"I don't buy the argument that the social economic of the student family dictate educational performance?"

I don't buy the argument that someone who is neither able to put a cogent thought into print, nor review his work before submitting it for public consumption, should have anything to do with managing education for children.

Then too, since he clearly doesn't understand the problems (see first sentence), he will never be part of the solution.

"I think this past school year in our district was a nightmare based on all the political maneuvering the school board caused with the uproar over the AD and now the issues with the Supt this summer and last school year?"

Clearly, you don't understand the process as the Board of Education caused absolutely no "uproar" whatsoever where this matter was concerned.

It is the purview and responsibility of the Superintendent to proposed tenure be granted an employee and to place the matter before the Board for its approval or rejection.

Dr. Cavanna failed to do this when expected and anticipated, in the AD's case, leading to a public outcry and show of support for him during at least two Board meetings.

When Cavanna submitted the proposal, the Board approved it.

It's no more complicated than that.

Leanna:

I don't know "everything in this town" but, I clearly know a great deal more that most of the cowardly, anonymous, Internet nitwits (such as yourself) hiding behind a screen name.

Among the things you're clearly ignorant of is both my resume and employment history...not to mention spelling, grammar and the true status of our public schools.

I, for one, am rather sick of the anonymous nonsense spewed by those of your ignorant ilk.

There are 14 days less yearly instructional time at WO High School than the State average, and many early dismissals at the grammar schools .Why? The School Board added 2 field days, fitness testing ,and a representative from the food vendor service WO employs will speak to the children about healthy eatng choices . Multiculturalism ,a Character Curriculum ,environmentalism and recycling ,an anti- bullying program, many days of standardized testing , the D.A.R.E. program, the S.A.L.E.S program, co-ed gym classes, ad infinitum .No one sincere about educating children would pull this crap . How can the School Board approve a High School schedule that has 14 days less instructional time than the State average ? How can they approve early dismissals, in - service workshops,and a MANDATED daily free period for teachers ? Their behavior rises to the level of sadism.Cronyism and nepotism are at epidemic levels 100k and more salaries for teachers, but many have not passed the Praxis .Read the letter on Patch from "Teach " Adam Kramer taught for 6 years ,and he has 2 Master's degrees .Read his posts .Students who were taught by teachers who had little or no standards are now teachers .The P.T.A. doesn't care. I hear little or no outcry from parents Generally ,the parents demand nothing , and the " demoralized, underappreciated, come early and stay late " educrats are more than happy to accede to their wishes "The fault dear Brutus, lies not in the stars , but in ourselves.."

Leanna:

"Why should we be concerned about our grammar?"

The answer is simple: Because people suggesting they have some knowledge and expertise in education surely evidence that they do not when they are unable to make their case in clear, cogent thought and in grammatically correct form.

Leanna GREAT COMMENTS ! You're terrific !

The rants and "Leanna Love Fest" aside, I much prefer to rely on the analysis of experts in the field, who employed scientific method in the course of conducting studies and reaching conclusions, for the sole purpose of identifying what's wrong with education and how it can be improved.

For me, that more than trumps the ill-informed commentary of those presenting no credentials attesting to their expertise in anything and/or who are hiding behind screen names while denigrating those who are not.

Leanna:

Having only just signed on to post under the name "Leanna," it's anyone's guess how long you've been reading or contributing to the discussions that go on here.

I have every right to excercise my freedom of speech and choose to do so in a civil and respectful manner with those who reciprocate in kind and, coversely, rebuke those who choose to do otherwise.

As I've said previously, while I have an affinity for medicine (EMT trained in the Army) and some understanding as to how a brain tumor is treated and surgically removed, I really wouldn't attempt surgery on myself with a razor blade and a mirror. I'd want the best, Harvard/Hopkins grad, Board Certified, well regarded neurosurgeon on the planet...with the highest record of success in similar surgeries...cutting into me.

That same mindset applies to the field of education: I want the best and the brightest guiding me and the institutions I support.

