Here are the meeting notes as a Word file: SWCC Education Committee Minutes 2016-05-25.doc

The Education Committee of the SW Common Council

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

6:30 to 8:00 pm at

Arnett Branch Library, 310 Arnett Boulevard

Attendance:

John Boutet               SWCC Education Committee Chair, 328-4271, jboutet@frontiernet.net

Eleanor Coleman       OACES & ProsperRochester, Inc. 224-5119, eleanor.coleman@gmail.com

Thomas Felton, Jr.     STEAM Charter School, tfeltonj@streamacademycharter.org, 230-1830

Cecilia Golden           Hillside Exec. Dir. of Education, cgriffingolden@hotmail.com, 315-4924

Bill Nichthauser         19th Ward Resident, 235-0851, inky389@frontiernet.net

John Laing                19th Ward Schools Committee Chair, Volunteer @ Schools #16, #19 & #29

Jennifer Lenio            Rochester Public Libraries (South District), 428-8272, jlenio@libraryweb.org

Betsy Romson          Arnett Block Club, mesromson@aol.om 328-8313

Introductions

School 10 Update

• Courtney Brockler, a teacher at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy, contacted John Boutet for help publicizing her 3rd graders' work. The students have been learning about how people get access to clean water and what the community can do to help conserve water. They will be creating a pamphlet and would like help distributing it to their community.

School 16 - Update

• Newspaper suggests that releasing funding for School #16 modernization is not being supported by Gantt; this position is confirmed by citizens who have called Gantt’s office to advocate for release of funds and have not been successful. Legislation for release of funds needs to be approved by 6/16 or we’ll be waiting another year. Please consider calling (454-3670) or emailing David Gantt’s office GanttD@assembly.state.ny.us .

School 29 - Update

• Blocks in Bloom on Kenwood and Flower Program is advancing. Empty lot diagonal to School #29 has been rototiller- $300 butterfly garden being planned; have a $150 match donation from ProsperRochester to start the funding stream. Project is sponsored by SouthWest Garden Group and School #29 (teachers/staff, hopefully parents and students).

School 44 - Update

• Community Engagement Team meeting tomorrow (required for schools who are or were in receivership). John Boutet continues to send information updates (video & written).

• Healthi Kids grant approved for playground monies.

STEAM Academy - Thomas Felton, Jr. (585) 230-1830, tfeltonj@steamacademycharter.org , www.steamacademycharter.org (Video of this presentation is at: https://youtu.be/wsZDeg0hwN4 )

• Mr. Felton provided a PowerPoint overview presentation of what Rochester STEAM Academy Charter School is proposing to do.

• Begin as a K-2 elementary School - the sooner we get the kids, the better.

• Progressive 21st Century Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math

• Focus on the Whole Child (social-emotional needs, family, overall community connection, etc.). Need to take into consideration challenges such as an incarcerated parent.

• Has traveled to other countries to view other successful models. Checked out Harlem Children’s Zone with focus on family.

• Year one 108 students proposed for K-2 (36 per grade). Grow out to 252 students in 6 years.

• Strong and comprehensive foundation in 21st century skills using a deliberate, full circle approach to educating and developing students. Strong focus on reading (Read 180 program).

• Letter of Intent to SUNY has been submitted. Denied based only on lack of community outreach (all other areas very strong: Board, School Overview, etc.). Next round for Letter of Intent will include the many face-to-face community connections that have been made.

• Research-Based Approaches to Teaching and Learning

• Technology Rich Learning Environment

• Extended School Day 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

• 1202 Hours of Instruction Time per School year (not including Summer Institute & Enrichment)

• Expeditionary Learning & Enrichment; Teacher Development (MCC, Rochester Roots, RIT, Business and other Community Partners)

• Lawsons’ Model of Interdependence “The Rainmakers” - can’t understand the community until you actually get into the community and develop relationships; understand the needs of the community by interacting with them.

• STEAM Academy Integration Matrix: Curriculum, Culture, Community & Collaboration (4 C’s)

• Curriculum Ideas: AVID, Read 180, Engage NY, Summer Learning Institute, Extended Day Programming, Scope & Sequencing to Cross-Walk Curriculum and Enrichment

• Space: Swing Space (lease a space from a lease-holder, church, the District, etc.). Want a school-ready space/minimal renovation.

• What are present City schools not doing? Many good people in the RCSD but the “system” isn’t able to make necessary changes quickly. Less layers in Charter school than the RCSD administration.

