tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post7106740983305469868..comments2024-01-08T03:21:35.616-05:00Comments on DeKalb County School Watch: The school of discordCerebrationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-5480408364367377802009-10-27T23:44:59.359-04:002009-10-27T23:44:59.359-04:00Just to close the loop on this (hopefully), Mundo ...Just to close the loop on this (hopefully), Mundo Hispanico did interview Principal Stephens and mostly climbed down from the tree they ran up:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mundohispanico.com/dinero/content/comunidad/articulos/2009/10/01/100109_articulo5.html" rel="nofollow">Director rechaza denuncias<br />Funcionarios del Sistema Escolar del de DeKalb desacreditaron quejas sobre conducta del director de la primaria Woodward.</a><br />(Principal rejects allegations -<br />Officials from the DeKalb School System discredited complaints about the conduct of the principal of Woodward Elementary.<br /><br />It has been over 25 years since I would claim any fluency in Spanish. However, I can still read it well enough to notice there is no more discussion of conspiracy by a black teacher and the black principal to abuse latino children. Here is my (sarcastic) summary:<br /><br /><i>MundoHispanico</i>: Is it true that you hate latinos?<br /><i>Stephens</i>: No.<br /><i>MundoHispanico</i>: Is it true that you told the faculty you were surprised by the number of latinos at Woodward? [even though you worked there for the 2 years prior in instructional support)<br /><i>Stephens</i>: No.<br /><i>MundoHispanico</i>: Is it true that you make parents stand in line in the blistering Georgia sun and the freezing rain and refuse to let them pick-up their kids?<br /><i>Stephens</i>: No.<br /><i>MundoHispanico</i>: Is it true that you are an African-American?<br /><i>Stephens</i>: Um. Yes.<br /><i>MundoHispanico</i>: Ms. Nunez, is true that you do not provide certified translators to help the Latino families at Woodward?<br /><i>Nunez</i>: That is true. The State does not require certified translators. Woodward has professional translators available continuously.<br /><i>MundoHispanico</i>: Are you saying you don't withhold service from and discriminate against latinos?<br /><i>Nunez</i>: That is what I'm saying. I am latina and want the best education for all of our children.<br /><br />These two scoundrels are insidious and must be stopped.Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-26573491557639842312009-09-22T20:32:06.098-04:002009-09-22T20:32:06.098-04:00Thank you, Anon 8:22. That's sort of what I wa...Thank you, Anon 8:22. That's sort of what I was thinking, but I wasn't sure. The few teachers who have them at DHHS are using the h&ll out of them.<br /><br />You're right about the technology being far behind. My dd took the required technology credit last year and she and her buds were pretty bored - they were doing more stuff at home than they did in class.<br /><br />The tech-savvy teachers are really helping, though. My daughter's history teacher sent out the outline notes for the recent unit as a Google docs document, and the kids are collectively editing it to make a comprehensive study guide.Dekalbparenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16376422781260452873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-69776808448154919212009-09-22T20:02:08.463-04:002009-09-22T20:02:08.463-04:00Response to dekalbparent re: Promethean or interac...Response to dekalbparent re: Promethean or interactive white boards. No, not all middle or high schools have Promethean boards. In fact, most of the older schools have very few. DCSS IT (Tony Hunter) told me that the boards are installed in all new schools.<br /><br />Yet another inequity and a very important one based on the math teachers I have met who are struggling to teach the new GPS math.<br /><br /><br />The technology in the older schools like DHHS, LHS and CCHS is woefully behind the rest of the metro area.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-29442633608125197992009-09-21T12:50:14.274-04:002009-09-21T12:50:14.274-04:00I do see it and it is a point well-made. However, ...I do see it and it is a point well-made. However, the accusation here is that a teacher actually physically abuses small children in their classroom. To me, that's not a call from Ramsey it's a call from the District Attorney's office on criminal charges.Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-84062259224770078992009-09-21T12:40:18.352-04:002009-09-21T12:40:18.352-04:00There are plenty more shoes awaiting the drop -- t...There are plenty more shoes awaiting the drop -- they just may not be where you expect them! I also know what you mean - I've been misquoted often by reporters - or something I've said has been somehow edited to sound other than how it was meant. I don't think it's done purposely - I think they just rush to press and don't have a methodical work ethic. However, this article posted accusations of discrimination which should at least be seriously investigated. <br /><br />Is Ron Ramsey in his office these days? I don't think the GA Assembly is needing him at the moment, so he may actually do his DCSS job and investigate this. Or maybe they'll extend Crack Investigator Judge Moore's $325/hour contract so that she can proclaim "no evidence of discrimination in DeKalb schools". <br /><br />See what I mean about the trust factor?Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-38731226563514248792009-09-21T12:32:28.115-04:002009-09-21T12:32:28.115-04:00I understand the mistrust of the DCSS leadership b...I understand the mistrust of the DCSS leadership but I don't see any reason to put any more trust in media outlets. My own local paper in one issue attributed an extra child to me that I don't have and changed the gender of one of my neighbor's children.<br /><br />When it comes to protecting children, I take information and mis-information very seriously. Hopefully, the reporter has more information to back up what was published. Waiting for the other shoe to drop ...Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-59318555629712766982009-09-21T12:28:19.478-04:002009-09-21T12:28:19.478-04:00They are the subject of a big anniversary celebrat...They are the subject of a big anniversary celebration as we speak:<br /><br /><a href="http://atlanta.daybooknetwork.com/story/2009/09/03/24132throughthelens.shtml" rel="nofollow">Through the Lens of MundoHispanico</a><br /><br />A very powerful media outlet should use its power carefully. I hope they are wrong about Mr. Stephens and the alleged abuse of children at Woodward. I don't want to believe that kind of thing could be going on in my neighborhood elementary.<br /><br />If they are false allegations, shame on MundoHispanico for publishing what may turn out to be a simple "hit job."Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-19730826053714070422009-09-21T12:25:52.094-04:002009-09-21T12:25:52.094-04:00You're correct, Kim. I would hope that any ne...You're correct, Kim. I would hope that any newspaper would have sources and back-ups to their sources before going to press with accusations. That said, we must remember that we are also dealing with a school system leader who asked all 13,000 employees to write a letter of support to a principal who cheated on the CRCTs. There is a major trust issue between the school administration and the community. In fact, it alone is the reason this blog exists.Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-82751850098496152242009-09-21T12:21:48.694-04:002009-09-21T12:21:48.694-04:00All the more reason to be concerned about the seri...All the more reason to be concerned about the seriousness of the accusations made anonymously. I'm surprised they published it without more digging. Very serious allegations should be researched and substantiated before being published ... otherwise, it simply spreading slander and rumor.Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-9558304453585228152009-09-21T12:03:11.287-04:002009-09-21T12:03:11.287-04:00It's not like MundoHispanico is some fly by ni...It's not like MundoHispanico is some fly by night newspaper.<br /><br />MundoHispanico is owned by the <br />Atlanta Journal Constitution/Cox Enterprises.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-32271353273609338252009-09-20T23:28:26.875-04:002009-09-20T23:28:26.875-04:00Question to all: Do any of the high schools or mi...Question to all: Do any of the high schools or middle schools have Promethian (or any other brand of interactive white boards)boards in every classroom?Dekalbparenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16376422781260452873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-30702531267256294722009-09-20T21:58:43.782-04:002009-09-20T21:58:43.782-04:00Still waiting to see if there are any subpoenas is...Still waiting to see if there are any subpoenas issued based on this MundoHispanico article ... seriously! Reporting that there's a black teacher there who abuses the Latino children and that the black principal covers it up is rather inflammatory don't you think? The more I look for the problems reported in this piece the more ethereal they seem and the less credibility has the paper.<br /><br />On a more positive note, in the Brookhaven Reporter this past week I found this coverage on Cousteau's visit to Dunwoody Elementary and Principal Stephens of Woodward ES has a bit to say. Here's the link and an excerpt (we have Promethean Boards now!):<br /><br /><a href="http://brookhaven.reporternewspapers.net/Articles-c-2009-09-17-166781.113118_Message_to_students_Study_your_world.html" rel="nofollow">Message to students: Study your world</a><br /><br />"That's the goal of Discovery Education, a package of interactive and cross-curricular media designed for the classroom. With subscription access, teachers can download over 60,000 film clips and 120,000 other forms of media. The tools are designed to carry a lesson across multiple subject areas, and are all aligned to Georgia Performance Standards.<br /><br />Woodward Elementary principal Reginald Stephens is very familiar with Discovery Education, which was heavily utilized at Shadow Rock Elementary, where he was assistant principal last year.<br /><br />"The students love it. It really gives them another insight, especially with the Science connection," he said. But, he adds, it's just one of many tools in the arsenal at his school. With their recent renovation, "smart" Promethean boards were installed in every finished classroom. The boards enable teachers and students to add, delete, enlarge and move elements to their work, project content from a computer and save board work to files.