|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
I saw many of my best students leave the Rochester City School District while I was teaching there. Last spring, a top student and his parents told me that they were moving to Brighton. They bought a house half the size of the one they had in the city. Their reasoning was simple. The safety and happiness of their children was paramount.
Last week I was told a former student, who is an academic star, is leaving to attend a private school. He is a student who would normally have attended School of the Arts. He was accepted there and loves theater. Despite this, his parents chose an alternative because the Rochester City School District is simply too unpredictable, and very often, the changes make things worse, not better.
Many city students go to Urban Suburban programs. Their parents opt out for the same reasons. Thousands of students attend charter schools. There are families who are happy with Rochester public schools. Their children do well in school. This is an extremely small percentage. I guarantee you that most would leave if given a viable option. So why do they leave?
In short, families leave because the Rochester City School District does not do well educating students. This should be its primary focus, but it is not. Instead, the district, like a mismanaged restaurant, is constantly rotating items on a gigantic buffet. None of the choices are good. There are too many.
If the Rochester City School District wants to keep its best students, then it needs to embrace quality over quantity. Create and support safe and supportive school cultures. Do this one thing great. Follow the hedgehog concept.
Stop spending money and resources promoting so many menu items created by poor cooks. Variety does not equate to quality. The district needs to restructure itself, investing in what they put on the table. Families want a gourmet educational experience, not a homogenized one.
John Bliss
The Beacon welcomes comments and letters from readers who adhere to our comment policy including use of their full, real name. See “Leave a Reply” below to discuss on this post. Comments of a general nature may be submitted to the Letters page by emailing [email protected].
Glad the conversation is continuing! The decades of poor performance by RCSD, School Board and Teachers Union is well known yet continues BUT so many parents realize they do have options.
The real tragedy for City of Rochester that one option is not Fixing The Problem. Yes, moving, leaving for a private school and Charter Schools are options but why not Fix The Problem? It can
be fixed with a joint venture of the Rochester Business community + Mayor + County Executive. Smart people capable of developing a 5 year plan to totally change the priorities currently being implemented.
With a focus on educating our Rochester City children to read, write, handle basic math skills, so they become employable, contributing citizens that feel confident in themselves. Of course this is possible!
Let’s Do It! ( sorry Nike ).