Rahway,NJ (Newark, Union, Hoboken: how much, buying, high schools)

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by bmack

I guess our children of Rahway are not doomed.

Bob, I am going to make it my business to call the board of ed. I still would like you to share with me where you obtained your info.

bob quoted his sources - greatschools.net and the NJ School report for the 2005/2006 school year NEW JERSEY SCHOOL REPORT CARD 2005-2006 - the data is not hard to find.

[BrianG]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Well, here's some "facts" for you, from greatschools.net:

- Rahway High Schools rates a 3 on a scale of 1-10 in their ratings- not exactly high on the scale, no?

- HSPA 11th grade test scores of 58% on math and 75% language arts, compared to scores in the 85% to 92% range for nearby Colonia HS and JFK HS in Woodbridge Township

- Even the parents who have posted on the site have only given the school a rating of 3 stars out of five

From the NJ School report for the 2005/2006 school year:

- Hhigh school SAT scores averaged 1324 combined out of 2400 possible, ranking Rahway HS #278 out of 345 high schools in the report.

- Fourth grade proficiency testing in Math- the highest ranking school in the city (Franlin Elementary) was #591 in the list.

- Sixth grade proficiency testing in Language Arts- Rahway Middle School ranked #601 on that list.

I didn't have the time to check the other scores for the other grades/tests, but I'd assume them to be fairly similar to what I've posted.

On the plus side, I hear that Rahway High School's drill team has won a number of state championships lately, so I guess they're focusing on something there- just not on education.

Bob

Bob
You forgot to mention that besides winning a lot of state championships
they are also ranked in the top 10 in the nation the last few years, you also did not mention that the kids on the drill team have to do so many hours of community service throughout the year (toys for tots,foodbank etc etc) Or that they also Run a 1 on 1 mentoring program called Kids & Cadets (1 cadet 1 kid)for special need kids from neighboring town,or the fact that they are at school at 6 am for practice and still have to keep their grades up or they are off the team.
So i guess you are right -The focus is not just on education

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by BrianG

Bob
You forgot to mention that besides winning a lot of state championships
they are also ranked in the top 10 in the nation the last few years, you also did not mention that the kids on the drill team have to do so many hours of community service throughout the year (toys for tots,foodbank etc etc) Or that they also Run a 1 on 1 mentoring program called Kids & Cadets (1 cadet 1 kid)for special need kids from neighboring town,or the fact that they are at school at 6 am for practice and still have to keep their grades up or they are off the team.
So i guess you are right -The focus is not just on education

Brian-

I think the problem is that the focus isn't enough on education. OK, so there are 20, 30, 50 or however many kids on the drill team who are doing all of these things as part of the program- sounds like there's little time left for academics (as evidenced by the poor test results). And what about the rest of the kids who aren't part of the drill team? Maybe if Rahway put as much emphasis on academics as they do on the drill team. performance would improve.

It's like some of the high schools and colleges that focus so much on their basketball and football programs, while academics take a back seat (especially for the players). I'd hate to think that the education of Rahway's kids is suffering because of a focus on the wrong things.

Bob

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by bmack

I guess our children of Rahway are not doomed.

Bob, I am going to make it my business to call the board of ed. I still would like you to share with me where you obtained your info.

Not doomed??? No, they're not "doomed", if you consider just graduating as a measure of success. If you want to go on to a decent college though, that's a different story, as a 906 on the SAT's isn't going to get you there.

And what do you expect the BOE to tell you?