Accordingly, every professional study ever done on the subject...by some of the most eminent people in the field...indicates that there is a direct correlation between a student's socio-economic status and his/her academic performance.

If you're as bright as you say you are, finding some of them on-line shouldn't be a heavy lift. Conversely, there are no such studies available that say socio-economic status has no effect on student performance.

To solve any problem, one first must understand precisely what it is and you clearly don't.

Leanna Terrific ! The apologists,excuse - makers defeatists and defenders of the status quo are not so much novices as they are sadists.Literally discardiing millions of chidren to a lifetime of failure for no other reason than these children come from economically challenged circumstances .Of course these people are also clearly stating that the trillions of dollars going in to challenged areas provides a good living for tens of thousands of people ,but does nothing to improve to improve the quality of education ."' We must train these kids to compete in a hypercompetitive, high -tech global economy " The defeatists run in terror from comparisons to neighboring towns , let alone other countries .How many teachers enter the classroom beat before they start . Is poverty an irrevocable life sentence ? You're right about degrees . There are many people in West Orange with advanced degrees who aren't Highly Qualified, and alot of them are the benefactors of the Peter Principle; "A person rises to their level of incompetency ". A relative of ours told his sister he hates people He's poorly educated ,he has no leadership skills { just ask his wife } he's extremely self- absorbed, and he's a defeatist . BUT he has friends in high places ,so recently,he was appointed a grammar school principal, beating out 20 other applicants SADISTIC ! Vouchers,Charter schools,A longer school day.Standards ?NO ! It's all about defending your turf,and taxpayers and children be damned .

Further, the suggestion that West Orange and Millburn are remotely comparable, in any respect, is without basis in fact as a comparison between their respective NJ School Report Cards clearly show:

http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc11/rcreport.php?c=13;d=5680;s=050;lt=W;st=A

http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc11/rcreport.php?c=13;d=3190;s=050;lt=M;st=A

Leanna "The Syncophants of socio - economics " offer NOTHING besides hopelessness . If you're, poor, you'll do poorly in school, { The teachers of course, are totally blameless } you will be poor your entire life , your children and their children and their children will suffer the same fate , and there is NOTHING we can do about it .Trillions will be spent , and more and more affluence and modest wealth will be created, not from innovation or hard work or ingenuity or creativity , but by taxing and taking jobs from the very people they are { in theory } supposed to be preparing to be productive members of society . Vouchers, school choice, charter schools , a longer school day and year, strict academic standards , better trained teachers, 50 or 100 thousand dolllars per student ,, ALL USELESS ! Horatio Alger must be spinning in his grave. This is all about defending the status quo. Give your friends, family and flunkies ,those demoralized, overworked, underpaid underappreciated , unfairly criticized, come early and stay late educrats and the tens of thousands of people who make nice livings from a system that CAN'T SUCCEED, more and more money..Like a man said " If you don't have what it takes to be a winner , figure out a way to make money from losing " Too, too many people in positions of trust don't have the grit, and the stamina ,and the strength of character that it takes to play with the big boys. "You're only beat when you think you are "

The foregoing post is filled with so much inaccurate nonsense that it is unfathomable.

The US Census pegged the median household income in West Orange at $88,917, in 2000; in Millburn (one of the wealthiest communities in the country), it was $137,778.

No poor children! Please we have them and that's a fact not like your posts.

Would you care to share some links to these alleged studies you're referencing?

While you're fumbling through providing some, you might then consider the fact that, regardless of the jurisidiction in which such studies are based, the conclusion drawn is the same: the best performing students have the highest socio-economic status...and that would be true if we're talking about Camden, NJ or Compton, CA.

Not one of the books you mention (either above or below) dispute the basic premise that student socio-economic status has, by far, the most profound effect on academic performance than any other factor.

Leanna:

I'm sorry but, based on the way your present yourself here, I rather doubt you have any capacity to instruct anyone about anything, regardless of what teaching aids you employ or texts you recommend.

