Dr. Morse Meet and Greet Forums

 

Question that were asked by audience members made up of students, parents, teachers/staff and community members.

 

#1:  Lyman Moore Middle School 4.28.09

 

  • With the influx of immigrants and refugees coming to Portland, do you plan to continue sending students with English language challenges to certain schools (Riverton, EECS, and Reiche)?  Or will more classrooms be mainstreamed at all schools?
  • What surprised you about this city so far?  How can you be sure your job is NOT about budget but is about learning?
  • What are your thoughts about CBHS?  What do you know?  What do you need to know?
  • What is your understanding about expeditionary learning?
  • Welcome & Good Luck!
  • What are your thoughts on utilization of substitute teachers? Some of our Principals/Asst Principals are teaching classes because of budget restrictions.
  • I am interested in your thoughts about the role of libraries and librarians in our schools K-12?
  • I would like to see CBHS thrive as what it is.  A more positive attitude towards CBHS; acceptance and financial support.
  • Even though the middle schools in Portland have had mlt, laptops for 8 years, there has been minimal teacher training opportunities/involvement in state offerings.  How can we bring ourselves to a more than substitution use of technology?
  • Portland Public Schools needs restructuring from the “top” down.  Do you see working together with SC/staff & community members to make that happen?
  • Will you try and take field trips to the next level?
  • Are you considering making more ways for schools to interact?
  • Do you want to incorporate more athletics into school schedules?  Do you want schools to compete at all?
  • Strength: Casco Bay and expeditionary learning the good practice needs to be vigorously embraced and promoted.  Weakness:  Status quo and tradition dominate.  Get rid of ineffective administration and staff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#2:  Presumpscot Elementary School 5.8.09

 

  • Hey thanks UR nice
  • Inside the Portland Public Schools (public access)- website link to each school-credits for internship
  • Thoughts to ponder:  Book read with the community, administration, schools, businesses and families.  Look at the Arts programs-strengthen them!  Use local “artists”.  Vision Committee members include:  Community artists, parents, immigrants, economically challenged.  Internet/Web Design- use students.  Be in the schools, K-12.  Students as well as teachers need to see and talk to you more often than once a year.  Summer school for all students.  Let them be able to take classes in the summer to expand their “school year” opportunities.
  • How can we get more teaches of color in our schools?  EECS has 35-40% black students but no black teachers.  How do we address this issue?
  • Do you think the school day should be longer?
  • To your knowledge what challenges/concerns stand out from speaking with all different schools/teachers/parents/students etc….?
  • Will you add any new areas to school?
  • Do you think class size matters and, if you do, do you have ideas about what the ideal class sizes should be and how can we achieve them in our district?
  • My/our wish:  to return funding of student trips to Portland music events (especially the Portland Symphony’s Kids Concerts); as well as funding for the music department, and it’s equipment maintenance, as well as supplies (new sheet music etc…)
  • I am interested in your thoughts on how parents and students experiences can be productively used to nurture the healthy growth of Portland schools.  What role can a parents/student feedback play and how is it best shared and communicated?
  • Schools that have 80%+ children living in poverty have teachers who are working incredibly hard to meet the needs of children w/incredible social, emotional deficits.  Currently, classrooms with such high needs children need more help.  What help can you offer?
  • Can you describe your vision for working with multicultural students and communities?
  • Will you make a new playground?
  • How do you make children get smarter everyday?
  • How do you keep education growing stronger?
  • Hello, you’re looking good.  I wish you the best of luck in the Portland School System.  It’s a good one and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.  Best Wishes.
  • Welcome to Portland.  How can the community be drawn in to the schools so all stakeholders take part in raising our children (teachers can’t do it all.)?
  • What do you envision for the future of math and science programs in Portland’s high schools?
  • What is your favorite educational book?  What authors and works have influenced you most?

 

#3 King Middle School 5.12.09

 

·        2 of our elementary schools are also “community centers”.  In general there seems to be a disconnect between the city, public library and schools when offering its services or a vision for all the groups working together.  Do you have any experience with a mixed use building system?

·        Do you have plans to meet with Chief James Craig (Portland’s new police chief) to focus on Portland’s youth and their susceptibility to joining gangs or to keep an ongoing relationship to assure gang activity not occur in Portland Schools?

·        I see inequity in the way math is taught in our grammar schools (from class to class and amongst the schools) with the result that when kids reach middle school they are all on different levels.  Hence 6th grade is used as almost a “catch up” year.  Do you see merit in having a consistent math curriculum in our grammar schools?

·        Please share your feelings on the arts in education, the support it receives from the administrative level, the funding available etc…  What were the arts programs like in your previous school system?

·        Portland schools seem very behind regarding use of technology and access to them-except in the 7th and 8th grades.  What is your vision on this?

·        What are your beliefs about equity in school demographics-specifically SES & ELL populous?  How might you go about creating equity in distribution?

·        How do we achieve best practice?  Shared best practices=equity.

·        Dr. Morse- Welcome and thank you for taking on such a big challenge.

·        What ways can we begin to communicate “advertise” the many great activities/successes our school/students are achieving to the citizens of Portland?  We need some really great PR to help build community, business, and citizen interest in our schools.

·        What are your thoughts on the importance of early childhood education and the role of the pubic school system?  What are your initial reactions to the “facilities” challenge?  How do we “right size” our facility vis a vis deciding enrollment?

·        What is your vision of a comprehensive program for college readiness?  How does the district capitalize on its population diversity?

·        What models will you look at for building parent and community involvement in the Portland Public Schools?

·        What is your approach/philosophy on bullying?  All Portland schools (elementary) have different approaches- do you support consistency?  What is the evidence-based practice that is most effective?  Stan Davis’s methods seem to work well- (and are supported by cognitive, behavioral research and therapies).  Have you had experience with it?

·        Do you know the future of CBHS?

 

 

 

#4  Deering High School 5.21.09

 

  • May I be the first to invite you to be the first Superintendent to take a bus ride?
  • How to achieve a balanced enrollment at DHS and PHS?
  • What do you think about schools open until 8 or 9 in the evening where there might be a rotating group of teachers and volunteers from the community to provide academic assistance and small group discussions on a variety of topics?  There seems to be so many kids who would benefit from this and so few, if any, community resources at present.
  • I believe that there has been a tendency in recent years to be too short sighted in looking at demographic trends that show declining enrollment, and in recommending the closure of neighborhood schools.  I believe strongly that we must look further down the line, assume that numbers will grow robust, and market the city and its schools as a place to be!  What is your view of making a priority of keeping small, neighborhood schools open in anticipation of future growth?
  • Do you agree with the MLTI laptop program and the idea each student should have their own laptop?  How do you see technology integrated into the learning environment?
  • How do you look at the issue of tracking and how are high achieving students served or not served by it?
  • What are your top priorities for Portland schools?  What would you say to a parent who is considering leaving Portland for a “better” school system?  Why should they stay?  What will change over the next several years?
  • As a district, we’re in line to receive a tremendous amount of stimulus $ for Title I and Special Education.  Any thoughts on priorities or possibilities for this windfall?
  • Do you have ideas about drop out prevention planning?  And how would you respond to… that prevention beginning on elementary school?
  • I agree with you that we need a system wise scope and sequence.