Admission to Pittsburgh's charters and magnets becomes more difficult... (Fox Chapel: chapel, magnet school)

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by wpipkins

I am a strong proponent of city schools as well. I along with my 3 siblings graduated from city schools (CAPA and Taylor Allderdice) as well. I have two children that attend PPS magnet programs. I cannot say that my cousins that grew up in the suburbs turned out any better than my siblings and I. My sister is an RN studying to be a PA, My baby sister is a analyst for a major financial institution, My older brother is a artist and art teacher in NC, I am a project manager living in the city. As PPS students, we were exposed to different cultures and attended school with children from all demographics. I have no regrets living and sending my kids to PPS. Failure for my children is not an option.....

I'm glad you posted. It's important to hear from parents who have school aged children. Would you feel the same way if magnets weren't available? What about if you weren't in a good feeder neighborhood?

[wpipkins]

Originally Posted by Hopes

I'm glad you posted. It's important to hear from parents who have school aged children. Would you feel the same way if magnets weren't available? What about if you weren't in a good feeder neighborhood?

Im not in a good feeder program. All of the middle class children in my neighborhood attend either private, charter, or PPS magnet programs. The only children that attend the feeder schools are for the most part disadvantaged. Magnet schools have been in existance for my entire life. Its all that I know. If this was not an option, I would probably live in Plum or Export....

There are quite a few inner city kids that have either partial or full scholarships to area private schools like Shadyside Academy and Winchester Thurston.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by wpipkins

Im not in a good feeder program. All of the middle class children in my neighborhood attend either private, charter, or PPS magnet programs. The only children that attend the feeder schools are for the most part disadvantaged. Magnet schools have been in existance for my entire life. Its all that I know. If this was not an option, I would probably live in Plum or Export....

There are quite a few inner city kids that have either partial or full scholarships to area private schools like Shadyside Academy and Winchester Thurston.

Since the OP article says it's getting more difficult to get into the charters and magnets, it sounds like this could be a problem for middle class families that can't afford a private school if their children don't qualify for scholarships, and they'll likely leave the city if their only option is the feeder schools.

[Sideblinded]

PPS is not the PPS or even a shadow of the PPS you knew in the 80's or 90's. The lack of disipline on every level is confusing and dangerous. Elementary schools are indeed unsafe for so many reasons. Try to learn in a loud disruptive classroom. There are virtually no consequences. Teachers get written up (later fired) for taking disruptive swearing children to the principal's office because they were not able to control their classroom. Try teaching 28 3rd graders and 1/3 of them do not behave. Top it off with PPS teachers are REQUIRED to teach off a prepared script every single day. This is 100% true with CAPA and a few magnet schools as the exception for certain classes. Thank you Bill Gates?

Do research, it will make your head spin.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Sideblinded

Teachers get written up (later fired) for taking disruptive swearing children to the principal's office because they were not able to control their classroom.

Could you provide a citation for that. I was under the impression that it was extremely difficult to remove a teacher for performance and that layoffs were handled strictly by seniority rules. I googled the news up and down and couldn't find a single case of a teacher fired for a cause that didn't involve actions that resulted in criminal charges being filed against the teacher.

[scrapp]

Originally Posted by Sideblinded

The lack of disipline on every level is confusing and dangerous. Elementary schools are indeed unsafe for so many reasons.

Maybe that's true in your neck of the woods, but I've had kids at Colfax for the past six years, and I don't consider it "unsafe"... I don't find your statement creditable.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by scrapp

Maybe that's true in your neck of the woods, but I've had kids at Colfax for the past six years, and I don't consider it "unsafe"... I don't find your statement creditable.

Most of the other elementary schools are not in a good neighborhood feeder like Colfax.

[Stijl Council]

Originally Posted by scrapp

Maybe that's true in your neck of the woods, but I've had kids at Colfax for the past six years, and I don't consider it "unsafe"... I don't find your statement creditable.

Sideblinded had kids at Minadeo before pulling them out, IIRC -- if that's the case it's really not a different neck of the woods. (I live in the Minadeo feeder zone, so I tend to notice when people mention that.)

Looking at the A-Plus Schools report, Minadeo and Colfax apparently had very similar numbers of disciplinary actions for violence, weapons, and controlled substances (between 5 and 6 per 100 students), so on the surface that looks about equal. Minadeo is just about at the mean for K-5s in PPS but well above the median (most K-5s have two or fewer, but a few have 10+), while Colfax is below the mean and median for K-8s. It's also reasonable to assume that more of those incidents at Colfax involve middle school-aged kids, so it really might be a much safer climate at the K-5 level.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Stijl Council

(I live in the Minadeo feeder zone, so I tend to notice when people mention that.)

They switched principals, I've heard in direct response to complaints like that. I haven't heard about the new one.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

They switched principals, I've heard in direct response to complaints like that. I haven't heard about the new one.

It must have been bad if families were leaving and the district switched principals. Wonder why they don't do the same thing at the other elementary schools that have serious discipline problems. Probably because those parents earn less money, don't make a fuss, and aren't leaving the city.