<br /><br />Woodward school has a computer lab as well as a laptop cart that teachers can check for their classrooms. Woodward media specialist Judy Marsh, he adds, is an expert at multi media and uses it with every class she teaches – even for reading stories.<br /><br />"The good thing about education today," Stephens said, "is you don't have any choice but to embrace technology in the classroom."<br /><br />Kelli Harris-Wright, DeKalb County Schools' Director of Elementary Teaching and Learning wants teachers to use Discovery Education in every elementary school. Wright, who participated in a week-long Discovery Education national training institute last summer, plans to ask the DeKalb Board of Education to allocate funds for a subscription for Discovery Education Science for the elementary schools."Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-71515880829499545732009-09-16T20:55:33.188-04:002009-09-16T20:55:33.188-04:00Kim, I agree saftey of our children must always co...Kim, I agree saftey of our children must always come first. It sounds like a communication problem to me. Simple communication between the school and the parents.Ella Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08004885232852482737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-24909686288606067962009-09-16T20:15:42.545-04:002009-09-16T20:15:42.545-04:00@Anon: "Throwing out the safety card is too e...@Anon: "Throwing out the safety card is too easy."<br /><br />So what other motivation would you ascribe to the enforcement of the policy? I can't imagine any value other than safety but I may be challenged in that department.Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-27107024149644914142009-09-16T19:50:33.288-04:002009-09-16T19:50:33.288-04:00My elem school allows parents in during the mornin...My elem school allows parents in during the morning. There are multiple staff members present in and around the school entrance, and it works out smoothly and efficiently. Throwing out the safety card is too easy. And at most DCSS elem schools, parents aren't made to sign in each morning to bring their little ones to the classroom, whether pre-K, kindergarten, or 1st.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-85082057845244547532009-09-16T15:06:08.136-04:002009-09-16T15:06:08.136-04:00The policies Kim describes in his post at 11:10 ar...The policies Kim describes in his post at 11:10 are the same ones that have always been in place in elementary schools my kids attended and the ones I worked in.<br /><br />I have always been required to sign in whenever I went into a building for any purpose and I am glad of it. The safety of the kids is of the utmost importance.Dekalbparenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16376422781260452873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-4561715524910670192009-09-16T11:32:52.701-04:002009-09-16T11:32:52.701-04:00"They need a PTA leader and an interpreter to..."They need a PTA leader and an interpreter to smooth out these rough edges and begin again."<br /><br />Right. However, both Cross Keys and Woodward have had a very unsuccessful recent history with PTA ... as in, neither has been able to get parents to lead. I know I sound increasingly like a one-trick pony but to me this goes back to the isolating boundaries of the zones - this truly is a fundamental problem that I have little hope of DCSS addressing. With all the tough talk about school closings and re-districting, I don't see the spine stiffing needed to address our particular situation. It would take unprecedented courage to tackle these decades old mistakes.<br /><br />In the meantime, the kids suffer ...Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-81845163103707167202009-09-16T11:10:23.034-04:002009-09-16T11:10:23.034-04:00I have some more details on the subjects in this a...I have some more details on the subjects in this article today. According to a highly placed source in the school, a series of standard policies and procedures were implemented by Mr. Stephens this year.<br /><br />These included a mandatory sign-in policy for all visitors, including parents. No one is allowed to enter the school without first signing in as a visitor at the front office. All other entrances remained locked to the outside. This is surprising to me only because I would have assumed this was the policy at all DCSS schools.<br /><br />Regarding pick-up and drop-off procedures: The Pre-K crowd still goes to the rooms to pick-up their kids but only after signing in at the office. The K and 1st grade each have a designated exit to which they are escorted by faculty and staff to meet their parents. 2nd-5th graders are escorted to a third door to meet up with their parents.<br /><br />These procedures were created, documented in a bi-lingual parent's handbook distributed to each parent, and are now being enforced by Mr. Stephens and staff.<br /><br />Regarding allegations of abuse of students, my source says there have been no complaints of any such mis-treatment of children and that any reports would lead to swift action to investigate.<br /><br />In short, I very much get the impression that there is little substance to the article published. There may be parents who disagree with the policies on school and child access and there may be parents who have misunderstood the motivation behind the policies. My impression from my sources is that these policies would have been put in place by Mr. Stephens if the children were from the moon and there's no bigotry involved but simply security of the school.