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Several years ago there was a lot of protesting against Ross when they tried to get a space in the same building as Nest on Houston & Ave D. There were protests and letter writing campaigns and a whole lot of nasty words flying around because, if I remember the propaganda correctly, this school was started in the Hamptons and was seen as a rich lady's dream to educate the bad kids of the city. Or something like that. Anyway, it's interesting to see how things evolve.
ReplyDeleteThe protests were justified because the DOE rather irrationally wanted to squeeze the Ross Academy in a school that was by its very design still undergoing a significant growth process. Nest+m was the first K-12 school in the City and started with one grade each in its elementary, middle and high school. Every year a grade and many students were added. In 2006, when the conflict unfolded, the DOE claimed the school should hold 1407 students but only 732 were enrolled - a calculation challenged by the parents (see www.downtownexpress.com/de_162/nestishardlyempty.html). Today, Nest has in fact approx. 1583 students, i.e. operates above the capacity stated in 2006. This alone shows that the Nest parents were correct in challenging DOE's misguided attempt to site the Ross Academy there because otherwise both schools would have suffered.
ReplyDeleteI taught at Ross Global Academy Charter School last year, and it was a very negative experience. The principal had gotten rid of in-school suspension and other consequences, but did not put anything in its place. A significant number of administrators and teachers left during the schoolyear, usually with little or no notice. Most of the kids behaved however they wanted, especially in the classes that had a revolving door of substitute teachers. The low test scores don't surprise me. I'm amazed any of the kids learned anything in that environment. It was such a demoralizing place to work.
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