.com/@dminewma/newton-public-schools-ap-test-analysis-b7ed97b40312
Dmitry:
Happy to acknowledge the trend in APs as a data point. But your conclusions take that data point and point to failure for the entire system. A few things to think about:
1) You are comparing the last two years to 2020. I would guess the Covid shutdowns and work from home had an obvious impact. We can acknowledge that, right? You are concluding that it was the mixed classes, without accounting for Covid and zoom for 12 months. Doesn’t it make sense to see how 2023 and 2024 test results shake out?
2) My understanding is that North at least is allowing more kids to take the AP test in some classes, and encouraging more kids to try to take APs especially in their senior year. Many school systems work to increase their standings in the rankings by controlling who can take an AP course and who can take the AP test. No one who gets less than a 3 for instance is allowed to sit for the test. But I’ve also heard from people pushing the committee that they DON’T want the schools and teachers dictating who can take AP classes or overall class loads.
3) I’m at a loss to explain math, especially calculus AB. (Calculus BC has remained relatively consistent and gets the top math students). I would think the school committee would want to focus more on that. Have we lost excellent stem focused kids to private schools? Have we lost some good teachers? Is it the mixed classes? I don’t believe mixed classes exist at the Calculus level (could someone confirm that?). Did our students last year just give up after getting into college? Do we now allow different kids to take calculus AB?
4) The push to limit the number of APs our juniors take likely has some impact as well. Junior APs count heavily for college, APs your senior year are pretty worthless at this point for college credit. I know I didn’t study as hard for my AP class load, and got lower scores as a result.
I certainly want our kids to perform well on APs, and I want them to examine these questions. But your data doesn’t meet your conclusions in my view, especially the “sky is falling” concerns about our kids dropping out of college.
You put in a too much effort here for such a limited analysis.
The Interim Superintendent sent out the note below. I think the message conveyed here is important. I feel like things were running in the wrong direction. For one people were not understanding the process that a hearing must be held and the outcome could be a range of outcomes. It is a starting point for a discussion it doesn’t mean exactly what is requested occurs. I also feel a lot of conclusions were being reached. Personally I have not seen enough concrete information to reach a conclusion about this group’s intent. All should be respectful and listen.
Dear NPS Families,
As you may be aware, the Newton School Committee will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. The hearing is in response to a petition received by the School Committee, which requests the following:
To create an Academic Principles Advisory Committee (the “Advisory Committee”) to serve the citizens of this City regarding establishment of core principles for NPS. The full petition, which includes detailed information, can be found here: Petition: Academic Principles Advisory Committee.
The hearing is aligned with the City of Newton charter mandate to hold a public hearing when specific requirements are met. Pursuant to the Charter of the City of Newton, Section 10-2:
Group Petitions; Action Required. The City Council or the School Committee shall hold a public hearing and act with respect to every petition which is addressed to it, which is signed by at least 50 voters, and which seeks the passage of a measure. The hearing shall be held by the City Council or the School Committee or, in either case, by a committee or subcommittee of either the City Council or School Committee and the action by the City Council or School Committee shall be taken not later than 3 months after the petition is filed with the city clerk…”
The Newton Public Schools respects the right of Newton citizens to file petitions and to share rationale for the request in the petition. The district also respects the right of all citizens to participate in the public hearing process. Public hearings on petitions have been held in the past, providing all interested parties with the opportunity to share thoughts and feedback on the topic identified in the public hearing notice.
All NPS families and community members are welcome at the hearing, regardless of their opinion on the requested measure. The School Committee is fully committed to hearing from its constituents and will consider feedback provided as they make their decision and determine next steps. Public discourse and freedom of speech is at the very heart of our democracy and we encourage citizen participation in this democratic process, just as we as educators encourage our students to be active and engaged citizens, respectful of others’ opinions even in the face of disagreement.
I do believe it is important to remember the deep commitment our Newton families have to all of our Newton students. I witnessed this first hand as I traveled the community over the past several months. We are all invested in ensuring our students become caring, responsible, and engaged citizens of this world willing to take on the most challenging issues of our day with collaboration and respect. I kindly request that those engaged in and participating in the hearing tomorrow night model these skills and these values for our students.
If you wish to attend the hearing, the information is below. You may also listen to the hearing via NewTV, either on your local cable station or streamed through the NewTV website.
Please know that as a district, we will always be committed to creating an environment where all of our students, staff, and families feel known, safe, and valued. Thank you as always for your participation and your partnership in supporting our students.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kathleen Smith
Interim Superintendent
Jerry, from the Mayor’s letter, looks like Horace Mann is going to funded, and the budget will show cuts to the schools. I might suggest a few threads on both issues.
Congrats to the Horace Mann families. I’m glad the funding could be found.
The school committee meeting is live on Newtv.org
Over 250 people asked to speak. So far it has been a great examples of public speaking on both sides. Everyone has been very calm and clear. A representative from a group of teachers spoke.
Besides the two groups (petitioners and people opposing), several speakers are teachers and are using the opportunity to mention the worry about layoffs and worry about resource reduction. A different perspective (basically you are arguing about excellence while cutting into the system, raising class size and cutting support).
And kudos to NewTV. So far, everyone is incredibly clear and easy to hear and see.
So far the speakers are about 10% in favor of the petition, 90% against.
Some students and former students too. All coming out against the petition.
Around 7:20 now. They have opened this until 9:30.
At least in this meeting, the vast majority of people seem pretty satisfied with academic excellence in the Newton schools. Or at the very least, don’t want a committee connected to this group to be approved.
Chris Brezski – thank you.
unanimous vote to reject the petition.
The incoming superintendent asked for the petition to be voted down as well (according to Paul Levy).
School budget comes out tomorow.
Here’s a story about the meeting by John Hilliard and Mandy McLaren in today’s Boston Globe.