Monday, March 18, 2013

STATEMENT FROM THE PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION REGARDING THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE'S PLAN TO TAKE CONTROL OF OUR SCHOOLS


March 18, 2013
For Immediate Release
CONTACT: 
Office of Communications
301-952-6001

Mr. Baker gambles away our children’s future

Over the weekend, our students, parents, teachers, employees and taxpayers learned of Mr. Baker’s plan to take over our schools from an article that appeared in the Washington Post. The bill resembles that of the DC school takeover by former DC Mayor Adrian Fenty. However, similar to the District, the bill falls short and fails to address the core issues facing our community. This is a bad bill that is being pushed through the legislature under the guise of education reform and without the benefit of a public hearing. The public’s voice will not be heard. Our students, teachers and employees will have no say in this decision. Mr. Baker’s proposal reduces public oversight of schools and voids the rights of our parents, students and labor unions. It also does not recognize the achievements of our students—80% perform satisfactory on state-mandated assessments.   

If Mr. Baker truly wants to improve education in Prince George’s County, he should start by helping to promote more parental engagement. He should also help by finding funds to attract and retain our teachers. Our youth should not be used as political gambling chips. They are our hope for tomorrow. This bill undermines the progress our students are making. It places our schools in an untenable situation.
Mr. Baker's proposal is an unnecessary distraction that gambles away the future of our children.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Message From Prince George's County Public Schools


NEWS RELEASE

BOARD OF EDUCATION TO MEET IN EXECUTIVE SESSION ON MONDAY, MARCH 18
March 16, 2013
For Immediate Release
CONTACT: 
Office of Communications
301-952-6001
UPPER MARLBORO, MD—The Prince George's County Board of Education will meet in Executive Session on Monday, March 18 at 2:00 p.m.  The meeting will convene in the Executive Board Room of the Sasscer Administration Building, located at 14201 School Lane, Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Executive Sessions are closed to the public. For more information, contact the Board Office at 301-952-6115.

Prince George’s county executive moves to take over struggling school system


By Saturday, March 16, 8:57 PM

Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III is planning a takeover of the county’s struggling school system, seeking state legislation that would put him in charge of the school superintendent and $1.7 billion budget while significantly reducing the power of the elected Board of Education.

Should Baker (D) succeed, it would mark a dramatic shift in power and result in a hybrid of the restructurings that have taken place in big cities across the country, such as the District and New York, where reform-minded executives have wrested control of embattled school systems.

The proposal comes after years of turmoil in Maryland’s second-largest school system, which has seen rapid turnover of its superintendents and only modest improvement in student performance as it languishes near the bottom of statewide rankings.

Although Prince George’s is one of the wealthiest predominantly African American counties in America — and neighboring Montgomery and Howard counties have what are considered elite systems — its schools have struggled with performance and politics.

Events in recent months have highlighted the problems facing county schools. In September, William R. Hite Jr. — the county’s fifth superintendent in 10 years — left to become Philadelphia’s schools chief. Other top administrators soon departed. In the meantime, one member of the Board of Education was found to be serving on the board illegally; the board censured a new member for her outspoken criticisms; and parents, other residents and state lawmakers have raised questions about transparency and the ability of the board — most of whose members do not have college degrees — to lead the 123,000-student system.

In recent months, parents have also complained about their children being picked up late for school because of a shortage of bus drivers and about changes in transportation policy.

Baker, who says good schools are crucial to luring new residents and promoting economic development, has been critical of the system’s progress. An immediate and permanent change is required, Baker said in a recent interview.

“I clearly didn’t think the structure we had in the school system worked from the first day I came in here,” Baker said. “But I wanted to try as hard as I could from an executive standpoint — not from a legislative standpoint like I did in years past — to see, in fact, if you could bring the bully pulpit of the county executive’s office and force change that way.

“You can do it, but you can only take it so far,” Baker said. “I think in order to have real sustained change that will outlast this administration, you’ve got to restructure it.”

Baker said he is moving forward with the proposed takeover now because the school system is looking to hire a superintendent and he believes that residents should have someone — the county executive — to hold accountable for the schools. If approved, the new structure would give the next superintendent immensely more power, as that person would answer directly to the county executive, county officials said.

There are three finalists for the job of superintendent, who are expected to appear at a community meeting Tuesday. Baker, who did not interview the finalists, said the search process should be reopened if “we determine one of the three is not the best individual. . . . I just think we can’t afford to get it wrong.”
There was mixed reaction among state officials in Annapolis, whose approval Baker needs to proceed with his plan.

State Sen. Douglas J.J. Peters (D), chairman of the county’s Senate delegation, said he wonders whether restructuring would yield academic improvements. State Sen. Joanne Benson (D-Prince George’s), a former school administrator and the delegation’s liaison for education, described Baker’s plan as “a good fit,” one that will increase accountability.

