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Norwalk: BOE Examines Cambridge Report


by turfgrrl


February 25th, 2008 · 9 Comments

Actually, my question is will they fully examine the Cambridge report, since the substantive analysis is really that the central office is adrift, aloof and lacks guidance. That guidance is what the elected BOE is supposed to be providing. But there’s a philosophical split on the BOE. Some entrenched members view the role of the BOE as a giant rubber stamp of approval. Others, more thoughtfully believe that guidelines and metrics of the results of administration policy should drive more guidance and deliberation. Obviously I support the latter movement.

From the Advocate:

At the board’s 7:30 p.m. meeting tomorrow in the Community Room at City Hall, Michael Wasta, Deborah Richards and Warren Logee of the state Department of Education will speak about the report by Cambridge Education, released this month.Norwalk is one of a dozen districts in Connecticut to be assessed by Cambridge, based in the United Kingdom, after failing to make adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind law.

The state Department of Education will work with the district to shrink the achievement gap between white, Asian and well-off students and their minority and disadvantaged peers.In a Feb. 16 report, Superintendent Salvatore Corda wrote that state officials will discuss Norwalk’s report and share how the state will work on improvements. The Cambridge report looked at improvements based on the federal No Child Left Behind Act, not progress over time, Corda wrote.Some student groups improved from 2006 to 2007, but they did not improve quickly enough under the federal law, Corda wrote.“In some ways, having been identified as a district or schools in need of improvement, Cambridge’s judgments were foregone conclusions,” Corda wrote.

School board member Bruce Kimmel has said that board committees should look into the problems raised in the report and take them seriously.Also tomorrow, the board will vote on a change in how students are selected to attend Columbus Magnet School for the next year. The change is in response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June restricting the use of race in assigning children to public schools.

source: Advocate, School board to ponder Cambridge report, By Lisa Chamoff, February 25 2008

Tags: Education · Norwalk

9 Responses so far ↓ “Norwalk: BOE Examines Cambridge Report”



  • 1 Anonymous // Feb 25, 2008 at 6:16 pm

    I did a search for Michael Wasta on the CT State Dept of Education website, but there was no one by that name. Unless the website is out of date or Michael Wasta was hired as a consultant, there is something odd here. I know he was a superintendent in CT, and not that long ago. I hope he is not one of Sal’s buddies.

  • 2 Wake up reminder // Feb 26, 2008 at 5:37 pm

    Corda defends his position.

    Room 300 A 7:30 pm Tuesday February 26th.

    Public is invited to participate.

  • 3 Anonymous // Feb 26, 2008 at 10:12 pm

    Whatever was said at the meeting, just remember that the person who wrote the central office Cambridge Report is someone who was already quite familiar with the central office administration because he had already done work with the district. This is not a person whose information was limited to a visit of only a few days.

    Ask teachers and administrators how often they have seen the central office executive staff in the schools to observe instruction. The answer is: Over seven years, fewer times that the number of fingers I have on one hand. In fact, if I had a couple of fingers amputated, it would still be fewer times than the number of fingers on one hand.

  • 4 Corda Plays Dodge Ball // Feb 26, 2008 at 11:02 pm

    Sitting there smugly, ole Sal seem to project, to the packed meeting, ” Hey, I am doing my best to educate your illiterate children, what do you expect for a measly 200 G’s, a miracle”?

    As usual the board took it hook line and sinker.

    Thank you Sir Sal for giving us a face saving way out.

    The crowd ,of nearly 100, seemed restless at first but an hour into the excuse tirade many were falling asleep listening to the monotone droning on over and over of the message that, “Hey its not our fault your children can not read”.

    After, 90 minutes many began to depart, appearing disgusted at this lame effort to save face.

    Hoped that at least a couple of the elected Board Members would have been stimulated enough to stand up and demonstrate accountability, which was mentioned numerous times both at this meeting and for some time by many, but the opportunity passed without any spine straightening questions and/or statements.

    No just a facade designed specifically to deflect criticisim.

    The same issues that everyone is aware of were reconstituted but no plan of attack was mentioned at all by anyone.

    Any parent that is truly concerned about their child’s education, must sincerely consider moving to a district that takes the job, of preparing the students for higher education, seriously.

    This show is run by egotistic uninformed fools.

    Are we fools also to allow this to continue on and on and on?

    The teachers are screaming for help, our children are being herded out the door with no chance at entering higher educational institutions without first completing two years at a community college obtaining the basic skills they should have received before receiving promotion.

    Nearly 100 parents, teachers and concerned citizens showed up, that’s less than one percent of the student body of 11,080.

    Well its a start, its better than the 2 or 3 that normally attend a BOE meeting.

    Least we are beginning to pay attention, some of us anyway.

    No wonder things are so bad, look who we are putting in these powerful chairs to protect and educate our children.

    They all may have the heart but where is the spirit?

    Do any of the Board members currently have students enrolled?

    How many on the board have degree’s in anything?

    Observing these meetings, scenes from the old program “Lost in Space”,
    keep surfacing.

    Take a look for yourselves, is there not substantial similarities?

    Ya can fool some of the folks most of the time but every once in awhile some folks open their eyes and when they do reach enlightenment, well, it definitely will be get out of Dodge time for the con men.

    Nothing worse than facing an angry mob of ripped off folks, especially when your ripping off their children’s future.

    Accountable?

    Who is accountable, aren’t we all?

    and so it goes……

  • 5 Anonymous // Feb 26, 2008 at 11:46 pm

    “and so it goes” sounds so hopeless. If this community accepts the explanations/excuses of the central office, it deserves what it gets. The emperor has no clothes. Face the facts.

  • 6 Anonymous // Feb 27, 2008 at 2:02 am

    “‘You have 56 district goals in your district improvement plan,” Wasta said. “One of the best school districts in the country, in Norfolk, Virginia, has two.”

    “‘Wasta said the next immediate step is to focus on narrowing the 56 priority strategies in the district improvement plan.

    “‘The problem with most school districts, as in the case with Norwalk, they try to do too much.” Wasta said. “In education, we’re often accused of being an inch deep and a mile wide, which is why our competitors across the world are surpassing us on standardized tests.”

    “We’ll start at the comprehension phase, move to the district phase and then to the building phase,” Wasta said. “It’s going to challenge your patience to stay this course, but we have data that says it works.’”

    Is this due to a lack of leadership by a superintendent and an assistant superintendent who receive HUGE salary and benefit packages?

  • 7 anon // Feb 27, 2008 at 6:55 am

    I was in attendance, and I came away with two very important key points.

    Three few board members targeted teacher morale as an underlying factor in the student achievement equation, and as such, must be recognized and addressed.

    Second, Norwalk needs to scale down its plan of attack, and then pull back and assess the effectiveness of a new program/strategy used. Less is more. Norwalk historically does not wait patiently to see what works and what does not. Patience is the key to success.

    I guess someone will finally take note of what teachers have been saying for years.

  • 8 Anon // Feb 27, 2008 at 6:59 am

    #4, The State did a very good job of explaining the reports, from the State Richards was thorough and Wasta was bottom line and clear, the Board of Ed and Corda didn’t talk that much, it was good. More people might have been there if it had been advertised.

  • 9 Anonymous // Feb 27, 2008 at 11:26 pm

    My only concern was that the presentation might have been an attempt at whitewashing the situation, but the postings here suggest that that was not the case. Good.

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