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Sunday, September 27, 2015

NYC Public School Parents: Notes from Grover Cleveland HS receivership hearing and the Chancellor's "Framework for Great Schools"

NYC Public School Parents: Notes from Grover Cleveland HS receivership hearing and the Chancellor's "Framework for Great Schools":

Notes from Grover Cleveland HS receivership hearing and the Chancellor's "Framework for Great Schools"




There were about fifty people in the audience for the Grover Cleveland High School receivership hearings yesterday -- not great for a school that enrolls nearly 2,000 students, but not terrible considering it was a beautiful Saturday morning and the hearing announcement was made just a few days before.

I entered the auditorium at about 10:20 AM, as someone from the DOE whose name I didn’t catch was wrapping up a brief presentation about Receivership schools, saying that the administration was still considering whether and how “receivership schools will get Renewal [school] type supports and funding.”
Principal Denise Vittor followed with a power point presentation about how the school was improving its graduation rate and attendance – the two data points that apparently had placed it on the state list of “struggling schools” for possible Receivership. 

The four-year June graduation rate last year rose to 60.7% compared to 53% in 2012-13; the August four-year rate is 62.5% compared to 60.2% two years before.  If only those students eligible for a regular diploma were counted, its four year rate was up to 63.9%.   Apparently 2.2% of the students are severely disabled, and according to the principal, only “eligible” for the alternate credentials of the SACC (Skills and Achievement Commencement Credential) or the CDOS (Career Development and Occupational Studies Commencement Credential.) The six year graduation rate increased to 69.5%, and attendance at 82.5% last year, compared to 78% in 2012-13.
She then went on to describe various programs the schools had instituted, including “Common Core aligned curriculum units,” AP courses, a Saturday academy, Afterschool Expanded Learning Time, blended learning and CTE programs. The one new program for this year is NYC Public School Parents: Notes from Grover Cleveland HS receivership hearing and the Chancellor's "Framework for Great Schools":