Median household income ; West Orange; $88,917, Millburn ; $137,778 .Based on the Law of Socio- Economic Inevitability , Millburn MUST be ranked much higher than West Orange . But isn't there a point of diminishing returns ? Let's say a town progresses to a median household income of 175k .Doesn't the Rule of Socio - Economic Inevitability dictate that they must supplant Millburn at the top of the list? If another town develops a household median income of 200k, doesn't The Rule dictate that THEY go to the top of the list ? Conversely, if a town falls below a certain very specific median household income, all the schools there should be bulldozed . According to the Rule of Socio - Economic Inevitability, no matter how hard the children try, and no matter how much we spend , they MUST fail .Conversely ,in very affluent districts, students can sleep in class, and cut classes, and the teachers can catch some shuteye, and all the students will still go Ivy League on scholarships. Again, this is all based on the voluminous and largely irrefutable data which is the basis of The Rule of Socio- Economic Inevitability . Could you imagine how low someone has to be to casually and contemptuously condemn millions of children and their children to lives of poverty and deprivation based solely on median family income? The defenders of the status quo are fighting hard to hold on to what they've got, and it's very obvious they don't care who or how many people get hurt . .

What's readily apaprent is that what those with no clue label "defending the status quo" is simply understanding the terrain in which we currently find ourselves deployed for those of us who actually have one.

wohopeful remains remarkably consistent; all nonsense, all the time.

wohopeful Shakespeare said , As brevity is the soul of wit, I shall be brief " That is a wonderful statement you wrote, and so true . This is difficult to say, but the Rule of Socio- Economic Inevitablity just took a major hit . I counted at least 30 High Schools in lower socio - economic districts than West Orange that rank ahead of West Orange High School in New Jersey Monthly Magazine !! Surrender Dorothy ! Dorothy ? Who's Dorothy ? To the Wizard ! The Wizard will know ! wohopeful , there MUST be some logical explanation for all this . The Rule of Socio - Economic Inevitability is inviolate, sacrosanct, beyond reproach, and has stood the test of time - did I miss anything ? Like I said, let people write. Let them show over and over again their overt { and growing } contempt and their utter disdain for their EMPLOYERS, the people who struggle every day to pay them. Can you imagine how twisted you have to be to tell hard working honest families who want the best for their children that there is no hope for them or their heirs based solely on median family income ? AND in the next breath, demand and get more money from them.? How cruel. Many of the employers are in a free-fall, while many of the people they pay are rising up the economic ladder . OF COURSE they see the inescapable connection . They don't care One of the biggest lies ever told to the American people is , " Democrats are for the poor people "

wohopeful The Star Ledger had an article today which discussed possible incidents of teachers cheating to improve student scores on standardized tests .The number of possible incidents is relatively small { 27 }. That's not what caught my attention . The end of the article said this; Bruce Baker, an assistant professor in the Rutgers Graduate School of Education, said he did know whether schools are focusing on test security more, but said he believes they are publicizing it more.HE SAID THE PROBLEM IS THAT TEST SCORES SHOULD NOT BE USED TO MEASURE QUALITY OF INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS OR TEACHERS - AND " WE"RE PUTTING UNDUE PRESSURE ON CERTAIN SCHOOLS TO CREATE NUMBERS SO THEYY CAN KEEP THEIR JOBS. "This is part of an ongoing and aggressive campaign by people in public education to destroy measurable standards . Everytime I read this kind of statement , I see something that is quite noticeable by it's absence; there's never any alternative to testing to measure student progress. It's not an error of omission .There's no alternative offered,because they don't want any alternative to exist. Destruction of any and all measureable standards is the clear goal of these people. These are the people whom we have entrusted to prepare the children for the " high- tech ,hyper - competitive global economy of the twenty - first century" If this garbage isn't malpractice,what is? Not only don't they want anyone keeping score on them ,they don't want anyone to KNOW how to keep score on them.

Self-actualization, huh? Well, my guess would be that you're as lacking in credentials in psychiatry/psychology as you are in education.

I have no doubt that's true. The idea that you'd have difficulty understanding what I wrote is rather patently obvious.