“I think that a change is needed,” she said. “We also need a facelift for the reputation of our school system. . . . I don’t have a problem with [the superintendent] becoming a cabinet-level position.” Closer to home, Baker is likely to face a power struggle with echoes of the past. In 2002, when he was a state delegate, he led a successful effort to dissolve the county’s elected school board, which was replaced by an appointed board, named by the governor and the county executive. After public outcry, the county reverted to an elected board in 2006.

The school board has tried to restore public trust in the system, which for years was embroiled in scandal before the General Assembly dissolved the elected board. But despite slight gains in standardized test scores, the school system continues to be embroiled in controversy.

The school board’s chairman, Verjeana M. Jacobs (District 5), said she could not comment without seeing a copy of the legislation.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, a former chief executive of the Chicago school system, has said that school boards of persistently struggling systems have a “moral obligation” to consider mayoral control.
Then-D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty turned the District’s troubled school system into a widely scrutinized experiment in urban education reform when he took over in 2007. His move led to the dissolution of the elected school board and the installation of a powerful chancellor, Michelle A. Rhee, who made national headlines as she moved rapidly to close schools and fire ineffective teachers and central-office workers.
Rhee had broad, near-unilateral authority to manage the schools, which supporters of mayoral control say allowed her to do what the old school board — mired in politics and partisanship — had failed to do: establish a functioning bureaucracy that could deliver textbooks on time, complete much-needed building renovations and bring new urgency to the task of improving education.

Rhee also overhauled teacher evaluations, linking job security and pay to student performance on standardized tests, and she persuaded the teachers union to give up job protections in return for higher pay.
The changes — celebrated by some, reviled by others — remain controversial and unproven. The District’s traditional public schools have shown modest improvement in student proficiency, but graduation rates are still among the lowest in the country. And the city’s traditional public schools are struggling to keep pace with public charter schools, which have enjoyed surging enrollment and are poised to have a majority of the city’s students in coming years.

Unlike the District takeover, Baker’s proposal would keep the elected school board intact. But the panel would not hire or oversee the superintendent. Instead, the schools chief would become a cabinet-level position, appointed by Baker and confirmed by the County Council. The county executive and council would oversee the school system’s budget and capital programs. More than half of the county’s budget goes to support the schools.

The board would continue to hold hearings, but it would focus almost entirely on academic policy and parental engagement, Baker said. It would have the ability to move funding up or down by 1 percent in any major category of the school budget, similar to the council’s current role, county officials said.
The elected nine-member board would gain six members, including three with voting privileges: a county executive appointee with education experience, a council appointee from the business community and the president of the Parent Teacher Association. Three nonvoting, ex-officio members would come from Prince George’s Community College, Bowie State University and the University of Maryland at College Park.

Bob Ross, president of the county branch of the NAACP, said he is “totally opposed” to the proposal because it “puts me in the mind of what they did in D.C., and I just can’t go along with that.”
County officials said the takeover would allow the government to coordinate resources with the school system, potentially sending more money to the classrooms. “This is about every single child getting the best education possible,” Baker said.

The county executive said the proposal is also designed to clearly define the role of the school board, which has given Baker “pushback” over his efforts to become involved in public education: making weekly visits to schools, forming an education commission to advise him on ways to improve county schools; and naming Hite to the transition team after Baker’s election more than two years ago.

“There was hesitance of [Hite] being on the transition team of the incoming county executive because they felt like he was putting himself before the board,” Baker said. “Well, they are the policy arm. . . . I don’t think they were doing it because they didn’t want a relationship with us. I think they were doing it because they don’t understand the roles.”

Hite said he did not want to offer an opinion about what might or might not work in Prince George’s because he no longer works for the county. But he said he had a good working relationship with Baker and has seen the benefits of the structure in Philadelphia, where there is “no light between the school district and the mayor’s office.”

“We have access to all of their department resources, and they have access to all of us,” Hite said. “It provides for clearer channels of communication.”

Baker, who realizes good schools are key to the county’s prosperity, said the county has made significant strides in areas over which he and the council have control: public safety and economic development.
“We are attracting major development here,” Baker said. “You look at public safety, it’s going in the right direction. The only thing that is outside of our ability is education, and given the fact that we will have a new superintendent, and if you are going to do something, to me this is the time that you do it.”


Emma Brown and Miranda S. Spivack contributed to this report.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Board of Education Narrows Superintendent Search to Three Candidates

Board of Education Narrows Superintendent Search to Three Candidates
Upper Marlboro, Maryland – After an extensive national search, the Prince George’s County Board of Education has identified three candidates for the position of Superintendent of Schools.
 
The finalists are:
  • Dr. Eric J. Becoats, superintendent of schools for Durham Public Schools in Durham, NC;
  • Dr. Alvin L. Crawley, interim superintendent of schools for Prince George’s County Public Schools; and
  • Mr. Harrison A. Peters, chief of schools for Chicago Public Schools in Chicago, IL.  
“We set out an ambitious timeline for our superintendent search and we are happy we attracted these qualified candidates,” said Board of Education Chair Verjeana M. Jacobs, Esq. “During the next few weeks, the public will have an opportunity to interact with the three candidates and provide their input to the Board as we select the next leader who will further the mission of our school district.” 
 