• Recommendation: Tease out the things that make this school different than public schools. Community culture aspect is key. How do you really plan to involve community? What should kids know, be able to do, and be like once they leave your school. Make the base of the triangle “culture.” Visited Ghana which is significantly more efficient and successful at teaching children how to read and write at a much lower cost. Until things change in the classroom, nothing changes; must have teacher development that breeds successful classroom settings - teachers who have the knowledge base of student culture.

• Libraries just held successful pilot program April & beginning of May - 5 sessions teaching parents of under 5 how to read to their children stressing the importance of reading and how to engage them in activities that promote reading (singing to baby, playing with baby, etc.). At the same time, their children were occupied. Over 90% of parents said they would practice these skills at home.

• STEAM recognizes the importance of having teachers to whom the students can relate and who have a strong understanding of student culture.

• Eleanor noted that the funding cuts to OACES will have an impact on poor families (parent models the importance of education by attending school themselves). OACES has provided opportunities for parents to earn their required DHS Work Experience hours by working in the school with their child and reading to them as well as working an assignment. RCSD claims that REOC can pick up the slack; however, REOC requires high school equivalencies BEFORE starting most of their programs; many of the people we serve (parolees, supportive living residents, drop-outs etc.) fare better when they are able to immediately start hands-on technical training while also working on their high school equivalencies. It benefits us to serve this portion of the population to promote positive reentry into the community, establish family cohesion and provide children with positive educational role models.

• Recommendation: Connect with libraries to get community feedback - mutually beneficial relationship.

• Bi-weekly on Saturdays, parents must attend sessions to discuss the Integration Matrix; exchange of information is important.

• Recommendation: Culture should be part of the Saturday meetings.

• Recommendation: Be mission-driven. Decide if you want to make an impact on a community by evaluating the community data. STEAM has been obtaining statistics of need for the SW Quadrant, including data from Children’s Institute and comparative school data.

• Other considerations: Low cost, coincide with SPA Programming, healthy living, ”The Games do Count” - STEAM Track Club.

• Middle School Plans - grades 7-8 in 2024; look at career interest, regent exams in Earth Science & Algebra I and a trip to Ghana. Noted: Earth Science has a very poor track record because most teachers do not specialize in it so they do not present the lesson with enthusiasm or interest.

• Recommendation: Biology in the 8th grade vs Earth Science; teacher training for Earth Science is not good and children are turned off to science. Also, if they don’t take Algebra in the 8th grade, they won’t get to Calculus as a HS senior so they’ll end up behind their college counterparts.

• Point: Not feeling good about pulling 108 parents from the RCSD when parent involvement is so needed.

• Recommendation: Read and implement the information in the book “Over-Tested & Under-Prepared - Using Competency-Based learning to Transform Our Schools” by Bob Sornson. In today’s classroom, teacher’s are more focused on students passing the test and not going back to make sure those students who have not taken in the information are scaffolded in. Standardized tests are only used to rate the district and not useful for evaluating what a child needs to learn.

• Location19.org includes lots of information on education: Bob Sorenson’s presentation on his book can be viewed on Location19: Competency Based Learning - Bob Sornson Presentation Video 2016-05-23 . RCSD is looking to implement this in K-3.

Managed Choice Policy Task Force

• The meeting materials can be retrieved on Board Docs under the public site’s meetings tab at https://www.boarddocs.com/ny/rochny/Board.nsf/Public.

It is not obvious but:

Click on the above link then on the Meetings tab.

On the page that appears click on 2016 sub-tab.

Then click the sub-tab that shows Managed Choice Task Force (All Meetings).

Now if you select the main Agenda tab at the top of the page all the meeting we have had appear and you can find all the documents reviewed and Meeting Minutes.

AQE/Metro Justice Update

• Along with other advocates, AQE & Metro Justice has secured $175 million toward community schools because of State underfunding. Governor in favor.

Library news

• Arnett 6/8, 5 p.m. - Job Corps for Teens ages 16-24; admissions counselors will be here

• Adult Coloring book group starts again 6/9 at 4:30 p.m.

• Summer reading flyers available for city branches

• LRNG initiative: Rochester got a grant being led by Rochester Libraries to implement a program aimed at teens based on a “badging” system; online and in-person classes that students can work on (e.g., video editing) where they go through a curriculum and get a badge for it. Library and partners will work with Universities and Colleges to be able to get credit in school; have employers accept the badges as proof of competency in that area.