Adam Kraemer:

Start with a faulty premise and you'll wind up with a faulty conclusion every time.

District Factor Group pairings are based on economics and, specifically, median household income.

If you can find anything remotely similar in the rest of the commonly examined demographics of Parsippany, Wayne and West Orange, I'd love to hear you expound upon them.

Thank you for that information Mr. Kraemer.

Adam,Educating children is too important a job to factor in median family incomes, or median household incomes, or the unemployment rate, or occupational staus or anything else when looking at results .That creates a not so general predetermination of success or failure i.e. You're beat before you start.The latest missive aimed at destroying measurable standards appeared yesterday in the Star - Ledger; Bruce Baker,an assistant professor at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education said, "The problem is that test scores should not be used to measure quality of individual schools or teachers. We're putting undue pressure on certain schools to create numbers so they can keep their jobs " What alternative does he offer to measure student progress ? The educrats are engaged in an ongoing and aggressive campaign to destroy standards. I spoke to Administrators 4 times about teachers who were grading papers but not correcting them. They tried to use the "self- esteem " ploy .I asked, "How can a child learn if no one corrects them ? " There was never a reply. Dr. Cavanna approved 2 field days, fitness testing, and lectures to the children on healthy eating by a representative from West Orange's food vendor service. An Anti- Bullying program was State mandated in the last school year. Less core-curriculum time, and of course,less instructional time required of teachers. Superintendent O' Neil won't try to change a damn thing. Adam, we MUST stop this. There is too much at stake .

Adam Kraemer:

While wonderful to actually get a reply from you, and that you're actually doing some research (which you clearly don't understand), here's the US News and World Report:

Education level and status, occcupational status, unemployment rate, and people living in poverty ARE all economic factors that directly contribute to, and ARE ultimately summarized as, median household income.

West Orange may be as wealthy as Wayne or Parsippany but, that wealth is NOT reflected in the school population...and it's racial, ethnic, cultural and linguistic differences with theirs are legion.

John,

It is fact that income and socioeconomic play a big role in school. I personally think it is VERY important to look at that and see why it, in fact is so. There are so many cultural differences in an affluent family and one from a lower economic family. But I think we can help. I think we (starting with each school) can create programs so that all parents can be involved, we can be more welcoming and change our school culture (PTA etc) to make sure we help the family behind the child.

To state that there are no poor kids in WO is so false and sad that people living here would think so. I too know people how should not have kids on free lunch but that is not at all most of the cases.

Talking about those students (the under poverty guidelines) I think that a field trip will be something where they will learn A LOT. They might never have a chance to get to Ellis island for example by themselves.

Health and fitness we need to teach not only the students but again involve the parents. It is not the students cooking themselves crappy food.

I am sure that if we as a town start to work together, not only the administration, then we can help the students in need and create a better school system in as a result.

This is a great way to start: The WO African Heritage Organization runs a tutoring program for all the elementary schools. I encourage people to sign u, anyone can do it. It is elementary English and Math. here is their website and more details: http://www.woaho.org/

Instead of just complaining I think we all can look deeper within and start take our responsibility to make a better town.

5 people on the council and 5 on the BOE can't do it by themselves.

While volunteering to make the town better you will understand a lot of the things going on and see all parts of town with their different demographics, needs, cultures and sub-cultures.

Education surely is important enough that its guidance shouldn't be left to those lacking credentials or expertise in the field.

Mr. Prignano asks an interesting question and the answer is simple:

They assimilated, learned English, were educated to the best of their abilities and obtained marketable skills...then either succeded and made great successes of themselves...or eked out a meager existence and died in poverty...or lived their lives somewhere in between...and that is precisely where our society (with its still significant immigrant population) finds itself today.

Point in fact: the population of the USA in 1910 was 92,228, 496 with 13,500,000 (14.6%) non-native born among them. In 2010, with a population of 308,745,538, non-native born numbered 39,900,000 (12.9%). Ergo, the educational/assimilation challenges have remained remarkably consistent for 100 years.

