The Human Factor in Education
by Dorothy Rich
Education is a messy business. I am not talking about the educational "mess" rhetoric that is much in the news. I am talking about the messy quality of even good education. Education is not a sleek, mechanistic enterprise of "I teach and you learn. Instead, education is an emotional set of experiences. That's what makes it so messy
An F School? Depends on How It's Judged
New York Times
By ROBERT GEBELOFF
Grades for New York City schools are determined, in part, by a series of subjective decisions about which factors to use and how to weigh them.
A diploma for every student
Boston Globe
THERE ARE conflicting reports about the state of the public education system in Massachusetts. National data indicate that students are achieving at the highest levels in the country, yet the state Department of Education says that one out of every two public schools in the Commonwealth "needs improvement," and 75 percent of the middle schools and 277 public schools need yet-undefined "restructuring" to meet state MCAS standards.
It's a rough road to a diploma that means something
Providence Journal
Julia Steiny
The best thing about Rhode Island's rigorous new diploma system is its child-friendly spirit. Not that everyone feels that spirit. A newly organized group of parents sees the system becoming outright oppressive to kids, but more on those parents in a moment
Audit gives Detroit PS failing grade
Detroit News
An audit of Detroit Public Schools found serious systemic problems across many facets of the district, including lack of a strategy for raising academic performance, financial systems teetering on the edge of a breakdown and a nonexistent facilities management plan.
Primary school axes spelling tests because they are too 'distressing' for pupils
Daily Mail
Pupils in a Gloucestershire school will no longer be tested because staff believe it leaves them feeling like failures nationwide.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
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From yesterday's Trenton Times.
Board member quits over slur
Robbinsville official scolded by gay-rights advocates
Friday, October 10, 2008
BY CARMEN CUSIDO
ROBBINSVILLE -- A school board member who used a derogatory term for homosexuals during a public meeting has stepped down from his post after gay-rights advocates and school officials condemned the statement.
Joseph Armenti, who was elected to a one-year unexpired term in April, submitted a letter of resignation Wednesday, school officials confirmed yesterday. He could not be reached for comment.
Last week he told The Times his comment was taken out of context and he did not mean to offend anyone when he used the word "faggot" during a discussion of whether the district should start a program to report students who use offensive terms.
Armenti has said he would issue an apology and attend a gay-rights forum that Robbinsville High School is hosting on Saturday
Yesterday, school officials said Armenti's resignation "is clearly in the best interest" of the district and the community and issued an apology for his comment.
"Our school district will never condone or tolerate any type of discrimination whatsoever and we will continue to strive on creating an atmosphere of unconditional acceptance for all of our students and faculty," according to a statement from board President Michael Reca and Superintendent John Szabo.
"On behalf of the entire board of education, I want to extend our heartfelt apology to all of our students, faculty, and community for Mr. Armenti's unacceptable statements," Reca said.
Szabo said in a phone interview yesterday that the board "sincerely apologizes for any hurt or pain that may have occurred as a result of the comments made."
The board will hold a special meeting Monday at 8 a.m. at Robbinsville High School to vote on Armenti's resignation.
If the resignation is accepted, the gay-rights group Garden State Equality will not initiate legal action or stage demonstrations, said Steven Goldstein, chairman of the organization. He had said such responses were "on the table" unless the board took some action.
Instead, he said the group "will work closely with the school board to institute an atmosphere in all schools in the district that is more embracing of students of every sexual orientation and gender identity."
Goldstein said his organization does not rejoice in anyone's downfall, "but let the record show that Joe Armenti did the correct thing, and is to be applauded for his actions.
"He has concluded an unfortunate saga of homophobia that he began," he said. " The real heroes here are the students of the Gay-Straight Alliance of Robbinsville High School, who showed the courage to speak up and never back down."
Asked if Armenti felt pressure to resign, Szabo said yesterday, "Armenti makes his own choices. I can't comment on what his motivation was."
The controversy began after Armenti used the word "faggot" during a Sept. 23 board meeting in response to remarks made by a Robbinsville High School student advocating a program to report students who use offensive language.
Armenti said the student used the word first in citing an example of offensive speech. He said he repeated the word in questioning whether such speech by students is protected under the First Amendment.
"If my son wants to call somebody a faggot he should be allowed to; it's his First Amendment right," Armenti said at the meeting.
Student members of Robbinsville High School's Gay-Straight Alliance who were not at the Sept. 23 meeting, enlisted the help of Garden State Equality to register their objections to Armenti's comments.
Goldstein called Armenti's explanation an excuse.
He said the gay slur was used in a completely different context when the student said it.
"Armenti gratuitously repeated the word," Goldstein said.
School officials said the meeting was not recorded and that minutes of the session would not be public until next week.
It is yet to be determined who will fill Armenti's seat on the board if the resignation becomes final. Reca said the board has to accept Armenti's resignation before they can interview candidates for the position.
Monday's special board meeting falls on the start of Ally Week, a student-led national effort to be allies against anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender bullying and harassment in schools.
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