Rochester Beacon (https://rochesterbeacon.com/category/education/page/2/)
Heidi Macpherson discusses her thoughts on the college’s strategic plan, the recent college admissions scandal, the roles of humanities and technology in high education, her strong feelings about author Margaret Atwood and much more.
The X-Cats, the robotics team of Joseph C. Wilson Magnet High School, has touched the lives of hundreds of Wilson High students. For some, it clarifies career goals and paves the way to prestigious jobs. For others, it makes the difference between graduating from high school or dropping out.
State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia late last week told the Rochester School District that she wasn’t satisfied with its response to the Distinguished Educator report. Will the district be able to come up with a clearer plan in six weeks?
Together with Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, the group asked Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia to work with it to achieve “transformational change.”
However well-intentioned and on point the distinguished educator’s critique and the Rochester City School District response might be, will there be sufficient continuity to carry through?
Rochester is not the only city with students born into poverty. As others have shown, great schools emerge only when they operate autonomously and when teachers and school leaders are fully accountable for student performance.
The “digital divide” is not defined solely by geography. Income matters too. State-of-the-art infrastructure will not bring broadband access to those who cannot afford it.
The newly revamped MBA curriculum at the UR graduate business school has received Program of the Year honors for offering a science, technology, engineering and math designation in every area of specialization.
East High School has seen a sharp reduction in suspensions. Still, a racial divide exists within the Rochester City School District which suspends minority students at significantly higher rates than statewide averages.
International students enrolled at UR, RIT and other local schools boost these institutions and the local economy. But changes in immigration policies could prompt foreign students to study in other countries or return to their native lands.