Professional educators and researches are not seeking excuses or justifying failures when they identify the problems that need to be addressed, or when pointing out the foolishness of comparing the incomparable; what they're are trying to do is to direct the focus where it needs to be and where examination using scientific method has concluded it should.

Public education has evolved over time to do just that. Unlike 150 years ago, It's no longer accomplished in a one room school house, by a single teacher lacking any formal training. Clearly, the apparatus has become far more sophosticated than that and so it will continue.

To hand it over to dilettantes would be a mistake of enormous proportions.

American Revolutionary War General Nathaniel Greene, who never won a battle or lost a campaign , wrote, " We fight, get beat, rise and fight again " Sir John Harington ; " Treason doth never prosper, what's the reason ? Why, when it prospers, none dare call it treason "

^ Ranthony:

You definitely need some new material; this is probably the fifteenth time you've posted the same quote...which remains neither germane nor relevant.

Laurie Great ! People love to point to socio - economic factors as reasons for failure.West Orange is the poster child for cronyism and nepotism. Many of the teachers are poorly trained and apathetic. The people who tout the West Orange Public Schools can't convince the teachers who live elsewhere and/or have moved out of town how good the schools are. Public school teachers put their children in private schools in a ratio of 2 to 1 to the general public. Doesn't that speak volumes about what they think of their own work product ? On 2 occasions ,I showed Superintendent Tarnoff several papers that had been graded but not corrected..He thanked me for bringing this problem to his attention .I had seen other children's work - same situation as mine .I asked him "Hasn't any other parent ever spoken to you about this ? " He replied "No " Laurie ,why do 30 schools from towns less affluent than us rank ahead of us? I believe the main reason is the people in those communities simply will not accept mediocrity. West Orange does, big time. What is it, we don't spend enough ? Nonsense. Besides, the educrats and their minions tell us family median income always trumps per pupil spending . 14 days LESS yearly instructional time at WOHS than the State average, and the P. T.A. says what about that ? Too many people are looking for JOBS, not quality education .We must not accept any thing less than excellence ." The fault dear Brutus, lies not in the stars, but in ourselves" .

Michele, I believe that many people in West Orange accept mediocrity. That you are not one of them is terrific. Read the letter I just wrote to you .I am not criticizing field trips, or Turkey Trots,or any other program the schools offer . Those are discussions for another day. the High School offers14 days less yearly instructional time than the State average. the grammar school schedule includes several early dismissals, in- service workshops, a mandated daily free period for teachers { They are not required to prep anything, it's a free period } and hours lost because of inclement weather are not made up at a later time .Where's the P T...A. on this issue ? With dozens of State and Distict mandates added over the years , why isn't the P.T.A. publicly calling for a longer school day and year ? The cost per pupil figures were terribly inaccurate. Didn't what West Orange taxpayers spend on the public schools being grossly underestimated mean anything to the P.T.A.? When I looked at teacher attendence numbers, I could see immediately they were inaccurate . For one nonsensical reason or another, many absences are just excluded. I have seen too many people involved in the schools who were not looking for quality education but were instead looking for a job. And indeed, many of them have been hired. Michele, where's the class time the children need? .

Michele Where do I say Mr. Tarnoff didn't correct the problem ? However, the fact that those teachers began to correct papers proved to me that they had not been doing their jobs previous to my complaint.

I don't have time to read through the posts but I thought you said that twice you had gone to him and he had said something about it. I got the feeling you felt he didn't listen. Good that he listened to you.

I am not at all on the same page as you. You suggest to take away the world languages? That would handicap our students when they go out in real life. So would cutting computer science.

Anti-bullying is mandated by the state so it the testing.

Lessons like Black History month and sex education is important and health is really important in this society in particular.

AS I said I am very involved in my kids education and to say that the teachers don't need to prep anything is just ignorance. They have their hands full with prep work. Much more than they have time to do during prep time.

There are 3 days designated to bad weather and if they are used we HAVE to make it up.

Again, I think if we concentrate on helping the families more I think we can get stuff done here.