Letter from Executive Director Victor J. Papale
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
We are pleased to present the second annual Report to the Community on Public School Progress in Pittsburgh. The mission of the Report is to help advance strategies for public school improvement by creating a common basis for tracking the current state of school performance.
We understand that the definition of performance is itself unsettled, and we do not presume that the indicators included in the Report are flawless. However, within the limitations of the current data available about children and their schools, we think the information in the Report can help advance the discussion about how schools are doing and what degree of urgency should be felt concerning the need for improvement.
Some will look at the data in the Report and feel that it reinforces a culture of testing, despite our statement that we are not confident that NCLB’s “Adequate Yearly Progress” gauge is useful. We respect that concern, and would ask those who share it to consider two points. First, the range of test scores is extreme within the district. With regard to those children and schools on the low end of the range, the test results reported here reveal an egregious problem that – for the sake of the children’s life prospects – must be corrected, even if we agree that a culture of testing should be replaced. Second, the Report is a work in progress. Changes have been made from the first year to the second year. And more changes can and will be made in future editions. If you are concerned that the Report reinforces a culture of testing, you can help by using the response sheet, or just by contacting the A + Schools staff, to propose suggestions for new indicators and criteria of student and school progress that might be included in future years.
Let me express a very special thanks to the team that has assembled these first two Reports – Faith Schantz, Dr. Carol Parke, Julie Ridge, and the A + Schools staff, and also a very special thanks to Superintendent Mark Roosevelt and his staff, who understand that information in a public system is essential to accountability and improvement.
Sincerely,
Victor J. Papale
Executive Director
A+ Schools
Pittsburgh's Community Alliance for Public Education
Regional Enterprise Tower
Suite 1850
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
412.258.2660
412.258.2666 fax