Bob

[kort677]

Originally Posted by BrianG

Bob
You forgot to mention that besides winning a lot of state championships
they are also ranked in the top 10 in the nation the last few years, you also did not mention that the kids on the drill team have to do so many hours of community service throughout the year (toys for tots,foodbank etc etc) Or that they also Run a 1 on 1 mentoring program called Kids & Cadets (1 cadet 1 kid)for special need kids from neighboring town,or the fact that they are at school at 6 am for practice and still have to keep their grades up or they are off the team.
So i guess you are right -The focus is not just on education

with the test scores they get, maybe they should focus less on flag twirling and more in the classroom work, maybe a little less community service and more self serving is in order. those numbers stink

[BrianG]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Brian-

I think the problem is that the focus isn't enough on education. OK, so there are 20, 30, 50 or however many kids on the drill team who are doing all of these things as part of the program- sounds like there's little time left for academics (as evidenced by the poor test results). And what about the rest of the kids who aren't part of the drill team? Maybe if Rahway put as much emphasis on academics as they do on the drill team. performance would improve.

It's like some of the high schools and colleges that focus so much on their basketball and football programs, while academics take a back seat (especially for the players). I'd hate to think that the education of Rahway's kids is suffering because of a focus on the wrong things.

Bob

Bob

Don't get me wrong, I agree with you that the schools are in need of improvement

I just wanted you to know what the kids put themselves through to be on the drill team and still do good in school.
The school does not focus on them
The credit for that goes to the Sgt Major and Master Sgt
(we owe Woodbridge 1 Because that is where the Sgt Major lives)
The budget and exposure they get from the school is practically nothing compared to schools from Texas and other states ,so any competition they go to they have to raise the money to pay for the trip
You would be surprised at the number of people from Rahway
that have no idea that team even exist.
Some of them do it because that is the only way for them to get scholarships
Some do it to have Pride and respect for themselves
Pride in their team
But they all Learn to respect and help others
Imo this is one program they should focus more on
instead of the sports that give nothing back to the community
If you ever get a chance to see a drill competition i think you would really enjoy it,But stay away from the inspection room (that reminded me to much of boot camp)


Again i think we are in agreement on the schools and i hope we can agree on the drill team

Brian

[BrianG]

Originally Posted by kort677

with the test scores they get, maybe they should focus less on flag twirling and more in the classroom work, maybe a little less community service and more self serving is in order. those numbers stink

Its 10 pound Rifles on drill team
Flags are for the Band
Believe it or not those kids are not the ones getting the low scores

[kort677]

Originally Posted by BrianG

Its 10 pound Rifles on drill team
Flags are for the Band
Believe it or not those kids are not the ones getting the low scores

but overall the school is near the bottom of rankings for the whole state, as other and I have stated, instead of focusing on this extracurricular activity, the school focused on teaching ALL the children, maybe the scores would get better and maybe kids wouldn't graduate as functional illiterates

[BrianG]

Originally Posted by kort677

but overall the school is near the bottom of rankings for the whole state, as other and I have stated, instead of focusing on this extracurricular activity, the school focused on teaching ALL the children, maybe the scores would get better and maybe kids wouldn't graduate as functional illiterates

Kort
Please read my last post to Bob

I agree the schools need improvement but
it is not because the school focus is on the drill team

[gonz]

I gotta be honest and say that Rahway is a great town. We moved here 7 years ago from Northern New Jersey. And by the way for all of you unknowing people, the prison is actually in Woodbridge township not Rahway. The only reason it's called Rahway is because back when it was built the closest Post Office was Rahway's and so that is why it is called that. For years, I had no idea it even existed. Like any other town there are great areas and not so good areas and this has the same.

Rahway is in a great location where it is not only accessible via Routes 1 & 9, but also the Garden State Parkway, NJ Turnpike and it also has a train station that puts you right into Newark or New York (right under Madison Square Garden). It's also about 1/2 hour cars ride to the Jersey shore or you can always take the train. Rahway has also more recently been written up in the NY Times and various local papers for it's revival and is currently being touted as the next Hoboken. There is a wonderful park with a lake and other activities, great shopping and many tree line streets. As for children, there are many recreational sport activities and let's not forget the Rahway Arts Guild and Union County Arts Center, Senior Center, Rec Center, brand new Library and continuous updates to Downtown Rahway.

Here in Rahway neighbors know each other by name and watch out for one another's children. I've lived in many areas growing up in New Jersey and New York and I can't say that about any other township or city.