Schools in Springfield

[iloveionia]

First, some are quick to crucify on this site, I have the education, experience, and credentials to speak as an expert as I am a public educator of 15 years and have a master's degree in Educational Administration.  I also work at a magnet school (visual and performing arts,)in a large urban city.

My experience is that magnet schools/programs have an application process that includes more than just an address.  Magnet schools/programs typically receive (or have received,) federal funds to start-up special programs, and have to maintain certain goals (usually centered around scores,) to maintain funding.  Good grades, high test scores, good attendance, and a lack of discipline being key elements in the applicaiton review.

Stider is correct, magnet and special programs tend to surface in economically disadvantaged communities to "return" a higher socio-economic class to the area/school and attempt to desegregate the population to a more diverse one, including race and socio-economic status.

There are a lot of "too bads" and realities in public education, but as most of you agree, the parental support is of utmost importance.  Those first 3 years of development are the foundation!  Head Start stepped in with pre-k programs to help remove the scarring from children who were not given the opportunity to have a better first 3 years due to poor parenting et. al.

A consideration for successful schools is to see the percent of students who receive free and reduced lunch and then compare that to the schools test scores (in FL, a letter grade.)  I don't have the time to pull supporting statistics now, but truth be known, typically schools with a predominate number of students with free and reduced lunch have (the school's average,)lower test scores.  Mind you, this is NOT always the case, plenty of poor minority (language we use in education,) students do well all around in school, but why possibly only some schools are "successful," this depending on what your measuring stick is for successful.  Improvement is a powerful tool for measurement.

[finehoe]

except the troubled childrens school on Hubbard

Is that Mattie V Rutherford?  My mother worked there for many years.  It was a hellhole in those days, mid-70s to late-80s.

[KuroiKetsunoHana]

except the troubled childrens school on Hubbard

Is that Mattie V Rutherford?  My mother worked there for many years.  It was a hellhole in those days, mid-70s to late-80s.

really?  in that time period it was still a regular elementary school.  i attended kindergarten there the last year it was open as one, because even at five years old i could walk there...and i can't say i recall anything terribly dreadful happening to me or my classmates.

[finehoe]

i can't say i recall anything terribly dreadful happening to me or my classmates.

I meant that the physical plant was in awful shape.  But, yes the neighborhood was quite different back then as well, probably in ways not especially apparent to a kindergartener.

[Livein32206]

Mattie V. Rutherford is an alternative school for the students who have disciplinary problems, and have been removed from their home school as a result. They must abide by the more stringent rules and dress code, or they will be expelled from there as well. Once they complete the disciplinary time there, then they are allowed to return to their home school. These are the class II and III offenders.

[finehoe]

^^Thanks for the update.