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Author Topic: New School in Jackson Heights  (Read 5037 times)

Offline Aronan

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Re: New School in Jackson Heights
« Reply #15 on: December 27, 2009, 07:48:35 PM »
I've often wondered if the Bulova  Corporate Center would have the space for a small High School. I can't imagine that they are fully occupied, and there's space there for a gym as the one thats there as I understand it is now closed.

It may be a bit far out but there's a fair amount of bus service out that way that could be adjusted to accommodate the demand of a small or mid-sized high school.
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Offline Really4rob

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Re: New School in Jackson Heights
« Reply #16 on: December 28, 2009, 10:35:38 AM »
I am admitedly out of my element when talking about high schools as I teach elementary special ed, but there are things done with high schools I just don't get.

It may sound naive, but look at Beach Channel High School.  I know it well because they host the Winter games I take my kids too in March, plus theres a District 75 school within (PS 233).  Recently I heard it was closing, and in it's place 7 smaller high schools wills hare the same building.  Assuming that's correct, how does this decrease class size and crowding ...

... wouldn't 7 schools in one site then cause there a need to be 7 administrative offices where before 1 sufficed?  (Wouldn't that INCREASE class size, as less rooms are available?)

... wouldn't payroll be redundant (more admninstrative staff for each new school, from principals to office staff, etc.)?

Again, these may be naive questions since I work in an elementary model, but I just can't get my head around that ...
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Offline Aronan

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Re: New School in Jackson Heights
« Reply #17 on: December 28, 2009, 11:45:43 AM »
I worked in a high school out in Cambria Heights that shared their building with  3 other high schools. From what I observed the schools did have different principals and different staffs. They divided the building in to 4 to keep the kids separate. They shared the common areas like the Gym, cafeteria, auditorium etc. which was managed through a scheduler. I believe they also had staggered schedules and separate entrances to control the traffic flow.

The advantage to smaller schools with seemingly redundant administration as I see it is there's a higher degree of individual attention given to students. It's much easier to keep tabs on 300 kids than 3000 so less kids get "lost in the system". Also, smaller schools can focus on different areas, the school I was in was humanities and arts focused and I think the other schools focussed on law, business, and science.

The problem I found was if one school had an issue it affected the other schools. We became an Impact school because there was a high degree of theft in one of the other schools (which is on the list to be closed), so the students were subjected in increased scanning & metal detectors as well as armed police officers patrolling the hallways. Not a suitable educational environment if you ask me.

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"It is widely recognized that the courageous spirit of a
single man can inspire to victory an army of
thousands. If one concerned with ordinary gain can
create such an effect, how much more will be produced by one who cares for greater things ?" -Chunag Tse

Offline thomasg

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Re: New School in Jackson Heights
« Reply #18 on: December 28, 2009, 06:43:47 PM »
I think the "individual attention" angle was what they were trying to achieve when the DOE started with the "splitting up large high schools" reform trend approx. 7-8 years ago.  I started at one of the roughest high schools in the Bronx (if not the entire City), Evander Childs HS - I was there the final 2 years before they split it into smaller schools.  The trend started at large, "difficult-to-manage" Bronx & Brooklyn high schools (there were quite a number of them), & I guess it's spreading to Manhattan & Queens.

Evidently, there are some success stories, but you are right, often it's just the same students "moved around," multiplied administration, etc.  Who knows?  Wouldn't it be nice if they gave us classroom teachers more say in what we need to improve our classrooms?
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