One of the most amazing things about Allentown is that the population, despite the problems, has remained about the same since 1928. That was the year Allentown celebrated reaching 100,000. Today, we are about 106.000. Although the numbers stayed the same, the demographics have changed drastically. We are now officially a minority city. When I grew up, there was a saying, If you ain't Dutch, you ain't much. How's that for political correctness? Today, if you want to see a Pennsylvania Dutchman, you have to look at the picture on a bag of pretzels.
During my school years, a delinquent was a kid smoking a cigarette in the alley. Today, we have machete attacks, and parents beating someone else's kid in a classroom. In this environment, should we be concerned about math scores in Singapore? There is a disconnect between the discipline problems and the preoccupation for better scores on the standardized tests; Increasing civility is much more important. If we could get that math score up, will the public overlook the machete attack? We'll build a new school next to Jackson Elementary, move the students, and put the machete attackers in the old Jackson. Then, we'll take the real achievers and put them in an academy of excellence. Let's hope not too many parents insist that their child belongs in the academy. Let's hope that the prison school works out. We all agree that all the students are a precious commodity. What we really need is safe classrooms, conducive to learning. We need supervised streets, conducive for getting to and from school safely. Isn't it interesting that a child can leave Central Catholic at 4th and Chew, and be safer than a child leaving William Allen at 17th and Chew?
The photograph, from the late 1940's, shows a kindergarden class before Lehigh Parkway Elementary School was completed. One of the twin houses served both as the neighborhood school and church.
above reprinted from December 22, 2010
ADDENDUM APRIL 4, 2023: Over a decade has passed since I wrote the above post. We been through half a dozen new superintendents, still thinking that somehow that change will make the magic difference. We still have many dedicated teachers, and those students motivated to learn will do so, despite the distractions.
New schools, computers and new learning Technics that cost millions will not take the place of a stable disciplined home life. Children disciplined at home will be generally be self disciplined better students.
ReplyDeleteSadly there are no government funded avenues to improve education results. it would take decades and there is no effort to focus on stable loving families. In fact, most government initiatives are still undermining families, faith and social cohesion.
Sadly it appears it will get worse before there is any chance it will get better..
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ReplyDeleteWhy would a family really want to move to Allentown? Especially mid-career executives with middle and high school children. If Turek would be more concerned with making Allentown a better place to live, he would do something about the crime and also the ASD. But he has other issues on his agenda. Ones that drive people out of the city instead of attracting talent. All one has to do is look at how the ASD ranks compared with other districts in Pennsylvania, it drives away talented individuals as who would want to send their kids to it ?
ReplyDeleteI will repeat my observation. As a now retired ASD teacher, maybe the biggest problem Allentown faces is transiency. It is attempting to educate young people whose lives are not stable.
ReplyDeleteThe problem stems from an over abundance of lower priced rental units, homes converted from single family dwelling units into multi-family units. Many of these new residents are struggling, low wage, and largely single parent homes.
Kids enroll / dis-enroll constantly throughout the school year. Rosters at the end of the school year can be far different from the start of the year. On top of that, kids come in from far-reaching states and nations, each with its own standards of instruction and success. Some kids have trouble with the English language, others do not get enough sleep, food, and medical care. They might not understand the benefit of rules, or maybe, they use their poor behaviors to strike back at their unpleasant life situation. Such kids have social adjustment problems, etc.,etc.
There is not enough stability in ASD. Many of the kids do not buy-in to having success HERE because soon, they will be living over, or back, THERE. The ‘handicapped learning cycle’ continues.
The issue of transiency is a very real problem but one that could be addressed by capable leadership. The fact that current leadership of both city government and the ASD has failed to address it and find real solutions on this problems, and many others, makes my point the voters who routinely put incapable people into public office are the city's paramount problem.
Deleteanon@11:50: Although it is my preference to not comment on my posts....
