Though I don't quite understand what's on the table in New Britain (here's a link to a story about it), it is clear they're taking a radically different approach than what Bristol is eyeing despite, in the end, a fairly similiar desire to help underachieving students do better.
It's certainly true that the cities are different, but it's hard to comprehend why such widely different responses would emerge to educational issues that aren't so different.
It's worth exploring what's going on that makes each community seek an approach unlike the other's. Anybody have an explanation? For that matter, can anyone find a clear explanation of what they're thinking of doing in New Britain and why?
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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
4 comments:
Steve thanks for putting this one out there. I'm doing some more research but suffice it to say that our new Mayor and city council need to take a good hard look at the similarities of the issues and then take the BOE to task to explain why they are traveling down a path that will cost hundreds of millions of dollars with no guarantees that it will make one bit of difference.
I'll say one thing; New Britain's plan (a city with far more urban issues than Bristol) which they can execute immediately just shot a million holes through the credibility of the Bristol BOE plan.
Theme here is more "smaller" schools that can focus on education and the students, not putting 900 kids in one area and not knowing them! I think the Bristol BOE members should attend some of these meetings being held by the N. B. BOE.
Concerned parent.
It sounds like New Britain is trying to be more like Bristol in its better days, and Bristol is trying to become like New Britain, that great model of urban success.
Our BOE and its administrators are motivated by concerns other than improving student education.
The next step for Bristol to take is to combine both high schools into one mega high school so we can improve our athletic teams.
Probably what was more interesting was that they had 200 people who didn't like the plan, much like Bristol. Maybe it is not the plan but change in an of itself!
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