Admission to Pittsburgh's charters and magnets becomes more difficult... (employment, schools)

[Sideblinded]

I am sorry about Minadeo too. We got lucky and my son got into CAPA but we ended up declining because we moved. It was a long shot, there were very few openings since all the 8th graders were moving on to 9th grade. It helps to have a well behaved smart kid but it usn't a guarantee. At least we made a kid on the waiting list happy!

As far as the union it fell apart. To clarify teachers are put on improvement plans for really random things. (not enough materials hung on walls) Once on an improvement plan they have a very small chance of keeping their jobs. They are being evaluated by non educators. The union is ineffective, and a lot of it is the teacher's fault. Very few voted. The teachers have zero protection, Bill Gates & Eli Broad are running the show. It is a really strange arrangement, and is happening in almost every mid-major city.

Google: How you can tell your school district as been infected by the Broad virus. It was written in Seattle, but could have been written in Pittsburgh.

[Hopes]

Thanks for sharing the links in your past few posts, Sideblinded.

I had no idea this was happening in our country.

I remember when Pittsburgh was awarded money from Gates.

I learned about it here when someone posted it as GOOD NEWS.

It was a 2009 thread:

//www.city-data.com/forum/pitts...lion-city.html

Don't be embarrassed when you see that you posted positively about this.

Gates is good at PR when it comes to charity and causes.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Sideblinded

Once on an improvement plan they have a very small chance of keeping their jobs.

The contract is very long and I didn't read every word, but looking using the index and section headings to find likely areas for such a provision didn't reveal anything. Nor did the searching 'termination', 'retention', 'layoff', or 'fire' reveal anything relevant.

PFT400.ORG

[Sideblinded]

I did believe it was good news, I am not embarrassed. I was really hopeful, I have learned too much since that time.

[Hopes]

I didn't post that because you posted in it. I just remembered reading a thread about it and everyone who posted thought it was good. Even though I didn't post, I thought it was good too. You figured it out sooner than me. I had no idea this was happening until you posted about it in this thread.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Read all about it:

This is far more interesting than the article, which concentrates on Frick ECS (which continues to grow in popularity despite mediocre results).



The statistics here aren't as bad as they look. Since you are supposed to apply for up to three Pittsburgh magnets, and you should not get into more than one, your chances should in theory be pretty high.
.

The idea of lotteries to get into City magnets is a relatively new one.

When I lived in Shadyside in 1994-95, I saw the parents camped out in the Liberty School yard for several days to ensure their offspring a spot in the program

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

The idea of lotteries to get into City magnets is a relatively new one.

When I lived in Shadyside in 1994-95, I saw the parents camped out in the Liberty School yard for several days to ensure their offspring a spot in the program

I think a lot of districts nationwide have gone from that process to lotteries.

Regarding Hopes' three questions, which are good questions:

Is it because there is a higher student population?

Is it because more and more parents are unhappy with their feeder schools?

Is it because more parents are becoming aware of the magnet and charters even though they're happy with their feeder school?

I think it wouldn't be too hard to find the data to answer the first. The other two are more difficult to answer.

[Stijl Council]

Originally Posted by Katiana

I think a lot of districts nationwide have gone from that process to lotteries.

Regarding Hopes' three questions, which are good questions:

Is it because there is a higher student population?

Is it because more and more parents are unhappy with their feeder schools?

Is it because more parents are becoming aware of the magnet and charters even though they're happy with their feeder school?

I think it wouldn't be too hard to find the data to answer the first. The other two are more difficult to answer.

One piece of data against #3 at the elementary level (which is the level that seems relevant here) is that the PPS magnet offerings for younger kids haven't changed a whole lot in the past five years. I think the Mandarin program at Linden is relatively new but that school was already a total magnet, so it must be coming at the expense of the German program. Everything else was there when I was choosing a school almost five years ago.

I wonder how much effect the Pittsburgh Promise is having on enrollment.

[Sideblinded]

According to the Allegheny institute less than stellar enrollment numbers despite the promise.

Pittsburgh Public Schools

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Sideblinded

According to the Allegheny institute less than stellar enrollment numbers despite the promise.

Pittsburgh Public Schools

Uhh...

I've been to that website before, and it's pretty clearly a local libertarian/right-wing think tank, as looking at the board of directors and the other issue pieces on the site show. They offer a biography of Ronald Reagan and Atlas Shrugged at their bookstore for crissakes.

I mean, if that's your thing, it's fine, but it's hardly an impartial group doing the analysis.