Thanks to all for a very successful benefit screening of THE BORROWERS. More than a thousand dollars was raised at two showings this January, and the film -- courtesy of Polygram films -- was warmly received.

Two special pleasures: free tickets were given out through the Nyack Center, HeadStart of Rockland, and the Central Nyack Recreation Center and PIE T-shirts went on sale for the first time. (There are still a few smalls and mediums if you hurry.)

The benefit money will go to PIE mini-grants supporting innovative teacher, parent, community collaborations. PIE has, for example, already approved a study of the Upper Nyack creek by a 9th grade science class. The study will include parents, property owners, students and teachers.

Again, thanks for your donations!

NYACK NEEDS AN ALTERNATIVE

The Governor is right that we need to explore new ground, and analysts say there’s a good chance that his Charter School law will pass the legislature this year.

But where the concept of charter schools gets scary is in taking education out of the public sector. Many critics see the Governor’s proposal as leading to a series of what amount to private schools, designed for the privileged but funded by the general public. If we are going to avoid this, we have to act soon.

Nyack needs an alternative approach to teaching and learning at all levels.

In elementary school, the district isn’t teaching all children their basics [see the article on reading]. Some kids need an individualized, multi-sensory, intense approach that the present system can’t deliver.

In middle school, not all 11 and 12 year olds are ready for 43 minute periods and constantly changing teachers a la high school. Some need the support of a homeroom teacher who sees them regularly, knows them well, and can help them through the adolescent transition.

In high school, students need the intellectual stimulation of working on long-term, interdisciplinary projects. They need to see, on a regular basis, how their skills work in the real world before making decisions about college and career.

As parents, we know that the present system, as the Governor says, often stifles innovation. National studies have shown that smaller schools, teacher and parent run, deliver better education.

We can achieve that and still keep public education public. Nyack needs all buildings at all levels offering alternative programs, or it is in danger of forcing parents to seek schooling elsewhere. Read the articles in this newsletter about the issues facing the district: the new standards, reading, special education, curriculum. Don’t we need to re-think how our schools work?

Those of you at Valley Cottage Elementary know that PIE ran a very successful Fall language program in both Spanish and French. Some 75 children participated with the support and teaching skills of Principal Brenda Grier.

As PIE indicated last year, it would only continue to run elementary language where there was administrative support, and the goal was to have the district take it over and make the option of taking a foreign language available to all elementary students.

If your children didn’t get a chance to learn a language this year, you should contact your building principal and/or Assistant Superintendent Evangelist (353-7046), Ask that language be part of next year’s regular school budget. Bon chance!

THE NEW STANDARDS: WHAT DO THEY STAND FOR?

Change the test, and you change the schools.

That’s the rule of thumb behind the State’s new tests which are about to be introduced into the Nyack school district. Up until now, students could graduate with a Local Diploma or the more difficult Regents Diploma. The new standards call for all students to get a 65 or better on the Regents exam if they want to graduate. That’s all children, whether they’ve been labeled special ed. or not, in slow track, fast tracks, or in between.

How difficult will that be in our district? According to the most recent data, out of 233 graduating students, only 97 earned a Regents Diploma. That’s less than half that could pass the exam!

Nyack clearly needs a plan to cope with these higher standards. This year’s 10th grade will take the new English exam. This year’s 8th grade will look forward to Regents in everything except science. While many people seem to be betting on the State backing down ("They’ll never let that many students fail!), there’s no sign of it.

The situation, while scary, presents two opportunities. The first is to teach to the tests. That means educating the same way but more of it: an extra period added in Middle School, extra teacher aids added in the elementary school, drilling in study skills, etc. The second opportunity is trickier.

While the new tests haven’t been finalized, yet, the general idea is to make sure students can use their knowledge. So, the English exams will be about comparing and analyzing writing, instead of just being able to repeat the facts. And the new Math tests will try to measure how well students can apply their skills in the real world. Memorization is out; thinking is in.

If the Nyack school district is going to get into the business of thinking, the real challenge is to decide what an educated person is. We’ll need a curriculum that makes sense to everyone -- teacher, parent, student, tax-payer -- where what our children learn in 3rd grade follows what happens in 2nd and prepares them for 4th. That sounds obvious, but how many of us understand what our kids are expected to learn and why?

Once we’ve set our goals (such as, "All children will be reading at or above grade level by the end of 3rd grade."), we need the programs and resources to follow through.

Too often, Nyack -- like many districts -- bounces from one issue to another, reacting to the latest while losing sight of the goal. The result is burn-out. Teachers close their classroom doors and go on with what they’ve been doing; parents give up trying to understand the system; and children end up doing what they’re told and nothing more: the opposite of thinking.

If we’re going to change that attitude, teaching to the tests isn’t going to be enough. Maneuvering to get your child the best teachers, hiring tutors, having kids stay after school won’t be enough, either. We’re going to have to re-do not only what’s in a course but how we deliver it.

If we are going to teach our children how to think, we’re going to have to set an example -- by giving it some thought.

PERSONNEL

CHANGES

In case you haven’t noticed ....