Becoats serves as superintendent of Durham Public Schools. Previously, Becoats served as chief administrative officer for Guilford County Schools in Greensboro, North Carolina; director of community economic development for University Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina; assistant superintendent for planning and development for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in Charlotte, North Carolina; and chief of planning for Baltimore City Schools in Baltimore, Maryland. He holds a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.  
 
Crawley serves as interim superintendent of Prince George’s County Public Schools. Previously, Crawley served as deputy chief of programming for the District of Columbia Public Schools in Washington, DC; assistant superintendent and director of special education for Arlington Public Schools; and assistant superintendent for special education and gifted programs for Chicago Public Schools. He holds a doctorate in instructional leadership from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.  
 
Peters serves as chief of schools for Chicago Public Schools. Previously, Peters served as chief area officer for Chicago Public Schools; principal of Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte, North Carolina; and principal of Robinswood Middle School in Orlando, Florida. He is currently completing his doctorate in organizational leadership at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  
 
During the past several months, the Board has engaged the public in numerous community forums and town hall meetings related to the superintendent search. Additionally, the Board received thousands of responses to its superintendent search survey. In the coming weeks, the finalists will visit Prince George’s County to meet with the community. The Board is expected to announce the new superintendent before July 1.

Monday, March 4, 2013

William Jackson Tells Parents About Catfishing

Parents: Is your Teen Catfishing for Sex?



The Internet and Social Media opens many doors that access information potentially beneficial to teens academically, professionally, networking and build communities that are like extended families. Parents should be reminded that Social Media is just that, a social extension of life. Parents should be reminded that teens are exposed to sexual distractions to have sex, even without the Internet. Teens do have sexual relationships and parents need to talk to their children about the dangers of unprotected sex, multiple partners, oral and anal sex.

As an educator, presenter and speaker about Social Media I urge parents to talk to their children about Catfishing and stories of online stalking, predators and dangers. A Florida sex sting captured over fifty men as sexual predators. They targeted children in online Social sites and from online gaming sites. Using Catfishing and posed as teens but they were teachers, businessmen, students and tourists ranging in age from 19 to 60. Available online are access to teens for hookups in school, at the movies, in church and other social hangouts. The term Catfish(ing)” uses Social Media in a dangerous way that allows teens to have digital “Booty Calls” and "Meetups." Parents need to learn the terminology that their children use, be aware, prepared and realistic. The social connections not only happen through Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, the ability to connect is also through Xbox Live, Wii and other gaming systems. Teens seem to be just playing video games, but some teens are experts at “gaming” and “hooking up.” The process starts by chatting and playing video games with people never met in person only in a digital world where anything can happen. Social interaction, real names are not even used, but bonds develop, friendships form and teens connect without knowing exactly who they are talking to. The next stage is real names are shared, phone numbers are shared then schools, locations and the bait is set.

Teens get comfortable and their guard is let down. Then the romance is started: Parent should be familiar with the process, they need to investigate, ask questions and even spy if necessary to make sure their teens are safe and if they are the predator searching for online sexual relationships. If there are concerns parents trust your instincts and take appropriate action. “Catfish(ing)” is an expression: the act of deceiving someone.

A Catfish is someone who creates a fake online identity (persona) to meet others through social networks and the gaming world online. The ease of making a false person is so easy students in elementary schools are doing it. It is not just in Facebook, but can be found on Meetme, Skout and social sites through gaming consoles. Even though many people put a picture as their online identity this can so easily be false. Actual data shows that 30 percent of teenage girls met up with a stranger in person after initially meeting them online “Pediatrics Feb 2013”. Viewing girls online info too many girls social media content (pictures, text and videos) are provocative and sexually suggestive. The sexual suggestiveness comes in text like: I’m sexy, I’m easy, will go all the way or I swallow. Parents need to be real in the understanding of their teen's actions.

The Internet is no fairy tale, playroom, or fantasy land. The posting of this content never goes away; it can be seen by millions and shared. Teens do not realize that their content can be used against them when applying for colleges, Internships, employment and even entering the military. Girls are social beings and many enjoy the social interaction and making new friends. Nationally there is a growing sex trafficking with the Internet being used to lure and entice girls with the hopes of money, travel, modeling and stardom.

The intent in most cases is not for sexual Meetups, but it is still a dangerous situation when giving out personal information online. Girls should be cautious of who they let in their networks and not say yes to just anybody. That creates a chance for potentially dangerous ways to find teens that are vulnerable to some kind of sexual relationship or even Cyberbullying and CyberStalking. Parenting should make a transition to online parenting behaviors, the importance of relationships that parents have with their children should involve talking about the consequences of online behaviors that could lead to dangerous or even deadly situations. Parents talk to your children, keep the lines of communication open and realistic. Catfish is a real issue for parents to educate their children on the dangers they face online.

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