ReplyDeleteYou write "an over abundance of lower priced rental units". That's interesting, because there is a chorus in Allentown asking for more "affordable housing". I agree with you that there is no shortage of affordable housing, and more would be counterproductive. The converted row houses are here to stay, and were actually an asset during the 60's and 70's, keeping Hamilton Street viable for another two decades. You as a former teacher, and myself as a former property manager, agree on the transiency issue. I think that situation must be accepted as a reality, and the curriculum geared toward that reality. To change that reality would be a sociological transformation, beyond the scope of any school agenda. Such urban schools will not produce the 'scores' of the more stable suburban neighborhoods. However, motivated kids will still find a way to learn, even if their parents move several times during the year.
Four ideas for ASD
ReplyDelete1. Disband the district and give each family a check for each child so that they can attend trade school (plumbing, CDL, carpentry, electrician, law enforcement, building code official, ROTC etc.) charter schools, parochial schools or other private schools.
2. Merge ASD into the other public schools in central and southern Lehigh County.
3. Ditch the property tax and instead assign a per dwelling unit public education assessment. Therefore a single family dwelling pays 1 fee and a 12 unit apartment building pays 12 fees.
4. Promptly lower or eliminate the ASD portion of the property tax bill to owners of single family dwellings who put almost no kids into ASD and are being forced to overpay now.
It might cause a lot of sadness to ASD alumni and other ASD supporters, but what Allentown and ASD was...is over. The school district doesn't work.. Allentown is a new place now with new people and the old model of ASD simply doesn't work for anyone.
Mike, I have said for several years now the district cannot be saved from the inside it must be taken over by an outside entity/the state, if it is to have any hope. That has not happened and the district has continued to decline and the leadership increasingly displays dysfunctional behavior. As I have written many time before this is the leadership the voters of Allentown have elected and re-elected. The voters either by choice or ignorance have become hope's worst enemy. Good people who would make excellent school directors see this and ask, why run only to be abused then lose. Who can blame them? Can Allentown or the ASD be saved? Only by a huge infusion of outsiders who have a clue. Way too few here currently do.
ReplyDeleteMr. Molovinsky, this is 11:50. Thank you for acknowledging the problem of transiency. Correct, simply moving often is not, in itself, the major problem. Motivated kids with strong parental support will handle frequent moves well, particularly if their reading/writing skills are at grade level. If this applies, they are more likely to persevere in a learning quest.
ReplyDeleteAlso correct, it is totally unfair to expect ASD scores to match many other, more stable districts. But, we SHOULD expect ASD to improve each child’s progress to better performance. To me, it was always the amount of increase in personal performance that counted more than simply the end of course/year letter grade according to some impersonal standardized metric that applies to some ‘standard’ student. There are NO standard students. Each brings his/her own unique ‘raw material’ to the workshop.
I sense I will be leaving soon. As I go I will make a stop at the mayor's house to salute him with my middle finger. I think everyone on city council, the mayors cronies, and all the "mover's and shaker's" of this city should view the movie Idiocracy to see what they and their city have become. The metaphors are spot on. Watering the crops with sport drinks (crops are being watered with Brawndo, a sports drink produced by a company that also owns the FDA, FCC, and USDA in the movie.) is akin to the citizens of Allentown paying taxes to support ASD. Affordable housing? There is not such thing as affordable housing. Imagine living in The Hive. The call comes out to "Shelter in Place" and you find your door has been electronically locked with windows and exit doors that are unbreachable. Oh yes. The best is yet to come.
ReplyDeleteASD has become a joke. The school board is another joke, as one member admits to not knowing what she was voting on. Kids are not from stable homes and most students don't have anyone who is really monitoring their progress or lack of it. There is a serious lack of modeling of responsible adults who encourage not just punish- except for teachers. Attend any parent's night at any city school and see what you see. The kids are on their own at home. Years ago I would have bristled at the idea of a state take over. Now I agree, both administration and board need to go.
ReplyDelete