This summer saw the departure of Fred Frelow, Director of Curriculum, and Deena Hellman, Director of Pupil Personnel. Newly hired was Assistant Superintendent Mary Anne Evangeliste.

As a result, almost all administrative duties in the district are presently being shared between Evangeliste and Superintendent Zampolin. That includes grant writing, curriculum, overseeing special education, hiring, teacher training, and parent involvement.

That may well keep the budget balanced. But does it give the district a chance to plan for the kind of education we know our children need?

In another change, Frank Taub has handed over his job as the teacher’s union head to Howard Chasin. Now, that Nyack’s teachers have secured a well-paying contract, we hope the union will become more active on educational issues like teacher training.

MAKING A NEW CURRICULUM: HOW YOU CAN HELP

One of the first moves made by Mary Anne Evangeliste, the new Assistant Superintendent, was to disband the elementary and secondary curriculum councils. While this is a disappointing sign for the future of parent involvement in the school, there are still things that you, as a parent and/or community member, can do.

One interesting model is a PIE-sponsored project that took place this Fall at the Middle School. Using slides of Haitian art generously loaned by Jonathan Demme, PIE parents worked with the 6th grade English teachers to strengthen their curriculum on Haiti.

[PIE advocated last Spring, after the fight at the High School, that the most effective means of stopping violence in our schools isn’t hidden security cameras and more guards -- both recently installed -- but respect and understanding of different cultures.]

All 6th graders took a week to view the slides of Haitian paintings and write their impressions. Then, PIE arranged an assembly with a panel of local experts to discuss the paintings and what they showed about Haitian culture and history.

As well as the obvious gains here -- exposure to a foreign culture, improving reading and writing skills, involvement of community members -- there was the opportunity for Haitian students who may not have a great command of English, yet, and are often in remedial or slow classes to step forward as experts.

The program was so well received that it was later done for 9th grade social studies students, as well. Congratulations to both secondary schools and their staff for their enthusiastic cooperation.

But parents can’t do this kind of project if they don’t know what’s going on. The Middle School has, again, provided a model for this. With the help of a PIE parent, a curriculum guide went out to all parents of one of the 6th grade social studies teachers. With this guide, written in simple English, parents and guardians know what’s coming for the rest of the year: is it Japan this week, or Sweden?

Until the state and the district realize that less is more, our children will be mandated to cover an enormous amount of material in a short time. All classes should have easily understood curriculum guides written by and for parents. The school keeps asking us to be involved; how about telling us what you’re doing?

If you’d like help getting a curriculum guide for one of your child’s classes, contact PIE.

READING?

The most striking problem Nyack faces continues to be reading.

Nearly a quarter of Nyack’s 6th graders can’t read at grade level. These children have been passed through the elementary school without the skills necessary to go on and get a diploma.

What is the district doing about that?

The general approach appears to be: keep them after school.

Like the extra 10th period in the middle school, 3rd through 5th graders with trouble reading will do extra time after school. The addition of new teaching aids in elementary school, while a good idea, doesn’t change the program; it just provides extra help.

Hopefully, the newly formed Literacy Committee will focus on programs that can be included in the regular day like phonics, full literacy immersion, training special education teachers in reading, and coordinating curriculum.

Our young readers don’t need more, they need better.

SPECIAL EDUCATION

Nyack is no exception. 425 of our students (almost 15%) are labeled special ed., and one look at these classes confirm that they are overwhelmingly made up of male children of color.

According to The Times, this apparently discriminatory program has continued to grow because districts receive extra money for each special ed. child. The state formula reimburses districts at nearly double the regular cost per student. So, in just three years, from 1991 to 1994, state-wide special ed. enrollment went up nearly 50,000 with costs increasing from $3.3 billion to $4.1 billion. In Nyack, we spend approximately $6.6 million on our special education program.

All this would be well worth it if the programs took children with emotional handicaps or learning disabilities and either educated them and/or "graduated" them into mainstream classes. But the statistical evidence shows just the opposite.

The Nyack administration is aware of the problem. On top of the financial situation (always of concern to Superintendent Zampolin and the board), the new state standards call for special ed. students to pass Regents exams in order to earn a diploma. Without a clearer program than Nyack has put forward, that appears to be virtually impossible.

The district has to overhaul special education, but in order to do it correctly, it needs two things. One is parental involvement. The district has proposed something called Combined Classes starting next year, which would include special ed. children in mainstream classes with both "regular" and special ed. teachers in the room. This sounds like an idea with possibilities, but unless parents are educated about it and involved in the decision-making, a combined class is a prescription for disaster.

The second thing the district needs is expertise in the field. After assembling a hiring committee, going through dozens of resumes and selecting three finalists, the Superintendent decided not to hire a new Director of Special Education until July. the explanation given was that the district needed time to "assess the current administrative structure in greater depth." But our central administration (two people) can’t do everything by themselves.

The risk involved in revamping special education without enough planning is having children dumped back into mainstream classes without enough teacher training, or a clear idea of how to serve these kids. Neither the board nor the administration wants this to happen, but the only way to make sure it doesn’t is to have the expertise of an experienced special ed. director and the input of concerned and knowledgeable parents.