<br /><br />Personally, I'm surprised that there was any other policy prior to Mr. Stephens. I will be speaking to faculty members in the coming days and will try to get their take on these allegations.Kim Gokcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01855554437157990110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-63212676445364112852009-09-16T09:20:22.791-04:002009-09-16T09:20:22.791-04:00http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/administration/interna...http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/administration/internalaffairs/<br /><br />Objectives <br />Monitor compliance with state and federal regulations and the DeKalb County School Board Policies prohibiting sexual harassment and discrimination.<br /><br />---<br /><br />One could argue there is discrimination against Latino students is DCSS. But that would be embarassing to Crawford, so there is no chance of Ron ever going down that road.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-87365558349008437722009-09-16T09:17:32.007-04:002009-09-16T09:17:32.007-04:00There were six people in Ron Ramsey's DCSS Int...There were six people in Ron Ramsey's DCSS Internal Affairs Office. Now, they're up to seven.<br />Ron spends a good chunk of the year as a state senator at the Gold Dome. Out of all the numerous administrators in DCSS, he's arguably the most unproductive. It's shameful he's making a huge salary with great benefits. We have a few thousand non-resident children in our schools costing us millions to educate.<br /><br />But he's part of the Crawford Lewis inner circle, so he's untouchable.<br /><br /><br />http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/administration/internalaffairs/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-75980855409710099122009-09-15T23:13:32.239-04:002009-09-15T23:13:32.239-04:00"How much faith should I put into the bias of..."How much faith should I put into the bias of internal affairs?"<br /><br />Absolutely none, in my opinion.Cerebrationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11161868015604029471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-22134606967815626202009-09-15T23:08:01.000-04:002009-09-15T23:08:01.000-04:00How much faith should I put into the bias of inter...How much faith should I put into the bias of internal affairs? Did anyone see dcss in the news regarding the frankie calloway resignation? I heard it had something to do with trying to force a teacher to change a grade.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-88805671097920282252009-09-15T06:40:52.150-04:002009-09-15T06:40:52.150-04:00Dr. Silbers was moved to Montgomery because the pa...Dr. Silbers was moved to Montgomery because the parents at Nancy Creek wanter her. Dr. Lewis was trying to quell the anger over the closing of Nancy Creek. <br /><br />I think she needs to be moved. It is a wasted resource. Not only do I think she ought to be at a school with Hispanic students, she is good at "turning around" schools, something not needed at MES nearly as much as many DCSS schools.themommyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01829171693817032539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-7621234055523859702009-09-15T01:12:42.932-04:002009-09-15T01:12:42.932-04:00On principal training -- I learned recently that u...On principal training -- I learned recently that under Dr.Hollford, they (new principals and folks that wanted to be principal) had monthly meetings where they were actually trained. The met with someone (one of those higher ups at the county level) each and every month and worked through a chapter of a two volume (or more) manual on how to be a principal -- staffing, budgetting, hiring/firing, etc. Further, under Dr. Hollford, principals were left at their jobs for more than 2 or 3 years so that they could become good at what they did. We've lost both of those components since Dr. Brown and Dr. Lewis. I don't think we could name more than 6 schools with a principal who has been there more than 5 years and the monhtly training sessions were suspended under Dr. Brown and were never reinstated. The county has never been the same.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151096942903989101.post-70995421206202939782009-09-15T01:11:48.526-04:002009-09-15T01:11:48.526-04:00On principal training -- I learned recently that u...On principal training -- I learned recently that under Dr.Hollford, they (new principals and folks that wanted to be principal) had monthly meetings where they were actually trained. The met with someone (one of those higher ups at the county level) each and every month and worked through a chapter of a two volume (or more) manual on how to be a principal -- staffing, budgetting, hiring/firing, etc. Further, under Dr. Hollford, principals were left at their jobs for more than 2 or 3 years so that they could become good at what they did. We've lost both of those components since Dr. Brown and Dr. Lewis. I don't think we could name more than 6 schools with a principal who has been there more than 5 years and the monhtly training sessions were suspended under Dr. Brown and were never reinstated. The county has never been the same.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com